Jesus and Sexuality: Views on homosexuality from the Bible, Church, and Jesus.
Jesus has always been known as the loving one, the accepting one and one who does not judge. Yet even with this knowledge it is a constant battle on whether or not he was for or against homosexuality. There is some speculation that Jesus may have been gay himself. “The Gospel of John speaks rather teasingly of ‘the Beloved disciple whom Jesus loved’… But who was this Beloved; that is, what sort of person was the object of Jesus’s most intimate and quite public love?” (Carlin 2010). There are several passages that Carlin believes points at Jesus the homosexual. These passages include Mark 10.17-22, Mark 14.13/Luke 22.10, John 13.1-11, 22-26, Matthew 8.5-13, and John 20.17. These passages would most likely be brushed off as nothing more than misinterpretation by traditional thinkers but they have a mindset different from those looking into homoerotic readings.
Queer theology is a new way of looking at the Bible and its message. This theology is still in need of tweaking in order for it to have an impact on Christian theology in any way. One of the five authors looked at, Comstock, said that “the church has simply gone astray from a basis, center, origin in a common carpenter who welcomed, included, and healed the broken, outcast, and needy” (Helman 2011). This demonstrates how corrupt the church has become in terms of the judging taking place, which is not something that a church should be doing.
God created everyone equally and loves everyone equally, at least that is what most have been told. “Genesis 1 says that God created humankind in God’s image, male and female. Gays are still male, and lesbians are still female. They, no less than the rest of humankind, are created in the image of God” (Lull 2007). Many of the passages used by Christians to condemn homosexuality also include the condemning of other sins, which get overlooked by society. The bible condemns sexual intercourse outside of procreation and in Lev 20:13 specifically talks about male anal intercourse being condemned. “In cultures where anal rape of men is an acceptable weapon of war, the rapists are more likely to be heterosexuals. These practices clearly are contrary to the Scripture and Christian teaching” (Lull 2007). The heterosexual community easily overlooks things in order for them to keep in the kingdom, yet condemns others based on passages written in cultures from thousands of years ago.
In the gospel of Matthew Jesus encountered a Roman centurion and his slave. The relationship between the centurion and his slave is suspicious according to Robinson’s article Jesus, the Centurion, and His Lover. The contextual evidence of this homosexual relationship just refers to the time period in which the passage took place. “Relationships between men in Rome were simply an aspect and manifestation of the ethics of the city. In personal and family life, the Roman paterfamilias was an absolute master, with unlimited power over everything that belonged to him, whether persons or things. In this situation, why on earth should he refrain from sodomizing his houseboys, whose domestic duties included the obligation to let him have his way with them?” (Robinson 2007). The linguistic evidence of this relationship focuses on a few Greek words used by the centurion. The word homosexual was not used when the passages were written. Translators found the word “beg” used multiple times during the interaction with Jesus and the centurion. “The translators may have doubted that a Roman centurion would beg from an itinerant Jewish preacher like Jesus. But suppose the relationship of this centurion and his servant was not superficial. If this particular centurion were gay and in love with his servant, begging is what he would do, if his beloved suffered dreadfully and by begging he could bring about relief for that suffering” (Robinson 2007). The narrative support of this passage draws from the fact that the centurion went out of his way and past social barriers to heal his servant, the one he called pais. “This account of the relationship between the centurion and his pais is not unassailable, but the contextual, linguistic, and narrative evidence are all very suggestive. An unmarried, adult male in a responsible position, living in the homosocial environment among the Roman legions who refers to a slave as ‘my pais’ and then demonstrates extraordinary devotion to him, crossing every social boundary to beg for the help of an itinerant Jewish preacher-it’s so improbable as to have a ring of authenticity about it” (Robinson 2007). Homosexuality has been fought over for years in the Christian world and “historically, homosexuality has not been condemned by the Christian community because Jesus condemned it, but because the community inherited a condemnation of homosexuality from a worldview that did not understand the incidence, provenance, or nature of any form of human sexual attraction” (Robinson 2007). It just goes to show how the scriptures need to be adapted to current times, we cannot have the mindset of the original writers, that leaves us left in the dust and without innovation.
