Christianity and homosexuality

Christian denominations hold a variety of views on the issue of homosexual activity, ranging from outright condemnation to complete acceptance. Many Christian denominations welcome people attracted to the same sex, but teaches that they should not have a same sex relationship or have homosexual sex. These denominations include the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox church, the Methodist Church, as well as many Conservative Evangelical organizations and churches, such as the Evangelical Alliance, and fundamentalist groups and churches, such as the Southern Baptist Convention and the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. Pentecostal churches such as the Assemblies of God, as well as Restorationist churches, such as Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons, also welcomes gay people, but take the position that gay sexual activity is immoral.

Other Christian denominations do not view monogamous same sex relationships as sinful or immoral. These include the Episcopalian Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, the United Church of Canada, the United Church of Christ, the Moravian Church, and the Friends General Conference (Quakers), and other Mainline Protestant churches. In particular, the Metropolitan Community Church was founded specifically to serve the Christian LGBT community.

Homosexuality in the Bible

Main article: The Bible and homosexuality

• 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 says that homosexuals "shall not inherit the kingdom of God", though it does also mention that some were "washed" and "sanctified".
• In Leviticus 18:22, God says, "Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable."
• In Leviticus 20:13, God goes even further, saying, "If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads."
• Genesis 19 details the destruction of Sodom, in which Lot must confront the men of the town who wish to have sex with two angels posing as men. God soon destroys the city. Jude 7 refers to the Sodomites as an "an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire."
• Romans 1:21-27 discusses how God punished idolaters by "[giving] them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. 27In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion."

The Church and homosexuality

The Roman Catholic Church and most Fundamentalist and Evangelical Protestant churches do not sanction same-sex sexual relations.

LGBT-affirming denominations regard homosexuality as a natural occurrence. Many Mainline Protestant churches are open and affirming to gay and lesbian couples. The United Church of Christ celebrates gay marriage, and some parts of the Anglican and Lutheran churches allow for the blessing of gay unions. The United Church of Canada also allows same-sex marriage, and views sexual orientation as a gift from God. Within the Anglican communion there are openly gay clergy, for example, Gene Robinson is an openly gay Bishop in the US Episcopal Church. Such religious groups and denominations interpretion of scripture and doctrine leads them to accept that homosexuality is morally acceptable, and a natural occurrence. For example, in 1988 the United Church of Canada, that country's largest Protestant denomination, affirmed that "a) All persons, regardless of their sexual orientation, who profess Jesus Christ and obedience to Him, are welcome to be or become full member of the Church; and b) All members of the Church are eligible to be considered for the Ordered Ministry." In 2000, the Church's General Assembly further affirmed that "human sexual orientations, whether heterosexual or homosexual, are a gift from God and part of the marvelous diversity of creation."

Historical views on homosexuality

7th Century icon of Saints Sergius and Bacchus (feast day of October 7th). Tortured to death for refusal to worship Roman gods. According to Yale historian John Boswell, their relationship was an example of an early Christian same-sex unions which reflected early Christian tolerance of homosexuality. Icon is regarded as depicting a wedding with Jesus as best man.

Main article: History of Christianity and homosexuality

The late Yale University Church historian John Boswell argued for the existence of a rite of adelphopoiesis as a religiously sanctioned same-sex union. His views have not found wide acceptance, and opponents have argued that this rite sanctified a Platonic brotherly bond, not a homosexual union. He also argued that condemnation of homosexuality began only in the 12th century. Critics of Boswell have pointed out that many earlier doctrinal sources condemn homosexuality in ethical terms without prescribing a punishment, and that Boswell's citations reflected a general trend towards harsher penalties from the 12th century onwards.

Contemporary views on homosexuality

Franciscan religious supporter of same-sex marriage

Main article: List of Christian denominational positions on homosexuality

The many Christian denominations vary in their position on homosexuality, from seeing it as sinful, through being divided on the issue, to seeing it as morally acceptable. Even within a denomination, individuals and groups may hold different views.

Many of the debates among Christians have roots in questions about the sources of authority different Christians believe represent God's purest or most definitive message. More generally: which kinds of arguments should be persuasive to Christians, and which do not possess the weight necessary to determine opinions and policies. Such is also the case with the issues related to the morality and inclusion of LGBT persons in Christian life.

Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Christianities regard Sacred Tradition and Ecumenical councils as co-authoritative with scripture, and the ordinary Magisterium is authoritative in Catholic theology. The Roman Catholic Church, maintains what it regards as early Christian teaching on homosexuality, and that sex is solely for procreation: "Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity, tradition has always declared that 'homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered.' They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved."

