Conversation on sin: Top religion stories of 1998

Christian Century, Jan 6, 1999

Sin, contrition, repentance and forgiveness--such biblical themes were staples of talk shows, editorial pages and everyday conversations in 1998. That much, at least, could be said for the nation's yearlong preoccupation with President Bill Clinton's sexual escapades, his delayed and halting confession, and his eventual impeachment for lying and for obstructing the federal investigation of his affair with Monica Lewinsky. Everyone became a moral theologian.

Much of the discussion in religious circles focused on Clinton's own use of the language of judgment and grace in a September speech to religious leaders at the National Prayer Breakfast. After months of denying and evading charges, he spoke of his "sin," of his need for a "broken spirit" and about his commitment to stay on the "path of repentance." He also announced that he had enlisted three clergymen to help him stay on the path. Was this a sign of genuine repentance or one more shameless political strategy? Who should judge? Perhaps more important: What difference would personal repentance, genuine or not, make in assessing the appropriate legal and political consequences for the president?

Though theologians, ethicists and pastors did not hesitate to try to parse the personal, legal, political and public dimensions of Clinton's actions, moral discourse was not greatly elevated or political wisdom widely clarified by the outpouring of opinions. Despite the gravity of the impeachment proceedings, the saga of Clinton and his critics kept veering from high drama to sexual farce. Henry Hyde (R., Ill.), chair of the House Judiciary Committee, was forced to acknowledge an earlier sexual "indiscretion" of his own, and Representative Robert Livingston (R., La.) passed up a chance to be Speaker of the House after he learned that Hustler magazine was ready to reveal his extramarital affairs.

Far more serious politically than such individual failings is the political culture that gives reports from Hustler moral authority. In the name of reform, politics has become less civil and more preoccupied with partisanship and prosecution. As political analyst Joe Klein has pointed out, "Contentiousness and partisan legal harassment have become industries in Washington, providing crude entertainment and satisfying careers for thousands of shortsighted practitioners." The groundwork for the investigation of Clinton's sexual affair was set, Klein argues, in the Carter and Reagan years through many congressionally sponsored investigations of government officials on trivial legal charges. The partisan fever was raised with the forced resignation of Jim Wright as speaker of the House and the ideologically charged confirmation hearings of John Tower, Robert Bork and Clarence Thomas. The question is whether the politicians--and the media--can restore a sense of proportion to the practice of politics.

Homosexuality and the church

In the churches, the debate over homosexuality reached new levels of intensity and contentiousness. Although a dozen or so denominations wrestled with such issues as same-sex unions and ordination of gays and lesbians, the most prominent dispute over homosexuality took place among United Methodists. In March a church court narrowly acquitted pastor Jimmy Creech of violating a denominational directive by presiding over a union ceremony involving two women at his Omaha church. In August, however, the UMC's highest court reaffirmed the denomination's stand against same-sex unions. "Conduct in violation of this prohibition renders a pastor liable to a charge of disobedience to the order and discipline of the United Methodist Church," the Judicial Council held. And Creech began a voluntary leave of absence from the ministry.

UMC traditionalists were delighted with the council's ruling, but Gregory Dell, pastor of Chicago's Broadway United Methodist Church, is defying it. Coordinator of In All Things Charity, a movement within the church that supports same-sex unions, Dell performed such a union between two men in September. He says his ordination vow to minister to all people supersedes the UMC ban on homosexual unions. His bishop, Joseph Sprague, actually agrees with Dell's position but felt duty bound to file a complaint against him. Dell will be brought to trial later this year. In October a group of 363 UMC clergy and laity, in an open letter to their bishops, urged that the denomination's ban on same-sex ceremonies be overturned.

In the summer a coalition of conservative religious groups launched an ad campaign backing "ex-gay" ministries that claim to be able to transform homosexuals into heterosexuals. Liberals, arguing that gays and lesbians should be accepted as they are, viewed the conservatives' ads as contributing to a climate of hatred and fear. At its December meeting in Denver, the board of the American Psychiatric Association unanimously voted to condemn any psychiatric treatments that attempt to change a person's sexual orientation from homosexual to heterosexual.