A couple of months ago,  I raised all sorts of questions that illustrated for me just how complex this issue is for anyone who holds to the traditional Christian understanding that homosexual behavior is against God’s will.  In case you missed it, here are just a few of the questions I was wrestling with:

- Does the Bible ever speak about mutually loving, committed homosexual relationships?
- Christians throughout history have reversed their stance on issues like slavery, interracial marriage, and the role of women; could they be wrong on this issue as well?  If there is even a chance we could be wrong, how should that affect the way we handle this issue?
- How do you teach that homosexuality is against God’s will without damaging the psyche and faith of countless of people who question their sexuality?
- How do you convince a gay person that God loves them and is worthy of worship if He will not allow them to experience a loving, committed relationship to the person they love, simply because he or she is the same sex?

I raised those questions with the intent of possibly preaching a sermon on the Bible and homosexuality at the end of the recent series on the Bible and gender roles.  In the end, however, I wasn’t convinced that Jesus dealt with “issues” like that in a public forum, but rather that he dealt with individuals in their unique situation.  Maybe I’m wrong, but I just didn’t see the wisdom in handling such a complex issue in a Sunday morning monologue.

Since that Pulse, however, I haven’t touched the issue with the proverbial ten foot pole.  So why drop the pole and risk entering the fray today?  I think the culprit is last week’s post, where I raised the issue/dilemma of Christian unity and how to take practical steps towards that in such a fractured religious landscape, for the sake of Christ’s reputation.  As I mentioned, there is no more divisive issue in Connecticut than the intersection of homosexuality and the church, with the issues including:  should a church perform civil unions; should a practicing gay man be appointed bishop of the Episcopal Church; and should the church be a champion for gay rights?  Jesus prayed that his followers would be united, so that the world would know that he is the Savior, and therefore for His reputation I think it’s worth offering a few thoughts on how we might move towards unity on this issue.  The question I ask today is this: with so much potential for heated disagreement among Christians, is there any common ground from which to stand on the issue of homosexuality?

Thankfully, I think there is, and it’s the most foundational of all Jesus’ teachings.  When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was, he replied, “’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.”’ (Matthew 22:37-39).  If nothing else, this one thing should be clear, regardless of denomination or church – we are called to love homosexuals as we love ourselves.  Whether you support gay marriage or not, whether you believe in appointing an active homosexual as bishop or not, this one thing should unite – love.   

Love is an active thing.  Love is more than an emotion, but expresses itself in good deeds.  Remember in Luke’s gospel that there was a follow-up question – “And who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:29).  Jesus responded with the famous story of the Good Samaritan, who responded to the fallen traveler by bandaging his wounds and taking him to a place of safety after two religious leaders had passed by the injured man without stopping.  I think we would be wise to consider the implications of this parable for this issue.  I am not gay, and as such am not qualified to speak with authority on the homosexual experience, but it has been my experience that most if not all homosexuals can relate to the fallen traveler in Jesus’ parable.  They know what it is like to be ridiculed, to be hurt, to feel outcast, and, sadly, to see religious people hurry by without stopping to offer care and support.  The best question to ask, therefore, is how can the church be a Good Samaritan to the homosexual community?

I believe this question needs to be thoughtfully considered, because my concern is that the evangelical church has been so concerned about fighting to preserve the traditional definition of marriage that they are often afraid to step out and love homosexuals as Jesus would, out of fear of appearing to condone homosexual behavior.  If your conviction is that marriage is between a man and a woman, then work to preserve that institution, but do not neglect Jesus’ most important commandments in the process.  After all, what good will it be if the evangelical church keeps gay couples from marrying but alienates thousands of homosexuals from God and the church in the process?

So how can the church be a Good Samaritan to the homosexual community?  One of the best books that I have read on the subject is Chad Thompson’s Loving Homosexuals as Jesus Would (with a title like that, it had better be a good book).  Thompson is a self-proclaimed “ex-gay” (an emotionally charged phrase for many) and the founder of Inqueery, an organization that addresses homosexuality on high school and college campuses.  Since Thompson has more authority to speak on this question than I do, let me share his opinion on the Good Samaritan question.  Thompson writes that in order to love like Jesus would, Christians should work towards eliminating the social and personal struggles faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgendered people, whether or not they decide to change their sexual preferences/orientation.  As he writes, “I believe that loving gay people requires us to fight for their right to live outside the closet without consequence, whether or not we agree with homosexuality… Real love does not demand anything in return.” 

One of the biggest concerns in the evangelical community, as I mentioned earlier, is the fear of appearing to condone homosexual behavior.  This is probably what holds many back from actively trying to find ways to express Good Samaritan love, for there is often a belief that the best way to love homosexuals is to let them know that their behavior is sinful.  To that concern I would say:  trust me, I think by now most homosexuals know that the traditional Christian view is that homosexuality is against God’s will, and they probably don’t need you to point it out yet again.  They have no doubt struggled to reconcile that knowledge with the reality of their same-sex attraction for a long time.  I am sure it’s been the cause of lots of guilt, fear, and questioning in many homosexuals for many years.  I think that perhaps our bigger concern should be whether homosexuals know just how much God loves them, and whether the church is doing its part to communicate the radical, transformative, unconditional love of God.

I speak on this subject in many ways as an amateur who deeply desires that the church would truly love homosexuals as the Good Samaritan would, bringing the healing love of God to the places that hurt and leading them to a place of safety.  This hasn’t been meant to be a thorough treatment of a multi-faceted issue, but a simple call to reflect on what it might mean to love homosexuals as our neighbors, a foundational principle on which all Christians should agree.  If you have practical suggestions or thoughts on what it would look like for the church to be the Good Samaritan towards the homosexual community, especially if you have firsthand experience with the intersection of church and homosexuality, please post a comment.  In the spirit of this post, I would ask that your words might come from a desire for unity and neighbor-love among all Christians.