Methodism derives doctrine from the Wesleyan Quadrilateral, which consists of an evaluation of the synthesis of Scripture, tradition, reason, and experience. There are also differing positions about how great a role is played by continuing revelation (see Cessationism and Secular theology).

In conservative strains of Protestant Christianity, Scripture is understood to be the only truly definitive authority (a position called Sola Scriptura). Exegesis, or the reasoned study of the text to discover its own meaning, is the central concern for believers in Sola Scriptura. The classic formulation of Sola Scriptura regards "good and necessary deduction" from Scripture as authoritative; what these deductions might be is a frequent subject of controversy.

Liberal Christians tend to regard the Bible as the record of human doings, composed of humans encountering the Divine within their specific historical context. They often interpret passages of the Bible as being less a record of actual events, but rather stories illustrating how to live ethically and authentically in relation to God. Some might, for instance, see Christ's death and resurrection in terms not of actual physical reanimation, but in terms of the good news of Jesus' teaching: that God's children are no longer slaves to the power of death.

Some professional exegetes consider the Bible, to a greater or lesser degree, to be a document of its time, taking on attitudes which may not be God's. While they may hold the document as sacred, and most certainly as central to Christianity, they are also aware of the historical and cultural context in which it was originally written through archaeological and from critical study. Some scholars feel that in addition to its spiritual components, portions of the text merely reflect the human authors' beliefs and feelings about God at the time of its writing, and their cultural sensibilities. The influence of such persons may reflect a heightened spiritual consciousness, or may simply represent people attempting to explain the world as best they could given the tools of the time. Such scholars purport that passages in scripture related to slavery, war, genocide, female marginalization, and sex between men may not necessarily be about God's wishes, but rather about the predominant culture's opinions at the time of the passage's writing.

Views critical of homosexual behavior

Many American Christians believe that marriage is defined by the union of a man and a woman, and that any sexual act outside of the marriage relationship is inherently sinful. Most American members of the Christian Right consider homosexual acts as sinful and think it should not be accepted by society. They tend to interpret biblical verses on homosexual acts to mean that the heterosexual family was created by God and that same-sex relationships contradict God’s design for marriage and violate his will. Christians who oppose homosexual relationships sometimes contend that same-gender sexual activity is unnatural.

Christian objections to homosexual behavior are often based upon their interpretations of the Bible. Some Christians believe that the book of Leviticus contains prohibitions against male-male sexuality. Some Biblical scholars interpret Genesis 19:5 as indicating that homosexual activity led to the destruction of the ancient cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Other Biblical passages that address the issue of homosexual behavior include Romans 1, I Corinthians 6:8-10, and Jude 1:7; the relevant portion of Romans 1 reads as follows:

The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men ... For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen. Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion. (Romans 1:18a, 21-27)

Christian author and counselor Joe Dallas notes that the Biblical passages relating to homosexual acts uniformly prohibit that behavior. Exodus International and others take the view that I Corinthians 6:9-11 offers Christian believers freedom from the sin of homosexual activity.

- The Catechism of the Catholic Church states "men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies ... must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity." Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided." The Catholic Church requires those who are attracted to people of the same sex to practice chastity, because sexuality should only be practiced within marriage, which it regards as permanent, procreative, heterosexual, and monogamous. The Vatican distinguishes between "deep-seated homosexual tendencies" and the "expression of a transitory problem", in relation to ordination to the priesthood; saying in a 2005 document that homosexual tendencies "must be clearly overcome at least three years before ordination to the diaconate." A study found that 64% of committed white American Catholics consider homosexual activity a sin. However, a different study found that 55% of American Catholics do not consider homosexuality sinful.

In opposing interpretations of the Bible that are supportive of homosexual relationships, conservative Christians have argue for the reliability of the Bible, and the meaning of texts related to homosexual acts, while often seeing the diminishing of the authority of the Bible by many homosexual authors as being ideologically driven.

As an alternative to a school-sponsored Day of Silence supporting homosexuality, conservative Christians organized a Golden Rule Initiative, where they passed out cards saying "As a follower of Christ, I believe that all people are created in the image of God and therefore deserve love and respect."

Views favorable to homosexuality

"Jonathan Lovingly Taketh His Leave of David" by Julius Schnorr von Karolsfeld

Many Christians belief that marriage is the union of two people and that homosexual behavior is not inherently sinful.