Homosexuality has become THE sin to focus on for Christians. Even though it is one of seven sins listed as abominations listed in Proverbs, homosexuality is pointed out as the one that needs to be eradicated. Robert Gagnon has the mindset that homosexuality is the worst of the worst when it comes to sin and that is deserves the harshest of punishments. He then states that the church should not regard all sexual sins equal, “let alone all sins of any type, as basically of equal import or even that God views all sins as equally abhorrent” (McGinniss 2010). In all of Gagnon’s study of the scriptures he finds that all sin does exclude you from the kingdom yet “he rationalizes that the sin of homosexuality is the worst without scriptural warrant” (McGinniss 2010). Homosexuality is seen as a sin that deserves the death penalty according to the scriptures. “Leviticus is filled with laws imposing the death penalty for everything from eating catfish to sassing your parents. If you accept one as the absolute, unequivocal word of God, you must accept them all” (McGinniss 2010). Christians like to take one of two stands when it comes to homosexuality, they either are very fervent in abolishing the gay movement or they want to expand God’s word by introducing gays to Jesus.
Queer theology is a new way of looking at the Bible and its message. This theology is still in need of tweaking in order for it to have an impact on Christian theology in any way. One of the five authors looked at, Comstock, said that “the church has simply gone astray from a basis, center, origin in a common carpenter who welcomed, included, and healed the broken, outcast, and needy” (Helman 2011). This demonstrates how corrupt the church has become in terms of the judging taking place, which is not something that a church should be doing.
God created everyone equally and loves everyone equally, at least that is what most have been told. “Genesis 1 says that God created humankind in God’s image, male and female. Gays are still male, and lesbians are still female. They, no less than the rest of humankind, are created in the image of God” (Lull 2007). Many of the passages used by Christians to condemn homosexuality also include the condemning of other sins, which get overlooked by society. The bible condemns sexual intercourse outside of procreation and in Lev 20:13 specifically talks about male anal intercourse being condemned. “In cultures where anal rape of men is an acceptable weapon of war, the rapists are more likely to be heterosexuals. These practices clearly are contrary to the Scripture and Christian teaching” (Lull 2007). The heterosexual community easily overlooks things in order for them to keep in the kingdom, yet condemns others based on passages written in cultures from thousands of years ago.
In the gospel of Matthew Jesus encountered a Roman centurion and his slave. The relationship between the centurion and his slave is suspicious according to Robinson’s article Jesus, the Centurion, and His Lover. The contextual evidence of this homosexual relationship just refers to the time period in which the passage took place. “Relationships between men in Rome were simply an aspect and manifestation of the ethics of the city. In personal and family life, the Roman paterfamilias was an absolute master, with unlimited power over everything that belonged to him, whether persons or things. In this situation, why on earth should he refrain from sodomizing his houseboys, whose domestic duties included the obligation to let him have his way with them?” (Robinson 2007). The linguistic evidence of this relationship focuses on a few Greek words used by the centurion. The word homosexual was not used when the passages were written. Translators found the word “beg” used multiple times during the interaction with Jesus and the centurion. “The translators may have doubted that a Roman centurion would beg from an itinerant Jewish preacher like Jesus. But suppose the relationship of this centurion and his servant was not superficial. If this particular centurion were gay and in love with his servant, begging is what he would do, if his beloved suffered dreadfully and by begging he could bring about relief for that suffering” (Robinson 2007). The narrative support of this passage draws from the fact that the centurion went out of his way and past social barriers to heal his servant, the one he called pais. “This account of the relationship between the centurion and his pais is not unassailable, but the contextual, linguistic, and narrative evidence are all very suggestive. An unmarried, adult male in a responsible position, living in the homosocial environment among the Roman legions who refers to a slave as ‘my pais’ and then demonstrates extraordinary devotion to him, crossing every social boundary to beg for the help of an itinerant Jewish preacher-it’s so improbable as to have a ring of authenticity about it” (Robinson 2007). Homosexuality has been fought over for years in the Christian world and “historically, homosexuality has not been condemned by the Christian community because Jesus condemned it, but because the community inherited a condemnation of homosexuality from a worldview that did not understand the incidence, provenance, or nature of any form of human sexual attraction” (Robinson 2007). It just goes to show how the scriptures need to be adapted to current times, we cannot have the mindset of the original writers, that leaves us left in the dust and without innovation.
