This entry has been a long time in coming. The issue of homosexuality and the church is an extremely complicated and sensitive one, and it isn't going away. I am committed to honoring the biblical worldview, not the least of which is Jesus' commandment that we are to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. What follows is a sincere effort to explore what this means in the context of questions regarding homosexuality. Please join in this discussion. ALL are welcome.
-CL
Alternative tags: Homosexual, church, Jesus, Christian, Bible
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Where does this issue really belong: On the periphery, at distance from the core issues of our faith, or smack-dab in the middle as an issue where accurate theology and ecclesiology is essential for salvation?
ReplyDeleteI am particularly reminded of 1st Corinthians 6:9-11, where homosexuality is but one item on a list of nouns that we all have struggled with at one point or another:
1Cor. 6:9-11 Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor practicing homosexuals 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. (TNIV)
It seems that heterosexuals make an easy target out of homosexuality because it is the ONE noun on this list that we do not struggle with, or cannot admit to if we do. After all, how much noise are we really willing to make about things that WE do on a regular basis (like being greedy etc.)? It's easier (and a nice spotlight shift) to rail against that which we are not. But this doesn't make us better, just less honest and less Christlike. But if we look closely at this text in 1 Corinthians, we see that God's redemptive plan includes every type of person on this list. The original audience is now included as part of the people of God, and yes, this includes homosexuals. No one is included or excluded from God’s love or salvation on the basis of sexual preference alone. Period.
I also came across the issue of homosexuality in a recent study on supporting one's "Family of Origin." Regarding homosexuality, the central issues here are:
1) how to reconcile disenfranchised, homosexual family members with the rest of their family, especially during holidays, significant family events (like weddings and baptisms) and times of duress like funerals and terminal illnesses.
And 2) How can legitimate evangelization efforts be made with people (not just homosexuals) who already feel totally condemned and hated by the church and her Christians? Let’s face it and call it what it is: Christians have not always treated homosexuals well. It is long past time for us to change that and take Jesus at his word when he tells us to love our neighbors, friends and enemies alike.
I think this is an issue that will continue to be at the forefront of our churches and our secular culture. How DO we reconcile here? Condemnation of homosexuals/ homosexuality is not going to make people who identify with this label want to hear what Christians have to say or attend local church services.
But at the same time, the church cannot pretend that the Bible is silent on the issue and that it does not need to be addressed at all. I do not have the answers here, but this is something that we need to seek God's input on. The issue, even if a peripheral one, is not going away any time soon.
This is an open invitation to dialogue about this issue. Thus far, one of the key works I have read on it is:
Slaves, Women and Homosexuals by William Webb from IVP
This book is well worth the read and may challenge what you think you know about God’s redemptive purposes.
Thank you for reading and responding,
-C. Lambeth
Regarding homosexuality. l believe some people are born with an attraction to the same sex. They don't choose it, just like I don't choose being attracted to women. So why would God create some people to be born with a propensity to a certain behavior that He does not approve of?
ReplyDeleteAnonymous,
ReplyDeleteThis is an extremely valid question. Thank you for adding to the discussion. My most honest, gut reaction to your question is that “I don’t know.” I have wondered about this myself, but I don’t have any neat and tidy answers.
From a Christian perspective, I think that this question has an implicit assumption that whatever characteristics and issues we have at birth are perfect and exactly what God intended. I fundamentally disagree with that assumption. (Sorry for using the word “fundamental” on a blog whose administrator is a Christian. It’s somewhat of a pejorative word, but maybe we can put the “fun” back in “fundamentalism,” yes?). :)
Um, anyway. I am not even talking about doctrines of “original sin” here or how that has often been misunderstood. That in itself is a worthy side conversation to have, but I’ll save it for another day. What I mean is that I’m not sure if there is any such thing as a “perfectly healthy or normal” baby. This can be related to moral issues, but it can also be totally independent of them. For example, I was born with asthma and allergies. I was allergic to everything, from air, to dairy products, fur, and grass, let alone mold and dust.
Plus my ankles are weak; my feet have bad arches and I have always been exceptionally scrawny. And those are just the physical things I was born with. Mentally and personality speaking, I am pretty average. But I’ve got my issues, and some of these I have little doubt are either caused by or exacerbated by my genetic birth-code. That is not to plead for any irresponsibility concerning my actions. My will is still involved after all, but this is a balance between nature and nurture.