In the 20th century, theologians like Karl Barth, Jürgen Moltmann, Hans Kung, John Robinson, Bishop David Jenkins, Don Cupitt and Bishop Jack Spong challenged traditional theological positions and understandings of the Bible; following these developments some have suggested that passages have been mistranslated or that they do not refer to what we understand as "homosexuality." Clay Witt, a minister in the Metropolitan Community Church, explains how theologians and commentators like John Shelby Spong, George Edwards and Michael England interpret injunctions against certain sexual acts as being originally intended as a means of distinguishing religious worship between Abrahamic and the surrounding pagan faiths, within which homosexual acts featured as part of idolatrous religious practices: "England argues that these prohibitions should be seen as being directed against sexual practices of fertility cult worship. As with the earlier reference from Strong’s, he notes that the word 'abomination' used here is directly related to idolatry and idolatrous practices throughout the Hebrew Testament. Edwards makes a similar suggestion, observing that 'the context of the two prohibition in Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13 suggest that what is opposed is not same-sex activity outside the cult, as in the modern secular sense, but within the cult identified as Canaanite'".

Some Christians believe that Biblical passages have been mistranslated or that these passages do not refer to LGBT orientation as currently understood. Liberal Christian scholars, like conservative Christian scholars, accept earlier versions of the texts that make up the Bible in Hebrew or Greek. However, within these early texts there are many terms that modern scholars have interpreted differently from previous generations of scholars. There are concerns with copying errors, forgery, and biases among the translators of later Bibles. They consider some verses such as those they say support slavery or the inferior treatment of women as not being valid today, and against the will of God present in the context of the Bible. They cite these issues when arguing for a change in theological views on sexual relationships to what they say is an earlier view. They differentiate among various sexual practices, treating rape, prostitution, or temple sex rituals as immoral and those within committed relationships as positive regardless of sexual orientation. They view certain verses, which they believe refer only to homosexual rape, as not relevant to consensual homosexual relationships.

Following the lead of Yale scholar John Boswell, it has been argued that a number of early Christians entered into homosexual relationships, and that certain Biblical figures had homosexual relationships, despite Biblical injunctions against sexual relationships between members of the same sex. Examples cited are Ruth and her mother-in-law Naomi, Daniel and the court official Ashpenaz, and, most famously, David and King Saul's son Jonathan. There has also been discussion about the significance of the selection of the Ethiopian eunuch as being the first gentile conversion: inclusion of a eunuch, representing sexual minority in the context of the time.

Al Sharpton, former Pentecostal minister, now a Baptist minister and Civil rights leader, during his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004 said that asking whether gays or lesbians should be able to get married was insulting: "That's like saying you give blacks, or whites, or Latinos the right to shack up – but not get married [...] It's like asking 'do I support black marriage or white marriage'... The inference of the question is that gays are not like other human beings".

Desmond Tutu, the former Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town and a Nobel Peace Price winner, has described homophobia as a "crime against humanity" and "every bit as unjust" as apartheid: "We struggled against apartheid in South Africa, supported by people the world over, because black people were being blamed and made to suffer for something we could do nothing about; our very skins. It is the same with sexual orientation. It is a given. ... We treat them [gays and lesbians] as pariahs and push them outside our communities. We make them doubt that they too are children of God - and this must be nearly the ultimate blasphemy. We blame them for what they are."

Others consider that Christ made the commandments to "love God and one's neighbour," and to "love one's neighbour as oneself" touchstones of the moral law; that these imply a radical equality, and that, by this principle of equality, the Law of Moses is to be adjusted. Jesus exemplified this principle in his teaching on divorce. Furthermore, it is said that Jesus Christ instituted a virtue ethic, whereby the worth of one's action is to be adjudged by one's interior disposition. For these reasons, it is said that to condemn homosexuality is to fall into a pre-Christian "Pharasaical" legalism.

Modern gay Christian leader Justin R. Cannon promotes what he calls "Inclusive Orthodoxy" (not to be confused with the Eastern Orthodox Church). He explains on his ministry website: "Inclusive Orthodoxy is the belief that the Church can and must be inclusive of LGBT individuals without sacrificing the Gospel and the Apostolic teachings of the Christian faith." Cannon's ministry takes a unique approach quite distinct from modern liberal Christians, yet which still supports homosexual relations. His ministry affirms the divine inspiration of the Bible, the authority of Tradition, and says "...that there is a place within the full life and ministry of the Christian Church for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Christians, both those who are called to lifelong celibacy and those who are partnered."

For those who accept that Christians can be homosexual, the sexual ethic aspired to corresponds to the model indicated in scripture and the tradition of the church for heterosexuals; this entails commitment and fidelity expressed through monogamy and life-long partnership or union.

Homosexual Christians and organizations

Rev. Troy Perry preaching in 2006 at a Metropolitan Community Church.

