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HOMOSEXUAL HERMENEUTICS AND ITS DEADLY IMPLICATIONS: A PASTORAL REFLECTION
Trinity Journal, Spring 2005 by Shin, Samuel S
I. INTRODUCTION
Few who reside in the San Francisco Bay Area would describe homosexuality as a sin. Since the area represents one of the largest contingents of the gay population in North America, very few would question the legitimacy of homosexuality as an "alternative lifestyle." In fact, homosexuals now claim legitimacy based on the equal rights that are afforded to people of different color or gender. They see no difference between the racial distinctions of African-Americans, Asians, Native Americans, etc., and sexual orientation since they contend that both the ethnic distinction and the sexual orientation distinction is an inherent trait. Thus, to the homosexual, being gay or lesbian is no more out of place than being a woman or being black.
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How is the church to respond? Recently, major denominations like the Episcopalian Church, Presbyterian Church USA, and the United Methodist Church have battled within their particular denominations a rising tide of homosexual influence and power.1 CNN.com reported the acceptance of the first gay bishop in the Episcopalian Church.2 Christianity Today discussed the increasing schism within the Presbyterian Church USA due to the homosexuality issue.3 Leading Christian journals and magazines have wrestled with the issue.4
The controversy has affected government as well. Former President Clinton implemented his now infamous "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy in the military, a compromise in accepting homosexuals in the military so long as those who choose the gay lifestyle do not reveal their sexual orientation. The Massachusetts Supreme Court has ruled in favor of gay marriage, leading to a constitutional challenge in the Massachusetts state legislature. And not to be outdone by Massachusetts, San Francisco's mayor, Gavin Newsome, has unilaterally proclaimed the legitimacy of gay marriage and the local government's responsibility to officiate such unions. This of course has led to President Bush's call for a constitutional amendment declaring marriage solely between a man and a woman. There is no area in American culture, society, and life that will be left untouched by this matter.
Homosexuality, its acceptance or rejection, is deeply personal because so many Americans find the issue to be the core of what they believe to be most sacred, the family. Even bastions of conservatism, like the Southern Baptist Convention, have dealt with this issue on the convention floor, with the expulsion of a few churches known to accept gay clergy. What was known in the past as both taboo and hideous, a mental disorder, has now been accepted as reasonable and respectable.
Is this an issue of human rights? If so, what impact does this have on the evangelical world? Are gay rights movements of the 1990s and 200Os the equivalent of women's rights movements of the 1920s and 1930s? Do they have the same philosophical power of the 1960s civil rights' movements on racial equality? How should the church respond to the growing tsunami of homosexual ideals and values, which will not so easily disappear? Should it embrace the movement? Should it vilify it? Should it promote change and healing?
There is now no denying that Christians have been forced to take a deep look at this critical issue. In the past homosexuality has been regarded as a sin and a moral evil. It has been held in disgust, and any homosexual or even homosexual tendency was driven from the church. But whether the church is ready to confront homosexuality or not, homosexual issues are already impacting the church in ways it cannot deny. Can Christians then continue to ignore homosexuality in and outside of the church, simply because they find it distasteful? Jesus' exhortation to be the "light of the world" and the "salt of the earth" would seem to rebuke such a stance. Christ came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10), and it would be right to assume that Jesus' ministry today reaches into the AIDS hospices and the gay bars. Jesus broke all cultural norms by eating with "sinners" like tax-collectors and prostitutes. Whether or not one holds the position that homosexuality is a sin against the Lord, the cry for ministry and gospel preaching to this group of people is still relevant and necessary.
John Cardinal O'Connor, whom many considered to be the "Pope of New York City," was vehemently opposed to the homosexual lifestyle. He preached against homosexuality as that which went against the standards of God. Yet, he volunteered in hospitals caring for those dying of AIDS. His service was often unheralded as even his patients did not recognize who he was. The secular press lambasted him as a man of contradiction. But for Cardinal O'Connor it was far from being a contradiction. Sin is based on the standard of Scripture. This does not remove, however, the compassion and love that is required of all Christians to care for a lost world.
Jesus set an example for us when he said, "Love your enemies," and then forgave his executors as he died on the cross. As a fallen people, sinners should show mercy to sinners. Henry Fairlie correctly states that "sin is the wreckage of the love of which we are capable. To acknowledge it in ourselves is to recognize what loving creatures we might have been, to realize how pitifully we diminish our capacity to love."5 Today's Christian, particularly the conservative evangelical, has been quick to condemn, yet slow to embrace. As a result, the gay community and the evangelical church have become so polarized that gays and lesbians consider the presentation of the good news of Christ as nothing more than mere politically conservative rhetoric.
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