THEOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF GAY PRACTICE IN THE LIGHT OF ROMANS 1:25-27: A MODEL FOR IDEAL MARRIAGE IN NIGERIA

Abstract

Marriage between a man and a woman is one of the oldest social rites of passage, established by God from a religious worldview and highly revered in most cultures since timeimmemorial. It has continued to serve as the foundation for the existence of the family due to its procreative role, social control, and regulation of human activities in society. Fromreligious and cultural perspectives, marriage is recognized as a union between a man and a woman. However, debates on the choice of who to marry, championed by advocates of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights, have increased in both secular and religious circles over the past three decades, posing a contemporary theological problem. This paper provides a theological evaluation of gay practices in light of Romans 1:18-25 as a model for ideal marriage in Nigeria. One of the objectives is to raise awareness among Christians and draw the attention of the government, churches, general public, and individuals to the understanding that gay practice is not God's standard for ideal marriage. The paper adoptsexegetical, descriptive, historical, and evaluative methods. The exegetical method is used to interpret Romans 1:26-27, highlighting its significance in repositioning ideal marriage in socio-religious and cross-cultural settings. The study reveals that God's ideal marriage, from time immemorial and recommended for human society, is the union between a man and a woman. Furthermore, it recommends that gay practices should be discouraged due to their lack of natural capacity to meet God's plan for procreation between a man and a woman. The paper concludes that churches, religious groups, and countries that have legalized gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender practices should discourage them due to their lack of moral justification and ethical values, as they are contentious to biblical truth and attract remedial punishments from God.