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I think that before I continue with the “Biblical Misinterpretations” series on the blog, an understanding of sexuality in the time and place that the books of the Bible were being written is needed. This will help to eliminate any confusion for future entries. Since the Bible did not develop in a vacuum, understanding the times will help us understand the text.
The first, and possibly the most important, thing to remember is that the word ‘homosexual’ did not exist linguistically prior to the late 19th century. The reason is not because homosexuality is a recent development but rather that an understanding of human sexuality as we now have did not come about until Karl Heinrich. Biblical writers were writing in a time when there was no such thing as ‘sexuality’ but rather were writing in a time when sexual activity was a means to an end.
Sex was not regarded as a unitive act in a committed partnership between two consenting adults. As Biblical scholar Mary Tolbert points out: “The single most important concept that defines sexuality in the ancient Mediterranean world...is that approved sexual acts never occurred between social equals. Sexuality, by definition, in ancient Mediterranean societies required the combination of dominance and submission.” Therefore, sex between two men was a means to show social, political, and/or military dominance of one male over another male. In sex during this era, there was a penetrator (dominant) and penetrated(submissive), hence, sexuality was only understood in terms of masculinity.
All men (female sexuality didn’t truly exist) in the ancient Mediterranean were ‘heterosexuals’ who choose to perform ‘homosexual’ acts, according to societal sensibilities. There were 3 major reasons for which one male would have sex with another male: pederasty, temple sex/prostitution, and rape. The Bible makes mention to each of these types of same-sex acts, however, it is sometimes harder for modern readers to spot and no context or explanation for them is given; the writers might not have felt the need to do this because their contemporary readers would have understood what the author was saying.
The first form of a ‘homosexual’ act in which an ancient male could have partaken usually didn’t even include a sexual act and was only found in the upper social class. Especially in ancient Greece, the practice of an older man courting a younger teen was common place. Even though their relationship may appear to us as being sexual in nature, penetration was rare. The Bible has no mention of this type of same-sex relationship, however.
Temple sex/prostitution, the next form of male-to-male sexual act, receives the most amount of Biblical condemnation. Much of the Torah is early Israel working out its unique identity; trying to separate itself from surrounding civilizations, invaders, and foreign rulers. One thing prevalent in Greek and Roman worship was temple sex. It is often said that prostitution is the oldest profession and in many ways, temple sex is what drove a profession where one person payed another person for sex. Depending on which cult you followed, ritualistic sex may have been one of the ways in which you connected with a particular deity. Early Jewish people, wishing to create a distinctive identity, would have intentionally shunned a particular practice (temple sex) or adapted a distinct mark (circumcision) to set themselves apart. Since the God of the Jewish people is different from the gods of the Greco-Roman world, than logically speaking, the ways in which the Jewish people worshiped God had to be different as well.
The third reason one male would have sexual contact with another male was rape. It was common practice in the Mediterranean for village men to gang rape a foreign man traveling through their city as a reminder of his subordination and as a means to humiliate him. Conquering armies would often rape the prisoners of a defeated army as a way to prove masculinity and superiority. Especially for Romans, it became a way of feminizing the enemy. As with any rape, the sole purpose of this male-to-male sexual contact was power and control. Sexual orientation, as we understand it and as psychology explains, played no role in this. The only purpose was to instill fear and humiliation. Naturally, as the Israelites were called by God to love, compassion, and mercy to the stranger, the practice of male-to-male rape was strictly forbidden by the Holiness Codes and by cultural norms of Judaism. For a man to rape another man was sinful in the eyes of the Lord (the same did not hold true for the male rape of females, however).
I hope that this will help to serve as a background for the following installments of “Biblical Misinterpretations.” I will be citing this in coming posts so hopefully you will find this useful. Take care and God bless!
12 July 2010
03 July 2010
Pride Month and LGBTQ Spirituality
I remember my first Pride Weekend 2 years ago very vividly for many reasons. I remember the days leading up to it and my parents asking the question, “Why must you go to this parade where people wear their sexuality on their sleeve? Throwing your gayness onto people isn’t the way to achieve equality.” I had no answer other than “Because for 363 days we live in the minority, are told that we are sinful and deviant, treated as social inferiors. For 2 days, we take over Chicago and are in the majority, we are with others who will not judge us for who and what we are. We are given 2 days to make up for those 363 other days.” However sassy and insightful that response may seem, I never understood the true meaning of Pride until a week ago.
In Christianity, pride is one of the 7 Deadly Sins. It was pride, or the excessive regard of oneself, that lead to the fall of Satan and the cause of humanity’s fall from grace in the Garden of Eden. Yet, as LGBTQ Christians, we are now celebrating “Pride.” At first this may seem like a contradiction, however, in light of our personal experiences, Pride celebrations can also have a profound spiritual significance to us.
I remember the shame and confusion I felt when I started having crushes on other girls instead of boys; I hated God so much and even thought that God had made a mistake. I tried desperately to change the way God had made me. Indeed, thinking that God had made a mistake and that I could “fix” that mistake is no doubt an excessive regard for myself and blatant distrust in God’s plan for me. I know that my experience is not unique, though. Almost all LGBTQ youth feel immense humiliation and even guilt about their sexuality. We live in such a hetero-normative society that still, decades after the Stonewall riots and the counter culture movements, values gender roles and stigmatizes any variance from heterosexuality. Suicide is still the number one problem that plagues LGBTQ youth and adults. Accepting our sexuality is no doubt also an acceptance of God’s plan in our lives.
