An old clip from The West Wing continues to circulate on the internet, accusing Christians of following Old Testament laws regarding homosexuality but ignoring other laws. Tim explains where this straw man goes wrong.

Transcript

West Wing Man: I like how you call homosexuality an abomination.

Tim: This old clip from The West Wing continues to circulate the internet, and it’s not hard to see why. Hollywood couldn’t resist showing what appears to be a conservative Christian being absolutely owned by a progressive president.

The problem with this viral video is that it leaves a false impression about what Christians are like and what Christians believe. Let’s watch the video, and I’ll give you my thoughts as we go.

West Wing Woman: I don’t say homosexuality is an abomination, Mr. President. The Bible does.

Man: Yes, it does. Leviticus.

Woman: 18:22.

Man: Chapter and verse.

Tim: Now, we should pause here and make a quick clarification. Leviticus doesn’t say homosexuality is an abomination. Rather, it says, “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination.” So, first, notice it’s not speaking about orientation, which is often how people use the word “homosexuality” today. Rather, it’s speaking about behavior—homosexual sex.

Second, while citing Leviticus 18 is part of the overall discussion about God’s view of sexuality, it’s definitely not the first place to start. That’s because, as we’re about to see, it raises other questions. Instead, it’s better to make the case from the New Testament and then demonstrate how this view is consistent with the Old Testament.

Man: I wanted to ask you a couple of questions while I had you here. I’m interested in selling my youngest daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. She’s a Georgetown sophomore, speaks fluent Italian, always cleared the table when it was her turn. What would a good price for her be?

Tim: This is clever writing. First, notice how the president appears to know the Bible better than this conservative Christian. Also, notice what the president is doing here. He’s using questions to try to point out an inconsistency in her view. In this case, she follows Leviticus 18, but she doesn’t follow Exodus 21. The unstated assumption is that Christians are arbitrarily—or maybe nefariously—picking and choosing the commandments they like while just ignoring the ones they don’t.

The problem with this characterization is that it doesn’t accurately represent Christianity. In other words, it’s a straw man. If you actually want to understand why Christians appear to follow some Mosaic laws but not others, you need to understand the covenants. More specifically, the Old Testament contains the Mosaic Law, and these were laws given by God through Moses to the chosen people of Israel to accomplish a very specific purpose. This is part of what we call the Old Covenant. It’s like a contract between two parties—God and the Jewish nation—and it includes specific commands, rules, and even punishments for their unique circumstance.

Now, this may surprise you, but Christians don’t live under the Old Covenant. We’re under a different covenant—the New Covenant. When Jesus came, he fulfilled the requirements of the Law and established a new covenant through his death and resurrection. Under this new covenant, Christians are not obliged to follow commandments in virtue of them being in the Mosaic Law. Instead, Christians follow the commands that apply to them under the New Covenant.

Okay, Tim. are you saying that commandments like “Thou shalt not murder” don’t apply to us because it’s in the Old Covenant?

Here’s what I’m saying: No commandment in the Mosaic Law is incumbent upon me in virtue of being part of that Law. However, there are some commands that appear in the Old Testament that are repeated in the New Testament, and they’re repeated because the commands are grounded in a universal moral law that those commands point to.

But as the president makes clear in this video, there are many laws in the Old Covenant that are not repeated—like this one:

Man: While thinking about that, can I ask another? My chief of staff, Leo McGarry, insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly says he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself, or is it okay to call the police?

Tim: Again, this example makes my point. The reason it’s okay to work on the Sabbath is because, one, we’re not under the Old Covenant anymore, and two, it’s not repeated in the New Covenant. In fact, Paul says the Sabbath of the Old Covenant was a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. In other words, Jesus is our Sabbath rest.

Man: Here’s one that’s really important because we’ve got a lot of sports fans in this town. Touching the skin of a dead pig makes one unclean—Leviticus 11:7. If they promise to wear gloves, can the Washington Redskins still play football? Can Notre Dame? Can West Point?

Tim: The West Wing writers seem to know as much about the covenants as they know about football, since footballs are not made of pigskin. They’re made of cowhide leather. But, again, under the New Covenant, nothing you touch makes you unclean. Jesus explains that it’s not physical things like food or touching someone or something unclean that makes a person unclean. Rather, what comes from the heart—like evil thoughts, sin, and wickedness—are what truly defile a person.

Man: Does the whole town really have to be together to stone my brother John for planting different crops side by side? Can I burn my mother in a small family gathering for wearing garments made from two different threads? Think about those questions, would you?

Tim: Notice how he asked a bunch of questions, but he never really wanted an answer. This reminds me of the proverb “The one who states his case first seems right, until another comes and examines him.”

Man: One last thing: while you may be mistaking this for your monthly meeting of the ignorant tight*** club, in this building, when the president stands, nobody sits.

Tim: Well, congratulations, Hollywood, on not even attempting to accurately understand or represent Christians or their beliefs. Bravo.