I like that delineation but see myself as fitting into none of those camps. My self-perception is of a moderate liberal who favors clear-eyed analysis of the Bible, informed by evidence from the secular world. I respect the right of others to hold views at variance from mine but believe that, at the end of the day, there is only one complex truth, for which we are obliged to search together.
There is a long and honorable Christian tradition of reinterpreting Scripture to reflect advances in scientific knowledge. It was appropriate for Christians who lived before the days of Copernicus to say that the sun rotates around the earth, but they were obliged to abandon that dogma once astronomical science disproved the old concept. Similarly, our beliefs about homosexuality must reflect knowledge as it exists today and as it is evolving.
The editor’s statement that, “Many (of us) know gay and lesbian Presbyterians” understates the reality. Precise numbers are hard to come by because (for valid reasons) gay people are reluctant to identify themselves to pollsters, but the truth is that all of us know a large number of them — they worship with us every Sunday. They don’t look different from us “straights,” and only a minority of them fit the stereotypical images so common in our society. It has long been evident to counselors and other professionals who work with children that many homosexual boys know before age 10 that they are “different” in a way that they must conceal if they are to avoid ridicule, or worse, conceal from their peers and their elders. This characteristic is deep-seated and typically resistant to the most fervent efforts to change it.
Neurobiological research presently under way is beginning to delineate the brain structure and function underlying these observations, and a new Copernican revolution may unfold before our eyes during the next decade. We live in a time of rapidly expanding knowledge, one when well-meaning evangelical Christians would be wise to trim their sails cautiously in anticipation of major wind shifts in the near future.
This does not imply a belief that the Bible is wrong, but rather that it is time to read Scripture with new humility and new willingness to reexamine long-held interpretations. Is Genesis 19 about homosexuality as we know it today, is it or about male-on-male violence and the subjugation of women (verses 6-8)? Does Leviticus 18, which reflects the harsh realities of nomadic existence in a great wilderness, apply literally and in toto to today’s very different world? Is the Sermon on the Mount, which says so much about lifting people up but is eloquently silent about homosexuality, not relevant to this debate?
In this observer’s opinion, the year 2008 should be a time for reflection and possible course change by liberal-progressive Christians. A series of 53% to 47% “victories” in the General Assembly should be grounds for caution, not jubilation. As the old saying goes, “A man convinced against his will/is of the same opinion still.” This should be a year for building bridges, not walls. Supporting our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters is essential, but so is maintaining love and unity within our denomination. Jack Haberer seems to have gotten it exactly right on this point. Reflecting on deliberations at the 1994 General Assembly he wrote, “They realized that to change the church’s practice without changing the church’s mind would only promote ecclesiastical chaos, and changing the church’s ethical teaching without theological rationale ranks right up there with building houses on sand” (editorial, August 11, 2008 issue, p. 5).
“Theological rationale” is certainly necessary in this instance, but it is not sufficient to insure an outcome that will find favor with God. It is easy to point to a handful of Scripture verses and say, “See? The Bible says that homosexuality is sin!” It is more difficult, but mandatory, to include information from the world of science, however incomplete it may be in the year 2008, and present the total picture to those who will be voting at presbytery meetings next spring, at a level understandable by committed Christians who are neither theologians nor scientists.
Robert D. Gillette is an active elder in an Ohio Presbyterian Church, and presently serves as moderator of Eastminster Presbytery. He is a professor emeritus at the Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine.
