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This sermon, delivered by the Reverend Susan McKnight from the pulpit of the Warren United Church on October 28, 2007, lays out a powerful case in favor of adoption of the Resolution of inclusion.
In this sermon, Susan asks the question: "Open and Affirming. Are we affirming a particular lifestyle when we use those words?"
She goes on to answer: “Yes, we are—a life in Christ, for all who wish to partake of it....We are in so many ways, a light on a hill—for this community and beyond... with God still speaking, let us treasure this gift and keep the beacon burning bright!"
SERMON ON THE OPEN AND AFFIRMING ISSUE
LUKE 18:9-14, ACTS 10:1-28
OCTOBER 28, 2007
“God is still speaking.” I can attest to that. While I was in seminary, I
wrote a paper on Christianity and same-sex unions and came to the conclusion
that they were incompatible. It was for an ethics class, I think. I have
continued to struggle with this issue for 8 years, and find myself in a
different place now. As the pastor of this beloved congregation, presently
on the verge of the open and affirming vote, it seems the appropriate and
responsible thing for me to let you know where I stand on the matter, just
as it is the appropriate and responsible thing for me to love and accept
you, wherever you may stand. There are several things that have brought me
to this change of mind and heart.
One of them is a changing understanding of scripture. As I study and preach
from the Bible, I see what a complex, often contradictory body of literature
it is. I also see how easy it is to mis-use it for our own purposes. As
William Sloan Coffin rightly says, “Too many Christians use the Bible as a
drunk does a lamppost—for support rather than illumination.” We ALL have to
be careful of that. Let’s take a look at the issue at hand—homosexuality. To
do so in depth would take several hours of Bible study, and we’ve provided
resources in recent months for you do that on your own. Here, I’ll only be
able to summarize. First of all, it’s important to point out that there are
fewer than 10 verses in all of the 66 books of the Bible that even mention
homosexuality, whereas there are literally HUNDREDS that deal with economic
justice and the way we should treat the poor and oppressed. It seems to me
that if we want to be up in arms about something that God and biblical
writers really cared about, that would be a good place to start.
But our issue today is homosexuality, so let’s take a look at those few
verses that do address the subject. Some of these passages, as Bible scholar
Walter Wink points out, “are, in fact, irrelevant. One is the attempted gang
rape in Sodom (Gen. 19:1-29). That was the case of ostensibly heterosexual
males intent on humiliating strangers by treating them ‘like women’, thus
de-masculinizing them. Their brutal behavior has nothing to do with the
problem of whether genuine love expressed between consenting adults is
legitimate or not.” [Walter Wink, Homosexuality and the Bible, p.1] [My
favorite part of that story is when Lot, trying to protect the male
strangers to whom he has offered hospitality, says to the rowdy crowd—here,
take my daughters instead; those kinds of biblical values make me a little
uncomfortable!] “Likewise, Deut. 23:17-18 must be pruned from the list,
since it likely refers to a heterosexual prostitute involved in Cananite
fertility rites that have infiltrated Jewish worship; whether these males
are ‘gay’ or ‘straight’, a mature same-sex love relationship is not under
discussion.” [ibid]
Several other texts are ambiguous. I Cor 6:9 refers to “male prostitutes and
sodomites”, as does ! Timothy 1:10 but it is unclear in these passages
whether the issue is homosexuality alone or promiscuity and “sex-for-hire”.
[ibid]
“Putting these texts to the side, we are left with three references, all of
which unequivocally condemn same-sex behavior. Lev. 18:22 states the
principle: “You (masculine) shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is
an abomination.” Two chapters later, same book, there is a penalty for such
behavior—both parties shall be put to death. [Lev. 20:13] Of course, it is
interesting to note that eating shellfish and wearing garments of two
different kinds of fabric were also an abomination. [Lev. 11:10, 19:19]
Working on the Sabbath and cursing God’s name warranted the death penalty.
[Ex. 32:2, Lev.24:10-16] The ancient Hebrews had their own reasons for
establishing such laws. They were a small band of people fighting for their
survival. They needed to keep their cultural and religious identity separate
from the peoples surrounding them, and they needed to make sure heterosexual
sex was sanctified to keep the babies coming. “One can appreciate how a
tribe struggling to populate a country in which its people were outnumbered
would value procreation highly,” [Wink] but clearly their time, their needs
were different from ours.