So what I am saying is, whether it’s a mental, physical, behavioral or moral issue, whatever any of us has at birth is not necessarily good and perfect as we were originally intended to be. The fact is that death and corruption (physical and moral) seem to have free reign here on earth, and children are born with issues, some worse than others. Just because we were born a certain way does not mean that everything about it and us is “good.” Being born with serious health issues is definitely NOT good of its own accord.
Lest I make enemies of my homosexual friends, I have to be quick to point out that I am NOT saying that having a latent homosexual preference at birth is similar to being born with a terrible disease or handicap. Ack! Please don’t hear me say that. What I am
ReplyDeletesaying is that just because we are born with certain proclivities does not AUTOMATICALLY make ALL of them “good.”
However, since we are discussing “nature” (not nurture) here, we should also be quick to note that whether or not what we are born with is “good” or “bad,” babies are not “responsible” for their condition, whatever it may be. I hope we can universally agree on that.
In most Protestant circles, this is why we understand that no babies (or younger children) “go to hell” even if they die before baptism and choosing to follow Jesus of their own volition. I suspect that many of our Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox (as well as Lutheran and Episcopal) brothers and sisters are moving in the same direction theologically, even if not in their traditional infant-baptism practices.
So if babies are not responsible for their natural condition and predisposed preferences at birth, one of the most important questions we can ask about homosexuality is whether or not a person who identifies with that label has chosen that or has always been that way. As you pointed out, “Anonymous,” YOU didn’t choose to be heterosexual, so why not apply the same schemata for homosexuals? This is a fair move to make, but we should not absolutize it.
What I mean is that just because many people do not choose their sexual preference, we should not assume that NOBODY does. For example, I have met a person who told me point blank that he chose to be a homosexual. He is by far and away the minority among the other individuals I have known who identify with that label, but at the same time, I don’t ask people about their sexual preference, and I certainly don’t ask them if they chose it or were born that way. It’s just not my business. Once again: Ack.
I guess what it comes down to is: to ask about hetero- or homo-sexuality really misses the point that Jesus came to make. His point, I am fairly sure, is that we are all jacked-up and in need of his grace, peace and love, and this is completely irrespective of sexuality. For us to then make sexual preference THE defining feature of who is IN or OUT is to commit a grave theological and relational error. I mean, are we really getting things right to say that, “You can be saved and go to heaven if you’re a heterosexual but if you’re not, then I’m sorry; Jesus doesn’t like you or love you”? It’s hard for me to imagine such an ignorant, hateful and embarrassing position. Yet this is EXACTLY how some Christians have behaved and believed. In fact, I had previously adopted a position very similar to this when I was a teenager. We need to own our past mistakes, and if we ever hope to get past such embarrassments to Christ, we should openly confess our previous (sinful) thoughts, actions and indeed, tyranny against homosexuals.
But just as I have discovered through befriending illegal immigrants, Muslims and yes, even other Christians, we can’t relate or understand anything about a person who we don’t know. It’s easy for us to hate, demonize and dehumanize people that we don’t know and don’t like. But once we have the privilege of making friends with those who are different than us, it becomes a lot harder to judge them and/or to elevate ourselves as their “superiors.” Again, we need to repent of this behavior, publicly, and start honoring the greatest two commandments: Love God and love your neighbor. Notice that Jesus doesn’t even hint at including anything about “sexual preferences” in his “commandment” regarding our neighbors. Neither should we.
Thanks for reading me,
-C. Lambeth
Nevertheless, we are still left with the question of how the church is to respond to the issue of homosexuality itself. We can (and should) love all of our fellow humans regardless of their sexual preferences. That much is abundantly clear. But what is the church to teach about homosexual sex itself? I can’t (and don’t want to) change the text, even though that would be easier in the short-run, so I must conclude that homosexual thoughts/ deeds are sinful as per a plain reading of the biblical text. Therefore, if a person elects to be a Jesus-follower (Christian) and has homosexual impulses, then he or she also elects to deny giving in to that desire for the cause of Christ. This might not sound fair at first, but this imposition is no different than any other self-denial that Jesus asks of anyone else. For example, I am sexually attracted to women. Be that as it may, my decision to follow Jesus means that I am to deny my natural predisposition to have sex with any attractive woman I see. Choosing to follow Jesus means that I choose to deny my desires that are at odds with that followership.