George Barna, a conservative Christian author and researcher, conducted a survey in the United States in 2009 that found gay and lesbian people having a Christian affiliation were more numerous than had been presumed. "People who portray gay adults as godless, hedonistic, Christian bashers are not working with the facts," he said. "A substantial majority of gays cite their faith as a central facet of their life, consider themselves to be Christian, and claim to have some type of meaningful personal commitment to Jesus Christ active in their life today." The study of 20 faith-oriented attributes revealed significant differences between the United States heterosexual and homosexual populations sampled, homosexual respondents being less likely to be born again Christians than heterosexual respondents (27% compared to 47%), and the degree of commitment to their faith and families also differed. Other significant contrasts were seen in regards to "liberal" versus "conservative" social positions, as well as in one’s understanding of God, with 43% of homosexual particpants sharing the "orthodox, biblical" understanding of God which 71% of heterosexual participants indicate they do. Respondents were not asked to describe themselves as "born again", but as is standard in Barna studies, this classification was defined according to basic standard criteria. Barna concluded, “The data indicates that millions of gay people are interested in faith but not in the local church and do not appear to be focused on the traditional tools and traditions that represent the comfort zone of most churched Christians." And that "Gay adults clearly have a different way of interpreting the Bible on a number of central theological matters, such as perspectives about God."

Candace Chellew-Hodge, liberal Christian lesbian founder of online magazine Whoseoever, responded to the findings:

All in all, I'm grateful for Barna even wandering into the subject of gay and lesbian religious belief. I think his study is important and can go a long way to dispelling the old "gays vs. God" dichotomy that too often gets played out in the media. However, his overall message is still harmful: Gays and lesbians are Christians — they're just not as good as straight ones.

She argued that Barna had formulated his report with undue irony and skepticism, and that he had failed to take into account the reasons for the data which enkindled his "arrière pensée." The reason why far fewer homosexuals attend church, she argued, is that there are far fewer churches who will accept them. Equally, gays and lesbians do not see the Bible as unequivocally true because they are forced by its use against them to read it more closely and with less credulity, leading them to note its myriad contradictions.

Several organizations have developed up to help homosexual Christians who do not want to have gay sex, or attraction; the goals of these organizations vary. Some Christian groups focus on simply refraining from gay sex, such as Courage International and North Star. Other groups additionally encourage gay members to reduce or eliminate same-sex attractions. Exodus International and the associated Love Won Out are examples of such ministries. Originally, these groups were referred to as ex-gay organizations, but they no longer use the term. Alan Chambers, the president of Exodus, says the term incorrectly implies a complete change in sexual orientation. One organization that refers to itself as ex-gay is PFOX. Positive Alternatives to Homosexuality is a coalition of organizations that have the goal to "help people with unwanted same-sex attractions (SSA) realize their personal goals for change – whether by developing their innate heterosexual potential or by embracing a lifestyle as a single, non-sexually active man or woman."

IntegrityUSA represents the interests of lesbian and gay Christians in the Episcopal Church; lesbian and gay evangelical Christians have Evangelicals Concerned. In Europe, lesbian and gay evangelical Christians have a European forum. Working within the worldwide Anglican Communion on a range of discrimination issues, including those of LGBT clergy and people in the church, is InclusiveChurch. The longest standing group for lesbian and gay Christians in the UK, founded in 1976, is the non-denominational Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement; specifically aimed to meet the needs of lesbian and gay evangelicals, there is the Evangelical Fellowship for Lesbian and Gay Christians; specifically working within the Church of England is Changing Attitude, which also takes an international focus in working for gay, lesbian, bisexual & transgender affirmation within the Anglican Communion. such as gay Anglicans in Nigeria.

There is an organization which helps people recovering from ministries that seek to change sexual orientation, Beyond Ex-Gay. Other gay organizations have sprung up to cater to both groups.

Choice and free will

See also: Sexual orientation, Ex-gay, and Conversion therapy

The mainstream mental health consensus in the United States is that "most people experience little or no sense of choice about their sexual orientation." An alternative view is presented by some ex-gay groups, who say conversion therapy may be helpful for those who voluntarily seek to change their sexual orientation. The American Psychological Association states that conversion therapy "is based on an understanding of homosexuality that has been rejected by all the major health and mental health professions". The American Psychiatric Association states, "The potential risks of 'reparative therapy' are great, including depression, anxiety and self-destructive behavior, since therapist alignment with societal prejudices against homosexuality may reinforce self-hatred already experienced by the patient." Alan Chambers, president of Exodus, does not promote conversion therapy, but states that LGB people can leave homosexuality through Christianity.