The major condemnation of same-sex activity in the New Testament was written
by Paul in his letter to the Romans, chapter 1:26-27. Here, speaking of the
Gentiles, he talks of God giving them up to degrading passions. He is
decrying people who exchanged “natural” intercourse for unnatural, being
consumed with passion for someone of the same sex. There are 2 things I
would say to this, after studying. First, in ancient Roman society, where
Paul lived, there were large numbers of men taking a young male as a sexual
apprentice for a period of time, a sort of rite of passage before he went on
to heterosexual adulthood. There is no sense of equal relationship here, and
little evidence of love. Also, when Paul speaks of “natural”, he is assuming
that everyone is born heterosexual. To behave in ways other than the way you
were born is “unnatural” and against God’s plan. He had no concept of the
possibility that a person might be born homosexual and that to be united to
someone of the opposite sex would be “unnatural” for them.
So, when I look at scripture on the issue of homosexuality, the waters are
muddy at best. Jesus is my highest authority on the way to live life. This
week I heard about a 4-page pamphlet. On the cover was the question, “What
did Jesus say about homosexuality?” The two inside pages were blank, and on
the back of the pamphlet was written, “That’s right, nothing!”
Many of us grew up believing in the inerrancy of scripture—that every single
word in the Bible is literal and fact and must be the rule by which we live
our lives today. The problem is, 66 separate books in here were written over
the course of hundreds of years, each in a specific context for a specific
group of people. There are many things that contradict each other in there.
There is no consistent sexual ethic; some of the things prohibited in some
times were allowed in others, and some would be frowned on by us
today—prostitution, for example, or polygamy, or forcing a widow to marry
her dead husband’s brother, or having concubines or forcing girls to marry
at age 12.
In terms of general living, things that were written at one point were often
revised later. Today’s story from Acts is a case in point. God was still
speaking up on that roof in Joppa, and I’m so glad Peter was listening.
Earlier law had declared certain things and people unclean, but God made it
clear that this was a different place, a different time. This new revelation
of God’s Word opened the door for the gospel to be shared with Cornelius, a
Gentile, one previously considered unclean by Jewish law.
Jesus himself reinterpreted ancient Hebrew laws to make them more just, more
responsive to human need, more in accordance with God’s love. This happened
especially in those instances when he healed on the Sabbath, asking his
critics, what is more important, following the letter of the law or showing
mercy. While he never said a word about homosexuality, he made it clear that
we are not only to refrain from judging our neighbor, but to show love to
that neighbor in all we think, say and do. To me, that trumps the laws of
Leviticus and the statements of Paul. He made it clear in stories like we
heard this morning that we would do well to avoid feelings of certainty that
we’re in any way better than others, especially those on whom it might be
easy to affix the “sinner” label. In fact, we would do well to avoid any
kinds of notion that we have the corner on “ truth”. Such notions can cause
us to sharpen our minds by narrowing them, and can result in all manner of
unchristian horrors like inquisitions and holy wars, witch-burning,
anti-Semitism and more.
So, that is one reason for my new stance on the issue before us—my evolving
understanding and relationship with scripture. I thank God for all the
wisdom and truth in these 66 books of the Bible; I have found far more of
those there when I looked behind and beneath all the laws. I give thanks too
that “the Lord hath yet more light and truth to break forth from his word.”
I have to agree with William Sloan Coffin that the problem is “not how to
reconcile homosexuality with scriptural passages that condemn it, but rather
how to reconcile the rejection and punishment of homosexuals with the love
of Christ. I don’t think it can be done.” [Sermon: The Fundamental
Injunction: Love One Another” May 12, 1985]
Another thing that has helped me change my position is the research
indicating that homosexuality is most generally not a choice. People are
born that way. When I heard a man in our circle the other night –like so
many other gay people--say, “Why on earth would I choose to be ridiculed,
ostracized and estranged from society and my family??” Why would I choose to
hurt the woman I loved and thought I could live with until I realized I was
living a lie?” “Why would I choose a situation that put me at the edge of
suicide because I felt so totally alone ??” Indeed, why would one choose
that?! If, as the studies indicate, 10% of the mammal world is born
homosexual, I cannot think it some sort of aberration. I must listen
carefully to the words of the man who said, “I realized God must have made
me this way, and must have a plan in it.”
