A Bishop’s Reflections on Reading the Bible

 

By the Rt. Rev. Michael B. Curry

 

This reflection continues a series I began in the last issue of the Communicant titled, “A Bishop’s Reflections on Reading the Bible.” Here I would like to continue those reflections from the context of my decision to give consent to the election and consecration of the Rev. Canon Gene Robinson as bishop of New Hampshire.

I need not go into great detail about the discussion engendered by this election. Concern has centered on the fact that Canon Robinson is a gay man who is in a life long, monogamous partnership with another Christian man. My decision to give consent was a statement. It signaled my affirmation of the process of electing the new bishop was prayerful, lawful according to canon law of our church, and conducted in “decency and order.”  My consent however was also a statement about more than questions of good order and polity. It  reflects my conviction that our call to make disciples of all nations suggests something about the Church as a place for all people who seek to know and live the love of God that we know in Jesus. In our present context my consent said something about my view of homosexuality in the Church.

My purpose here is not to argue a case, defend a position, or to seek to persuade. Neither is this an attempt at in depth scholarly analysis of the biblical, theological, ethical, social and psychological issues involved. My hope is that in the months and years to come we  will create opportunities for the kind of in depth Godly conversation and study among Christians that can help us all to reach greater understanding.

My purpose here is to share how I, as one person who seeks to be a faithful follower of Jesus Christ, and who is a bishop of the Church, came to my conclusion. My intention is to share how my understandings have developed, and specifically how my understanding of the Holy Scriptures informed and guided that process. My prayer is that this sharing will be a contribution to our Godly conversation as a community of faith. ¹

 

(1) Some Biblical Passages Considered

I have participated in many of the studies and conversations that we have had in the Episcopal Church over the last twenty years or so on these questions. About two years ago I decided to spend time in prayer and study on some of the questions involved. I have been quietly reading, studying and listening to others who have insights, expertise or experience. This has included listening to and learning from fellow Christians, friends and colleagues who are themselves gay or lesbian.

I began this study by going to the Bible. I began a study of the passages that seem to address homosexuality directly. One book that I have found extremely helpful on the question of homosexuality and the Bible is The Good Book by Peter J. Gomes, Senior Minister at Harvard’s Memorial Church and the Plummer Professor of Christian Morals at Harvard College. I highly recommend this book as a faithful, thoughtful, scholarly and pastoral approach to listening to the Bible on a variety of important concerns in life.

In a chapter on “The Bible and Homosexuality” he identifies the principle texts which have been part of discussions on Christian views on homosexuality.

1. Genesis 1-2 – The Creation Story

2. Genesis 19:1-9 – Sodom and Gomorrah, with the parallel passages of Judges 19 and Ezekiel 16:46-56

3. Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13 – The Holiness Code

4. Romans 1:26-27 – Regarded as the most significant of Paul’s views

5. 1 Corinthians 6:9 and 1 Timothy 1-10 – Pauline lists of vices ²

 

I spent time doing my own study of these texts, listening to the scholars through commentaries and other resources listed at the end of this essay. I read as widely as time permitted, including for example the writings of scholars like John Stott , David Atkinson, Walter Wink and William Countryman who represent the spectrum of  scholarly Christian voices on this subject. I think it is fair to say that there are a variety of faithful interpretations of the significance and meaning of these passages for questions of Christian sexual ethics and living.

As I studied these passages, however, I began to wonder if they were actually addressing the question that is before us as the Church. First, with the obvious exception of the creation story in Genesis, the homosexual sexual expression addressed in these passages, for the most part, involves either rape, violence, cultic prostitution, domination of one person by another, promiscuity, exploitation or even pederasty, as in the Graeco-Roman cultural context with which St. Paul was dealing. There is no debate or question that such sexual expression whether homosexual or heterosexual contradicts the spirit and the teachings of Jesus. Such sexual expression is sinful and wrong. About that there is no debate. So I found myself wondering if the question before us is a question really addressed by these passages. It seems entirely possible that we may be talking about something the biblical writings never addressed directly.

