Homosexuality and the Church: Dealing with Division
Gettysburg Presbyterian Church
Romans 1:24 - 31; Mark 10:6 - 9
October 9, 2011
David C. Wright

          As I was struggling to prepare this sermon on homosexuality, I thought, “I should have asked Lou to preach this week!” 
          Yesterday, Scott Anderson was ordained as a Minister of Word and Sacrament at the Covenant Presbyterian Church in Madison, Wisconsin.  He became the first openly gay man to be ordained under the new Presbyterian ordination standards, which allow local presbyteries and congregations to decide whether or not to ordain sexually active gays and lesbians as pastors and elders.  Rev. Anderson serves as the Director of the Wisconsin Council of Churches and has been in a relationship with his same-sex partner for 20 years.   
          Not many years ago, homosexuality was carefully hidden, and was almost universally condemned.  Not anymore.  TV shows and movies feature popular, sympathetic gay and lesbian characters.  Actors, musicians, and even politicians have come out, which no longer seems like such a big deal.  Recently even the military repealed its “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, allowing openly gay men and women to serve in the armed forces.  Society’s attitudes toward homosexuality have changed dramatically to more of a “live and let live” attitude.
          But what about the church?  Should our attitudes about homosexuality change?  Should we ordain sexually active homosexuals?  These are both important questions, but there is a more foundational question that we need to address first:  Is homosexuality God’s will for some people?  Christians of good character are deeply divided over this question.  I’d like to outline the reasons behind both points of view this morning.  My goal is not to persuade you to one position or the other.  My goal is to increase our understanding of one another’s points of view and offer a few thoughts about where we go from here.
          For ease of conversation, I will usually refer to those who believe homosexuality is outside God’s will as “conservatives” or “traditionalists.”  And I’ll call those who believe that homosexuality is morally acceptable “liberals” or “progressives.”
          Those who believe that homosexuality is morally wrong note that the clear, unambiguous teaching of Scripture forbids homosexual activity.  There are over half a dozen explicit references to homosexuality in the Bible, and in each case the practice is condemned in the strongest possible terms.  Consider this one from Romans 1.  Paul is making his case that all humanity is in need of God’s grace.  Here, he refers to pagan Gentiles, whom God has allowed to do as they please.
          24  Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the degrading of their bodies among themselves,
          25  because they exchanged the truth about God for a 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 degrading passions. Their women exchanged natural intercourse for unnatural,
          27  and in the same way also the men, giving up natural intercourse with women, were consumed with passion for one another. Men committed shameless acts with men and received in their own persons the due penalty for their error.
          Here, conservatives find a clear condemnation of both male and female homosexuality, which is described as rejecting God’s pattern for sexual expression and exchanging it for another.  In addition to citing texts like this one that directly label homosexual actions as sinful, conservatives appeal to the broader teaching of scripture on sexuality.  They refer to  Jesus’ words in Mark 10 (a quotation from Genesis 1), which positively portray God’s plan for sexual expression.
          6  But from the beginning of creation, "God made them male and female.'
          7  "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife,
          8  and the two shall become one flesh.' So they are no longer two, but one flesh.
          9  Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate." (Mark 10:6-9)
          Traditionalists believe that this passage teaches that God has designed humanity with an essential complementarity of male and female.  And that God’s plan for sexual expression involves a marriage commitment between a man and a woman.
          Those who believe that homosexual expression is morally acceptable usually concede that the Bible condemns homosexuality in places, but they have several explanations for this.  First, they note that homosexuality in Old Testament times was often connected with pagan worship.  They believe that the prohibitions against homosexuality were actually aimed at pagan practices of idolatry, not at homosexuality itself.  In New Testament times, homosexuality was widely practiced in the context of prostitution or man-boy relationships.  Progressives believe that is the kind of homosexuality that Paul was condemning in Romans and elsewhere in the New Testament, not committed gay and lesbian relationships.
          Further, they argue that we now have information available to us that the biblical writers did not have.  They had no knowledge of the concept of sexual orientation- that some people, through no choice of their own, are drawn to members of the same sex.  The writers believed that all homosexual behavior was a rejection of a person’s “natural” sexuality- which is Paul’s argument in Romans 1.  They argue that if the biblical writers had this contemporary information about sexual orientation, they may have written differently.