But Pride isn’t just about our own journey of acceptance. Pride month was established to commemorate the Stonewall Riots of 1968 when a bunch of drag queens and other gay patrons of the Stonewall Inn said enough is enough and fought back when the police came to again raid and arrest the patrons for the crime of being homosexual. It is kind of like a celebration of the “LGBTQ Saints” whose bravery in the face of laws saying being gay was illegal paved the way for much of the Gay Right Movement. We owe much to their courage; they took a big beating (literally) and were called all sorts of hideous things by religious people seeking to demonize LGBTQ people to the rest of middle America. If as Christians we celebrate the lives of those men and women who have courageously lived according to God’s plan, than we must do the same as Christians who are also queer to celebrate the lives of those men and women who fought, and continue to fight, for full LGBTQ equality.
Pride is celebration of who and what we are, children made in the image and likeness of a Loving Creator. So in response to my parents question, it is absolutely necessary that we wear our queerness on our sleeve during Pride month, but also at every other time. It is our duty as Christians to proclaim the living Gospel of the Lord, and being proud of the way in which God made us is one of the ways in which we do that. It has become my prayer that somehow the Gay Pride celebrations become a sign of hope for all those LGBTQ youth struggling to accept their identity from God that by us fully being the person God made us to be, one more LGBTQ youth will be at next years parade for the first time, accepting him or herself as God’s blessed creation.
In Christianity, pride is one of the 7 Deadly Sins. It was pride, or the excessive regard of oneself, that lead to the fall of Satan and the cause of humanity’s fall from grace in the Garden of Eden. Yet, as LGBTQ Christians, we are now celebrating “Pride.” At first this may seem like a contradiction, however, in light of our personal experiences, Pride celebrations can also have a profound spiritual significance to us.
I remember the shame and confusion I felt when I started having crushes on other girls instead of boys; I hated God so much and even thought that God had made a mistake. I tried desperately to change the way God had made me. Indeed, thinking that God had made a mistake and that I could “fix” that mistake is no doubt an excessive regard for myself and blatant distrust in God’s plan for me. I know that my experience is not unique, though. Almost all LGBTQ youth feel immense humiliation and even guilt about their sexuality. We live in such a hetero-normative society that still, decades after the Stonewall riots and the counter culture movements, values gender roles and stigmatizes any variance from heterosexuality. Suicide is still the number one problem that plagues LGBTQ youth and adults. Accepting our sexuality is no doubt also an acceptance of God’s plan in our lives.
But Pride isn’t just about our own journey of acceptance. Pride month was established to commemorate the Stonewall Riots of 1968 when a bunch of drag queens and other gay patrons of the Stonewall Inn said enough is enough and fought back when the police came to again raid and arrest the patrons for the crime of being homosexual. It is kind of like a celebration of the “LGBTQ Saints” whose bravery in the face of laws saying being gay was illegal paved the way for much of the Gay Right Movement. We owe much to their courage; they took a big beating (literally) and were called all sorts of hideous things by religious people seeking to demonize LGBTQ people to the rest of middle America. If as Christians we celebrate the lives of those men and women who have courageously lived according to God’s plan, than we must do the same as Christians who are also queer to celebrate the lives of those men and women who fought, and continue to fight, for full LGBTQ equality.
Pride is celebration of who and what we are, children made in the image and likeness of a Loving Creator. So in response to my parents question, it is absolutely necessary that we wear our queerness on our sleeve during Pride month, but also at every other time. It is our duty as Christians to proclaim the living Gospel of the Lord, and being proud of the way in which God made us is one of the ways in which we do that. It has become my prayer that somehow the Gay Pride celebrations become a sign of hope for all those LGBTQ youth struggling to accept their identity from God that by us fully being the person God made us to be, one more LGBTQ youth will be at next years parade for the first time, accepting him or herself as God’s blessed creation.
20 June 2010
Biblical Misinterpretations: In the Beginning
While I don’t plan on doing this series in the order in which these passages appear in the Bible, I did find it fitting to start with Genesis and the misunderstanding of the story of Adam and Eve as reason for why same sex relationships are wrong. As many of you have might know, it was Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve and that is why same-sex attraction is wrong. Since we have established that as the truth ipso facto, there is no reason to continue. Ugh, gag me. I hate when people try to pull that one. If ever you wanted to sound like an uneducated person or a second grader, that is a sure way to do it. To dumb down Genesis like that is as offensive as it is absolutely wrong.
Before I go in to explaining why these thirst two chapters of Genesis speak about loving, committed monogamous relationships, we must first establish what the first two chapters in the Books of Genesis are. To do this, I will be using the theories of Joseph Campbell and his main body of work “The Power of Myth.” Applying the word ‘myth’ to anything in the Bible is not a snub to it but merely a literary means of classifying a type of story found in the Bible; it gives the reader a frame work to begin dissecting the text. When Greeks and Romans heard stories like that of the Judgement of Paris, they did not believe it was a story of historical non-fiction. According to Campbell, stories like those we now read in literature classes were a means by which morally acceptable behavior was learned and passed on to younger generations. Since the books now part of the Bible were not written in a cultural vacuum, this tradition would not have been lost on the author of Genesis. Following the model of Campbell, one of the many lenses with which we can examine the first two chapters of Genesis would be to look at it as a myth of creation (NOT Creationism).
So now that we have established what the first two chapters of Genesis is, it is time to dissect the words. Let’s look at the second story of creation because it was the first one written. English lacks the depth and complexities which a language like Hebrew has. In 2:7 we are told that God creates man. That is how it reads in english; however, there is a rich play on Hebrew words here. The word adam means ‘man,’ as in human. It sounds very much like the Hebrew word adama, meaning ‘ground,’ since God created humans from the clay of earth in this story. At this point, the human which God has created is neither male nor female in Hebrew, it is merely an androgynous being (literally soul). Skip down to verse 18 where it reads “The Lord God said: “It is not good for the (hu)man to be alone. I will make a suitable partner for him.” Again, in the Hebrew, the pronoun used has no gender and the word “partner” can literally be translated as ‘help-mate.’ So God takes a rib from adam and creates a suitable partner for the first human. It is at 2:23 that we have the first use of gender specifying words in Hebrew; it is a play on similar sounding words ishsha (woman) and ishah (her man, her husband). When we read the end of verse 24, we see that the ‘two become one body.’ The Hebrew writer here is stressing that this union is willed by God.
