Disclaimer: There are endless hours that could be spent discussing this topic. This particular blog addresses only how I feel homosexuality and Christianity are in tension with each other. I do not intentionally address the issue of whether or not it is a sin, although some of my personal beliefs can be read into it. As you read, think about what else you would add to this, how you think Christians should treat the LGBT community (whether or not you are a Christian), and how to make a positive change.
It’s terrible the way Christians have treated the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) community. How did I come to this conclusion? It happened quite a few years ago, but I fully recognized it as I was being trained at P.F. Chang’s. The person training me spoke openly about his boyfriend, and how he once dated a girl because that’s what he thought he was supposed to do, and how when he came out he finally felt free to be himself. Then, inevitably, my second job came up and he asked what I did. I was hesitant to admit to him that I worked at a church.* And that was when it struck me that Christians, in general, do not treat the LGBT community well. Why else would I be so hesitant to announce my second job? And how terrible is it that the one place that should be a safe haven for all has become, in so many ways, the enemy of LGBT persons? What would it mean for Christians to change that?
See, here we get into the age old debate of whether or not homosexuality is a sin. It seems like a choice must be made. I am somewhere in that grey area, endlessly going back in forth in what I believe, and I have discovered that grey doesn’t fly well in Christian circles. Here is what I believe: I believe you do not choose your sexual orientation. (Did any of us ever wake up and decide, “I think I’ll go ahead and be straight”?) I believe sexual orientation (and really anything else for that matter) has no power to dictate who God’s love is extended to. I believe that you can be a practicing homosexual and still love and serve God. I believe that the LGBT community deserves the same rights that straight people have. That is why they are rights. I believe that Christians, no matter what they believe about the topic, need to welcome any stranger, regardless of lifestyle, leaving behind our judgment and condemnation. If we are to call ourselves “Christ-followers” then we better start walking in his footsteps. We are called to LOVE.
This is what I propose: I propose that our first step is to love. The second is to be allies. About a year and a half ago a group came to APU’s campus called Soul Force. The group was made up of young men and women (both LGBT and straight) who considered themselves allies of the LGBT community. I had the privilege of being one of the student ambassadors and much of our time together was spent discussing what it meant to be an ally of the LGBT community. Here’s a shameful example of what an ally is NOT. A year or so ago I was in the car with some people and the topic came up and they started BASHING homosexuals like I had never heard. They were saying how much they hated those “fags” and how they should all just die. I’ve never heard something so ugly. Because the main speaker in all of this was a stranger, I said nothing. (But really, her being a stranger is just an excuse, and I will have to answer for that.) Some would say that by not egging the person on I was doing my duty, but I say that is not enough!
Honestly people, this is not a rhetorical question: WHY? What makes “them” so “different”? Simply because we have all bought into a social norm and they break the mold? Some of you are likely to say that it is sinful and that it should be changed. I am open to your arguments and opinions on the topic, but I believe Christ said, “COME AS YOU ARE.” Let the Spirit speak into the heart of a man or a woman, but let us not be the ones to judge who gets to experience the Spirit. We are sinners too. There is nothing worse, I believe, than turning someone off from the love of God. And we will be held accountable for that.
Friends, I am still figuring out how to be an ally. I thank the Lord that my friend at work did not immediately start bashing Christians the second I told him I was one. Prayerfully, God will guide me to be an example of love and peace for my friend regardless of any prior experiences with Christians.
The issue I address is not whether or not homosexuality is a sin. I think the issue is whether or not we submit our opinions to God and allow HIM to be the judge of us all and in the meantime: LOVE GOD AND LOVE OUR NEIGHBOR.
I welcome your thoughts and opinions. This is what is on my mind, but a pretty concise version of some things I believe. Please feel free to challenge me, correct me, agree with me, disagree with me. And if you’d like, I’d be happy to post any feedback on my blog. This is a topic that I am extremely passionate about because enough LGBT neighbors have been hurt by Christians. I think it’s time that changed.
Peace,
Cat
“Peace is a product of justice, but justice is not enough. Love is also necessary. The love that makes us feel like we are brothers and sisters is properly what makes for true peace. Peace is the product of justice and love.” – Oscar Romero
*I’m extremely proud of what I do, and I truly believe that God is at work at K2 and with the students I minister to. I would never be ashamed of God entrusting me with his children.
