On the subject of sexuality, how does scripture inform our lives today?

 by the Rev. Eileen Walsh, Rector, St. Christopher's Portsmouth

There is no way to fully explore such a vast topic in a brief blog post, but I offer this as an introduction and hopefully a catalyst for readers to pursue the topic further.  First let’s look at a couple of passages that are frequently cited in most discussions of homosexuality. There is the attempted gang rape in Sodom (Genesis 19:1-29) and a similar account in Judges 19-21. These passages describe brutal behavior that has nothing to do with whether genuine love expressed between consenting adults of the same gender is legitimate or not. I would hope that in this discussion these passages would be rendered irrelevant. There are also several passages that are rather unclear as to whether the issue at hand is homosexuality alone or promiscuity. (1 Corinthians 6:9 and 1 Timothy 1:10)

Aside from these there are two texts in the Hebrew Scriptures that undeniably condemn homosexual behavior. They are: 

 

Leviticus 18:22 -- You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination. 

Leviticus 20:13 -- 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. 

In the New Testament Paul’s condemnation of homosexual behavior is often cited:

Romans 1:26-27 -- For this reason God gave them up to degrading passions. Their women exchanged natural intercourse for unnatural, 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. 

No one could read these texts and deny that homosexual behavior is being condemned and yet it is important to read them in light of what was believed at the time and what we know now about human sexuality. In the time of Leviticus it was considered equivalent to murder to waste semen – no matter how it was done. As for Paul he did not know what we know as far as our understanding that orientation is fixed early in life, genetically in many cases. Paul is arguing from the point of view of what is “natural” and our knowledge of what is natural has expanded profoundly.

In his essay “Homosexuality and the Bible” Walter Wink set out these comparisons of biblical sexual mores and modern sexual mores (this is a small sampling):

• The bible condemns – incest, rape, adultery
• The bible condemns these behaviors which we generally allow – celibacy, naming sexual organs, nudity.
• The bible permitted these behaviors which we generally condemn – prostitution, polygamy, and the treatment of women as property.

(Wink, Walter; Homosexuality and the Christian Faith, Augsburg Press, 1999. pp. 43)

The problem we get into is when we try to rely on the idea that the bible has a sexual ethic. As the list above points out, on matters of sexuality the bible is confusing. While it may not have a clear sexual ethic, the bible does have a clear love ethic. Therefore we must view the sexual mores of any given time through the lens of the love ethic exemplified by the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. It is clear that this is a non-exploitative ethic – responsible relationships, sexual or otherwise, are to be mutual, caring and loving.

It is clear that in the few places the bible discusses homosexual behavior it condemns it. I will not deny that. The bible also sanctioned slavery – are any of us prepared today to argue that scripture justifies slavery?

In trying to understand all of the confusing and contradictory parts of scripture we need to turn to The Word to shed light on the word. Remembering that The Word is a person, not a book. 

NOTE: To further explore what the scripture has to say about sexuality, please see the House of Bishops Theology Committee's Same-Sex Relationships in the Life of the Church.