Second, the cultural context and our understandings of sexuality and sexual development have changed dramatically between the ancient world and ours. Simply put, there is knowledge and information about human sexuality generally and homosexuality specifically available to us that was not available in biblical times. Consider these statements from a fact sheet of the American Psychiatric Association, which are reflective of the state of our knowledge about homosexuality:

• “Sexual orientation is a term frequently used to describe a person’s romantic, emotional or sexual attraction to another person. A person attracted to another person of the same sex is said to have a homosexual orientation. Individuals attracted to persons of the other sex are said to have a heterosexual orientation.”

• “The concept of sexual orientation refers to more than sexual behavior. It includes feelings as well as identity.”

• “All major professional mental health organizations have gone on record to affirm that homosexuality is not a mental disorder.”

 

From my reading and listening to the expertise and knowledge of scholars and others  I think it is fair to say that the scholarly consensus is that sexual orientation is not generally a choice that a person makes but the result of a complex variety of factors (biological, social, experiential) generally beyond a person’s control or influence. We know that there is no connection between homosexuality and child abuse and perversion. ³

None of this knowledge would have been available in the ancient world. ⁴ The notion of sexual orientation simply did not exist at that time. The idea of homosexual sexual orientation did not exist. The cultural world assumed that everyone was what we would call heterosexual. ⁵ Thus, the same sex sexual expressions addressed in the biblical passages above would have been understood as basically what we would call heterosexual lust and self gratification.

These facts led me to conclude that the biblical writers simply were not addressing questions about homosexuality as we are dealing with them. Peter Gomes says it best: “The biblical writers never contemplated a form of homosexuality in which loving, monogamous, and faithful persons sought to live out the implications of the gospel with as much fidelity to it as any heterosexual believer. All they knew of homosexuality was prostitution, pederasty, lasciviousness and exploitation.” ⁶

It is my sense that the passages mentioned above are not dealing with the questions about homosexuality in the Church that are before us.

 

(2) So what is the question before us?

One of the insights of the spiritual tradition of Ignatius Loyola is that the first step in spiritual discernment is to clarify the question being addressed. Debra Farrington has written a helpful book on discerning God’s will titled Hearing With The Heart. In it she says, “Step One, Ignatius wrote, is to put the matter before yourself clearly. What are you trying to discern? What is your question? The more clearly you define the question, the better your hopes of coming to a clear conclusion.” ⁷

 

a. The question is not about the core beliefs of the Christian faith

In attempting to clarify the question it seems important to say what the question is not.

The question before us is not questioning the core of our faith. Our belief in God the Holy Trinity is not in question. Our belief in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord is not in question. Our belief in the life and teachings of Jesus, including the saving efficacy of his incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection is not in question. The calling of discipleship to live our baptismal covenant is not in question. The sacraments and sacramental rites of the church are not in question. The question before us does not concern the core of our faith. The question before us concerns how we can faithfully live that faith out today specifically as regards our sexuality, which is only one dimension of our lives.

In doctrinal statements now referred to as “The Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral” the House of Bishops of the Episcopal Church and the Lambeth Conference of Bishops of the Anglican Communion clarified our Anglican understanding of the core of Christian Faith.

That core deposit includes the following four elements:

1. The Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament as “containing all things necessary to salvation,” and as being the ultimate standard of faith.

2. The Apostles’ Creed, as the Baptismal Symbol; and the Nicene Creed, as the sufficient statement of the Christian faith.

3. The two Sacraments ordained by Christ Himself –Baptism and the Supper of the Lord –ministered with unfailing use of Christ’s words of Institution, and of the elements ordained by Him.

4. The Historic Episcopate. Locally adapted in the methods of its administration to the varying needs of the nations and peoples called of God into the Unity of His Church.

 

They spoke of these four elements as representing “the substantial deposit of Christian Faith and Order committed by Christ and his Apostles to the Church unto the end of the world, and therefore incapable of compromise or surrender by those who have been ordained to be its stewards and trustees for the common and equal benefit of all men.” ⁸

In short, the core of the Christian faith is not being reconsidered in our consideration of the question before us.

 

b. The question  is about how we can faithfully live our beliefs

So what is the question? As I hear it, it might be stated as follows:

1. Can we as the Christian community embrace, welcome and support fellow Christians who are gay, lesbian or bisexual, who seek to follow the teachings and life of our Lord Jesus Christ in the context of their lives?

