Homosexuality & Christianity

1. Homosexuality & Christianity

2. Catholics tell gays to ditch sex May 18thStuff.co.nz • CP Insider: Can You Be Gay and Christian? • May 14, 2014 -16:48-Michael Brown, Ph.D. , Author of 'Can You Be Gay and Christian?' • World Vision: Why We're Hiring Gay Christians in Same-Sex Marriages march 26 2014 • Elections: Christian People's Alliance on gay marriage BBC News • 16 May 2014 Last updated at 14:10 BST

3. Three Perspectives • Historical/Cultural • Biblical/Theological • Pastoral

4. Greek & Roman Empires… • Most of us know that the ancient pagan world was more tolerant of homosexuality than the one god religions that would follow. But how tolerant were the ancient Greeks and Romans? It turns out they weren’t nearly as tolerant as you might like to think. • Gaystar news Oct. 2012

5. The Philosophers… • Pre-Christian: Some degree of Social acceptance Plutarch (AD46-120) Moralia – 78 essays on culture The noble lover of beauty engages in love wherever he sees excellence and splendid natural endowment without regard for any difference in physiological detail

6. On Abraham, Philo also helps us understand Genesis 19, Sodom and Gomorrah account : (135) As men, being unable to bear discreetly a satiety of these things, get restive like cattle, and become stiff-necked, and discard the laws of nature, pursuing a great and intemperate indulgence of gluttony, and drinking, and unlawful connections; for not only did they go mad after women, and defile the marriage bed of others, but also those who were men lusted after one another, doing unseemly things, and not regarding or respecting their common nature, and though eager for children, they were convicted by having only an abortive offspring; but the conviction produced no advantage, since they were overcome by violent desire; (136) and so, by degrees, the men became accustomed to be treated like women, and in this way engendered among themselves the disease of females, and intolerable evil; for they not only, as to effeminacy and delicacy, became like women in their persons, but they made also their souls most ignoble, corrupting in this way the whole race of man, as far as depended on them.

7. The middle ages (5th-15th Century) • General Condemnation linked to Sodom and Gomorrah • Demonic links • Death penalty

8. The Church/State • Council of Ancyra – penance of at least 20 years • Constantius II - death penalty • Roman Council 1048 - condemned homosexual practice • Thomas Aquinas – anything unnatural. • 12th Century - particular focus on the sin of Sodomy

9. Martin Luther The vice of the Sodomites is an unparalleled enormity. It departs from the natural passion and desire, planted into nature by God, according to which the male has a passionate desire for the female. Sodomy craves what is entirely contrary to nature. Whence comes this perversion? Without a doubt it comes from the devil. After a man has once turned aside from the fear of God, the devil puts such great pressure upon his nature that he extinguishes the fire of natural desire and stirs up another, which is contrary to nature.

10. The renaissance (14-17th Century) • Roman Catholic Church • Thomas Aquinas • 17,000 charged with Sodomy

11. The role of psychology • Degeneracy theory – Benedict Augustin Morel • Language change • 1786 Death penalty repealed

12. And more recently… • 1908 defence of Homosexuality • 1920 Berlin centre of Homosexual activity • 1930 Conservative movement • WWII 50,000 Homosexuals imprisoned/psychiatric hospitals • 1961-2003 Decriminalisation of Homosexuality across most of the world • 1980’s AIDS, LIVEAID BANDAID • 2001 Same Sex Marriage - Netherlands

13. New Zealand • 1840 – Death Penalty • 1986 – Decriminilisation • 2005 – Civil Union • 2013 - Same sex marriage

15. The Verses… (direct) • You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination. Lev 18:22 • If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them. Lev 20:13

16. Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. 26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. 27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality,[a] wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving,[b] unmerciful;who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them. Romans 1:18-32

17. Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals,[a] nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 • But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully, knowing this: that the law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, for fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine. 1 Timothy 1:8-10

18. Verses…situational • Sodom & Gomorrah: Genesis 19:1-11 • Gibeah: Judges 19:16-24 • Prostitution Cults (Asherah): 1 Kings 14:24, 1 Kings 15:12, 2 Kings 23:7.

20. A matter of words and meanings… • Sodomy • OT. Kawdesh = male idolater, morally defiled • NT. Malakos& Arsenokoites

21. Conservatives or traditionalists see these as reflecting God’s timeless will for human relationships. Progressives look at these same scriptures in much the same way that progressives in the nineteenth century looked at the Bible’s teaching on slavery. They believe that these verses capture the cultural understandings and practices of sexuality in biblical times, but do not reflect God’s will for gay and lesbian people.

22. Some questions… • Women, Slaves and Homosexuality • Redemptive Movement Hermeneutic and the Ultimate Ethic OT NT • Slavery no slave • How to treat slaves, be a good slave/master… • Women no female • Submit, control them,,don’t dominate, treat your wife as Christ • Homosexuality a sin a sin • Shameful, abomination…sin…unrighteous

23. Pastoral Considerations • 1. Love the sinner not the sin • 2. Can a homosexual be a Christian • 3. Same sex marriage