Below is my column in today’s issue of the Grand Haven Tribune.
I know that I have been approached several times with requests for more information about what the Bible actually teaches on this question.
Most of the debate centers around six verses in the Bible. Yes, that is correct -- there are only six verses that explicitly deal with this question.
Two of those verses are in Leviticus (18:22 and 20:13), a part of the Levitical code that also prohibits eating crabs, clams and oysters as an abomination, among other things. It says you cannot wear clothing that mixes fabric or trim the edges of your beard. Clearly, these verses were written to a cultural and religious context that is not our own.
The next two, Genesis 19:1--29 and Judges 19:1--30, are very similar. Genesis 19 is the story of Sodom and Judges 19 is clearly also based upon that text. In both stories, a mob of men seeks to rape a man who is visiting. In the Judges text, when that becomes impossible, they rape the man's female concubine instead. Once more, clearly this text is a condemnation of rape -- the gender of who is involved seems beside the point. We can read these stories and all agree that rape is heinous and wrong.
The remaining two are in the New Testament, both from Paul. In 1 Corinthians 6:9, Paul lists categories of sinners who will not inherit God's kingdom. He uses two specific Greek words that don't translate well to our culture: malakos and aresenokoites. These words are used to describe a Greco-Roman system in which older men paid to have sex with younger men. The issue is paying for sex, particularly because this is almost always coercive to the one being paid. Once more, clearly wrong, not clearly a condemnation of all forms of same-sex activity.
Finally, there is Romans 1:18--29, a text in which Paul describes the fallenness of our world. He talks about those who have given up the Creator to worship the created, about women and men who gave up what was natural to engage in what was unnatural, something Paul describes as having sex with someone of the same sex. What's important to note here is Paul's description hinges upon two things: his understanding of what is natural and the giving up of oneself to sexual delight and experimentation.
Paul had no conception of homosexuality as a natural reality for a small percentage of the population. He did not know what we know now, that some people are homosexual for reasons outside of their choices (likely a combination of genetics and hormones). He did not know what we know now, that we also see homosexuality among a small percentage of the animal kingdom. He is writing about sexual experimentation and hedonism, about the choice to place the fulfillment of lust above all else.
Ironically enough, same-sex marriage is the most powerful answer to Paul's argument in Romans 1. Those who argue that homosexual persons should "change" and be straight are the ones insisting they should give up what is natural to them. Those who insist they should remain celibate are leaving homosexual persons in a tenuous state, one that (unless you have the spiritual gift to pull it off) means you will likely live a life of pain interspersed with unhealthy sexual experiences.
Rather, those who wish to get married are doing so precisely because they want to avoid the sin described in Romans 1. They don't want to turn from who they naturally are. They don't want to burn with lust and be tempted to make bad decisions. They want to do what Christians have historically believed is the best option for sexual expression -- enter into a life-long commitment that is disciplined and involves self-sacrifice.
As I've argued before, same-sex marriage is actually an inherently conservative choice. In a culture that rarely respects marriage, where sex is far too often cheap, at best, and destructive, at worst, it simply boggles my mind that Christians would tell gay people not to get married. The Christian call to all people, gay or straight, is to live disciplined lives, where sexuality is experienced in a covenanted relationship, a place where it can be the avenue of grace that God intended it to be.
The only remaining question is whether marriage is indeed the proper avenue for gay Christians seeking that covenanted and disciplined commitment. I'll explore that question in my next column.
-- By the Very Rev. Jared Cramer, who serves as rector of St. John's Episcopal Church in Grand Haven and as dean of the Lakeshore Deanery of the Diocese of Western Michigan. He will be offering a four-week series on the Christian Teaching of Marriage on Wednesday nights in August at St. John's, from 5:30-6:30 p.m., after the 5:15 Evening Prayer. All are welcome.
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