2. Can this embrace affirm and support what Thomas Breidenthal has called “Christian Households” which might include two Christians of the same sex in a committed relationship that reflect the teachings and values of our Lord: marked by the practice and work of love, permanence (life long commitment), fidelity, monogamy, mutual caring and affection? ⁹

 

We are wrestling with how we can live as the people of love that our Lord calls us to be.

We are not talking about the Church endorsing or condoning promiscuous, exploitative or self indulgent behavior which is clearly contrary to the life and teachings of our Lord. The question before us is about the ways of God’s love in our lives.

 

(3) Jesus Christ as The Standard, Norm and Pattern of Our Lives and of God’s Word

Having made these points thus far, I need to say that this does not invalidate or discount the teachings role of the Bible. The cultural world of the Bible and our time are different, and this will always be the case as history and knowledge march on. That fact does not invalidate the message and teachings of the Scriptures. What it does means is that we must listen carefully and look deeply to see and hear the deeper wisdom that is in the Scriptures where the Word and message from God for our time can be found.

Martin Luther, the great Protestant reformer may be helpful here. He once said that the relationship between the Bible and the Word of God is like the relationship between the manger and the baby Jesus in the Christmas stories.  The Bible is like the manger, it is a vessel of God’s Word, it is the bearer of God’s Word. The words and cultural and historical settings of the Bible are like the manger. They bear but must not be confused with the Messiah. The baby in the manger is the Messiah, the Word of God incarnate.

I believe that Jesus Christ is the Word of God lived in a human life. This statement occurs so often as to almost be a refrain in Scripture and Church tradition. In Jesus “the word became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14).  “He is the image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15) “Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son.” (Hebrews 1:1,2) Jesus is, as Archbishop Michael Ramsey and others have said, “the human face of God.”

If you want to know what God is like, look at Jesus. If you want to know the heart of God, look at Jesus. Jesus Christ, his life, teachings and person is the standard and norm by which we discern God’s Word, the Good News (Gospel) because he is the Word embodied, lived, fully revealed. 

As a follower of Jesus I seek to live my life with the life and teachings of the Master as the standard and the norm. I also believe that the life and teachings of Jesus are the standard and norm by which to discern, know and hear God’s Word in the Scriptures.

New Testament scholar Leander Keck in a little book titled Taking the Bible Seriously says this: “Jesus the Christ is the standard by which Christians determine what is mandatory. Since Christians believe that Jesus did not replace the Old Testament as Marcion claimed but became its fulfillment, he is the lens through which Christians read the whole Bible. Orthodoxy has always insisted, and correctly, that Christ is the center of Scripture.” Elsewhere he says, “Jesus as the Christ is the gauge by which every disclosure of God’s will is measured. What is not consistent with this standard cannot be normative for the Christian.” ¹⁰

Jesus Christ is the standard for understanding what is God’s Word speaking through the Scriptures and for what it means to be a Christian.

 

(4) Listening to the Scriptures in Life

I have found some help by thinking about this question in a manner similar to what theologian Karl Barth once suggested for doing theology. He said that theology should be done with the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other. I would expand that to suggest that we are to study the Bible in conversation with real life if it is to have real meaning and impact. I, therefore, find it important to say something about the influence of my personal experience on the concerns we are considering.

The conclusion that I have reached has evolved and developed over time and in the context of wide experiences of my life. And I know that God is not finished with me, or any of us, yet. I must say that a significant influence on my understandings has been knowing fellow Christians who are gay or lesbian.

I know faithful Christians and loyal members of our church who are gay or lesbian. Some are single and living celibate lives. I know others who are in a life long, monogamous, committed partnered relationships with another person of the same sex. I have known and experienced the love of God in their lives. Many have been and are living witness to the teachings and life of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I believe that it is possible for two Christians of the same sex to be in a committed relationship that reflects the teachings and values of our Lord with the marks of love, life long commitment, fidelity, monogamy, mutual caring and affection. Maybe I am a bit like Thomas in the Gospel (John 20:24-29). I have to say that I believe because I have seen.  And what I have seen has been the life of our Lord lived in and through the lives of gay and lesbian Christians I have known over the years.