When God creates the first human, that adam is lonely; all of God’s creation is grandiose and wonderful, but none of it gazes back with true love and passion and equality. God, seeing this loneliness provides adam with a partner who looks on ishah the same way ishah looks upon ishsha. When God explains the reasoning for creating a partner, God does not say that this partner is for procreation only; we are not like the other animals for our partner is for companionship. The “be fruitful and multiply” verse is found in the first story of creation. Indeed, although same-sex partners cannot literally procreate, they can adopt and become loving parents, just as countless opposite-sex couples do.
In my opinion, the message of Genesis is not to say that humans are partnered solely for procreation, but rather something far more deep and far more transformative. The ability of humans to enter into monogamous, caring and meaningful relationships is that which makes us most like the Divine. Further, the creation stories say less about human sexuality than it does about God; they speak volumes about God’s love and power in the universe. The real message here is that God has placed us as the peak of creation and called us “very good.”
Before I go in to explaining why these thirst two chapters of Genesis speak about loving, committed monogamous relationships, we must first establish what the first two chapters in the Books of Genesis are. To do this, I will be using the theories of Joseph Campbell and his main body of work “The Power of Myth.” Applying the word ‘myth’ to anything in the Bible is not a snub to it but merely a literary means of classifying a type of story found in the Bible; it gives the reader a frame work to begin dissecting the text. When Greeks and Romans heard stories like that of the Judgement of Paris, they did not believe it was a story of historical non-fiction. According to Campbell, stories like those we now read in literature classes were a means by which morally acceptable behavior was learned and passed on to younger generations. Since the books now part of the Bible were not written in a cultural vacuum, this tradition would not have been lost on the author of Genesis. Following the model of Campbell, one of the many lenses with which we can examine the first two chapters of Genesis would be to look at it as a myth of creation (NOT Creationism).
So now that we have established what the first two chapters of Genesis is, it is time to dissect the words. Let’s look at the second story of creation because it was the first one written. English lacks the depth and complexities which a language like Hebrew has. In 2:7 we are told that God creates man. That is how it reads in english; however, there is a rich play on Hebrew words here. The word adam means ‘man,’ as in human. It sounds very much like the Hebrew word adama, meaning ‘ground,’ since God created humans from the clay of earth in this story. At this point, the human which God has created is neither male nor female in Hebrew, it is merely an androgynous being (literally soul). Skip down to verse 18 where it reads “The Lord God said: “It is not good for the (hu)man to be alone. I will make a suitable partner for him.” Again, in the Hebrew, the pronoun used has no gender and the word “partner” can literally be translated as ‘help-mate.’ So God takes a rib from adam and creates a suitable partner for the first human. It is at 2:23 that we have the first use of gender specifying words in Hebrew; it is a play on similar sounding words ishsha (woman) and ishah (her man, her husband). When we read the end of verse 24, we see that the ‘two become one body.’ The Hebrew writer here is stressing that this union is willed by God.
When God creates the first human, that adam is lonely; all of God’s creation is grandiose and wonderful, but none of it gazes back with true love and passion and equality. God, seeing this loneliness provides adam with a partner who looks on ishah the same way ishah looks upon ishsha. When God explains the reasoning for creating a partner, God does not say that this partner is for procreation only; we are not like the other animals for our partner is for companionship. The “be fruitful and multiply” verse is found in the first story of creation. Indeed, although same-sex partners cannot literally procreate, they can adopt and become loving parents, just as countless opposite-sex couples do.
In my opinion, the message of Genesis is not to say that humans are partnered solely for procreation, but rather something far more deep and far more transformative. The ability of humans to enter into monogamous, caring and meaningful relationships is that which makes us most like the Divine. Further, the creation stories say less about human sexuality than it does about God; they speak volumes about God’s love and power in the universe. The real message here is that God has placed us as the peak of creation and called us “very good.”
18 June 2010
Biblical Misinterpretations
As a Christian, the one thing that bothers me a lot is Biblical Literalism, for a number of reasons. For instance, the people who like to think that Creationism is fact because of the book of Genesis. The problem there becomes which creation does one believe as fact: Genesis 1, Genesis 2, Proverbs 8, or John 1. Another problem I have with Biblical literalism is when people use it as justification for homophobic rhetoric or teaching that queerness is an “abomination” (I will get to the ancient Hebrew understanding of that word in a subsequent post).
For years, this was a huge part of my struggle in accepting my sexuality because I had allowed Biblical literalism to pervade my understanding on sexuality. However, in more recent months, when people try to say, “Well the Bible says this about (insert ANY topic),” I often reply, “No, that is how the Bible reads; what does the Bible say?” Of course, I get very confused looks and then try to explain what the Bible is. In order to interpret what the Bible is saying according to how it reads, one must devote a great deal of time to understanding each nuanced aspect of the Bible. The Bible is not merely a single book; the Bible is a collection of books, a library as the name indicates. When we walk into a library, we know that we are dealing with a collection of books, each written in different circumstances, by different authors, with varying agendas, from all corers of the earth and all with a unique background. The Bible is no different. The Bible is a cannon of writings that were developed over a course of around 5,000 years, from all over the Mediterranean, and from various points in human, Jewish, and Christian history. This adds to the richness and flavor of every Bible passage; it is, in my opinion, what makes the Bible the most exciting and evolving collection of books.
The purpose, then, of this series of blog posts that I am titling “Biblical Misinterpretations,” is to help shed light onto some of the most common Biblical passages used to justify teachings against homosexuality. I will use a variety of methods in helping to translate what the Bible is saying as well as laying down some of the background for the culture at the time a given passage was written. That being said, here is my disclaimer: I am by no means a Biblical scholar nor am I claiming to be any sort of authority on what is written. Anything that I am writing is gathered from various scholars as well as from the extensive footnotes and background information in my collegiate study Bible. The thing that I ask you all to keep in mind while reading from this series of posts is a simple quote: Everything in the Bible is True. Not everything happened.
