Studies on Homosexuality and the Church by Erwin Buck Studies on Homosexuality and the Church by Erwin Buck Study on Homosexuality and the Church Written by Erwin Buck Edited by Kenn Ward Layout and Design by Susan Taylor Copyright2001 Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada ISBN 0-9688445-0-2 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise (except brief passages for purposes of review) without the prior permission of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada. Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA. All rights reserved. Used by permission. Table of Contents Foreword A. Getting Acquainted . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 B. Sharing Our Questions and Concerns. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 C. On the Use of These Studies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 D. A Study Covenant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Study One — Information About Homosexuality A. Getting Acquainted . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 1. Relating to minorities 2. Sources of information and help a) Organizations b) Films and videos c) Caring Conversations What Do You Think? B. Toward a Definition of Homosexuality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 1. Attraction and behaviour 2. Sexual orientation 3. The range of sexual attraction 4. The cause of sexual orientation 5. The stability of sexual orientation a) Is homosexuality a disorder? b) Conflicting claims c) How can one assess these conflicting claims? d) What about the high failure rate? e) Characteristics of promising candidates for “healing” f) Homosexuality and spirituality g) Conclusion What Do You Think? 6. Relationships a) Homosexual behaviour b) Are gays out to win converts? c) Preoccupation with sex d) A personal story C. Concluding Observations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 What Do You Think? Study Two — The Message From the Old Testament A. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 B. Sodom and Gibeah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 1. Reading the stories in context a) Genesis 19:1–14 b) Judges 19:1–30 2. Exploring the stories a) What is meant by “to know?” What Do You Think? b) Why was Sodom destroyed? What Do You Think? c) The relevance of Genesis 19 and Judges 19 What Do You Think? C. Leviticus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 What Do You Think? D. David and Jonathan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 What Do You Think? E. Ham and Noah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 What Do You Think? F. Ruth and Naomi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 What Do You Think? G. The Creation Stories. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 1. The first creation story (Genesis 1:26–31) 2. The second creation story (Genesis 2:18–25) What Do You Think? H. Marriage and Divorce. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 What Do You Think? Study Three — The Message From the New Testament A. Paul’s Injunction to the Romans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 1. Reading Romans 1:18–3:26 in context 2. Exploring the biblical text in detail 3. Two important reminders What Do You Think? B. Paul’s Advice to the Corinthians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 1. Reading I Corinthians 5:1–6:20 in context 2. Exploring the biblical text in detail a) Who are the “homosexuals?” b) What is meant by “will not inherit the Kingdom of God?” What Do You Think? C. Instructions to Timothy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 What Do You Think? D. Jesus and Homosexuals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 1. The centurian’s servant 2. The young man who ran away naked 3. The beloved disciple E. An Early Church Decision. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 What Do You Think? Study Four — How Does One Apply Biblical Teaching? A. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 1. What is the Bible all about? B. The Bible and Morality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 What Do You Think? C. The New Commandment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 1. Love and making moral decisions 2. Love and law in the Christian life D. The Spirit as Ethical Power and Norm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 E. Facing Moral Dilemmas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 F. What if There Is No Word From the Lord? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 G. Are God’s Laws Immutable? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 H. Toward a Principle of Interpretation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 1. Love sentimentalized 2. The weightier matters What Do You Think? Study Five — Where Do We Go From Here? A. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 What Do You Think? B. Point and Counterpoint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 1. Rejection of violence What Do You Think? 2. Eucharistic hospitality What Do You Think? 3. The biblical norm What Do You Think? 4. Sin What Do You Think? 5. Welcome What Do You Think? C. Current Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 1. Celibacy What Do You Think? 2. Same-gender unions What Do You Think? D. Facing Reality With Confidence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 1. Living with diversity What Do You Think? 2. Learning from experience What Do You Think? 3. Maintaining the unity in love What Do You Think? 4. Pastoral care What Do You Think? Bibliography. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Films and Videos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Web sites. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Appendix One – Caring Conversations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Foreword may be homosexual. Others, who have already come to terms with the fact that they are different, have so far A. Getting Acquainted found it too threatening to share their self-awareness with the rest of us. This is a thoroughly revised and updated version of Six Studies on Homosexuality, which appeared in 1985. At It is important to remember that the homosexuals that time homosexuality was hardly spoken of in our about whom we talk may be present in the same room church. Relatively few gays and lesbians had ventured with us. They may wonder whether you and I can be to come out of the closet. Most found the climate too trusted with their personal secret. As a matter of fact, inhospitable. you yourself, the reader, may be one such struggling participant in the dialogue. You may have experienced Today a number of distinguished members of our society some strange stirrings of erotic attraction which bewil- are openly gay or lesbian. For instance in March 2000, dered you. You may have come to these studies to a conference in Saskatoon brought together gays and learn something about yourself. lesbians with members of government and leaders in the field of education. The featured speaker at the Let us hope that as a result of our gatherings, we will event was Mark Tewksbury, a world-renowned swimmer build such a level of trust that we can share our heart-felt and Olympic gold medal winner who had decided to joys and pains as we continue to meet together in study, come out after a lengthy and intense personal struggle. conversation, and prayer. May the Holy