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Homosexuality and the Church Week 1 April 21, 2013

Homosexuality and the Church Week 1 April 21, 2013 . Agenda. April 21 Introduction and context Tradition Reason and personal experience April 28 Scripture Episcopal church position May 5 Bishop Breidenthal visit. Hot Topics Reprise. Economic issues Early heresies Reformation

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Homosexuality and the Church Week 1 April 21, 2013

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  1. Homosexuality and the Church Week 1 April 21, 2013

  2. Agenda April 21 Introduction and context Tradition Reason and personal experience April 28 Scripture Episcopal church position May 5 Bishop Breidenthal visit

  3. Hot Topics Reprise Economic issues Early heresies Reformation Crusades Who is our neighbor Sorting through alternative understandings Correcting the path Retrospective rethinking

  4. Hot Topics Reprise Women’s roles Divorce Slavery Mixed-race marriage Sexual orientation New understanding: societal normspersonal experiences

  5. How should we as Christians respond to gay and lesbian people?

  6. Persecution and violence Advocate for rights and inclusion Try to cure or convert Welcome into church leadership Whatever, just don’t talk about it Deny a place in church Support, bless committed relationships Allow in church, regard as sinful Welcome in church as equals

  7. How should we as Christians respond to gay and lesbian people? Is a homosexual relationship inherently sinful? • Tradition • Reason / experience • Scripture

  8. Tradition

  9. Church History on Homosexuality • Judeo-Christian tradition: homosexual acts are sinful • “unnatural” – against nature • Do not support procreation • Some churches now taking a different stance: • Episcopal • ELCA Lutheran • United Church of Christ • Protestant churches in western/northern Europe

  10. Church History on Marriage • Largely economic arrangement; no mention of love • Old Testament times • Polygyny, concubines, few rights for women • New Testament times • Monogamy more the norm • Paul grudgingly accepts marriage, recommends mutual respect • Jesus sternly supports respect for marriage • Church slowly became involved • 12th century – priest first involved in wedding rites

  11. Church and Marriage Today Based on mutual romantic love and commitment BCP: The union of husband and wife in heart, body, and mind is intended by God for their mutual joy; for the help and comfort given one another in prosperity and adversity; and, when it is God's will, for the procreation of children and their nurture in the knowledge and love of the Lord. 

  12. Reason and Experience

  13. Cultural Understanding American Psychiatric Association1952: homosexuality classified as disorder1973: no longer considered a disorder2006: APA supports same-sex marriage rights American Academy of Pediatricians2013: Supports marriage rights for parents, regardless of sexual orientation 2002: Supports rights of adoption and fostering, regardless of sexual orientation

  14. Personal Experience Rob Portman: “Something happened that made me think through my position in a much deeper way.”

  15. Homosexuality and the Church Week 2 April 28, 2013

  16. Agenda April 21 Introduction and context Tradition Reason and personal experience April 28 Scripture Episcopal church position May 5 Bishop Breidenthal visit

  17. Scripture Leviticus Sodom and Gomorrah Paul Gospel

  18. Old Testament You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination. (Leviticus 18:22) If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall be put to death; their blood is upon them. (Leviticus 20:13) Eternally binding truth? Limited by cultural and knowledge of the time?

  19. Sodom and Gomorrah But before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom . . . called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, so that we may know them.” Lot . . . said, “I beg you, my brothers, do not act so wickedly. Look, I have two daughters who have not known a man; let me bring them out to you, and do to them as you please; only do nothing to these men, for they have come under the shelter of my roof.” Genesis 19:4-7 Homosexual rape, not homosexual relationship

  20. Paul – 1 Corinthians Fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, male prostitutes, sodomites, thieves, the greedy, drunkards, revilers, robbers – none of these will inherit the kingdom of God. (1 Corinthians 6:10) Many questions about translation Referring to those of homosexual orientation?

  21. Paul - Romans Claiming to be wise, they became fools; and they exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling a mortal human being or birds or four-footed animals or reptiles. Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the degrading of their bodies among themselves,because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator. (Romans 1:22-24) Result of idolatry People went against their own nature

  22. Jesus on Homosexuality

  23. Jesus on the Marginalized The poor The sick Widows and orphans Women Foreigners Children

  24. Jesus on Judging Others “Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. For with the judgment you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. (Matthew 7:1-2)

  25. Paul on Differences For in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:26-28)

  26. What is pleasing in God’s eyes? Persecution and violence Advocate for rights and inclusion Try to cure or convert Welcome into church leadership Whatever, just don’t talk about it Deny a place in church Support, bless committed relationships Allow in church, regard as sinful Welcome in church as equals

  27. How do I best follow God’s will? How do we as the St. Anne family best follow God’s will?

  28. Episcopal Church Position At its 77th General Convention held in Indianapolis in July 2012, the Episcopal Church authorized the use of a rite for blessing the lifelong covenants of same-sex couples.  The Diocese of Southern Ohio has produced its own trial use liturgy. Bishop Breidenthal has approved the use of either rite. Any priest may decline Links from our diocese: http://www.diosohio.org/How%20we%20work/blessing-of-same-gender-unions.html http://s3.amazonaws.com/dfc_attachments/public/documents/1400959/Same-gender_unions.pdf

  29. Diocese Policies – Same-Sex Blessings from intergityusa.org

  30. References Same-Sex Marriage: Pro and Con, edited by Andrew Sullivan, 2004. Christian Households: The Sanctification of Nearness, The Rt. Rev. Thomas E. Breidenthal, 1997. God Believes in Love: Straight Talk about Gay Marriage, Gene Robinson, Episcopal Bishop of New Hampshire, 2012. http://www.friendsandfamilyplan.org/ Auburn Seminary, tohelp conflicted Christians support the people they know and love who are LGBT without leaving their Christianity behind http://www.integrityusa.org/

  31. Jesus on the Nuclear Family Someone told him, “Look, your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.” Jesus replied, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” And pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” (Matthew 12:47-50) When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, “Woman, here is your son.” 27 Then he said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home. John 19:26-27

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