          Progressives also believe that the broader themes of Scripture, for example the demands for justice and compassion, are more important than specific commandments.  They cite examples where Jesus set aside  specific Sabbath laws of the Old Testament in order to show compassion to those who needed healing.  If Jesus valued compassion and mercy over the law, so should we, they argue.
          These are the basic biblical arguments made by those on both sides of this issue.  However, both liberals and conservatives make additional arguments.  Conservatives note that the teaching of the church through the ages affirms the traditional understanding of sexuality.  The burden of proof lies with those who would overturn 2000 years of Christian teaching.
          Conservatives also cite numerous studies that show the tremendous instability of homosexual relationships.  They point out that while homosexuality has been known in virtually all cultures throughout history, the practice of monogamous, egalitarian homosexual relationships has never been the norm.  Traditionalists believe the reason for this is that human beings are not designed to function well in same-sex relationships.  Liberals counter that there is plenty of promiscuity among heterosexuals and that when the social support for lifetime homosexual relationships is the same as that for heterosexual marriage, this will change.
          The primary argument advanced by those who believe homosexual relationships are morally acceptable is this:  since most homosexuals find themselves attracted to members of the same sex through no choice of their own, this must be God’s intent for some people.  They are simply born that way, part of the variety of creation that God seems to love so much.  Who are we to deny them sexual fulfillment and emotional intimacy if God has made them that way?
          Most conservatives agree that homosexuals do not choose their orientation.  In fact, no one really knows why some people are attracted to the same sex.  But does that mean that homosexuality is a good thing, part of God’s design?  Conservatives argue that it does not.  They point out that some people are predisposed toward alcoholism or a bad temper or a sexual desire for children.  These things are not chosen by the person either, but they are certainly not good, and we would all agree that these desires should not be acted upon.  Just because something exists apart from human choosing does not mean it is part of God’s intention for us. 
          Finally, liberals are deeply concerned that the bullying and rejection of homosexual young people is scarring them deeply, resulting in a much higher suicide rate among these kids than heterosexual kids.  They believe acceptance of homosexuality by the church could help support these kids in their struggles.
          So there you have it.  A brief outline of the primary arguments on both sides.  I hope you can see why this is such a difficult issue for us.  In fact, several of you spoke with me about this issue following last week’s sermon, some strongly on one side, some just as strongly on the other!  And, personally, I find myself attracted to some arguments on both sides!  I appreciate the compassionate emphasis of those who want to affirm homosexuality.  I have counseled with homosexual persons and have friendships with others.  I have worked with still others in ministry and have had gay and lesbian family members.  I care deeply about these folks.  I want them to feel loved by Jesus and by the church.
          On the other hand, I find the biblical and theological arguments of the conservative side to be more compelling than those on the other side.  This is truly a tough issue for me and for the church.  As I promised earlier, I’m not going to try to change anyone’s opinion about this, but let me say a few words about where we go from here.
          First of all, no matter which side you are on, there is no place among Christians for gay-bashing of any kind.  Gays and lesbians are our sons and daughters, nieces and nephews, colleagues at work, brothers and sisters in Christ, and (I am confident) fellow members here at GPC.  Like heterosexuals, gay men and women are made in the image of God, are loved deeply by God, and have value and worth because of that.  There is no place for any disparaging remarks about gay and lesbian people among Christians, no matter which side of the debate you are on.
          Second, both sides on this debate would benefit from some humility.  Given the split among committed Christians over this issue, all of us ought to be open to listening to what others have to say, rather than just blindly holding on to our current position.  Besides, all of us sin!  In the Romans passage we looked at earlier, Paul follows his condemnation of homosexuality with a list of other sins that illustrate how we all fail to be the people God wants us to be.  The list includes covetousness, strife, deceit gossip, slander, boasting, pride, hard-heartedness and disobedience to parents.  I’m guessing we all can find ourselves somewhere on that list!  We dare not judge our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters without judging our own conduct as well.

          Finally, I would remind you that although we’ve been involved in this debate for a number of years, it often takes many years to settle these kinds of conflicts.  The conflict over women’s ordination took decades to resolve.  The conflict over slavery took over a century.  And conflicts over the nature of the Trinity took centuries to resolve.  I would counsel patience as together we seek to discern God’s will in this matter.  As Paul reminds us in I Cor. 13, “now we see in a mirror dimly.”  Only when Christ returns will all of these things be made clear.

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