090614 The Homosexuality Dialogue

My goal in teaching on the subject of homosexuality is to help you enter a dialogue that has been ongoing for centuries, and has been a particularly publicized issue in recent political seasons. As a pastor in the Baptist tradition which champions the cause of the individual’s right to read and apply the Bible personally, without having to blindly accept and obey the view of the Church authorities, I want to equip you in your understanding of the parts of the conversation. So, I’m not going to tell you what to think (as if you’d adopt it anyway!). But I do hope to help you think. Also, know up front that my core passion on this issue has more to do with our ethos, our mode of handling ourselves in this complex world of complicated issues. How we present our attitude and how we behave embody the message of Christ as much as the content of our argument, whichever position you take.

By way of definitions, I want to be clear up front. Fornication (sex before marriage) and promiscuity (sex outside of marriage) are clearly forbidden throughout scripture. Prostitution, casual sex – these have no place in healthy human relationships no matter what one’s sexual orientation. The scope of this teaching is focused on caring, life-long, monogamous partnerships.

So, I intend to give you just a primer, a beginning point, an introduction to a conversation that isn’t finished yet. Here we go…

In the creation story, God created Adam and Eve as the first soul-mates on the planet. They fit each other, literally. They were created for companionship and procreation. Being the original blueprint for humanity, many point to this as the first proof text against homosexuality – God didn’t create human beings with homosexual activity in mind.

The story of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 18-19 has been used to support God’s apparent disdain of homosexual practices, as the men of these towns wanted to have sex with the visiting men who were staying in Lot’s home – making the case for God that the town had gone completely corrupt and were worthy of destruction. Both towns were burned to a crisp the next day.In Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13, the law condemns homosexual practices, calling them an abomination to the Lord. In 1 Kings 14:24, 15:12, and 22:46 one can see that worship practices involving homosexuality existed, and were wiped out several times.

That’s all the Old Testament has to say, directly, about the issue.

In the New Testament, the only voice in the discussion is Paul, in three places: Romans 1:23-32, 1 Corinthians 6:9, and 1 Timothy 1:9. In these contexts, Paul condemns homosexual behavior, in some cases tying it back to the original blueprint of humanity in the creation event.

For some in Christianity, the above settles the issue. This is called the literalist perspective – “the Bible says it, I believe it, and that settles it.”

The other side of the conversation goes beyond a literalist approach and focuses on interpretive considerations as it investigates the subject.

Most scholars agree, for instance, that the Sodom and Gomorrah story is not so much about homosexuality as it is about violence – the men of the towns wanted to rape the visitors. Rape uses sex, but it’s not about sex – it’s about domination. Homosexual rape is the same – not about sex, but about power and domination expressed through violence. In other words, the Sodom and Gomorrah account is not a good proof text against homosexual relationships being discussed today, because it’s not about sex –it’s about violence (rape).

The Leviticus texts provide an interesting word – abomination. To the unstudied eye, this simply implies God’s disdain. But, in fact, conservative scholars recognize that that word, abomination, indicates a particular kind of homosexual activity – that involved with worship rituals. In other words, the scope of those verses deals with worshipping God through the use of temple prostitutes, including male temple prostitutes. We know this was an issue because of the accounts recorded later in 1 Kings 14:24, 15:12, and 22:46.

Some scholars argue that Paul’s references were alluding to the same thing – cultic worship practices – and not the definition of homosexuality defined for this teaching. Therefore, some argue that the Bible says nothing directly about the type of homosexuality in today’s discussion. At that point, the focus shifts away from the bedroom and onto the qualities to be pursued in a healthy covenant relationship. Mutual servanthood, loving each other selflessly as equals – these are the pillars of a healthy relationship, regardless of sexual orientation.

Other scholars, however, point to Paul’s larger argument against homosexual practices. Even if Paul’s scope was idol worship, he pointed back to the creation event as his foundation for his instruction against homosexual behavior, naming them as unnatural in light of the original blueprint for procreation.

