16 March 2007

Homosexuality and Adventist Community

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"For the sake of His sorrowful passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world."- Chaplet of Divine Mercy, Catholic Hymn

Christianity is more than the sum of its parts. It is more than the denominations that separate and divide, more than Papal edicts, more than doctrines, and traditions. Christianity is a religious philosophy as much as it is a way of life. The Christian seeks to live a life modeled after the great moral teachings of Jesus Christ. For Christians, Christ is the center of their religious experience – being both divine Creator and loving Savior. It is through the Christian's testimony that others are made aware of the love of Christ and God; that God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life is the undertone of the great redemptive act.

While attending university at a "Christian" institution, I have encountered such hate and bigotry toward homosexuals that, at times, it is hard to emotionally bear. As a follower of the great moral teachings of Christ and the Judeo-Christian Scriptures, I have understood God to be a God of love. All of Scripture points to a God of love, a God of inclusion, a God of compassion, and most of all a God who cares about His earthly children. 1 John 4:16 states, "And we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him." Ergo God is love. Why then do we who serve such a God, one of love, have so much hate toward our GLBT (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgendered) brothers and sisters in Christ? When will Christians understand that God is love? When will Adventists lead the Christian community, as the remnant and chosen that they claim to be, to a love-centered approach to homosexuality and homosexuals?

Rev. Desmond Tutu writes, "We struggled against apartheid because we were being blamed and made to suffer for something we could do nothing about. It is the same with homosexuality. The orientation is a given, not a matter of choice. It would be crazy for someone to choose to be gay, given the homophobia that is present." Yet even the words of this convicted man of God fall on willfully deaf ears. John continues to write in verse seventeen of chapter three, "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him."

Some Christians feel that it is their divinely appointed duty to hate "faggots," such is the claim on the website www.godhatesfags.com. Apparently Matthew Shepard's death wasn't a wakeup call to the Christian community and neither is the countless suicides and hate crimes that take place everyday across this sin-stricken planet of ours. When GLBT teens end their lives in an emotional struggle for acceptance – whether for societal, religious, or familiar reasons – there is something to be asked of Christians, when they are often the individuals to provoke such actions. "Have mercy on us and on the whole world."

Byrne Fone in Homophobia: a history (I wish such a book need not have been written) writes, "Homophobia is the last acceptable prejudice in an age when racial and ethnic bigotry are viewed with distaste, hatred of homosexuals remain rife." Christ spoke, "By this you will know that they are my people if they posses and act upon their hatred of homosexuals." No! Our loving Savior spoke, "By this you will know that they are my people, if they have LOVE for one another." The Black-Eyed Peas, a musical group asked the poignant question in one of their songs, "Where is the love?" I pose that same question to the Christian community in general and the Adventist community in particular. One of the founders of Adventism, Ellen White, wrote in Testimonies to the Church, Vol. 7,

Seventh-day Adventists have been chosen by God as a peculiar people, separate from the world. By the great cleaver of truth He has cut them out from the quarry of the world and brought them into connection with Himself. He has made them His representatives and has called them to be ambassadors for Him in the last work of salvation. The greatest wealth of truth ever entrusted to mortals, the most solemn and fearful warnings ever sent by God to man, have been committed to them to be given to the world."

I believe that Seventh-day Adventists have been called to be a peculiar people. A people who display the love of Christ for all of humanity and who proclaim the dignity of all of God's children, GLBT persons included. It is therefore the duty of Adventists (for as it is written, "to whom much is given, much is required," and much has been given to the Adventist Church) to lead Christendom in Christ-like love. When professed Christians, such as Pat Robertson, speak with biblical authority and divine appointment and say such things as, "When lawlessness is abroad in the land, the same thing will happen here that happened in Nazi Germany. Many of those people involved in Adolph Hitler were Satanists. Many of them were homosexuals. The two things seem to go together," we must rebuke it as hate-speech and unchristian ranting.

Such language is the same kind that empowered those who killed Matthew Shepard, the genocides in Rwanda and Darfur, the "ethnic cleansings" in Bosnia, the Holocaust, apartheid, slavery, the oppression of women, and religious fanatics. His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, writes that, "It is unfair for homosexuals to be rejected by society. We cannot place them on the same level as criminals." I concur with that opinion whole-heartedly. When we sanction any one group to be separated and able to be hated we do ourselves a great harm regardless if we are a part of that ostracized group. John 4:8 reads, "Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." The Rev. Dr. John Shelby Spong writes,


I think that we have in recent years entered a "New Dark Age" in the Western world. It is marked by the rise of religious systems that seek to build security by encouraging prejudice against a designated victim....the homosexual has become the religious hysteria of our day. This kind of behavior is always a response to fear and to a rapidly changing world. Security-providing religion, which always requires a victim, is like a drug that carries us over the rough places of life. It is certainly not the wave of the Christian future.


