Following on from the previous post -- which oh so briefly outlined the corporate dimension of sexual behaviour within the church -- is the issue of homosexuality, which is the specific issue addressed by Hays in the quote I highlighted. His chapter on homosexuality is quite short and only skims the surface of what seems like such a large issue today, but it is food for thought nonetheless.
He makes it clear that the biblical view on homosexuality -- while sparse in terms of content (roughly 6 references) -- is that it is a sin. There are those who will claim otherwise by either ignoring the Bible or mistreating its texts, but Hays makes it clear that the biblical voice on this topic is univocal in its classification of homosexuality as something contrary to the created order. One of the most relevant passages in the discussion is Romans 1, where Paul writes that,
"For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error."
This may sound like a harsh condemnation of homosexuality; it being a thing which provokes the "wrath of God". However, as Hays argues, this passage isn't speaking of homosexuality as that which is a provocation of the wrath of God but rather as something which is a consequence of God deciding to "give them up" to their desires. But who are the "them"? Gay people? Well, yes, but certainly not exclusively. The "them" is those who refuse to acknowledge God as God; those who substitute created things for the Creator, which is the essence of sin. Homosexuality is therefore a symptom of that great exchange. But it is not the only one.
For Paul, the same exchange which leads to homosexual acts also leads to envy, strife, gossiping, dishonouring of parents, and other such things. This is why he can write in chapter 2,
"Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things."
Note: He doesn't say those of you who gossip may judge homosexuals, since theirs is the more abominable sin. For Paul, the overarching sin of humanity is human beings substituting themselves for God. Homosexuality is a symptom of this substitution, but it doesn't appear to be any greater a symptom than lying. Is that not a sobering thought for those of us who pat ourselves on the back for at least having the right sexual orientation?
One could be forgiven for thinking that the above is not actually good news for homosexuals but simply bad news for everybody. However, as Hays rightly points out, God's "giving up" of sinful humanity, and specifically homosexuals, is not the last word. Our sin is substituting ourselves for God, but God has dealt with this by substituting Himself for us in the person of Christ. Romans, far from being a book concerned with condeming homosexuals, is a book about the gospel, and the gospel is good news about the love of God shown forth in Jesus, which is a love that reaches to gay people as much as it reaches to the rest of us. God's mercy does not cease when it encounters homosexuality. YHWH has been branded as a homophobe by some, but this accusation clearly fails to take into account the sacrificial death of Jesus on behalf of homosexuals. As Hays puts it, homosexual persons "are the objects of God's deeply sacrificial love". Not the first sentence you think of when Christianity and homosexuality collide, eh?
I write this as I grapple with my confusion with regards homosexuality. No no. Not that kind of confusion. Being straight may not have been a resounding success so far, but I'm not going to give up on it just yet. My area of confusion is rather dealing with the issue should it arise in my sphere of life, like say a friend who has homosexual tendencies lookingto make an advance on me for some kind of advice from me. Thus far nothing like this has happened, but I honestly don't know how I'd say if it ever does, which is why I have turned to Hays' book on ethics. It certainly doesn't present me with all of the answers I'm looking for, and this post is by no means the final word on homosexual tendencies within the church, but I can sense a shift in my outlook as I wrestle with its contents. This shift is summed up in Hays' response to the question, "Can homosexual persons be members of the Christian church?":
"This is rather like asking, "Can envious persons be members of the church?" (cf. Rom. 1:29)...De facto, of course, they are. Unless we think that the church is a community of sinless perfection, we must ackowledge that persons of homosexual orientation are welcome along with other sinners in the company of those who trust in the God who justifies the ungodly (Rom. 4:5). If they are not welcome, I will have to walk out the door along with them, leaving in the sanctuary only those entitled to cast the first stone."
He makes it clear that the biblical view on homosexuality -- while sparse in terms of content (roughly 6 references) -- is that it is a sin. There are those who will claim otherwise by either ignoring the Bible or mistreating its texts, but Hays makes it clear that the biblical voice on this topic is univocal in its classification of homosexuality as something contrary to the created order. One of the most relevant passages in the discussion is Romans 1, where Paul writes that,
"For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error."
This may sound like a harsh condemnation of homosexuality; it being a thing which provokes the "wrath of God". However, as Hays argues, this passage isn't speaking of homosexuality as that which is a provocation of the wrath of God but rather as something which is a consequence of God deciding to "give them up" to their desires. But who are the "them"? Gay people? Well, yes, but certainly not exclusively. The "them" is those who refuse to acknowledge God as God; those who substitute created things for the Creator, which is the essence of sin. Homosexuality is therefore a symptom of that great exchange. But it is not the only one.
For Paul, the same exchange which leads to homosexual acts also leads to envy, strife, gossiping, dishonouring of parents, and other such things. This is why he can write in chapter 2,
"Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things."
Note: He doesn't say those of you who gossip may judge homosexuals, since theirs is the more abominable sin. For Paul, the overarching sin of humanity is human beings substituting themselves for God. Homosexuality is a symptom of this substitution, but it doesn't appear to be any greater a symptom than lying. Is that not a sobering thought for those of us who pat ourselves on the back for at least having the right sexual orientation?
One could be forgiven for thinking that the above is not actually good news for homosexuals but simply bad news for everybody. However, as Hays rightly points out, God's "giving up" of sinful humanity, and specifically homosexuals, is not the last word. Our sin is substituting ourselves for God, but God has dealt with this by substituting Himself for us in the person of Christ. Romans, far from being a book concerned with condeming homosexuals, is a book about the gospel, and the gospel is good news about the love of God shown forth in Jesus, which is a love that reaches to gay people as much as it reaches to the rest of us. God's mercy does not cease when it encounters homosexuality. YHWH has been branded as a homophobe by some, but this accusation clearly fails to take into account the sacrificial death of Jesus on behalf of homosexuals. As Hays puts it, homosexual persons "are the objects of God's deeply sacrificial love". Not the first sentence you think of when Christianity and homosexuality collide, eh?
I write this as I grapple with my confusion with regards homosexuality. No no. Not that kind of confusion. Being straight may not have been a resounding success so far, but I'm not going to give up on it just yet. My area of confusion is rather dealing with the issue should it arise in my sphere of life, like say a friend who has homosexual tendencies looking
"This is rather like asking, "Can envious persons be members of the church?" (cf. Rom. 1:29)...De facto, of course, they are. Unless we think that the church is a community of sinless perfection, we must ackowledge that persons of homosexual orientation are welcome along with other sinners in the company of those who trust in the God who justifies the ungodly (Rom. 4:5). If they are not welcome, I will have to walk out the door along with them, leaving in the sanctuary only those entitled to cast the first stone."
No comments:
Post a Comment