Homosexuality has become THE sin to focus on for Christians. Even though it is one of seven sins listed as abominations listed in Proverbs, homosexuality is pointed out as the one that needs to be eradicated. Robert Gagnon has the mindset that homosexuality is the worst of the worst when it comes to sin and that is deserves the harshest of punishments. He then states that the church should not regard all sexual sins equal, “let alone all sins of any type, as basically of equal import or even that God views all sins as equally abhorrent” (McGinniss 2010). In all of Gagnon’s study of the scriptures he finds that all sin does exclude you from the kingdom yet “he rationalizes that the sin of homosexuality is the worst without scriptural warrant” (McGinniss 2010). Homosexuality is seen as a sin that deserves the death penalty according to the scriptures. “Leviticus is filled with laws imposing the death penalty for everything from eating catfish to sassing your parents. If you accept one as the absolute, unequivocal word of God, you must accept them all” (McGinniss 2010). Christians like to take one of two stands when it comes to homosexuality, they either are very fervent in abolishing the gay movement or they want to expand God’s word by introducing gays to Jesus.
Annotated Bibliography
Carlin, Nathan Steven. "God's gender confusion: some polymorphously perverse pastoral theology." Pastoral Psychology 59, no. 1 (February 1, 2010), ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost (accessed April 23, 2012).
This article talks about the idea of Jesus being gender confused. I found in the article it identifies that most people see Jesus as asexual and to go even further than that, beyond sexuality. This leads to the idea that God is beyond gender. It touches on the relationship between Jesus and his “beloved disciple” and how the gospels are quite clear in not describing this intimate relationship.
Helman, Ivy. "Queer systems: the benefits of a more systematic approach to queer theology." Cross Currents 61, no. 1 (March 1, 2011), ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost (accessed April 23, 2012).
Systematic theology is used in this article to strengthen queer theology. Queer theology is still in the development stages and therefore has some trouble convincing Christians of its message of acceptance. The article critiques five books on queer theology and discusses the information within each. The authors include Gary Comstock, Kathy Rudy, Carter Heyward, Robert Goss, and an edited book.
Lull, David John. "Jesus, Paul, and homosexuals." Currents In Theology And Mission 34, no. 3 (June 1, 2007), ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost (accessed April 24, 2012).
Equality issues are discussed in this article. It talks about how the sin of homosexuality has been turned into “the” sin and other things are being neglected because of that. Authority of the scripture is challenged, stating that people are quite picky when they choose what in the Bible they need to obey and what they can just pass off. It talks about how Paul does indeed condemn same-sex intercourse but he was just repeating the message of this own culture’s ideas of human sexuality.
Robinson, Jack Clark. "Jesus, the Centurion, and His Lover." Gay & Lesbian Review Worldwide 14, no. 6 (November 2007), Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed April 24, 2012).
Jesus’ encounter with the centurion in Matthew is discussed in this article. There is evidence that the centurion was possibly a gay man and that Jesus did not judge him based on this, he went out of his way to heal this centurion’s slave boy. Paul’s culture is also discussed in this article, telling how he was raised a Jew and a Pharisee. It discusses how the hatred of homosexuality stemmed not from Jesus’ hate of homosexuals, but from a worldview that didn’t understand any form of human sexual attraction.
McGinniss, Mark. "The Church's Response to the Homosexual." Journal Of Ministry & Theology 14, no. 2 (Fall2010 2010), Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed April 24, 2012).
Focus is put on the fact that homosexuality has become the sin. It discusses some practices in Uganda where homosexuals are put to death, yet other sins described as equal to homosexuality in the Bible are not punishable. It has some discussions with people about the severity of homosexuality and how all sins are not equal. Yet some do not have scriptural warrant to back up their claims. One of my favorite parts is when it discusses how Christians have two views on homosexuality. They either want to eradicate the pro-gay movement or they want to introduce gays to God’s Son.
Koch, Timothy R. "A Homoerotic Approach to Scripture." Theology & Sexuality: The Journal Of The Institute For The Study Of Christianity & Sexuality 7, no. 14 (March 2001), Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed April 24, 2012)
Three approaches are discussed in this article. These approaches include ‘The Pissing Contest’, ‘Jesus Is My Trump Card’, and ‘I Can Fit the Glass Slipper Too’. These approaches all look at the scriptures and conflict differently according to a gay individual. The first approach is the throwing of information at one another, usually attempting to out-do your competitor with information. The second is a approach where the contenders in the argument talk of how Jesus loves all and that no argument should take place, which results in everyone going to their respective places and reconvening with open hearts and a loving not fighting attitude. The third approach is reading the Bible in a way that makes you fit in. It can get tricky because how much of yourself will you have to change until you fit?