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10 comments:
I am very much in agreement with you on what you said. I too am in the gray area on so many things, this being one of them. But regardless of whether homosexuality is a sin or not, that shouldn't change our actions. As soon as we start having reasons for not loving someone, we have strayed from the path of Christ. I think one of the manifestations of love is encouraging fellow Christians to live in a Christ-like manner, but I think our responsibility is first and foremost to show the love of Christ. That's all I have for now.
I agree with you on what you've said. I think you and I talked about this before. There was a book I once owned and lent out and never got back that was written by Tony Compolo and Brian McLaren called,"Adventures in Missing the Point: How the Culture Controlled Church Neutered the Gospel" and it speaks on this issue really well. I think you should pick it up. Or maybe I will send it to you once the next paycheck comes. Either way, they point to how the texts discussing homosexuality are not as black and white as we really think they are. Then they point to a difference between orientation and between practicing that orientation. And then, finally, they talk about our call to love. Honestly, I think it comes down to this: what someone does with themselves is their choice. And whether or not we think that choice is right or wrong, we as Christians should not have the choice to be mean or unloving or say they cannot be in the presence of God. That is not our choice to make, it is God's. Our choice is love and it has to be our choice, otherwise, who is the bigger sinner?
I often think that, as Christians, it is really easy to go back to the base of our beliefs: the simple fact that we should be loving people no matter whether or not we believe their actions to be right or wrong. When it comes to dealing with homosexuality, however, I don't think that is going far enough. For us to say "it may be right or wrong, but that doesn't matter because we should love them anyway" doesn't come close enough to the problem. The problem comes with our judgment of the gay community and their actions. For us to say it is wrong or even wonder whether it is or isn't is the point we should confront, I think. As heterosexuals we can not even begin to understand the desires of a homosexual person, but that does not mean we should dismiss it as a sin so easily. Yes the bible says it is, but the bible says a lot about women and a lot about many other social orders that we have dismissed as 'cultural additions' to the scripture of Jesus. I think a lot of the time it is our misunderstanding of homosexuality and fear of it that lends our thoughts to so easily believe it a sin. If two people love eachother, and treat eachother in the way jesus intended, I do not see the problem. I am a firm believer that homosexuality in and of itself is not a sin, nor is the practice of loving someone and acting out that love in a homosexual relationship, if that relationship is true, faithful, and everything we would expect from a heterosexual relationship. What is it about homosexuality that scares us so much?
Cat,
You invited people to disagree with you, so I suppose I will have to be the first. In no way do I disagree that we as Christians need to love those with homosexual orientations and those who practice homosexuality. We are called to love all people, and this includes them (although it also includes those who sinfully hate homosexuals). Really, I do not know of a biblical argument that could be made for refusing to love them or anyone else.
At the same time, I disagree with you that it is not an issue whether or not practicing homosexuality is a sin. If it is a sin, then it really does matter.
Whether or not sexual orientation is a choice, it is not orientation that is a sin but practice. All humans since the Fall naturally have orientations toward sin, but we are not held accountable for that orientation. Instead, we are held accountable for giving in to it. I have a natural bent to become sinfully angry, to envy others, to fear men instead of God, to complain instead of offering thanksgiving, to lust after women, to be arrogant, and so much more. If I give in to these orientations and sin, am I excused because I am oriented that way from birth? Of course not. If practicing homosexuality is a sin, why does it deserve a respect and an excuse that other sins do not?
The Bible has several references to homosexuality as a sin (which I am sure you are aware of, but will list anyway for the sake of argument): Leviticus 18:22, Romans 1:26-27, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10.
The argument is often made that these passages were simply ethics set in a certain culture and no longer apply within our society. It seems much more likely that the new ethic of excusing homosexuality is a cultural development whereas the Bible adequately represents God's position on the matter. For one thing, whether or not you take the Bible's historical writings as completely authoritative, the Bible is either recognized as THE authority on matters of faith and practice or it is not.
There is no hint in the passages listed above that homosexuality was simply a sin in the eyes of the culture. In fact, if you look at the other sins listed around those passages condemning homosexuality as a sin you will recognize that we do not even begin to think of them as cultural.
In Leviticus, the verse comes in the midst of a section condemning all sorts of incest, adultery, child sacrifice, and bestiality.
