Thinking Biblically About
Dr.
Gordon College
April 10, 2007
Introduction
We are all aware that this is
an increasingly volatile issue, both within the Church and in the wider
political arena. It causes deep pain
and anguish for some, anger and resentment for others, and very likely a degree
of apprehension and anxiety all the way around. As you might guess, I would dearly love not to
have to address this at all because none of us wants to be labeled and condemned,
either for discrimination and bigotry, on the one hand, or caving in to the
culture, on the other. Unfortunately,
condemning attitudes do so easily appear when emotions run high. Because this is true, I want to start by
creating a wider framework in which to consider the relevant biblical
texts. Once we have looked at the texts,
I would like to make some observations about interpretive principles. Finally, I hope we can also consider briefly
what we need to do in order to be truly a redemptive community.
First, the framework: These are the biblical texts on the matter of
homosexual practice. In presenting the
traditional reading of these texts, however, it could be perceived that homosexual
practice is being singled out as in some way a more reprehensible sin than
others. That is not the case. All sin is deserving of death; Paul makes
that clear in Romans 3. We could wish,
for example, that as much passion would be exerted in addressing the dreadfully
destructive effects of lying, greed, and idolatry, all of which plague each one
of us.
What has happened, however,
is that we in the Church have characteristically responded with a truly
reprehensible lack of grace in response to certain sins as opposed to a host of
others. Due to fear, anger, and that
ugly specter of spiritual pride on our part, those who struggle and agonize
over sexual orientation have often been driven away, rather than offered grace.
I suspect, by the way, that it has also
to do with shame; some sins also have a tragic amount of cultural baggage
accompanying them while others do not. I know from numerous personal narratives that
I have heard over the years that these experiences are heart-wrenching. This should not be. The church is the one place where
forgiveness, restoration and hope are truly possible and we need to be channels
of God’s grace because we are all
together in this position of needing
grace. I would suggest that this is
particularly true in regard to sexuality which is an area of life in which everyone, regardless of orientation or
marital status, faces temptations.
Having said that, grace is grace because it deals with sin. To redefine practices so that they are no
longer sin is to rob grace of its power.
It is no longer wonderful, matchless, and overwhelming; it simply
becomes an attitude that we expect
people and God to have. Rather than
humbly pleading with God for forgiveness, mercy, and grace, we end up asking
Him and His people for tolerance. There
is a world of difference. The first
necessitates humility; it is a spirit of brokenness but one from which true and
renewed life proceeds.
The Body of Christ, the
Church, is an odd place. We are all
sinners, so deeply in need of forgiveness that none of us has any reason to be
self-righteous and proud. Yet, at the
same time, we are called to challenge each other because we are a body and are
responsible in a profound way for one another.
God made that painfully clear to Ezekiel when He said He would hold
Ezekiel responsible for the sins of the people if Ezekiel did not warn them (
One more part of my
framework: There is a deep and wonderful richness to human relationships. My comments are not in any way directed
against close and profoundly meaningful same-gender friendships. How could they be? We have evidence of such in the biblical text
and it is a testimony to the value of those relationships that Scripture
indicates the support and intimacy of them; we need those friendships What the Bible does address, however, in very
strong terms is sexual expression between members of the same gender. And that is where we turn now.
The Biblical Texts
I know these are called
“clobber passages” (cf. www.ecinc.org) because
it often feels that they are used that way.
And that is the danger in focusing solely on particular verses. They are
parts of a whole and there are very significant issues in hermeneutics that
must be addressed. I will try at least
to give a sense of those, both in the course of presenting the texts and
afterwards, and I would encourage you to visit the web site (www.harvestusa.org) noted in the
resources at the end that gives much more thorough and sensitive attention to
each of these issues.
Genesis 19 (with Ezekiel
We know the details of the
narrative. The outcry against
In fact, there are two
explicit commentaries on the Genesis narrative later in the biblical
canon. The first is indeed provided by
Ezekiel, from whom we learn that this was a culture stunningly like our
own.
The second direct response to
the
In sum, it seems that
Judges 19 (with Genesis 9)
Tragically, this narrative
thread is not isolated in Genesis. We
see the same activity repeated again in Judges 19 and what is troubling about
that incident is that God’s people (a city of the tribe of Benjamin) had
adopted the ways of the debased Canaanite culture around them. I would suggest that this possibly has rather
contemporary parallels. In the Israelite context, a Levite stopped for
the night in the town of
Leviticus
I have already several times
alluded to the holiness regulations in Leviticus and to those we now turn. The first of these passages forbids a man to
“lie with man as with a woman” indicating it is detestable, an abomination (to’evah). It is not limited to a particular kind of
homosexual activity; it is rather a general and blanket prohibition. The second
pronounces the death penalty for that act.
