CONSENTING ADULTS Conclusion

If you’ve followed the FSAOF blog site for a year or more you will have noticed a somewhat strange occurrence. Our several articles on GLBT issues have brought about a noticeable change in the attitudes of many and a seismic shift in some. As with so many moral and ethical issues there are time-oriented parameters, some initiated and guided by focus groups, and, in my view relating to the homosexual and same sex relationships, we are witnessing God’s divine timing. God, the Holy Spirit, tired of all the SA ‘churchie’ banality (same old same old) has decided it’s time for a ‘in your face’ confrontation! And so discussion groups, such as ours, were created.

The Salvation Army can no longer ignore God’s insistent plea that we find steps in helping gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and trans-gender persons to return and recommit themselves to full soldiership status and active service in our church. And the first step in helping them and us is to listen. We need their forgiveness for our ignorance and insensitivity to their spiritual needs. In ignoring them we have injured them.

Several of our blog visitors have contacted me privately and most ask, where should the Salvationist stand on these issues? The simplest answer is to say, “we report, you decide”! However, to help the decision along I’ll share in this last part in this series what I deem is enough information to make an informed, and intelligent decision, one that is both Biblically and spiritually grounded. It’s a plea for hard thinking as against our too often typical sentimentality. It will require a lively faith, one both rigorous and devout.

If questioned I believe most Salvationists have little idea of the nuances of the issue. However, most old timers would deem homosexual behavior as deviant and sinful. Same sex committed relationships are not typically corps ‘lunch clubs, men’s fellowship or Home League discussion topics.

The Salvation Army’s Positional Statement on homosexuality on the subject echoes “Strong Doctrine, Strong Mercy” (Clifton 1985:71-78). Lacking then and now is a satisfactory interpretation on how TSA relate to the laws of a pluralistic society and the changes in the positions taken by our older brother churches.

The Army’s present positional statement is unsatisfactory and in need of rethinking and overhaul. And in so doing I urge each person to seek God’s wisdom, He who is the creator of all beings and the center for all Logos (truth and logic). Let Him move to bring us peace, healing and reconciliation. In all matters where consensus on theological issues remain unsettled we must ultimately rely on God.

We need to do further work in:
• Biblical interpretation of the very few verses where homosexual acts are clearly forbidden
• Clarifying whether we believe our sexual orientation is a matter of choice or determined.
• Seeking agreement on what constitutes Christian loving relationships
• Initiating the need for Salvationists to carry out a deeper level of analysis and theologising over the issue of homosexuality
• Accept that as we strive for an agreeable consensual stance that we may need to accept ambiguity and respectful moderation as we seek to live together as spiritual equals without having all the answers
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So, how far have come? Some recent research provides substantive information from which we can move forward. A review of what we know…

What makes people gay? Until 1974 the American Psychiatric Association listed it as a mental disorder. “To gays themselves, homosexuality is neither a choice nor a disease but an identity, deeply felt for as far back as their memory can reach. To them, it is not just behavior, not merely what they do in lovemaking, but who they are as people, pervading every moment of their perception, every aspect of their character.” http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,978923,00.html

Genetic evidence has come forward that will undoubtedly affect many private relationships; parents whose offspring do turn out to be gay, siblings of gay persons, school and work mates, organizations, societies and Christian fellowships.

We’ve also moved past discussing what percentage (3-4%) constitutes the gay and lesbian population to concerns like gay marriage, gay adoption, and other gay rights conflicts. Regrettably these controversies have been the cause of numerous assumptions about the lives of the homosexual population. The cause of the misconception finds blame in both camps- not enough education on the subject and interaction with the GLBT community, and too many outrageous demands by some on the GBLT side making their entire community appear strange and unattractive.

We’ve also explored spiritual responses on the issue assisted by outside religious and non-religious groups. One such helpful survey was conducted by the Barna Group two years ago. They explored the spiritual life of gay and lesbian individuals and is helpful in reversing the portrayal of gay adults as “godless, hedonistic, Christian bashers are not working with the facts, etc”. The survey shared “A substantial majority of gays cite their faith as a central facet of their life, consider themselves to be Christian, and claim to have some type of meaningful personal commitment to Jesus Christ active in their life today.”