This argument points out that within the Bible, as people understood reality differently, they applied the scriptures appropriately. Modifications were made to the interpretation of the law as those distant scholars became aware of inhumane abuses, particularly toward women, orphans, and foreigners. The premise for making new interpretations today is based on this same principle, which has been the way it’s always been done. Everybody does this every day – there are a number of biblical mandates that people don’t take seriously, because we’ve collectively deduced that such strictness doesn’t fit anymore as times and our understanding of things have changed. Slavery was abolished. Women were given equal rights as men. These are good, wise changes.

Specifically with regards to the creation event, some scholars point out that Paul would agree that we no longer live in Eden, where everything was exactly as it should be. We live in a world that has been affected by generations upon generations of passed-down DNA chains that predispose people toward all sorts of things. It can be assumed, then, that a segment of the population may therefore be born with a homosexual orientation. The question raised then, is: how do we understand these references if a person was born with a homosexual orientation? If it’s the same as the color of their skin, how can they be condemned? What if what is unnatural for procreative purposes is natural for intimate expression of love for those so oriented?
As this is only a primer, you can safely assume that there are deeper levels to this conversation. But I hope this has given you some tools to help you first think through to your own conclusions, and help you talk meaningfully with others about this very high profile issue.

Beyond the issue, however, I must emphasize the importance of approach regarding all sensitive issues. We claim to be Jesus followers. CrossWalk’s goal in helping you walk with God and walk with others is to help you to go be Jesus everywhere you go.

Jesus never said anything about this issue, so we have to look at how he treated people in his day who were identified by others as outsiders. Some were born with their situation: they had no choice in being born to their non-Israelite parents, being born blind or lame, or in contracting some sort of skin disease. Some chose their situation: tax collectors, prostitutes, adulterers, etc. Jesus handled each the same – with love, respect, and grace.

Jesus himself told us that we are not the moral police of the universe. That job has been filled by the only one qualified to handle such delicate issues appropriately: the Holy Spirit. Good thing, too, because in my experience, the Holy Spirit has had the best track record helping me get my life together, even though many have tried very hard to play that role.

So, what to do… My encouragement to you is to go be Jesus to everybody, indiscriminately. Love people. If you’re concerned about something in a friend’s life, pray for them, listen to them, but don’t judge them – it’s not your job. Join them as a fellow human being who is trying to grow in relationship with God.

When you and I choose to listen and pray, we discover that our heart beats a little differently – more in rhythm with the heartbeat of God.

May you think deeply, pray carefully, and walk gracefully, that all would know God’s love for all, forever.

Go Be Jesus

Napa, Napa County, USA, Planet Earth

The disciples were ready to rule the world. Command it. Jesus corrected them and said they were to be witnesses to another world, another reality, a better way that transcends the world they wanted to command.

In other words, the disciples were thinking really small while Jesus was inviting them to something much bigger than themselves, and bigger than their collective imaginations. Beyond politics. Beyond borders. Beyond skin tones and cultural identities. What they were given were the keys to a Kingdom that meant new life in spite of deadly circumstances not just for themselves, but literally for the entire world, forevermore.

I don’t really know what I have, it’s so familiar to me. I take so much of what God has done in my life for granted that I easily forget what changes have taken place. I forget where I’ve been, what’s been forgiven, and how transformational grace has been in my life.

I forget the incredible impact that claiming God as my Heavenly Father has had on my self-esteem and identity. I grew up with a good dad, but he was human. I was never abused. He always provided. But coming to grips with the fact that there is a God in heaven that loves me and calls me his child enabled me to let my father be human, and allowed me to grow beyond whatever baggage I had been holding onto.

There are people in Napa, in Napa County, in the USA, and on Planet Earth with whom I have been given the privilege to share this insight. An understanding that may radically alter their life for the better. People with good dads like mine. People with dad who made horrible choices. People who never knew their dad. I’ve been given the gift, the opportunity to be and share the good news that God is good, and loves His children as a wonderful father should.