Because these are in the “holiness code” (Leviticus 17-25), significant
parts of which deal with ritual matters, some interpretations view these
statements as merely addressing purity issues, not sin. Furthermore, because the death penalty is
indicated, they are dismissed as no longer possibly being relevant for the
Church. What is important to note,
however, is that the great majority of the other prohibitions in ch 18 and the
infractions noted in ch 20 address troubling sexual activities (“uncovering the
nakedness [ervah] of...”), many of
them in the category of incest. These
are still clearly recognized as unacceptable, as are adultery and bestiality,
both of which also appear here.
Furthermore, it should not escape our notice that Leviticus 19 is packed
with significant ethical instructions, many of which reiterate the Ten
Commandments. Furthermore, among them is
“…rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in his guilt…you shall
love your neighbor as yourself” (19:17-18).
We must not be too hasty to dismiss these texts. In terms of grace, we need to be reminded
again that the wages of sin (all sin) is
death (Romans 3) and that lesson is soberly very evident in Leviticus 20.
Romans 1:24-32
As part of Paul’s
comprehensive presentation of the saving work of Christ and the sanctifying
work of the Holy Spirit in the book of Romans, he first describes why salvation
is necessary. Humankind stands utterly condemned
(Romans 1-3). Paul stresses that the
order that God intended for all of creation has been turned over because the
creatures made in His image neither worship nor obey him. They “exchanged the truth of God for a lie”
(vs 25). Thus, God gave them over to
sexual impurity which explicitly includes homosexual activity on the part of
both genders (vss 26-27) and, in keeping with the comprehensive pattern, is an
overturning of what has been the order from creation. In addition, the list that follows condemns
every reader in every time and place: evil, greed, depravity, envy, murder,
strife, deceit, malice, gossip, slander, hating God, insolent, arrogant,
boastful, inventing ways of doing evil, disobedience to parents, senseless,
faithless, heartless, ruthless. In every
respect, what is commensurate with the knowledge of God has been intentionally
rejected. None of these is in any way restricted in its meaning by cultural
assumptions.
In light of the sweep of
Paul’s statement, it is exegetically indefensible to state that Paul does not
mean here to include those who are homosexual by orientation but refers only to
women and men who are by nature heterosexual but have chosen to engage in
homosexual activity. Further, to claim
that this has only to do with certain kinds of sexual offenses (child
molestation or ritual pagan rites) or that Paul could not have known about
loving, committed relationships is to underestimate Paul’s grasp of his own
culture. There is a significant body of
Hellenistic literature that recognizes nurturing homosexual relationships and
explores the possible reasons for homoerotic impulses; Paul most likely knew it
well. More significantly, this limited
interpretation misreads the intent of Paul in these chapters and again seriously
trivializes these matters of sin and grace.
The fundamental message toward which Paul moves and which is the source
of hope for all of us is, of course, that the terrible price of human sin has
been paid in the sacrificial blood of Christ so that God became both just and
the One who justifies (3:26).
I Corinthians 6:9-11 (I Timothy 1:10)
The Corinthians passage
states that the wicked will not inherit the
Some Hermeneutical Considerations
What is important is that
instruction regarding homosexual practice transcends specific chronological
periods and genres of text. It is not
only in the narrative and warning parts of the torah; Paul also soberly and
repeatedly addresses the issue, particularly as he describes fallen humankind
(Romans 1; I Corinthians 6; I Timothy 1).
He does not qualify his descriptions to include only certain kinds of
homosexual activity; instead they are comprehensive.
Furthermore, homosexual
practice is always represented in the text as sin, in other words, that which
is morally offensive in God’s sight. It
is not simply “shameful” which is a cultural judgment. There is no way around it, if we treat the
biblical text with integrity, both linguistically and theologically. This is a very important point because this
issue is often presented as analogous to the matter of biblical teaching on
women’s roles in ministry. It is claimed
that the biblical texts in regard to the latter issue have been re-interpreted
and so should these texts. The
difference, however, is that the restrictive texts regarding women’s teaching
and speaking are not posed in terms of those activities being sin. Nor are women’s roles comprehensively
restricted. In fact, the picture is
mixed; women served in prophetic and teaching roles in both the Old and New
Testaments.
It is often claimed that
“Jesus never condemned homosexuality” and therefore, we should not do so. This is, however, an argument from
silence. He also never addressed
abortion, incest, or a host of other contemporary ills that none of us would
condone. On the other hand, He
repeatedly affirmed marriage by His references to Genesis 1:27 (“made them male
and female”) and 2:24 (“a man shall leave his father and mother and cleave to
his wife”) when he was asked about issues of marriage and divorce (Matthew
19:1-12).