We don't choose to be white or black, male or female, left-handed or right-handed, gay or straight. We awaken in each instance to the reality of what we are. Nothing external to our humanity activates our self-understanding. It simply is. Alcohol distorts life for the alcoholic. Homosexuality does not distort the life of the gay person. Your pastor's understanding is simply one more version of the idea that homosexuality is a sickness or addiction that needs to be cured if possible and if not possible, it needs to be suppressed. Wholeness never came to anyone who tried to suppress his or her deepest identity.

More Christians need to read Spong's book The Sins of Scripture: Exposing the Bible's Texts of Hate to Reveal the God of Love.

I am trying very desperately to remain a Christian in this environment. My love for humanity and my belief that man is, at his core, essentially good is being tested. I cannot help but cry out to God to "have mercy on us and on the whole world." That the Lord may have mercy on those who persecute homosexuals, that He may lead them to His love. It is my belief to "take a chance on God" and believe that a God of love would not punish someone for simply loving another human being and committing him/herself to that person. If we demote God to such a state as those who advocate His condemnation on homosexuals do, we lose a great deal of what and who God truly is – love. "For the sake of His sorrowful passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world."

I shall remain an ambassador for Christ as Ellen White writes. I will continue to live a life that promotes and upholds the dignity of all of God's children, regardless of sex, creed, sexuality, race, orientation, religion, and nationality. God is love, and I seek to be like Christ who was God, therefore I must love and live a life of love. I can be comforted to know that I am not alone on this journey, for Christ states, "Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." And I know that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

It is my hope that Christians head Christ's direction in Luke 6:36-38, "Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you." I pray for the day when my GLBT brothers and sisters will have their human dignity recognized by the Christian community; a day when we can fellowship together and be one in the body of Christ.

"Eternal Father I offer You, the Body and the Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son. Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world. For the sake of His sorrowful passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world."

7 comments:

kessia reyne said...

Since we're talking Scripture here, feel free to let go of your belief that man is, at his core, essentially good.

"The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" Jeremiah 17:9, NIV.

Raul Batista (Varonelo) said...

Such great compassion for a group of people who are unwelcome in most of conservative Christianity, as well as, mainstream Adventism, is refreshing. Compassion leads to greater mental health. Lack of it, leads to mental illness. God bless you as you continue in your blog ministry.

Alexander Carpenter said...

Hey Raymond,

As a young Adventist (AU '03) I couldn't agree with you more. Thanks for speaking up. Are you at SAU?

One of the root causes of the conservative paternalistic mantra - love sinner, hates the gay sin - is a misapplied hermeneautic which misses the point that Jesus never actually said that he hated homosexuality. The Gospels are pretty clear that Jesus doesn't take too kindly to false righteousness - exactly the kind that mistakes personal discomfort for sin.

Kessia: One of the disasters of our current approach to scripture is the grabbing of verses without exegeting the context of the language.

From the same Hebrew poem. Jeremiah 17:4 - I will make you a slave to your enemies / In a land you have never known / For you have kindled the flame of My wrath / Which shall burn for all time (Tanakh).

I wonder, is slavery justified and is God still angry with the descendants of Judah?

Here's an historical link I put up a long time ago.

Sean said...

I appreciate your essay and agree whole heartedly with your main idea. Thanks for the reminder to love all God's children!

I am concerned with your view of the essential goodness of humanity. I agree with Kessia -- man is not essentially good. Throughout Scripture the depravity of man is consistently illustrated. Hence our desparate need of Jesus Christ. Only when we are transformed by the saving power of Jesus are we able to truly love as Christ instructs us to. And I suggest that love is not a human-born love but a heaven-sent love.

I also want to make two observations regarding a previous response to this essay by Carpenterale:

1. Carpenterale, I think your reasoning for dismissing Kessia's point is flawed. You might want to read the context of Jeremiah 17:9. The point is that because the heart is wicked, God is the one who searches and judges it. Earlier in v. 4 (which you quoted), the condemnation God gives is because the heart is wicked and has departed from God.
If you want to discuss wether God's anger is still burning or the issue of slavery, that's fine -- but it doesn't negate the strong point in the passge. That point being: the heart is wicked and turns away from God.

2. You're right, Carpenterale, Jesus never said he hated homosexuality. He also never said He hated racism and other commonly accepted sins. But Jesus did come to deliver us from all sin -- and yes, that includes racism, homosexual behavior, promiscuity, hate, pride, etc. And yes, even from sins to which we may be genetically predisposed.

God bless!

AtlasDave said...

Matthew Sheppard was not murdered by men who were homophobics, but rather by men who were high on drugs. There is lots of evidence that they did not even know of his sexual preferences.