The issue of women in church leadership (pastor or elder) has rightly been considered a “secondary issue” in inter-church relations by most Christians (as opposed to primary issues such as the divinity of Jesus or the Trinity).  In other words, believing Christians have differed on this issue over time, and therefore it is not worth dividing over.  However, it is also true that this is hardly a secondary issue for any woman who feels called to the ministry but finds most doors shut, nor for a congregant who feels that the church leadership is lacking some feminine qualities that might improve the functioning of the church.  For these reasons, the topic is certainly worth some careful study and discussion so that our church might be in line with God’s will. 

Our belief as a church is that the Bible is authoritative for faith and practice.  In other words, we believe that the Bible is God’s Word, and therefore should be the measure we use in how we live and what we believe.  Certainly there are plenty of churches and Christians that do not hold such a view of the Bible, and as a result are free to believe and decide whatever they wish regarding issues such as women in leadership.  But our church’s hope is to do our best to understand the Bible in the context in which it was written and then to apply it to our world today.  Unfortunately, this can be a very difficult task, given the different language and cultural situation.  For instance, how would you apply passages such as the following to today’s world?

1 Corinthians 11:4-5 – Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head.  And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head– it is just as though her head were shaved.

1 Timothy 2:11-12 - A woman should learn in quietness and full submission.  I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent.

As you can see, anyone who wishes to treat the Bible as authoritative for faith and practice needs to do a careful job of understanding the passage in its context and applying it appropriately to today’s world.  Otherwise you’ll wind up with a church full of angry women in head coverings staring at you in stony silence.

As I spend time studying gender issues and the church, I am considering ending the series on men and women by dealing with what the Bible has to say about homosexuality.  This is certainly one of the most complicated and difficult issues the church is facing today, and the gay community is a population that the church has largely failed to love as Jesus would have.  If I believe that I can do justice to the complexity of this issue as well as to what the Bible says, then I will preach on it.  Please pray for me as I attempt to do all of this in the spirit of Jesus.

Here’s how you can help me as I prepare.  I am sure that many of you must have questions about gender roles, women and men in the church, and homosexuality that you would love some answers or at least some fruitful discussion about.  Please do me a favor and post a comment with the questions you would like me to address in this series (you can do it anonymously if you wish).  Or, if you have no questions and all the answers, you can take a look at some of the questions I am currently wrestling with as I study this issue:

Questions about the Biblical role of men & women:

- Can women be pastors?  Elders?  Can they preach?  Have authority over men in a church?  Speak in church? 
- What has been the church’s history on women in church leadership?  Does that impact our understanding of God’s will?
- Can a woman have authority over a man in a workplace?  What about in their home?
- Which passages do you interpret universally (applying to everyone everywhere at every time), and which ones are culturally bound (specific to the writer’s locale), and why?
- What does Paul mean when he says that in Christ there is neither male nor female (Galatians 3:28)?
- What does it mean that men are the head of the wife (Ephesians 5:23)?
- What does it mean for a wife to submit to her husband (Ephesians 5:24)?  When is it correct not to submit or to challenge a husband’s leadership?

Questions about Christianity, the Bible, and homosexuality:

- Which passages about homosexuality do you interpret universally, and which ones are culturally bound, and why?
- Does the Bible ever speak about mutually loving, committed homosexual relationships?
- Christians throughout history have reversed their stance on issues like slavery, interracial marriage, and the role of women; could they be wrong on this issue as well?  If there is even a chance we could be wrong, how should that affect the way we handle this issue?
- Did Jesus ever speak to sexuality and gender?
- If Jesus were on earth today, would he even speak to “the issue of homosexuality”?  Or would he stick to ministry to individuals?

If homosexual behavior is against God’s will, then…

- What are the options for a gay person who concludes that homosexual behavior is against God’s will?
- If someone is in a loving relationship with a member of the same sex but they are not sexually active, is this against God’s will?
- How do you teach that homosexual behavior is against God’s will without damaging the psyche and faith of countless of people who question their sexuality?
- How do you convince a gay person that God loves them and is worthy of worship if He will not allow them to experience a loving, committed relationship to the person they love, simply because he is the same sex?
- If the Bible only speaks to homosexuality specifically about four times, should we devote so much attention to it?
- Where does homosexual behavior rank in the hierarchy of sins?  Is there such a thing as a hierarchy of sins?
- Can an active (not celibate) homosexual be a pastor?  An elder?  A member of the church?  Teach Sunday School?  Sing on the worship team???
- If you answer no to any of the above questions, are there other sins that need to be “screened for” as well in other people (e.g. greed, gluttony, bigotry)?
- Is there a middle ground between “open and affirming” and “closed and condemning”?
- Do you “legislate morality” by trying to make your beliefs part of the national law (i.e. not allowing gay marriage)?  Or should you advocate for gay marriage or civil unions in the name of justice and equality for all?  Or should Christians avoid the political aspect of this issue altogether?
- How do you fight unjust oppression and bigotry done to homosexuals while still not condoning their sexual choices?

If homosexual behavior is not against God’s will, then…

- How do you support that Biblically?
- How does the church need to respond to gay people and gay marriage?  Do these become justice issues which the church needs to be involved with?

The above questions only scratch the surface of the complexity of this issue for a church or Christian that is genuinely committed to both submitting to the truth of God and displaying the love of Jesus.  Again, I encourage you that if you have other questions or thoughts, please post a comment so that I might deal with these issues in all their complexity.  Pray for me as I attempt to understand and communicate God’s heart, but more importantly, pray for everyone who is struggling to figure out how to live out their gender and sexuality in the light of God.