I forget that the power of grace has had in my life, and the changes that this grace has made. I forget the guilt I carried, that weighed me down, that caused me to repeat mistakes. I forget that when I held on to my identity as a transgressor, it created a script that kept me in the same role for a long time. Unchanged. Shackled. Destined to be a repeat offender. I forget that when my stupidity finally caught up with me and I understood what was being offered me and embraced it fully, that I was free. I cannot forget the tears of sorrow at shed at that moment, which were intermixed with tears of joy at the experience of freedom and redemption. New life. New script yet to be written. Blank slate.

There are people in Napa, in Napa County, in the USA, and on Planet Earth that are stuck in scripts in a very repetitive plot that I have been given permission to help get unstuck. There are people who have a reservoir of tears of sorrow – and of potential joy – that will be released when I get to share with them what I know so well, what I take for granted.

I forget the incredible power that began surging as unlimited, pure energy when I first began experiencing the indwelling presence Holy Spirit. I am so used to it now that I take it for granted that I am not going on my own strength alone, that a constant presence carries me through tough times, assures me during times of insecurity, directs me, empowers me, speaks beyond me. I forget how incredible this is, and how impossible it is for me to doubt the presence and love of God – I might as well doubt the reality of the air I breathe.

There are people in Napa, in Napa County, in the USA, and on Planet Earth with whom I have been given the privilege to share the news that the very Spirit of God is right here to embrace. There are people who, when introduced to this new Friend, will be comforted in their sorrow, strengthened in their weariness, emboldened to move into health and wholeness.

I bet you suffer from the same forgetfulness as me. Do you realize what you have to share? Do you realize you are commissioned to share it – even expected to by God? You may be the difference between a person just getting through life versus experiencing a life they thought was only a dream. You get to do that. Are you doing that? What are you doing to be Jesus in this world that longs to know him? What will you do now that you know you should?

Comingling 101

Steven Spielberg would have been blown away.

The sound of gale-force winds. The appearance of flames licking the tops of the heads of the followers of Jesus. Immediate capacity to speak in foreign languages without formal training.

This all happened during the most popular of the Jewish feasts in ancient Israel in 30 AD. Jewish people from all over the ancient world would have been there for this feast which celebrated the early harvest – lots of food! – and the giving of the Jewish Law. If something amazing happened during that feast, the news of it could be immediately carried to the “ends of the earth” by all those who were visiting Jerusalem.

Of all the amazing things that could have happened, why would God choose wind, flame, and foreign language?

Wind. In both Hebrew and Greek, the same words for Spirit and breath are also used for wind. Look in the Old Testament for accounts of the presence of God, and you’ll see wind referenced. At the beginning of creation, the Spirit (wind) hovered over the waters. How did God cause the sea to part during the exodus? How was God’s presence so powerfully present? Wind blew all night long. How did God indicate that it was time for the people to move on toward the Promised Land? Wind started moving the pillar of cloud that was the symbol of God’s presence before them. What voice did Elijah finally hear God using? Whisper – the wind-talk of God. What was enabling Jesus to walk on water? What did Peter see that freaked him out? Wind. People knew this back then. When they heard the wind, they surely had to have thought about the presence of God.

Fire. What clued Israel into the fact that God was with them through the night as they were camped en route to the Promised Land? A pillar of fire. What came down and devoured the alter with all the water-soaked wood surrounded by gallons of water during the showdown between Elijah and the priests of Baal? Fire. When people saw what looked like tongues of flame hovering over people’s heads, what else would they think? God’s presence.

Language. When all of this took place, their tongues were freed to speak new language that they had otherwise not known. Don’t miss the obvious here: tongues of flame above the head, the sound of wind rushing around, now they can speak in another tongue – the connection for the people experiencing this as well as those witnessing it were the same – God’s Spirit was inhabiting all of these people.

That’s why it was such big news. No longer was the Spirit just for a prophet every century or so, but for everyone. That’s great news for us who long to be touched by the eternal creator. We who want to be empowered to get through tough times as well as make a difference with power greater than our own can celebrate here.

And, this is news to share. God wants to comingle with everybody. Helping people understand this through the teaching of Jesus is the best shot at helping them experience it.

So, how’s your comingling going? Walk with Jesus. Pray for it. Wait for it. Walk in it. Change the world with it.

May you become more and more experienced in your comingling with God, that you might fully live as you help others do the same!