|
The Bible and Homosexuality
Not a sickness, Not a sin
About the Bible
New information
refutes old ideas
"The sin of Sodom"
What is "natural"?
No law against love
Other insights
The most beautiful word in the Gospel of Jesus
Christ is
"whosoever" All of God's promises are intended for every human being
This includes gay men and lesbians. How tragic it is that the Christian
Church has excluded and persecuted people who are homosexual! We are
all created with powerful needs for personal relationships. Our quality
of life depends upon the love we share with others whether family or
friends, partners or peers. Yet, lesbians and gay men facing hostile
attitudes in society often are denied access to healthy relationships.
Jesus Christ calls us to find ultimate meaning in life through a
personal relationship with our Creator. This important spiritual union
can bring healing and strength to all of our human relationships.
Not a sickness, not a sin
For many centuries, the Christian Church's attitude toward human
sexuality was very negative: sex was for procreation, not for pleasure;
women and slaves were considered property to be owned by males; and
many expressions of heterosexuality, like homosexuality, were
considered sinful.
Such tradition often continues to influence churches
today. Many teach that women should be subordinate to men, continue to
permit forms of discrimination against peoples of color, and condemn
homosexuals. They say that all homosexual acts are sinful, often
referring to their interpretation of scripture.
Other churches today
are influenced by a century of psychoanalytic thought promoted through
a powerful minority in the field of medicine. They see homosexuality as
some kind of sickness Although this view has now been soundly
discredited by the medical profession, some churches and clergy
continue to be influenced by the idea. They say that homosexuals are
"imperfect" and in need of "healing."
The good news is that, since 1968, when Metropolitan Community Church
was founded, the emergence of a strong lesbian and gay community, and
the conclusions of new scientific studies on homosexuality have forced
the Christian Church to reexamine these issues. A growing number of
biblical and theological scholars now recognize that Scripture does not
condemn loving, responsible homosexual relationships.
Therefore, gay
men and lesbians should he accepted just as they are in Christian
churches, and homosexual relationships should be celebrated and
affirmed!
About the Bible
The Bible is a collection of writings which span more than a thousand
years recounting the history of God's relationship with the Hebrew and
Christian people. It was written in several languages, embraces many
literary forms, and reflects cultures very different from our own.
These are important considerations for properly understanding the Bible
in its context.
There are vast differences in doctrines between various
Christian denominations, all of which use the same bible. Such
differences have led some Christians to claim that other Christians are
not really Christians at all! Biblical interpretation and theology
differ from church to church.
Biblical interpretation and theology also change from time to time.
approximately 150 years ago in the United States, some Christian
teaching held that there was a true-fold moral order: black and white.
Whites were thought to be superior to blacks, therefore blacks were to
be subservient and slavery was an institution ordained by God. Clergy
who supported such an abhorrent idea claimed the authority of the
Bible.
The conflict over slavery led to divisions which gave birth to
some major Christian denominations. These same denominations, of
course, do not support slavery today. Did the Bible change? No, their
interpretation of the Bible did!
New information refutes old ideas
What influences lead us to new ways of understanding Scripture! New
scientific information, serial changes, and personal experience are
perhaps the greatest forcesfor change in the way we interpret the Bible
and develop our beliefs. Scientific awareness of homosexual orientation
did not exist until the nineteenth century.
Most Christian churches,
including Metropolitan Community Church, believe the Bible was inspired
by God and provides a key source of authority for the Christian faith.
Therefore, what the Bible teaches on any subject, including sexuality
is of great significance The problem, however, is that sometimes the
Bible says very little about some subjects; and popular attitudes about
those matters are determined much more by other sources, which are then
read into the biblical statements. This has been particularly true of
homosexuality. But fortunately, recent scholarship refutes many
previous assumptions and conclusions.
Genesis
19:1-25
What was the sin of Sodom? Some "televangelists" carelessly proclaim
that God destroyed the ancient cities of Sodom and Gomorrah because of
"homosexuality." Although some theologians have equated the sin of
Sodom with homosexuality, a careful look at Scripture corrects such
ignorance.
Announcing judgment on these cities in Genesis 18, God sends two angels
to Sodom, where Abraham's nephew, Lot, persuades them to stay in his
home. Genesis 19 records that "all the people from every quarter"
surround Lot's house demanding the release of his visitors so "we might
know them."
The Hebrew word for "know" in this case, yanha, usually
means "have thorough knowledge of." It could also express intent to
examine the visitors' credentials, or on rare occasions the term
implies sexual intercourse. If the latter was the author's intended
meaning, it would have been a clear case of attempted gang rape.