There were, however, substantial differences in some core religious beliefs. “Heterosexuals were twice as likely as homosexuals to strongly agree that the Bible is totally accurate in all of the principles it teaches; two-thirds of heterosexuals believe the single, most important purpose in life is to love God with all your heart, mind, strength and soul, significantly higher than the half of all homosexuals who embrace the idea; and about half of straight adults and one-third of gay adults contend that their life has been greatly transformed by their faith.

Religious behavior differs significantly. In any given week the research discovered that heterosexuals are the more likely of the two groups to attend a church service, attend a Sunday school class, pray to God, or read the Bible. Gay adults are 50% more likely than straight adults to be unchurched (42% versus 28%).

The data indicate that millions of gay people are interested in faith but not in the local church and do not appear to be focused on the traditional tools and traditions that represent the comfort zone of most churched Christians.

Should we Salvationists or Christians in general be at all surprised?

A review of scripture

While some argue that it’s time to simply say that homosexuality is not something to justify and explain, but something that should be accepted, many struggle with yielding to such simple acquiescence. Others still rest their argument in what I deem non-relevant Old and New Testament texts.

Many Christians don't know that:
• Jesus says nothing about same-sex behavior.
• The Jewish prophets are silent about homosexuality.
• Only seven of the Bible's one million verses refer to same-sex behavior in any way -- and none of these verses refer to homosexual-orientation as it's understood today.
• Most people who are certain they know what the Bible says about homosexuality don't know where the verses that reference same-sex behavior can be found.
• They don't know the original meaning of the words in Hebrew or Greek.
• They haven't tried to understand the historical context in which those words were written.

Elton Trueblood in his, The New Man For Our Time shares: “…since at the same time (man) he is deeply concerned about modern life he must seek to know God’s will for today – no thoughtful person can have a merely inherited faith… When we examine the situation carefully, we realize that many of our uncritically classifications do nothing but harm… “

To continue to argue that the Clobber Passages, the "big eight", or the New Testament verses given to us by Paul, negate God’s approval of same sex committed unions lacks merit. I contend that for the present we be tolerant without being approving and seek a deeper theology following Anselm’s definition; fides quaerens intellectum – faith seeking understanding. This surely must be more helpful than continuing to appropriate ancient dictates to todays 21st century understanding.

We must continue to seek God’s wisdom and to live as biblically-informed Christians in today’s world as we seek to rebuild bridges. We ought to pray in earnest in this regard, not seeking our own misguided understanding, but in a participatory manner asking the Holy Spirit to collapse God’s intent in a single act of faith bolstered by our intelligence. The purpose is that the revealed truth not be self-initiated nor self sustained. This requires an audacious faith trusting that an answer exists and will be revealed.

Romans 1

Paul’s message to the Romans had a strategy based on experience gained in witnessing the problem of the ancient pagan religions and Graeco-Roman society in general. Paul had never been to Rome and consequently outlines his gospel so that his teaching would not be confused by that of false teachers (Paul was a well-trained Rabbi and preacher) and would include admonitions relative to what he perceived to be immoral actions practiced in Rome. It was perfectly natural that Paul would include moral issues and focus in part on philosophical speculations pertaining to pagan temple-worship. It is foolish to suggest that Paul focused on, or targeted loving homosexual relationships in the sense that they exist in the modern age. And, equally foolish is to argue from silence that he would have supported such unions.

Paul didn't write Romans 1 as a condemnation of homosexuality, but as a criticism of Greek behavior in temple worship, the only forms of same-sex activity that Paul and his contemporaries were familiar with. Paul wrote in advance of his visit to warn former Pagans who converted to Pauline Christianity to not leave the faith, return to Paganism, and engage in idolatry. The intent of the passage is to show how idolatry leads to complete degeneration of their behavior.