For years, this was a huge part of my struggle in accepting my sexuality because I had allowed Biblical literalism to pervade my understanding on sexuality. However, in more recent months, when people try to say, “Well the Bible says this about (insert ANY topic),” I often reply, “No, that is how the Bible reads; what does the Bible say?” Of course, I get very confused looks and then try to explain what the Bible is. In order to interpret what the Bible is saying according to how it reads, one must devote a great deal of time to understanding each nuanced aspect of the Bible. The Bible is not merely a single book; the Bible is a collection of books, a library as the name indicates. When we walk into a library, we know that we are dealing with a collection of books, each written in different circumstances, by different authors, with varying agendas, from all corers of the earth and all with a unique background. The Bible is no different. The Bible is a cannon of writings that were developed over a course of around 5,000 years, from all over the Mediterranean, and from various points in human, Jewish, and Christian history. This adds to the richness and flavor of every Bible passage; it is, in my opinion, what makes the Bible the most exciting and evolving collection of books.
The purpose, then, of this series of blog posts that I am titling “Biblical Misinterpretations,” is to help shed light onto some of the most common Biblical passages used to justify teachings against homosexuality. I will use a variety of methods in helping to translate what the Bible is saying as well as laying down some of the background for the culture at the time a given passage was written. That being said, here is my disclaimer: I am by no means a Biblical scholar nor am I claiming to be any sort of authority on what is written. Anything that I am writing is gathered from various scholars as well as from the extensive footnotes and background information in my collegiate study Bible. The thing that I ask you all to keep in mind while reading from this series of posts is a simple quote: Everything in the Bible is True. Not everything happened.
14 June 2010
New Format
Well, I have come to a conclusion after not blogging for such a long time; in most cases, it is extremely difficult for me to relate EVERY Sunday's readings from the lectionary to LGBTQ struggles and experience. The truth is, to focus every week's lessons on a single theme is not the best approach for several reasons. Number one, every reading in the Bible is rich with layers of meanings and lessons upon which we can reflect. Like everything in life, the Bible can be, and for that matter, must be, read from a variety of lenses. To look at it only through the lens of the experience of LGBTQ persons simplifies the wonderful complexities of Scripture. Further, doing so denies that as Christians, we are multifaceted persons that are influenced and molded from our various life experiences which may or may not relate to our sexuality.
That being said, this blog will remain a place where Christianity/Scripture and the queer experience converge. Meaning, when applicable, I might select a Bible passage that has relevance to being queer. I will also spend some time debunking some of the commonly (mis)cited passages that some people feel relates to same-sex relations being ‘abominations.’ My hope is that I can also do some entries on coming out experiences for people who are also deeply Christian and how coming out was also a profound step in their faith journeys (this will include Allies as well).
If anyone has any suggestions for something s/he would like to see, please let me know and I will do my best to cover it. Take care and peace to all!
That being said, this blog will remain a place where Christianity/Scripture and the queer experience converge. Meaning, when applicable, I might select a Bible passage that has relevance to being queer. I will also spend some time debunking some of the commonly (mis)cited passages that some people feel relates to same-sex relations being ‘abominations.’ My hope is that I can also do some entries on coming out experiences for people who are also deeply Christian and how coming out was also a profound step in their faith journeys (this will include Allies as well).
If anyone has any suggestions for something s/he would like to see, please let me know and I will do my best to cover it. Take care and peace to all!
29 April 2010
My Apologies....
I have only a few moments, but I would like to apologize for not keeping up these past few weeks. For those in university, you will understand what I mean when I say that it is that time of the semester. I have barely had a moment to breathe and unfortunately, the first priority is those things which count toward my academia. Unfortunately, this blog is not one of those things. Once finals are over, I will be back in the swing of things and update the blog. I will do my best to catch up on the missed weeks, but I will start with the most current lectionary readings first and then fill in the gaps as I have time. Thanks for following the blog! Peace
05 April 2010
Palm Sunday and the Cost of Faithfulness
Ah, Palm Sunday. I must admit, this is my favorite Sunday of the year, and not because I used to make all sorts of things with the palms during mass. This is, after all, the story of Christ’s Passion, the reason for God becoming human. Besides the fact that Palm Sunday kicks off Holy Week, it also serves as the most powerful reminder that God is present in the suffering of all people, that Jesus paved the way for us ride head on to challenge the oppressive powers of society.
We start off with the procession readings, first from the Psalms, and then from the last part of Luke 19. The irony evoked from these passages almost mocks the customs of the Roman Empire. The entry of Jesus into Jerusalem is a juxtaposition of the triumphal entry of a Roman general after the slaughter of an enemy army. Jesus was praised by the powerless as he rode on a rather unglamorous animal. He knew the fate which awaited him in Jerusalem, yet, he still rode into the city, to the dismay of the Roman and Jewish leadership. When we come out of the closet, like Jesus riding his donkey into Jerusalem, we do so with much hostility from the status quo. But, we don’t need to worry because Jesus has done this before us. Many people, who, like the powerless who welcomed Jesus, welcome us with loving actions once we do come out. These are the people who support us as we take our first steps out of the closet and into hostile waters.
The second Psalm in the readings paints a picture of abused power. Even though the lectionary omits the distress of the psalmist, we have an idea of trust in the Lord, despite injustice. The psalmist understands that God’s protection is all inclusive and empowering, despite any experience.
Unlike the uncertainty surrounding the psalmists suffering, Jesus’ crucifixion is well understood. Jesus is accused of crimes against Rome and against Jerusalem. His message and ministry challenged the very factors which enabled the ruling class to have its power. He endured suffering for us on the cross and he endures it with us as we struggle with identity, as we come out as LGBTQ persons, as we are treated as second class citizens by the status quo.