Horrified at this gross violation of ancient hospitality rules, Lot
attempts to protect the visitors by offering his two daughters to the
angry crowd, a morally outrageous act by today's standards. The people
of Sodom refuse, so the angels render them blind. Lot and his family
are then rescued by the angels as the cities are destroyed.
Several observations are important. First, the judgment on these cities
for their wickedness had been announced prior to the alleged homosexual
incident. Second, all of Sodom's people participated in the assault on
Lot's house; in no culture has more than a small minority of the
population been homosexual.
Third, Lot's offer to release his daughters
suggests he knew his neighbors to have heterosexual interests. Fourth,
if the issue was sexual, why did God spare Lot, who immediately commits
incest with his daughters! Most importantly, why do all the other
passages of Scripture referring to this account fail to raise the issue
of homosexuality?
What was the "sin of Sodom"?
Ezekiel 16:48-50
Ezekiel states it clearly: people of Sodom, like many people today, had
abundance of material goods. But they failed to meet the needs of the
poor, and they worshipped idols. The sins of injustice and idolatry
plague every generation. We stand under the same judgment if we create
false gods or treat others with injustice.
Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13
Christians today do not follow the rules and rituals described in
Leviticus. But some ignore its definitions of their own "uncleanness"
while quoting Leviticus to condemn "homosexuals." Such abuse of
Scripture distorts the Old Testament meaning and denies a New Testament
message. "You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it
is an abomination."
These words occur solely in the Holiness Code of
Leviticus, a ritual manual for Israel's priests. Their meaning can only
be fully appreciated in the historical and cultural context of the
ancient Hebrew people. Israel, in a unique place as the chosen people
of one God, was to avoid the practices of other peoples and
gods.
Hebrew religion, characterized by the revelation
of one
God, stood in continuous tension with the religion of the surrounding
Canaanites who worshipped the multiple gods of fertility cults.
Canaanite idol worship, which featured female and male cult
prostitution as noted in Deuteronomy 23:17, repeatedly compromised
Israel's loyalty to God. The Hebrew word for a male cult prostitute,
qadesh, is mistranslated "sodomite" in some versions of the Bible.
What is an "Abomination"? An abomination is that which God found
detestable because it was unclean, disloyal, or unjust. Several Hebrew
words were so translated, and the one found in Leviticus, toevah, is
usually associated with idolatry, as in Ezekiel, where it occurs
numerous times. Given the strong association of toevah with idolatry
and the Canaanite religious practice of cult prostitution, the use of
toevah regarding male same-sex acts in Leviticus calls into question
any conclusion that such condemnation also applies to loving,
responsible homosexual relationships.
Rituals and rules found in the Old Testament were
given
to preserve the distinctive characteristics of the religion and culture
of Israel. But, as stated in Galatians 3:22-25, Christians are no
longer bound by these Jewish laws. By faith we live in Jesus Christ,
not in Leviticus. To be sure, ethical concerns apply to all cultures
and peoples in every age. Such concerns were ultimately reflected by
Jesus Christ, who said nothing about homosexuality, but a great deal
about love, justice, mercy and faith.
Romans 1:24-27
Most New Testament books, including the four Gospels, are silent on
same-sex acts, and Paul is the only author who makes any reference to
the subject. The most negative statement by Paul regarding same-sex
acts occurs in Romans 1:24- 27 where, in the context of a larger
argument on the need of all people for the gospel of Jesus Christ,
certain homosexual behavior is given as an example of the "uncleanness"
of idolatrous Gentiles.
Does this passage refer to all homosexual acts, or
to
certain homosexual behavior known to Paul's readers? Romans was written
to Jewish and Gentile Christians in Rome, who would have been familiar
with the infamous sexual excesses of their contemporaries, especially
Roman emperors. They would also have been aware of tensions in the
early Church regarding Gentiles and observance of the Jewish laws, as
noted in Acts 15 and Paul's letter to the Galatians. Jewish laws in
Leviticus mentioned male same-sex acts in the context of idolatry.
What is "natural"?
Significant to Paul's discussion is the fact that these "unclean"
Gentiles exchanged that which was "natural" for them -physin, in the
Greek text- for something "unnatural," para physin. In Romans 11:24,
God acts in an "unnatural" way, para physin, to accept the Gentiles.
"Unnatural" in these passages does not refer to violation of so- called
laws of nature, but rather implies action contradicting one's own
nature. In view of this, we should observe that it is "unnatural," para
physin, for a person today with a lesbian or gay sexual orientation to
attempt living a heterosexual lifestyle.