Their witness reminds me of the words of St. Paul when he said to some Christians in his time: “You are a letter from Christ, delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.” (2 Corinthians 3:3)  This witness has helped me see where the Scriptures might be speaking to us rather profoundly.

  

(5) Conclusion: Discipleship as Living the Love of God

 

The love of God is the center and core of the life and teachings of Jesus.

• His coming into the world and death on the cross is God’s great act of reconciling love reaching out to the world (see John 3:16; 2 Corinthians 5:14-19; 1 John 4:10). 

• He teaches us that love of God, neighbor and self is the highest expression and deepest conviction of our faith. This point is so important that it is made in all four Gospels (see Matthew 22:34-40; Mark 12:18-27; Luke 20:27-40; John 13:34,35).

• St. Paul identifies love as the supreme theological virtue (1 Corinthians 13).

• The first epistle of St. John suggests that love is to have primacy in all human relationships because love reflects the very nature of God (1 John 4:7-12).

 

And in  the Sermon on the Mount when Jesus says that we are to be perfect as God is perfect he is speaking about living life by loving as God loves, to borrow a phrase from theologian Roberta Bondhi (Matthew 5:43-48).

The love of God is the center and core of the life and teachings of Jesus. Living that love is at the heart of what it means to be a disciple or follower of Jesus. Thus, to be a disciple of Jesus is to be someone whose life is directed and defined by the love of God that we know in Jesus Christ. “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35).

I am convinced that welcoming, embracing and affirming all of God’s children who seek to follow our Lord Jesus Christ, is not a compromise with our culture but a response to the deeper message of Holy Scripture calling followers of Jesus to be and to become people whose lives are defined and directed by love.

I also understand and respect my brothers and sisters in Christ who may disagree with me on this, and who understand the living out of that love differently. I believe that the hymn writer was right when he said that “love of God  is broader than the measure of our mind.”  And that love can both embrace our differences of perspective and help us to  embrace each other, with all of our differences, as disciples of Jesus, as brothers and sisters in the family of God and as witnesses to God’s dream for us and all of creation.

Join hands disciples of the faith ,What ‘er your race may be
Who serves my Father as his child. Is surely kin to me.
In Christ there is no east nor west, In him no south, nor north
But one great fellowship of love, Throughout the whole wide earth.

 

 

 

Bibliography

 

Atkinson, David, Homosexuals in the Christian Fellowship (Grand Rapids: Wm. Eerdmans, 1979)

Boswell, John, Christianity, Social Tolerance, and Homosexuality (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1980)

Breidenthal, Thomas, Christian Households: The Sanctification of Nearness (Boston: Cowley Publications, 1997)

Brill, Earl H., The Christian Moral Vision (New York: Seabury Press, 1979)

Countryman, L. William, Biblical Authority or Biblical Tyranny (Cowley, 1992)

Countryman, L. William, Dirt, Greed and Sex: Sexual Ethics in the New Testament and Their Implications for Today (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1988)

Gomes, Peter J., The Good Book: Reading the Bible With Mind and Heart, (New York: William Marrow and Company, Inc.)

Farrington, Debra K., Hearing with the Heart: A Gentle Guide to Discerning God’s Will for your Life, (San Francisco: Jossey Bass, 2003)

Furnish, Victor Paul, The Moral Teaching of Paul: Selected Issues (Nashville, Tenn: Abingdon, 1985)

Simms, Bennett J., Servanthood: Leadership for the New Millennium (Cowley, 1997)

 

 

 

Monographs and Reports

 

“Holy Relationships and the Authority of Scripture,” The report of the Diocese of California’s Theological Task Force on the 1998 Lambeth Resolution I.10.d, 2000

“Homosexuality and the Great Commandment,” An Address given by the Very Rev. Peter C. Moore, D. D., Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry, 2002

“Homosexuality and the Bible,” Walter Wink (originally published in Christian Century Magazine, 1979 )

“Let the Reader Understand: A Statement of interpretative principles by which we understand the Holy Scriptures, “ The Hermenutics Study Group of the Diocese of New York, 2002

“Theological Aspects of Committed Relationships of Same Sex Couples,” Report of the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music prepared for the 73^rd General Convention