Isaiah’s reading focuses on suffering under abused power. It is our duty to sustain the weak and downtrodden. When those around us, and even ourselves, are beaten down by overwhelming power, we must be there, to support and to give strength to those among us. I have found that the LGBTQ community is really good at doing this. Like the Psalmist finds strength in the presence of the Lord, so to do we find strength in the Lord, but also in the support of our ‘queer families.’
The reading from Luke is the culmination of all of Jesus’ ministry, of the message of the prophets. Jesus enters the city and is brought before the Jewish and Roman councils as a matter of destiny. Jesus' mission was to challenge the powerful, confront "normal" ways of organizing society and offer an alternative. Through our experiences, God is present, as God was at Jesus’ trial, and by our witness to the transformative love of God, we are liberated from all injustice.
25 March 2010
Our Prodigal God
We are all familiar with the story of what has become known as the “Prodigal Son.” The focus of the story is always on the younger son, as indicated by the title. However, at the mass at my home parish of Holy Nativity, Rev. Aimee shed new light on the parable. She shifted the focus from the son to his father. The word ‘prodigal’ means ‘extravagant.’ If we think of this word as describing the father, as opposed to the younger son, it then becomes a parable about God’s extravagant love. Keep that in mind while reading the rest of this entry.
So when Jesus tells a parable that reflects a kingdom in which the return of someone lost renders a feast and unconditional acceptance, it is not taken well by those who criticize Jesus for keeping company with those which the ruling class has deemed “unworthy.” In many ways, the Pharisees in Jesus’ time were like the elder brother. However, the love and kingdom of God supersedes human standards of judgment, and thus, the father in the story welcomes, with unrequited love, the return of his son. As LGBTQ persons, there are times when it may seem more advantageous for us to simply leave our Christian identity behind us. Many times, Christian leaders portray the two identities (LGBTQ and Christian) as being incompatible or contradictory. I tried it myself and, like the younger son, found myself empty and alone. Indeed, when I returned to faith and found the Episcopal church, I was welcomed with the prodigal love of Christians who, like the father, accepted me with open arms.
The Gospels consistently portray Jesus as one who associated with “sinners.” This is something with which the Pharisees had a field day in questioning Jesus’ authority and discrediting him to others. Sometimes, even his apostles questioned why he associated with those which society considered unworthy at the time (notably, women and children). However, whenever someone tries to tell Jesus that he shouldn’t be associating with these “sinners,” Jesus always rebukes the person with a norm defying response.
As queer Christians, this is something especially liberating. Jesus made his home with those on the fringe of society; he did so without apology while defending those in places where often times, we find ourselves. Jesus defends us as well, with the prodigal love of the father in this parable. So when Psalm 32 sings the salvation of “those whose transgression is forgiven" (verse 1). In reading the psalm, connections with the Parable of the Prodigal Son emerge. God’s grace resides not in our moral ability to repent but in God’s free embrace of us, whatever our circumstances. This is the pattern we also see in Jesus’ ministry.
Israel’s sacred story recalls enslavement in Egypt and divine deliverance. Joshua 5:9-12 expresses how Israel’s Scriptures never relinquished this humble heritage. Passover celebrates this history as part of Israel’s redemption and salvation. So when LGBTQ persons are excluded, or made to feel like outsiders, by religious communities, those doing the excluding would do well to remember this history as well, for it plays an integral role in the overall history of humanity’s salvation.
So when Jesus tells a parable that reflects a kingdom in which the return of someone lost renders a feast and unconditional acceptance, it is not taken well by those who criticize Jesus for keeping company with those which the ruling class has deemed “unworthy.” In many ways, the Pharisees in Jesus’ time were like the elder brother. However, the love and kingdom of God supersedes human standards of judgment, and thus, the father in the story welcomes, with unrequited love, the return of his son. As LGBTQ persons, there are times when it may seem more advantageous for us to simply leave our Christian identity behind us. Many times, Christian leaders portray the two identities (LGBTQ and Christian) as being incompatible or contradictory. I tried it myself and, like the younger son, found myself empty and alone. Indeed, when I returned to faith and found the Episcopal church, I was welcomed with the prodigal love of Christians who, like the father, accepted me with open arms.
The Gospels consistently portray Jesus as one who associated with “sinners.” This is something with which the Pharisees had a field day in questioning Jesus’ authority and discrediting him to others. Sometimes, even his apostles questioned why he associated with those which society considered unworthy at the time (notably, women and children). However, whenever someone tries to tell Jesus that he shouldn’t be associating with these “sinners,” Jesus always rebukes the person with a norm defying response.
As queer Christians, this is something especially liberating. Jesus made his home with those on the fringe of society; he did so without apology while defending those in places where often times, we find ourselves. Jesus defends us as well, with the prodigal love of the father in this parable. So when Psalm 32 sings the salvation of “those whose transgression is forgiven" (verse 1). In reading the psalm, connections with the Parable of the Prodigal Son emerge. God’s grace resides not in our moral ability to repent but in God’s free embrace of us, whatever our circumstances. This is the pattern we also see in Jesus’ ministry.
Israel’s sacred story recalls enslavement in Egypt and divine deliverance. Joshua 5:9-12 expresses how Israel’s Scriptures never relinquished this humble heritage. Passover celebrates this history as part of Israel’s redemption and salvation. So when LGBTQ persons are excluded, or made to feel like outsiders, by religious communities, those doing the excluding would do well to remember this history as well, for it plays an integral role in the overall history of humanity’s salvation.