People sometimes assume that modern, conservative views about sex were present in antiquity to the same degree that they are today. This is particularly challenging when reading the Apostle Paul. In antiquity a married man was not considered to be immoral if he was having sex with his household slaves or even prostitutes. And it is in this world that the Apostle Paul attempted to carve out a place for a more nuanced sexual ethic. And, if we are going to understand Paul and try to apply his sexual ethics to the 21st century, we need to understand the world in which he lived.

Paul’s scriptural references to homosexual acts spoke to those that were culturally-conditioned in the first century. Romans 1 is talking about shrine prostitution in worship of the fertility goddess. Shrine prostitution was practiced in Rome in the first century. Shrine prostitution is certainly how Paul's first century readers understood his words in Romans 1.

The letter was written ca. 55 AD and addressed two distinct mid-1st century audiences; the Jews living in Rome, believing they ought to profess Christ but keep the law (Torah), and the Gentiles, familiar with Greek philosophical thought, describing what Christians witnessed every day in Rome. His letter focused on law abiding Jews and new Christians; a multi-cultural society made up partly of Jews and partly of heathens converted to Christianity. Citing idolatry to differentiate between Gentiles and Jews was a common rhetorical device in the first century. The idolatry and shrine prostitution which surrounded the worship of false gods. When read in historical context and in the context of Paul's life experience, we come to a very different conclusion.

The greatest difficulty in reading, comprehending and applying Paul’s admonition to the Romans in the 1st century to 21st century Western Europe, are numerous but include these obvious and
critical differences.

Paul’s letters were written by:
1. A Hellenistic Jew with a Pharisaic background
2. A graduate of the university at Tarsus to people of various backgrounds and levels of life experience and education.
3. A man whose face to face meeting with Jesus was brief and traumatic (met and communicated with the resurrected and ascended Christ)
4. A student of Gamaliel (Freedmens Temple, Jerusalem) and probably the son of a freed slave
5. A contemporary of Jesus, and of about the same age, called to follow Christ when in his early 30s
6. A man 20 years into developing his own Christology
7. A man whose Christology would develop over a period of another 10 years (and who said nothing during his life about homosexual unions or same sex loving relationships)
8. A man who had been married and had at least one child (his membership in the Sanhedrin required that both conditions be met)

While one would like to have a definitive statement from Jesus, Paul or any other godly authority on same sex unions, two persons in a loving and committed lifetime-relationship, we’re left wondering why no such announcement was ever provided.

In his letter to the Romans Paul identifies the strong in faith as scorning and despising the weak in faith. He equated the weak with Jewish Christians and the strong with Gentile Christians. The weak in faith are the very people claiming to be closest to God, His chosen people, like the ‘elder’ son.

Might it be that we ‘straight and long-time faithful’ soldiers are just like the elder son? Are we missing the joy in seeing sons and daughters return because we haven’t understood why they had to go to a distant land… We’ll accept their repentance but why the celebration, the feast, the ring and the coat of acceptance? Tolerate yes, but full acceptance? Welcome home the one who went away to experiment with life, who sinned, while I, the faithful, obedient son remained at home?! I have every right to be bitter. And yes, I admit that the bitterness clouds my judgment, but that’s just the way it is…

The father’s words to us, the faithful, ‘have all that is the Father’s, reminding us that we have reason for perpetual joy and contentment don’t suffice and provide the necessary measure to balance the announcement of the joyful celebration at the return of the child who got lost.
The day will come when we all stand before the Father and are welcomed home. His valuation will not be gender based nor will it be affected by sexual orientation but by how we loved. We can’t presume that God would be against the repentance of any sinner, or against the return of our prodigal children.

Who among us hasn’t rebelled, kicked up his heels and tried various options of living life. When the prodigal, you and I, comes to his senses he seeks a return to the father. The father sees the son in the far distance and runs to meet him and breathlessly speaks to the servant running with him, My son who was lost has come home- this is cause for a celebration like no other!”

The story of the older brother remains untold and we don’t know if he eventually joined in the celebrations. But we know that Jesus’ words in Luke’s parable have been caught up in a powerful SA chorus reminding us, the Father’s servants, as to Jesus’ teachings, ‘There will be more joy in heaven…’

Dr. Sven Ljungholm
Former Officer
USA, Sweden, Russia, Ukraine, UK