Romans 1.26 is the only statement in the Bible with a possible
reference to lesbian behavior, although the specific intent of this
verse is unclear. Some authors have seen in this passage a reference to
women adopting a dominant role in heterosexual relationships. Given the
repressive cultural expectations placed on women in Paul's time, such a
meaning may be possible.
The homosexual practices cited in Romans 1:24-27 were believed to
result from idolatry and are associated with some very serious offenses
as noted in Romans 1. Taken in this larger context, it should be
obvious that such acts are significantly different from loving,
responsible lesbian and gay relationships seen today.
I Corinthians
6:9 and I Timothy 1:10
Any consideration of New Testament statements on same-sex acts must
carefully view the social context of the Greco-Roman culture in which
Paul ministered. Prostitution and pederasty (sexual relationships of
adult men with boys) were the most commonly known male same-sex acts.
In I Corinthians 6:9, Paul condemns those who are "effeminate" and
"abusers of themselves with man- kind," as translated in the King James
version. Unfortunately, some newer translations are worse, rendering
these words "homosexuals." Recent scholarship unmasks the homophobia
behind such mistranslations. The first word - malakos, in the Greek
text-which has been translated "effeminate" or "soft," most likely
refers to someone who lacks discipline or moral control. The word is
used elsewhere in the New Testament but never with reference to
sexuality.
The second word, arsenokoitai, occurs once each in
I
Corinthians and I Timothy, but nowhere else in other literature of the
period. It is derived from two Greek words, one meaning "males" and the
other "beds," a euphemism for sexual intercourse. Other Greek words
were commonly used to describe homosexual behavior but do not appear
here. The larger context of I Corinthians 6 shows Paul extremely
concerned with prostitution, so it is very possible he was referring to
male prostitutes. But many experts now attempting to translate these
words have reached a simple conclusion: their precise meaning is
uncertain.
No law against love
The rarity with which Paul discusses any form of same-sex behavior and
the ambiguity in references attributed to him make it extremely unsound
to conclude any sure position in the New Testament on homosexuality,
especially in the context of loving, responsible relationships. Since
any arguments must be made from silence, it is much more reliable to
turn to great principles of the Gospel taught by Jesus Christ and the
Apostles. Love God with all your heart, and love your neighbor as
yourself. Do not judge others, lest you be judged. The fruit of the
Holy Spirit is love ... against such there is no law.
One thing is abundantly clear, as Paul stated in Galatians 5:14: "the
whole Law is fulfilled in one statement, 'You shall love your neighbor
as yourself."'
Other insights
"The homosexuality the New Testament opposes is the pederasty of the
Greco- Roman culture; the attitudes toward pederasty and, in part, the
language used to oppose it are informed by the Jewish background." -
Robin Scroggs Professor of Biblical Theology Union Theological
Seminary, New York City
"One cannot be absolutely certain that the two key words in I
Corinthians 6:9 are meant as references to male homosexual behavior." -
Victor Paul Furnish, Professor of New Testament Perkins School of
Theology, Dallas
"The strongest New Testament argument against homosexual activity as
intrinsically immoral has been derived traditionally from Romans 1:26,
where this activity is indicated as para physin. The normal English
translation for this has been 'against nature.'
Two interpretations can
be justified concerning what Paul meant by the phrase. It could refer
to the individual pagan, who goes beyond his own sexual appetites in
order to indulge in new sexual pleasures. The second possibility is
that physis refers to the 'nature' of the chosen people who were
forbidden by Levitical law to have homosexual relations." - John J.
McNeill, Adjunct Professor of Psychology Union Theological Seminary,
New York City
"A close reading of Paul's discussion of homosexual acts in Romans 1
does not support the common modern interpretation of the passage. Paul
did not deny the existence of a distinction between clean and unclean
and even assumed that Jewish Christians would continue to observe the
purity code. He refrained, however, from identifying physical impurity
with sin or demanding that Gentiles adhere to that code." - L. William
Countryman, Professor of New Testament Church Divinity School of the
Pacific, Berkeley
"The Hebrew word 'toevah,' here translated 'abomination,' does not
usually signify something intrinsically evil, like rape or theft
(discussed elsewhere in Leviticus), but something which is ritually
unclean for Jews, like eating pork or engaging in intercourse during
menstruation, both of which are prohibited in these same chapters." -
John Boswell, Professor of History Yale University, New Haven
Additional resource: What Science Says -- and Doesn't Say -- About Homosexuality
| 