16 March 2010
Beyond Judgement and Into Salvation
Isaiah 55:1-9; Psalm 63:1-8; 1 Corinthians 10:1-13; and Luke 13:1-9
A God beyond all comprehension; that is my first reaction when I read these passages. Some people have suggested that the New Testament readings for the Third Sunday in Lent perhaps offer insight to “judgement theology.” Does God punish us for the wickedness of our actions? Was the earthquake in Haiti God’s punishment on the impoverished nation for sinning? The short actions of the second “question” is, of course, absolutely not. And yet, it is amazing how judgement theology has been used to scapegoat “the others” of society. For centuries, Europeans used Matthew 27:25 as justification for anti-Semitic violence. Today, people like Fred Phelps blame LGBTQ persons for bad things happening in today’s world.
Jesus uses the two tragic events as an opportunity to undermine judgement theology. The misfortunes that strike others, or even us, is in no way due to previous sins. I cannot help but think of when HIV/AIDS first became known to the public. Religious leaders had a field day with it, calling the illness “God’s wrath on homosexuality.” So many young men died from what became known as “the gay disease” and so called religious persons saw this as a fit punishment from God for living an “abomination.” So then is lung cancer God’s wrath for smoking? Is breast cancer God’s punishment for being a woman? Of course not.
The question of why do bad things happen to good people is one that has dumbfounded every human since the dawn of creation. But Jesus challenges us to move beyond that question in this Gospel. Blaming the victim or trying to explain the ‘why’ of misfortune does no one any good; it simply provides us with empty excuses to withhold compassion for those who suffer. As usual, Jesus uses these experiences of misfortune as a call to us to turn away from a culture of death and violence, retribution and scapegoating. We are to transcend all of that and be peace bearers to the world.
The whole Book of Isaiah reminds me of my coming to accept my own sexuality. The people to whom the prophet was speaking were a people in exile, forcibly detached from what culturally identified them as God’s chosen- The Promised Land. For many LGBTQ people, we live much of our lives in a sort of internal exile where we are not free to be the persons God created us to be. The prophet in Isaiah calls the exiled Jews out of Babylon and back to Judah, a journey that would not have been very appealing at times. The Jews to whom the prophet was speaking must have felt lost and confused about what God has in store for them. But Isaiah 55:1-9 reassures them that God’s salvation is abundantly extended to all people. It is through our own queerness that we are called to witness God’s radical love, as the prophet mentions in verse 4. What can we reveal to others because of our otherness?
Psalm 63:1-8 shares in that invitation to God’s grace. The psalmist longs so passionately for union with God. For many LGBTQ persons, this ardent yearning is nothing new. Religious fundamentalists make many queer persons feel so isolated from life in God because of our sexuality. Yet, we are not separated from God at all. God lifts us up when we, like the psalmist, are in the wilderness.
Truly, our God is beyond all comprehension. To create us as “others” in the eyes of society not to punish us, but to witness to God’s unwavering love and salvation.
A God beyond all comprehension; that is my first reaction when I read these passages. Some people have suggested that the New Testament readings for the Third Sunday in Lent perhaps offer insight to “judgement theology.” Does God punish us for the wickedness of our actions? Was the earthquake in Haiti God’s punishment on the impoverished nation for sinning? The short actions of the second “question” is, of course, absolutely not. And yet, it is amazing how judgement theology has been used to scapegoat “the others” of society. For centuries, Europeans used Matthew 27:25 as justification for anti-Semitic violence. Today, people like Fred Phelps blame LGBTQ persons for bad things happening in today’s world.
Jesus uses the two tragic events as an opportunity to undermine judgement theology. The misfortunes that strike others, or even us, is in no way due to previous sins. I cannot help but think of when HIV/AIDS first became known to the public. Religious leaders had a field day with it, calling the illness “God’s wrath on homosexuality.” So many young men died from what became known as “the gay disease” and so called religious persons saw this as a fit punishment from God for living an “abomination.” So then is lung cancer God’s wrath for smoking? Is breast cancer God’s punishment for being a woman? Of course not.
The question of why do bad things happen to good people is one that has dumbfounded every human since the dawn of creation. But Jesus challenges us to move beyond that question in this Gospel. Blaming the victim or trying to explain the ‘why’ of misfortune does no one any good; it simply provides us with empty excuses to withhold compassion for those who suffer. As usual, Jesus uses these experiences of misfortune as a call to us to turn away from a culture of death and violence, retribution and scapegoating. We are to transcend all of that and be peace bearers to the world.
The whole Book of Isaiah reminds me of my coming to accept my own sexuality. The people to whom the prophet was speaking were a people in exile, forcibly detached from what culturally identified them as God’s chosen- The Promised Land. For many LGBTQ people, we live much of our lives in a sort of internal exile where we are not free to be the persons God created us to be. The prophet in Isaiah calls the exiled Jews out of Babylon and back to Judah, a journey that would not have been very appealing at times. The Jews to whom the prophet was speaking must have felt lost and confused about what God has in store for them. But Isaiah 55:1-9 reassures them that God’s salvation is abundantly extended to all people. It is through our own queerness that we are called to witness God’s radical love, as the prophet mentions in verse 4. What can we reveal to others because of our otherness?
Psalm 63:1-8 shares in that invitation to God’s grace. The psalmist longs so passionately for union with God. For many LGBTQ persons, this ardent yearning is nothing new. Religious fundamentalists make many queer persons feel so isolated from life in God because of our sexuality. Yet, we are not separated from God at all. God lifts us up when we, like the psalmist, are in the wilderness.
Truly, our God is beyond all comprehension. To create us as “others” in the eyes of society not to punish us, but to witness to God’s unwavering love and salvation.
01 March 2010
Transformations, Promises and Strength for the Weak
Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18; Psalm 27; Philippians 3:17-4:1; Luke 13:31-35 or Luke 9:28-36
Today's readings are a beautiful testimony of of life in God; one the one hand, we hear the Psalmist proclaim his trust in the Lord, on the other hand, we see the uncertainty that also accompanies life in Christ. And yet, woven in these readings is the unwavering persistence and encouragement that defines God's love for us. It is in that love that we are given a life of peace, reconciliation, and radical inclusiveness.