Rogers, Jack. "BIBLICAL INTERPRETATION REGARDING HOMOSEXUALITY IN THE RECENT HISTORY OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH (U.S.A.)." Review Of Religious Research 41, no. 2 (December 1999), Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed April 24, 2012).
The Presbyterian Church is the main voice in this article. It discusses the process through which the church determined if homosexuals could be ordained in the church. They had an initial study done in 1978, which presented four models of biblical interpretation. Then in 1982 a second report was released presenting three models for biblical interpretation. Then two positions were formed on the idea of homosexuals being ordained and homosexuals in general: the traditionalist and the revolutionist positions. Both have four general guidelines with traditionalists being more conservative and the revolutionists more liberal.
Barron, Erwin C. "Does the Bible have any good news for homosexuals?." Network News 16, no. 2 (Spring96 1996), Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed April 27, 2012).
This article talks mostly about how there was more good said about homosexuals than bad in the Bible. It first discusses the six or so verses that talk about gay sex. The main message this article sends is the message of love, which, according to Jesus is what everyone deserves no matter who you are. If Jesus said anything, he said to love your neighbor. He made no exceptions as to who to love and he surely did not encourage us to judge, that is left for God to do. The article also touches on how Paul made not all negative innuendos towards homosexuals, he also preached freedom from the laws and rules of his day, meaning people need to evolve and change with the times, just as he wanted to do.
Baldwin, Gayle R. "'This belongs to Jesus': A Cock Tale." Gay & Lesbian Review Worldwide 9, no. 4 (July 2002), Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed April 27, 2012).
Jesuits were primarily discussed in this essay. It talked about how celibacy in the church is what causes these men to stay boys, and to stray to their pedophilic ways. The boys never have time to become men and when they are men, they have a need to overcome this original sin. The church, when faced with the problem of their Jesuits, blames the media and acceptance of homosexuals in western society.
Yip, Andrew K.T. "Spirituality and Sexuality: An Exploration of the Religious Beliefs of Non-Heterosexual Christians in Great Britain." Theology & Sexuality: The Journal Of The Institute For The Study Of Christianity & Sexuality 9, no. 2 (March 2003), Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed April 27, 2012).
This article is based off of the religious beliefs of 565 gay, lesbian, and bisexual Christians. It concluded that their beliefs were concurrent with the love and justice theme in queer theology. They all agreed that their orientations did not conflict their religious beliefs. They all say Jesus as a good role model and considered the Bible to be a good reference for everyday life. The results seemed to show that the personal experiences and social situations helped to impact their spiritual lives.
This article talks about the idea of Jesus being gender confused. I found in the article it identifies that most people see Jesus as asexual and to go even further than that, beyond sexuality. This leads to the idea that God is beyond gender. It touches on the relationship between Jesus and his “beloved disciple” and how the gospels are quite clear in not describing this intimate relationship.
Helman, Ivy. "Queer systems: the benefits of a more systematic approach to queer theology." Cross Currents 61, no. 1 (March 1, 2011), ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost (accessed April 23, 2012).
Systematic theology is used in this article to strengthen queer theology. Queer theology is still in the development stages and therefore has some trouble convincing Christians of its message of acceptance. The article critiques five books on queer theology and discusses the information within each. The authors include Gary Comstock, Kathy Rudy, Carter Heyward, Robert Goss, and an edited book.
Lull, David John. "Jesus, Paul, and homosexuals." Currents In Theology And Mission 34, no. 3 (June 1, 2007), ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost (accessed April 24, 2012).
Equality issues are discussed in this article. It talks about how the sin of homosexuality has been turned into “the” sin and other things are being neglected because of that. Authority of the scripture is challenged, stating that people are quite picky when they choose what in the Bible they need to obey and what they can just pass off. It talks about how Paul does indeed condemn same-sex intercourse but he was just repeating the message of this own culture’s ideas of human sexuality.
Robinson, Jack Clark. "Jesus, the Centurion, and His Lover." Gay & Lesbian Review Worldwide 14, no. 6 (November 2007), Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed April 24, 2012).
Jesus’ encounter with the centurion in Matthew is discussed in this article. There is evidence that the centurion was possibly a gay man and that Jesus did not judge him based on this, he went out of his way to heal this centurion’s slave boy. Paul’s culture is also discussed in this article, telling how he was raised a Jew and a Pharisee. It discusses how the hatred of homosexuality stemmed not from Jesus’ hate of homosexuals, but from a worldview that didn’t understand any form of human sexual attraction.