Spirit be active among us and allow us to experience the unity and Almost every city in Canada has an active PFLAG group love that characterizes the Body of Christ. (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays). As the name suggests, it is the object of these groups to give support to people who have suddenly had to face the C. On the Use of These Studies fact that a close relative or friend has declared himself or herself as a person of homosexual orientation. The These studies leave a great deal of freedom to the stories that are told by parents and friends of gays and group using them. It is not necessary to plan a single lesbians bear testimony to the enormous pain that is study session for each study, although some groups associated with the outing process. may want to do that. Each of the five studies is organized as a collection of smaller modules. These modules can Homosexuals and their relatives often reach the edge of be divided into a series of sessions according to the despair. Many gays and lesbians, as well as their parents needs and interests of the group. and friends are members of our churches. They are baptized Christians who claim their right to participate The sequence of the studies is deliberate, but should in the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. This calls for not be seen as restrictive. There is flexibility even within pastoral care, for theological reflection, and for ideo- each individual study. Input, critical discussion, and logical reassessment. devotion can be rearranged at will. The studies attempt to cover the entire spectrum of B. Sharing Our Questions and Concerns questions related to the subject of homosexuality and the church. Biblical, historical, scientific, pastoral, and As we begin this series of studies, a good place to theological concerns all need to receive adequate start might be a frank and honest sharing of our own attention.These areas are intimately intertwined, experiencewith gay and lesbian friends and colleagues. each affecting the other. Scientific data is an important What do you know about the subject? Do you have consideration in theology and in pastoral care, and relativesor friends who have declared themselves as vice versa. homosexuals? Has your attitude toward them changed as a result of their coming out, and if so, how has it changed? Interspersed throughout each study are selections of critical questions with which one must wrestle. The When we gather for our deliberations, we need to realize heading What Do You Think?invites the reader to wrestle that many people in our community are currently with issues. For many of these issues, there is no one, wrestling with the question of whether they themselves correct answer. 1 By reflecting on these questions together, we hope to view is largely a result of our past history, our upbringing, clarify what the real issues are and how one can begin and our past experiences within the community of faith. to address them. In the process we will no doubt also come to understand better why people have different Usually it is not appropriate to say that one point of view persuasions in some of these matters. is right and other points of view must therefore be wrong. Of course, there are some biases which hurt our neigh- A Glossaryhas been placed at the end of this book for bour and cause suffering for the body of Christ. A racist handy reference. Some members of the group may not or sexist bias is clearly irreconcilable with the gospel be familiar with some of the terms used in this book or according to which there is no longer Jew or Greek, male may not understand clearly what they mean. It may be and female (Galatians 3:28). Thus we need to examine useful for the group to begin by reviewing the Glossary. periodically what our viewpoints are, how well founded Or the group may simply want to refer to the Glossarythe they are, and how well they agree with the gospel. first time a specific term comes up in the group’s study. In many cases it is not necessary that we all have the A Bibliographyhas been provided for those who wish to same point of view. For example, some of us have grown do further reading. The source material for quotations up with a strong liturgical tradition and have come to in these studies is included in the Bibliography. associate deep religious experiences with liturgy and organ music. Others find that sort of thing lifeless. D. A Study Covenant Real worship, according to another view, is associated with clapping of hands, the strumming of a guitar, and It is well for us to begin by placing on the table some of extemporaneous, from the heart, prayer. Still others our basic presuppositions and expectations. value silence and meditation as a primary part of their worship. Most of us will probably agree that none of 1) We are seeking the will of the Lord.We are all here out these points of view is either right or wrong. Nevertheless of a sincere desire to know and do the will of the Lord. each point of view exerts a powerful influence on our We are not facing off against one another. Rather, we perception and emotion. want to search together for a better understanding of ourselves and of others. Most of all we want to gain It is only fair that we identify the viewpoint from which greater certainty about God’s plan and good will for these studies are written. We proceed on the assumption humanity. As members of the church, we yearn to follow that the church is strengthened when Christian brothers the guidance of the Holy Spirit. and sisters acknowledge and honestly wrestle with their diversity of convictions “making every effort to 2) We do not have all the answers.Sometimes we think we maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” know so clearly what it is that God would have us believe (Ephesians 4:3). and do. When we face unprecedented problems, we are prone to get confused and to lose our sense of direction. Accordingly, we want to take a mediating position. We will To gather for study and reflection is to acknowledge that try to present the various sides of the relevant arguments we do not have all the answers we would like to have. in as faithful a manner as we are able. In so doing, we want to help the partners in the discussion to take ownership of It is an honest and honourable thing to acknowledge their own convictions and to identify the central questions our personal inadequacies. More than that, it is salutary which are at stake. for us to be reminded that our righteousness before God is not based on our knowing and doing, or even The purpose of these studies is not to convert people to on our believing. We are saved by the grace of God, our own point of view. Rather, we all desire to explore not by an act of our own believing the right things. We what our convictions and insights are and why we hold confess with Paul that we are often so confused that we them. In the end we may see a need to modify our don’t even know how or for what we should pray attitude on certain issues. Whether or not that is the (Romans 8:26–30). case remains to be seen. 3) Every one of us is biased.Bias is another word for 4) We respect one another.Our baptism into Christ has “point of view.” Everyone has a point of view. That, too, is made us all one in Christ. As members of the one body not a bad thing. In fact it is unavoidable. Our point of we realize our dependence on one another. The Bodyof 2