I’m also re-thinking the open and affirming issue because of some of the
people I’ve met in doing weddings. I don’t know if you realize it or not,
but lots of weddings happen here at the Warren Church. I see it as an
outreach, as a way to encourage couples to see God as an important
foundation and resource in their life together. I let them know that I’ve
tried marriage both ways—with and without God, and I can attest to the
difference. I tell them from the start that if they’re not interested in
that perspective, they would be better off looking for someone and someplace
else for their ceremony. I spend 6 intense hours with each couple in
pre-marriage sessions talking about the issues of marriage and I get to know
them quite well, believe me. There have been several cases where my
conscience indicated that I just couldn’t go through with it; this man and
woman just weren’t willing to take this decision seriously enough, or
weren’t ready to face some of their underlying problems in a responsible
way. So I had to say—midstream-- no, I’m sorry—so sorry-- I cannot
participate in this wedding—not until you do some more work on your
relationship. The point is, I take very seriously the calling to join people
together in God’s plan and purpose.
So, when I was asked to do my first civil union-- in someone’s home--I
entered into the process with some trepidation. Well, it turned out to be
life-transforming for me. These two men had a 19-year relationship that was
as deep, as spiritual, as loving and committed as any I have ever witnessed.
They had done the hard work. They both loved God, and wanted God’s blessing
on their ceremony and their future. And I realized, as an agent, a conduit,
of God’s blessing—who am I to withhold that? I’ve heard many people speak of
their discomfort with the stereotypical promiscuous homosexual lifestyle. I
join them in their discomfort. I am as disturbed about that as I am about
the promiscuous heterosexual lifestyle that bombards me from movies, TV,
supermarket tabloids and the stories I hear from people in this Valley. So
now, here were two gay men who wanted more than anything to live a settled,
loving, monogamous existence with each other. They would have been judged
and criticized for living in a promiscuous mode; for me to deny the blessing
of a monogamous one would have been the height of hypocrisy on my part. When
I think of having such a blessing in this space we now occupy-a blessing on
a couple who love God and each other, who have done the work of creating a
caring relationship and want to have their union acknowledged in the
presence of God, friends and family, I have to wonder, “Is this MY sanctuary
to keep out people whose love and life might look different from mine, or is
this God’s sanctuary?”
And speaking of the concept of “sanctuary”, there is something else that has
been niggling at my mind since our meeting last Wednesday. When asked, “Why
might it be important to have “Open and Affirming” intentionally on our sign
or website?”, one of our guests had a compelling answer. He spoke of walking
into a church one Sunday and feeling assaulted by the words of the pastor’s
sermon talking about dirty and evil homosexuals. It was almost more than he
could take. By seeing “Open and Affirming” before walking in, he could be
reasonably sure that would not happen, that he would be in a bone fide
sanctuary, a safe place. Such a sign could also be a safety signal for youth
struggling with their gender identity. Almost half of the young people who
commit suicide do so because of the angst of such a struggle and because
they feel they have no safe place to turn. If a sign on our church could be
a beacon for even one such young person, that would be important.
“Open and Affirming.” Are we affirming a particular lifestyle when we use
those words? “Yes, we are—a life in Christ, for all who wish to partake of
it.” It does not mean that we approve of someone’s behavior, just that we
make room at the table. I’ve told you where I stand, AND I realize that not
all of us have had the same experiences or have the same vision for this
vote. That’s OK. I have no idea if the answer next week will be yea or nay.
The church might be ready to be open and affirming or it might not. What I’d
like us all to remember is this: “Our challenge as Christians is one of
trying not to lapse into an unchristian behavior of viewing those who
disagree with us as adversaries or the enemy, for by doing so we oppose
Christ’s mandate to love our neighbor and regard no one as our enemy. “
[Arnold Thomas] This discussion is a means of testing our ability to
disagree without being disagreeable and demonstrating our conviction to love
and support one another in Christ with all our differences. This church is a
real community; that is a hard thing to find in this world. It is—and
has—something very special. We are in so many ways, a light on a hill—for
this community and beyond. No matter what the vote is, with God still
speaking, let us treasure this gift and keep the beacon burning bright!
Amen
The Warren United Church
United Church of Christ
Main Street
PO Box 114
Warren Village, Vermont 05674
802.496.2713
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