ReplyDeleteI may be “naturally” inclined to function a certain way, but that does not mean that such a desire defines me or controls me. I am a sexual being, but I am not defined by it or owned by it. I can choose to let it control me or I can choose to set it in its appropriate place. Indeed, I would argue that this ability to deny ourselves is a key difference between humanity and the rest of the animal kingdom. To deny ourselves is not to deny our humanity at all, but to assert it. Dogs and rabbits (among other beasts) for example, are known for being enslaved to their impulses. They hump anything, from each other to inanimate objects and even a stranger’s leg. Humans, however, have the ability and cognizance to act or not act on their inclinations and desires, and this goes well-beyond sexual preferences. It also includes how we re-act when someone wrongs us or when we are presented with the opportunity to make money in an illegal way: we are tempted to act one way that will gratify our impulses, but we can choose to act alternatively in a way that will honor our relationship with our creator. Regardless of the specific issue in question, in most cases where people never have any inhibitions and cannot reflect on their choices before they make then, we think that they are either intoxicated or have a mental impairment. Sober, sane and non-coerced humans have the ability to choose.
Unfortunately, it seems that the current problem regarding homosexuality and the church is characterized by Christians trying to impose their values on homosexuals outside the church who have no interest and no commitment to following Jesus. In Matthew 18:15-17 Jesus speaks to the issue of Christians not living in submission to their commitments to God, but this is for those INSIDE the church. What about “outsiders”? Why would they “deny themselves” for Jesus, when they plainly have no desire to “follow” him in the first place? This might be similar to a Muslim approaching me and trying to force me to follow the “5 Pillars of Islam.” I never signed up for that, and I remain fairly convinced that what Mohammed witnessed was either a demon or a figment of his imagination. What Mohammed taught is completely irrelevant to me and condemning me for not following his teachings isn’t likely to make me want to study it more or get involved with their religious community. How many homosexuals feel that way about Christians? And what might WE do to change that perception?
To come full-circle, we need not be embarrassed by the fact that the biblical text refers to homosexual activity as sinful. It is what it is. This is not so ridiculous of a notion and quite similar to any other action or thought that Jesus-followers are asked to give up for his sake. This does not make it easy. Indeed, sexuality is one of the most complicated and powerful of all human desires, so denying it requires a great deal of reliance upon God’s Holy Spirit and his grace, not to mention prayer, confession and accountability. Will power alone isn’t likely to cut it for homosexuality any more than it is for those who struggle with alcohol, anger, pornography, or any other addiction.
ReplyDeleteBe that as it may, the ongoing battle for the church is to reach out to homosexuals, love them, and successfully negotiate the territory of inviting them into a relationship with Jesus that will cost them dearly in terms of denying their sexual preferences. Following Jesus is not easy for any of us, and that is perhaps the best point of contact between those inside the church and those without, regardless of their sexual preferences.
In Luke 14 Jesus makes it fairly clear for all of us, that following him means something serious, and difficult:
Luke 14:28-33
“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? 29 For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, 30 saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’ 31 “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32 If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. 33 In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples. (TNIV)
Thanks for reading me,
-C. Lambeth
Interesting read. Some thoughts. The whole choice/biology debate seems hopelessly simple in the face of such a complex part of humanity. As I have talked with a number folks, the reality that I am coming to believe about sexuality is that while its definitely a huge piece of our make up, I am starting to believe that it is more fluid than we may think. Have heard of folks who considered themselves hetero go through certain experiences and times and find themselves far more open to the homosexual aspect of things... and have known folks who struggled strongly with homosexual impulses/attractions go through a process over period of time and find that their attractions have been altered. Ultimately, the greatest sins are not those of the flesh as whatever sexual transgressions we commit are easy enough for God to forgive. The primary issue is one of identity. As folks in the queer community identify themselves as "a homosexual", I think that speaks to the issue of idoltary. That is, the reality that our identity is to belong to God first and foremost, if sexuality or something else assumes that position, we have crossed over from a particular sin to belonging to something other than God.
ReplyDeleteGod is calling those who are struggling with homosexuality to Himself, which may or may not result in some sort of sexual healing, but that is a secondary issue. The first is that each person in the homosexual community is deeply loved by God and being called to belong to Him first.
Well done, Nobs. Thank you for taking the time to type in.
ReplyDelete-CL