The Transfiguration is a "coming out" of sorts for Christ. Jesus is on his way to his home which, according to Luke and Acts, is Jerusalem, when he calls three of his apostles to the mountain to pray. From the Old Testament, we know mountains to be a place of revelation for the Lord. When they are praying, the Lord transforms himself, revealing his true self. In many ways, this was the "ah ha" moment that Peter, James, and John needed in order for the message of Jesus to make sense for them. As LGBTQ persons, we have our own "ah ha" moment; that moment when we first accept our sexual orientation. When we have that moment, we enter into a more authentic relationship with the Lord. We cannot begin to understand the mystery of the Divine until we begin to understand ourselves. Our own transfigurations occur when we tell our friends and family who we really are.
At face, in his letter to the Philippians, Paul seems to be calling for conformity. Surely, God does not call us to conformity to human ways. However, Paul reminds us that we must follow in the example of Christ, who served for the salvation of humankind. Paul decries those who use ministry in order to build up their own image. Imitating Paul, which means living in the image of Christ, means considering the needs of our community before considering our own. Reflecting on this, it raises the question: in what ways can our experiences as queer persons be used to benefit our own faith communities?
The Old Testament reading for this week look back at God's covenant with Abraham. Just as God made a promise to provide descendants for Abraham despite the obvious problem of no offspring God will provide for His queer children. Often times, things that seem impossible in the eyes of human society, are an opportunity for God to work miracles. How can I be a means for God's work of salvation if there are churches that don't accept me? The fact is, with God, works of incredible hope can be worked through all of us.
Today's Psalm celebrates the complete reliance he has on the Lord. It is in God that those who are cast out and scorned must rely. As queer persons, especially Christians, we often feel excluded, so hearing the Psalmist sing "God is our light and salvation, whom shall we fear" (verse 1) becomes a line of great comfort. Even though we are aware of the real dangers that exist in the world, we must also be aware of the protection of God.
Because there are some who are forsaken by friends and family, the need for us to foster sacred spaces for all to worship becomes increasingly apparent. In the face of opposition, we can find comfort in the knowledge that the Lord is protecting us in our endeavors as we do the work that we are called to do.
Today's readings are a beautiful testimony of of life in God; one the one hand, we hear the Psalmist proclaim his trust in the Lord, on the other hand, we see the uncertainty that also accompanies life in Christ. And yet, woven in these readings is the unwavering persistence and encouragement that defines God's love for us. It is in that love that we are given a life of peace, reconciliation, and radical inclusiveness.
The Transfiguration is a "coming out" of sorts for Christ. Jesus is on his way to his home which, according to Luke and Acts, is Jerusalem, when he calls three of his apostles to the mountain to pray. From the Old Testament, we know mountains to be a place of revelation for the Lord. When they are praying, the Lord transforms himself, revealing his true self. In many ways, this was the "ah ha" moment that Peter, James, and John needed in order for the message of Jesus to make sense for them. As LGBTQ persons, we have our own "ah ha" moment; that moment when we first accept our sexual orientation. When we have that moment, we enter into a more authentic relationship with the Lord. We cannot begin to understand the mystery of the Divine until we begin to understand ourselves. Our own transfigurations occur when we tell our friends and family who we really are.
At face, in his letter to the Philippians, Paul seems to be calling for conformity. Surely, God does not call us to conformity to human ways. However, Paul reminds us that we must follow in the example of Christ, who served for the salvation of humankind. Paul decries those who use ministry in order to build up their own image. Imitating Paul, which means living in the image of Christ, means considering the needs of our community before considering our own. Reflecting on this, it raises the question: in what ways can our experiences as queer persons be used to benefit our own faith communities?
The Old Testament reading for this week look back at God's covenant with Abraham. Just as God made a promise to provide descendants for Abraham despite the obvious problem of no offspring God will provide for His queer children. Often times, things that seem impossible in the eyes of human society, are an opportunity for God to work miracles. How can I be a means for God's work of salvation if there are churches that don't accept me? The fact is, with God, works of incredible hope can be worked through all of us.
Today's Psalm celebrates the complete reliance he has on the Lord. It is in God that those who are cast out and scorned must rely. As queer persons, especially Christians, we often feel excluded, so hearing the Psalmist sing "God is our light and salvation, whom shall we fear" (verse 1) becomes a line of great comfort. Even though we are aware of the real dangers that exist in the world, we must also be aware of the protection of God.
Because there are some who are forsaken by friends and family, the need for us to foster sacred spaces for all to worship becomes increasingly apparent. In the face of opposition, we can find comfort in the knowledge that the Lord is protecting us in our endeavors as we do the work that we are called to do.
21 February 2010
Temptation and Wilderness
Lectionary Readings: Deuteronomy 26:1-11; Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16; Romans 10:8b-13; and Luke 4:1-13
Today's readings remind us of what Lent is. As Jesus went into the wilderness to be closer to God, he was tempted by the devil. As humans, we are no doubt tempted, though this temptation becomes more obvious and clear when it is in the form of chocolate, which one has given up for Lent, or a favorite snack glaring at us. But in a much more serious sense, we have a very unique type of "temptation" as LGBTQ Christians. The devil chided Jesus in Luke's readings "If you are the Son of God [insert temptation]." Similarly, we find ourselves mocked in a similar way; "If you are gay, then how can you be Christian?" or "If you are Christian, how can you be gay?" For many of us, we spend far more than 40 days in a wilderness of sorts as we try to fuse the two worlds together, or even trying to accept our sexuality in the face of societal or religious hostility. Just as the Holy Spirit was with Jesus during his journey in the wilderness, so to is the Spirit with us as we navigate our lives as Christians but also as queer persons. It isn't always easy and sometimes, we may feel like giving in and giving up one identity in order to accommodate others tempting us to pick one or the other. Sometimes, it may seem as though it would be easier to forgo one for the other. Yet, as Christians, God anointed us with our sexuality. By being made different, we are called to something special, much like the people of Deuteronomy. The Lord tells Her people to forget not their past, for it is part of their calling. Yet, for many of us, that past is traumatizing, filled with denial and lies. Still, as God didn't want the people of Israel to forget their past, so to does She not want us to forget ours. There will be times in our future where we must call upon our past to give light to the present.