However, he has become a poster boy for those who would call homosexuality just a "lifestyle choice".

Biblically, I cannot agree to that. Scripture is clear in several places about what God expects from us.

That said, the sins of a homosexual who participates in that lifestyle are no different than mine, to God. "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God."

So, the question remains, how do I start to look at others (with their 'obvious sins', as God looks at them? How can I accept the idea that they are eligible for heaven as a result of Christ's sacrifice, as I believe I am?

Let's give credit where credit is due, Satan is the one who tries to drive wedges between us. The Holy Spirit is the One who tries to build bridges.

While I cannot accept a homosexual lifestyle as anything less than sinful, I shouldn't accept my own sins, either.

But, all of this is on the individual level. How is the organized church supposed to deal with the issue? Keep folks up in front that are specifically going against the Bible that they supposedly espouse?

No more than keeping a minister that has an wife and a girlfriend. Allow anyone to attend, but don't allow them to be leaders.

Not saying our leaders are sinless. Hardly. But the church cannot condone the behavior.

In case you are wondering, I don't think that this is any different from any other sin, nor has it caused any more discord than many other topics which have passed before the congregations.

Let's face it, music is still a major issue in many places.

So, individuals, let's work on trying to get to know Christ better, and the Spirit will help us know how to handle the situations when they arise!

Alexander Carpenter said...

Quickly responding to David first:

Since you don't provide any evidence for your claim that goes against the sworn testimony in the case. . .the onus for facts in on you. But I'll go ahead and provide evidence that obviates your point from say. . .the old police chief/investigator in the case.

From the Laramie paper: "after they were arrested, they exhibited no withdrawal symptoms whatsoever. A person who has been on a meth binge, there will be withdrawal symptoms apparent. . . . Waters reported that Henderson exhibited no signs of being under the influence of meth."

It's clear from spending about 15 min. on Google from where your misinformation stems. . .one of the girlfriends who was in fact convicted for lying.

And then your statement that they didn't even know is repeatedly contradicted by just about everyone involved and statements like "help me beat up some gay guy."

On the other stuff, follow your logic.
"But the church cannot condone the behavior. In case you are wondering, I don't think that this is any different from any other sin,. . ."

First all sins are not equal. It's just classic ethics. I'll take the theft of my wallet over genocide any day. But your language actually gets to the root issue: the difference between community-condoned behavior and sin to God. Those two things are different. While God may hate both sin, my pastor coveting my car may be annoying but it doesn't affect the community or me as much as him murdering me.

Sean:

In fact, Jesus' visit with the Samaritan woman, the good Samaritan parable, along with his disciples almost instant interracial preaching provides most commentators with enough evidence to conclude that Jesus in fact did teach against racism. In fact, when I just reading straight through a gospel rather than stringing texts together I find a Jesus concerned most about how we relate to each other. And in fact he does speak against common sins such as attacking other people who are different.

And on the text itself, being a fifth generation Adventist, I really want to encourage other Adventists to know the historical/cultural/rhetorical context for the verses that we quote.

I don't know if you studied Hebrew, but I've done Beginning and Intermediate. I share that so you know from where I'm coming. The point of the pericope and especially Jer. 17:9 is not that the heart is wicked, but that it is unknowable.

But you don't have to take my word for it, instead, here's a seminal article in the Journal of Biblical Literature that will add to our discussion. Start on page 531.

The reason I bring this up is that it is easy for me to just flip through the bible looking for sentences that conform to my traditional assumptions. But scripture is more exciting than that, as it reveals a powerful history of a progressive revealing of God's love to all.

Carrol said...

Thank you, Raymond, for showing the spirit of Jesus to gays and lesbians. Your essay gives me courage about the future of our church.

I am the mother of a gay son and the wife of a (retired) minister and former missionary. It was about 18 years ago that we learned the youngest of our three sons is gay, and this experience has literally changed my life - for the better.

Twelve years ago I wrote a book about our family's experience that was published by Pacific Press - My Son, Beloved Stranger. That led me into a ministry for other families dealing with this, and I have come to know so many truly wonderful people, as well as their gay sons and daughters.

My website, www.someone-to-talk-to.net shares many things I have learned from studying this issue over the past 18 years.

Carrol

A Matter of Intent

This blog is intended to raise awareness through e-conversation about particular issues of relevance to the religio-culture of Adventist Christianity. There is no intent to openly offend or demean persons of different opinions. It is my humble hope that those who agree and those who disagree with these posts will be able to dialogue together to better understand our common heritage and culture as Adventists and to celebrate our Christianity. May the Spirit of the Lord guide and bless us in this endeavor and may this spiritual journey glorify our Father in Heaven.