west wing/research/theological rants

It has been awhile, again, since the last post.

The research on sacrifice in Ancient Israel is going well, and I am learning many new things. Additionally, I have taken a significant liking to the drama "The West Wing" after not watching it for six seasons, and I am quickly catching up on the numerous missed episodes through my friend Will, who has the DVD collections for seasons 1-4. I saw the pilot one of my first nights here in the apartment in early June, and I have since been hooked. Every night (with exceptions here and there) we are watching 2-3 episodes, which has at this point put us a third of the way through season two.

For lack of anything better to put, I thought I might give you (whomever reads this, friends or people who aimlessly surf across my blog) a little bit of a rant/thoughts I wrote down on homosexuality (I'm really into writing about subjects dealing with ethics and the Church after taking Faith and Ethics this spring), to read and think about, and of course respond to me about....


Homosexuality & Jesus: A Few Thoughts

Homosexuality. Now, I know what you’re thinking. Don’t try to deny it. You probably want to stop reading this because you’re first instinct, if you are a typical conservative Christian, is to say that scripture clearly says homosexuality is a sin. I’m a more moderate-to-liberal Christian, so I’ll probably disagree with you about how you interpret that scripture. I know what the scriptures say about homosexuality, but I also know that there are many interpretations of that scripture, some strict and others not as strict. The point is that, undeniably, Christians disagree on whether homosexuality is a sin when considered in light of scriptural interpretation.

A brief interjection to begin: The fact is, we are all human and nobody’s interpretation of scripture (no matter the specific subject, homosexuality or anything else) should be held as ultimately right or correct. Think about it. Think about how self-righteous it is to claim that we know exactly what a certain scripture means for everyone, no questions asked. Doing that would itself, regardless of where your interpretation fell theologically, border on some type of idolatry (something Jesus warns us against). We have to discuss, we have to be in community with one another to talk about the scriptures and how Christ would have us live in response to them.

With that in mind, hear me out for a few minutes. I want to talk about homosexuality in a different way. I’m tired of citing Hebrew law from the Pentateuch or one-liners from Pauline letters to form my opinion on homosexuality, especially with the knowledge of the radically different context (time period, culture) in which they were written. That’s not to discredit their authority, but to say that I think the conversation deserves more than just throwing around those certain few scriptures in such an absolute, limited way. I would hope God would think this, too, since God seems to be – in scripture, no less – extremely expansive and unknowable, bigger than we could ever imagine, and utterly limitless in scope. I would hope God would want us to not limit ourselves to living life based on just what we see in scripture, but to be open to seeing the Holy in human experience as well. So, I want to start talking about homosexuality, about how God might view the subject, with this kind of open and curious mind.

I want to start talking about homosexuality in relation to the word love. Of all the things that Jesus is to me, he is love most of all. His love was manifested in unconditional acceptance of people, no matter who you were or where you came from. The love I see in Jesus was for oneness – with God and with each other. From his parables to his preaching to his sacrifice on the cross, Jesus was always about love. You can’t go a page in the Gospels without seeing this. Bottom line, I want to be about that love. I think that more than anything else I do in my life, Jesus would want me to simply love people as he did – unconditionally, with gentleness and compassion, and with hope.

This love – this unconditional, accepting love – is what I want to exhibit towards people who are homosexual. I don't see the Church (especially the conservative Christian church who so furiously fights homosexuality) exhibiting this very much. I don't see love. Instead, I see fear. Fear of accepting people who may be different than the status quo. I know a few homosexuals, and they are intellectual, loving people who care about our world and who make significant contributions to it. These aren't the "flaming" homosexual people we sometimes see in the media, either. The media is a gross misrepresentation of who homosexuals really are. If you care to talk to a homosexual, you will find out they really are no different than a heterosexual, in terms of their interests or their passions (and often these passions involve at the least, less than anything else, something sexual).

And so, in light of the unconditional, compassionate love of Jesus, should homosexuals thus be treated differently than heterosexuals? Should they thus be treated with the nasty contempt and misunderstanding that most churches today exhibit towards them? I don’t think they should. I can't look down on a person who, just like me, is making positive contributions to our society. I have to stop and think about Jesus. Think about his love. Think about those whom he loved. Do I love unconditionally like Jesus? Do I treat a homosexual as my equal in love or do I look down upon him or her as a nasty sinner?

When I ask myself these things, I choose love and acceptance, because that is what I believe Christ taught. I don’t think it is my place to judge homosexuals, only to love them equally as I love everyone else in the world. To put it simply, I want to be humble. I want to always remember Micah 6:8. I want to go through life and not fight against people, because Jesus never did that. I want to love people, and live in community with them as equals as Christ said we should. No barrier should separate us from complete love for one another, be it race or gender or even now, sexuality.

The fact that this topic is even an issue in the Church upsets me, because we have relegated ourselves to defining the boundaries of love and acceptance, as if love is conditional. Ultimately, when I die I'd rather get to heaven and have St. Peter call me out on loving too many people than for not loving enough. Something tells me God would rather have it that way.