Other ex-gay groups make no claim to change sexual orientation, but instead encourage celibacy. Organisations such as Exodus International and Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays believe that, regardless of one's sexual orientation, "practicing homosexuality" is always a deliberate choice. They present people who have attained "abstinence from homosexual behaviors" as reflecting the result of deliberate attempts at change. Similarly, the Roman Catholic Church and the LDS Church regard homosexual intercourse, but not homosexual attraction, as sinful. The attraction, or sexual orientation, is considered merely as a temptation to sin.

See also

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• Blessing of same-sex unions in Christian churches
• Evangelical and Ecumenical Women's Caucus
• Homosexuality in the Roman Catholic priesthood
• List of Christian denominational positions on homosexuality
• Queer theology
• LGBT-welcoming church programs
• Christianity and sexuality

External links

Supportive of lesbian and gay Christians

• Changing Attitude (UK) - group working for Gay, lesbian, bisexual & transgender affirmation within the Anglican Communion
• Changing Attitude (International)
• Inclusive Church (Anglican)
• Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement (UK)
• Evangelical Fellowship for Lesbian and Gay Christians (UK)
• European Forum of LGBT Christian Groups
• Integrity (US Episcopal)
• Evangelicals Concerned: Gay Christians
• Beyond Ex-Gay Group for survivors of Ex-Gay ministries

Supportive of Christians wishing to change their homosexual attractions

• EXODUS International an interdenominational Christian organization promoting "Freedom from homosexuality".
• Religious Declaration on Human Sexual Morality Pro-heterosexuality and monogamy.

Neutral

• Pilgrimage of Faith Research Research about homosexuality and the British Methodist Church.

References

• Bates, Stephen (2004). A Church at War: Anglicans and Homosexuality. I.B. Tauris. ISBN 1-85043-480-8.
• Boswell, John (1980). Christianity, social tolerance, and homosexuality: Gay people in Western Europe from the beginning of the Christian era to the fourteenth century. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 0-226-06710-6
• Crompton, Louis, et al.; Homosexuality and Civilization Massachusetts: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2003. ISBN 0-674-01197-X
• Gagnon, Robert A.J. (2002). The Bible and Homosexual Practice: Texts and Hermeneutics. Abingdon Press. ISBN 0-687-02279-7
• Harvey, John F., O.S.F.S. (1996). The Truth about Homosexuality: The Cry of the Faithful, introduction by Benedict J. Groeschel, C.F.R.. Ignatius Press. ISBN 0-89870-583-5.
• Helminiak, Daniel A. (2000). "Frequently Asked Questions About Being Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, or Transgender and Catholic" Dignity USA. <<http://www.dignityusa.org/faq.html>>
• Hildegard of Bingen, "Scivias," Columba Hart and Jane Bishop, translators; New York: Paulist Press, 1990
• Johansson, Warren "Whosoever Shall Say To His Brother, Racha." Studies in Homosexuality, Vol XII: Homosexuality and Religion and Philosophy. Ed. Wayne Dynes & Stephen Donaldson. New York & London: Garland, 1992. pp. 212–214
• Saletan, William (29 November 2005). "Gland Inquisitor". Slate.
• Early Teachings on Homosexuality
• Summa Theologiae - online version
• Hildegard of Bingen, "Scivias," Columba Hart and Jane Bishop, translators; New York: Paulist Press, 1990
• Homosexuality in the Bible
• The Church & the Homosexual
• John Boswell, Christianity, Social Tolerance and Homosexuality, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1980
• Christian Passage On St. Serge & St. Bacchus
• Debate: St. Augustine's Sexuality
• Gagnon, Robert A.J. (2002). The Bible and Homosexual Practice: Texts and Hermeneutics. Abingdon Press. ISBN 0-687-02279-7
• RobGagnon.net Author & seminary professor's site with many resources
• Johansson, Warren 'Whosoever Shall Say To His Brother, Racha.' Studies in Homosexuality, Vol XII: Homosexuality and Religion and Philosophy. Ed. Wayne Dynes & Stephen Donaldson. New York & London: Garland, 1992. pp. 212–214
• Smith, Morton "Clement of Alexandria and Secret Mark: The Score at the End of the First Decade." Studies in Homosexuality, Vol XII: Homosexuality and Religion and Philosophy. Ed. Wayne Dynes & Stephen Donaldson. New York & London: Garland, 1992. pp. 295–307
• Mader, Donald "The Entimos Pais of Matthew 8:5-13 and Luke 7:1-10" Studies in Homosexuality, Vol XII: Homosexuality and Religion and Philosophy. Ed. Wayne Dynes & Stephen Donaldson. New York & London: Garland, 1992. pp. 223–235.