Just one more point: It is troubling when we import our own
speculations into the silences of the text and then give them greater weight
than the words of the text. This is, of
course, a temptation that we all face when we have to come to grips with the
Living Word of God which has truths in it that are painful for us.
One current response to all of these biblical data is to claim that in
the biblical period, they simply did not have anything that corresponds to our
understanding of homosexuality and likewise they did not think in terms of
romantic love. Neither of these claims,
however, seems to be founded on much else that wishful thinking. On the contrary, it is difficult to conclude
that human passions have changed very much, especially when we look at the rest
of the emotional spectrum found in biblical narratives and find it painfully
like our own experiences. Further, a
simple reading of the Song of Songs is sufficient testimony to the fact that
romantic love was very much alive.
What Can We Do?
Now, having articulated these
things, I am mindful of the deep ethical foundation that must shape how we all live.
We are to “act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God” (Micah
6:8).
How will those qualities
shape our responses to the people around us whom God dearly loves? We must never lose sight of the fact that we
are to be a redemptive community, and I would focus on both of those
words. We are in this enterprise
together and we need to foster community by really
caring for one another, even (and especially) those whom we may find
challenging. Being community will mean
being good friends with those who wrestle with these issues, not treating them
like outcasts. Isn’t it a challenging
model that Jesus hobnobbed with the proverbial tax collectors, sinners and Pharisees without compromising the
truth or the moral imperatives whatsoever?
It will mean listening and caring about one another’s concerns and
fears, and being pained about the abuses that they endure. At a very basic level in regard to this issue,
it will mean getting rid of all abusive speech.
Sadly, I have heard and read a good deal of it from the mouths and pens
of Christians, even on this campus. This
too is sin; it needs to be confessed. We all have a long way to go in the matter
of practicing love. Truth can and
must be communicated without being hateful, derogatory, and arrogant. Of course, the challenging part is to speak
the truth in love because we are not just any community. We are also called to be a redemptive
community. In fact, the truth of the
Gospel is a message of hope; it has everything to do with transformation and
new life. It may not always be an easy “change” of sexual
preference that those who struggle with homosexuality long for, but we must
trust that faithful living will, by
God’s grace, transform all of us.
Let me make two additional
points in closing. The profound
challenge for us is that the Church indeed be different from the rest of
the culture, to be light in darkness. We
are to be “a peculiar people” as Peter indicates (I Peter 2:9). Once we become like everyone else around us,
we have nothing to offer that is redemptive or hopeful. And the biggest challenge is to lovingly
and graciously extend that hope. Second,
Paul’s undefined “thorn in the flesh” ought to be an encouragement to each one
of us. In the face of that “thorn,” Paul
perceived God’s grace to be sufficient.
Selected Resources
The titles and sites listed
below are only several from a very large corpus of materials. I have tried to include materials that
represent both perspectives so that the careful student can evaluate the
primary documents from each.
Jones, Stanton L., and Mark
A. Yarhouse. Homosexuality: The Use of
Scientific Research in the Church’s Moral Debate.
An
argument in favor of the traditional interpretation of the biblical texts in
the wider context of the scientific literature on the issue.
Via, Dan O., and Robert A.J.
Gagnon. Homosexuality and the Bible: Two
Views.
A
very abbreviated treatment but one that clarifies the significant hermeneutical
and presuppositional differences that shape the resulting very different
interpretations.
Webb, William J. Slaves,
Women & Homosexuals: Exploring the
Hermeneutics of Cultural Analysis.
A
very helpful paradigm for addressing the issues that help us determine whether
a biblical prohibition is cultural or transcultural.
Yancey, Philip. What’s
So Amazing About Grace?
This book is included specifically for chapter 13.
Probably
one of the best known organizations that serves homosexuals desirous of being
in Christian community. The web site
presents a fairly superficial reading of the texts.
The
web site of Evangelicals Concerned, the organization of Ralph Blair, which
advocates on behalf of consensual, monogamous same-sex relationships. One segment of the site presents some of the
biblical texts in a manner that is exegetically very weak.
Some
of the most hermeneutically thorough and sensitive presentations of the primary
biblical texts appear on this web site because the author does not
simplistically present the traditional interpretations but acknowledges the
validity and complexity of the passages.
www.parkstreet.org/pulpit/studyqss.shtml
An
open letter from Gordon Hugenberger addressing questions raised following a
series of sermons on I Corinthians, one of which dealt with homosexuality.
Includes
significant expansions of the material in the above co-authored book as well as
arguments against same-sex marriage that are appropriate in the wider secular arena.
Elaine
A. Phillips,