When read in its original Greek, the Holy Spirit didn't just move Christ to the wilderness, the Holy Spirit yearned that Christ come into the wilderness. He was beckoned there after being baptized, anointed in his mission. In what ways are we, as LGBTQ Christians called into a strange and sometimes hostile wildernesses. But the Psalm for today comforts us who are called to that wilderness. We are reminded that God has commanded that an angel protect us "in our ways." How comforting to know that in all of our struggles, we are sent an angel to help us, to lift us up, to protect us from evil.
As we continue this lenten season, let us remember that as we journey through the wilderness, God has sent an angel to be with us and protect us in our journey.
Today's readings remind us of what Lent is. As Jesus went into the wilderness to be closer to God, he was tempted by the devil. As humans, we are no doubt tempted, though this temptation becomes more obvious and clear when it is in the form of chocolate, which one has given up for Lent, or a favorite snack glaring at us. But in a much more serious sense, we have a very unique type of "temptation" as LGBTQ Christians. The devil chided Jesus in Luke's readings "If you are the Son of God [insert temptation]." Similarly, we find ourselves mocked in a similar way; "If you are gay, then how can you be Christian?" or "If you are Christian, how can you be gay?" For many of us, we spend far more than 40 days in a wilderness of sorts as we try to fuse the two worlds together, or even trying to accept our sexuality in the face of societal or religious hostility. Just as the Holy Spirit was with Jesus during his journey in the wilderness, so to is the Spirit with us as we navigate our lives as Christians but also as queer persons. It isn't always easy and sometimes, we may feel like giving in and giving up one identity in order to accommodate others tempting us to pick one or the other. Sometimes, it may seem as though it would be easier to forgo one for the other. Yet, as Christians, God anointed us with our sexuality. By being made different, we are called to something special, much like the people of Deuteronomy. The Lord tells Her people to forget not their past, for it is part of their calling. Yet, for many of us, that past is traumatizing, filled with denial and lies. Still, as God didn't want the people of Israel to forget their past, so to does She not want us to forget ours. There will be times in our future where we must call upon our past to give light to the present.
When read in its original Greek, the Holy Spirit didn't just move Christ to the wilderness, the Holy Spirit yearned that Christ come into the wilderness. He was beckoned there after being baptized, anointed in his mission. In what ways are we, as LGBTQ Christians called into a strange and sometimes hostile wildernesses. But the Psalm for today comforts us who are called to that wilderness. We are reminded that God has commanded that an angel protect us "in our ways." How comforting to know that in all of our struggles, we are sent an angel to help us, to lift us up, to protect us from evil.
As we continue this lenten season, let us remember that as we journey through the wilderness, God has sent an angel to be with us and protect us in our journey.
16 February 2010
Ash Wednesday and Lent
I used to hate getting ashes on my forehead as a kid in a Catholic school. I somehow always ended up with the most deformed and messed up smear of soot on my forehead, at least I thought I did. Now it has become something to which I look forward. Lent is a time of turning back to the Lord. The ashes symbolize the beginning of that journey. No longer am I concerned about my ashes looking strange nor do I rush to the bathroom after the service to fix my hair to cover the ashes. Part of this may be because the only time I have to get my ashes is in the evening so very few people actually see them. But the bigger reason, I think, is that when I finally came out of the closet and accepted my sexuality as a gift from God, I stopped caring so much about other people's judgements. Why I thought that the other kids in my school, who also had ashes, would judge my ashes, I do not know. But the judgement about my sexuality was something very real for me. It prevented me from having a relationship with Christ. Coming out of the closet is so much like Ash Wednesday in my mind. It marked the beginning of my turning back to the Lord, a journey often filled with bumps and turmoil, but a journey still filled with joy.
For many Christians, Lent is a 40 day endurance test of who can make it all the way to Easter Sunday without something so wonderful, like chocolate or a favorite tv show. In many ways, this is the wrong approach to Lent. Lent is a time in which we give up that which hinders a true and authentic relationship with God. This Lent, I challenge the LGBTQ community and its allies to give up any shame associated with our sexual orientations or gender identities. Use this opportunity to reflect deeper on what is means to live out the persons God made us to be.
For many Christians, Lent is a 40 day endurance test of who can make it all the way to Easter Sunday without something so wonderful, like chocolate or a favorite tv show. In many ways, this is the wrong approach to Lent. Lent is a time in which we give up that which hinders a true and authentic relationship with God. This Lent, I challenge the LGBTQ community and its allies to give up any shame associated with our sexual orientations or gender identities. Use this opportunity to reflect deeper on what is means to live out the persons God made us to be.
13 February 2010
Queer and Christian?
Before we continue, I would like to explain how this blog will work as well as establish some rules. I will mainly be posting commentary on the readings for a given week according to the Common Lectionary. Each post will contain each of the week's passages so that if you want, you may read them. I will try to discuss the passages in light of our sexuality, to highlight that the Bible speaks to LGBTQ persons as well. I will also include some pieces about others ways that our faith can come alive through our sexual orientation.
This is to be an open and safe place for people to seek the Lord. Any derogatory comments toward another readers comment, or toward a group of people will not be tolerated. I will delete the comment and report the poster.
That being said, I am in no way a Biblical authority or am I an expert in the field of theology. I will draw upon the work of Queer Theologians who are far more learned than I am. However, I will also offer my own reflection on how each reading may speak to our queerness. I invite all readers to do the same in the comments section. This is a place where all can be honest and open. Take advantage of it and enjoy!
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