While the controversies surrounding sexuality and spirituality probably cannot be decided in the context of one simple exercise, we would like to invite you and your friends, at least, to consider the possibility of approaching scripture in some new ways. There are others who believe, in effect, that the Bible says NOTHING about homosexuality as an orientation and that those passages that refer to homosexual behavior are not speaking about loving, consensual relationships, but abusive and idolatrous behavior. Some so-called ‘people of faith’ have even used scripture as a means for advocating violence against those who identify as homosexual or bisexual. Is it possible that at the heart of the argument that blacks are inferior, that Jews are going to hell, and that women are ‘below’ men is a particular way of reading the Bible? Unfortunately, it is! And Gomes and many other Christians and Jews believe that the Bible is still being used (abused) to see gay men and lesbians as second-class citizens. He spends considerable time looking at the ways the Bible has been used and abused over the centuries to justify racism, anti-Semitism, sexism, and finally, what he calls “the last prejudice,†homophobia. Peter Gomes, chaplain at Harvard and author of a fascinating work entitled “The Good Book: Reading the bible With Mind and Heart†has some suggestions about how we might approach this task. Well…that depends, in part, upon how you read the Bible! Each of us comes to understand scripture (or any holy writing) based upon a variety of things including the religious traditions out of which we come, the values of our families, our own personal understanding of God, our own life experiences, to name a few. You may have heard a friend, or yourself, say something like: “Our fraternity is based on the Bible and Christian principles, so how can we accept gay men into our membership?â€Â Or, “How can I support a gay frat brother when the Bible says that homosexuality is wrong?†Our experience with college students would suggest that most of them turn to scripture for one of two reasons: 1) because they are facing a crisis (the death of a friend, the break up of a relationship, a tough career decision) or 2) they are looking for some ‘facts’ to back up their opinion about some issue (“The Bible says…â€) In some sense, it is just about the strangest book in the world! (Or, maybe, it’s just the way people interpret it.) Still considered a best-seller by book marketers, what’s really weird is that few people actually READ it and, if they do, they fail to understand that it’s not one book, but many, written over a period of a thousand years by a variety of authors with different writing styles, life stories and perspectives on God.
And it’s also interesting the way many of us approach the Bible.
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Isn’t it?Īn interesting question, to be sure. You don’t! Clearly your lifestyle is evil, but, in spite of your depravity, I’ll be your brother because I’m such a great Christian!’ That’s brotherhood!? Not the kind that we would want to claim! And, of course, most people who use that line (Love the sinner, hate the sin) are certain that it’s scriptural…something Jesus probably said…something that’s in the Bible …somewhere. That said, the line about loving the sinner and hating the sin still strikes us as an expression of smug superiority! What, in effect, someone is saying when they use that line is: ‘I know all about living a righteous life – a life of purity. It even sounds as if he felt supported by him! And it may be that when one is taking those first steps toward being honest, hearing “Love the sinner, not the sin!†is, at least, more welcoming than, “Well, you know you’re going to hell!†And in reading Jonathan’s initial response, it sounds like he was relieved by his brother’s response. That’s what Jonathan Scaggs in his story titled “1 John 2:10â€Â was told by a fraternity brother when, with fear and trepidation, Jonathan shared with this man the fact that he is gay. Windmeyer Brotherhood: Gay Life in College Fraternities r¬o¨Ý,ƒͯ.CW: discussion of homophobia, transphobia, racism, anti-Semitism, and sexism.