McGinniss, Mark. "The Church's Response to the Homosexual." Journal Of Ministry & Theology 14, no. 2 (Fall2010 2010), Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed April 24, 2012).
Focus is put on the fact that homosexuality has become the sin. It discusses some practices in Uganda where homosexuals are put to death, yet other sins described as equal to homosexuality in the Bible are not punishable. It has some discussions with people about the severity of homosexuality and how all sins are not equal. Yet some do not have scriptural warrant to back up their claims. One of my favorite parts is when it discusses how Christians have two views on homosexuality. They either want to eradicate the pro-gay movement or they want to introduce gays to God’s Son.
Koch, Timothy R. "A Homoerotic Approach to Scripture." Theology & Sexuality: The Journal Of The Institute For The Study Of Christianity & Sexuality 7, no. 14 (March 2001), Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed April 24, 2012)
Three approaches are discussed in this article. These approaches include ‘The Pissing Contest’, ‘Jesus Is My Trump Card’, and ‘I Can Fit the Glass Slipper Too’. These approaches all look at the scriptures and conflict differently according to a gay individual. The first approach is the throwing of information at one another, usually attempting to out-do your competitor with information. The second is a approach where the contenders in the argument talk of how Jesus loves all and that no argument should take place, which results in everyone going to their respective places and reconvening with open hearts and a loving not fighting attitude. The third approach is reading the Bible in a way that makes you fit in. It can get tricky because how much of yourself will you have to change until you fit?
Rogers, Jack. "BIBLICAL INTERPRETATION REGARDING HOMOSEXUALITY IN THE RECENT HISTORY OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH (U.S.A.)." Review Of Religious Research 41, no. 2 (December 1999), Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed April 24, 2012).
The Presbyterian Church is the main voice in this article. It discusses the process through which the church determined if homosexuals could be ordained in the church. They had an initial study done in 1978, which presented four models of biblical interpretation. Then in 1982 a second report was released presenting three models for biblical interpretation. Then two positions were formed on the idea of homosexuals being ordained and homosexuals in general: the traditionalist and the revolutionist positions. Both have four general guidelines with traditionalists being more conservative and the revolutionists more liberal.
Barron, Erwin C. "Does the Bible have any good news for homosexuals?." Network News 16, no. 2 (Spring96 1996), Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed April 27, 2012).
This article talks mostly about how there was more good said about homosexuals than bad in the Bible. It first discusses the six or so verses that talk about gay sex. The main message this article sends is the message of love, which, according to Jesus is what everyone deserves no matter who you are. If Jesus said anything, he said to love your neighbor. He made no exceptions as to who to love and he surely did not encourage us to judge, that is left for God to do. The article also touches on how Paul made not all negative innuendos towards homosexuals, he also preached freedom from the laws and rules of his day, meaning people need to evolve and change with the times, just as he wanted to do.
Baldwin, Gayle R. "'This belongs to Jesus': A Cock Tale." Gay & Lesbian Review Worldwide 9, no. 4 (July 2002), Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed April 27, 2012).
Jesuits were primarily discussed in this essay. It talked about how celibacy in the church is what causes these men to stay boys, and to stray to their pedophilic ways. The boys never have time to become men and when they are men, they have a need to overcome this original sin. The church, when faced with the problem of their Jesuits, blames the media and acceptance of homosexuals in western society.
Yip, Andrew K.T. "Spirituality and Sexuality: An Exploration of the Religious Beliefs of Non-Heterosexual Christians in Great Britain." Theology & Sexuality: The Journal Of The Institute For The Study Of Christianity & Sexuality 9, no. 2 (March 2003), Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed April 27, 2012).
This article is based off of the religious beliefs of 565 gay, lesbian, and bisexual Christians. It concluded that their beliefs were concurrent with the love and justice theme in queer theology. They all agreed that their orientations did not conflict their religious beliefs. They all say Jesus as a good role model and considered the Bible to be a good reference for everyday life. The results seemed to show that the personal experiences and social situations helped to impact their spiritual lives.
Corpus Christi is a passion play by Terrence McNally dramatizing the story of Jesus and the Apostles. Written in 1997 and first staged in New York in 1998, it depicts Jesus and the Apostles as gay men living in modern-day Texas. It utilizes modern devices like television with anachronisms like Roman occupation. Judas betrays Jesus because of sexual jealousy. Jesus administers gay marriage between two apostles. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corpus_Christi:_Playing_with_Redemption#Documentary_film)