In Romans, it is sandwiched between condemnation of idolatry, wickedness, evil, greed, depravity, envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice, gossip, slander, God-hating, insolence, arrogance, boasting, inventing news forms of evil, and disobeying parents.
In 1 Corinthians it is found with condemnation of fornication, idolatry, adultery, prostitution, thievery, greed, drunkenness, slander, and swindling.
Could we feel justified in calling even one of those other sins merely cultural biases? Not without abandoning Scripture as the Truth.
Of course we must love those who practice homosexuality, but we are mistaken to think that we are loving them by telling them that they do not sin when they really do. Sin hurts the sinner, the sinner's community, the Church, and it isolates the sinner from God. To allow that to go on without warning of the dangers is no more loving than telling someone with meningitis not to worry because they are not sick at all.
We do wrong when we refuse to associate with homosexuals but do not refuse to associate with those who sin in so many other ways. At the same time, though, we do wrong to try and hide the truth for the sake of temporary comfort in regard to any sin.
Sam,
Thanks for letting me know your thoughts on the topic of homosexuality. As I always, I read your words with much regard. I agree with much of what you said, but I'm not sure that it was in response to what I said, or at least, maybe I wasn't clear in my blog.
First, you said that you disagree with me that it is not an issue whether or not practicing homosexuality is a sin. That's my fault. I did not make that clear. I did not mean to say that that is not an issue, but rather that that is not the issue I was addressing. At the same time, I, personally, am still not comfortable labeling homosexuality as a sin period. (What that means, I'm still trying to figure out.) So, the issue I was choosing to address was not whether or not it is a sin, but rather how Christians should be treating the homosexual community.
I'd also like to note, in regards to your comment that "we do wrong to try and hide the truth for the sake of temporary comfort in regard to any sin", that the blog (again I was not clear) was written mostly on how Christians deal with homosexuals who are not believers. And I would never begin telling my homosexual friends about Jesus by saying that the truth is God does not like your homosexuality. (I am also, by no means, saying that that would be your approach. I am just trying to clarify.) I agree that any sin should be addressed, but I also believe that Christ meets people where they are at and after that the process of repentance and redemption begins.
Anyways, I know that you and I have our different opinions (and I love that), but I hope that the above brings some clarity to what I was really addressing in my post. Maybe I should edit it to make it clearer.
And again, thanks for your thought out and sincere response. :)
One more thing, I do not want you to confuse what I mean by being an ally. I, as an ally, do not claim one way or another that homosexuality is or is not a sin. However, as an ally, I believe that there should be justice for the LGBT community. And I believe that Christians should support that.
Hey Cat,
Sorry it took me so long to write back to you, but you know, classes and all that. I misunderstood you when you said that whether or not homosexuality is a sin is not the issue. I was really more responding the the comment by Katie, I suppose. Anyway, thanks for writing back, hope you are enjoying Utah!
It's Lucas. Wow, this is some deep stuff for a blog, cuz. I check in to see how you're doing and this is what I find! :)
I'm not really religious so my take might not be worth much. But from what I've read in the bible, it does seem pretty clear that homosexuality is a sin. So if you accept that, then one would think the church should discourage that behavior and address that sin within their people.
Of course that just sets up Christians and homosexuals for the kind of mistrust and hate speech that you've encountered.
And if homosexuality is a sin and is "wrong" then why should homosexuals have the same rights? Certainly they are deserving of many of the same rights. But what about marriage? Our laws are set up (at least in part) to deter those actions that we feel are morally wrong. And if a homosexual lifestyle is wrong then perhaps gay marriage should not be allowed? Or perhaps homosexual behavior in general should be illegal?
It's all very confusing.
Like I said, I'm not really religious. . . I see nothing wrong with homosexual behavior or marriage. But I think the conflict between the Bible and homosexuality can't be swept under the rug without compromising Christain values somewhat. What to do. . . what to do. . .
Anyway, hope you're enjoying Utah! We still have to go surfing one of these days.
Tell me where the logic is in thinking that loving another person is wrong?
Lucas, I thought that was a really interesting comment you made, since you don't consider yourself religious. I think you are right though.
And Katie, I don't think anyone has disagreed that we shouldn't love people. In fact, I think everyone agreed on that.
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