I saw recently a Facebook post quoting Archbishop Desmond Tutu as saying, "If God, as they say, is homophobic, then I wouldn't worship that God." It evoked a number of questions and reactions, here I share a few...
I too am against homophobia, if by that one means being afraid of or hating or being mean to someone because of their life-style choices. Curious, I wonder if in fact Desmond made this statement, and if so, what the context of it statement was. I think there is much confusion on this issue, especially as regards a Christian frame of reference. I offer my feeble contribution to such… It is offered kindly, honestly, and from my heart...
God (the King) is the sovereign, supreme, supplier of all that is good and right. He is the only rightful object of our fear, honor, worship, devotion and obedience. He is not afraid of anyone, no matter what their orientation. Our wellbeing and joy, however, are linked to our humble, obedient, faith in Him. Anyone who truly loves people (as the King does) will treat them with kindness, respect, and honesty. If one chooses a way of thinking or acting that is contrary to the will of God, they are choosing a path of misery. Any loving person would want to help one choosing such a path to find a better path. So, no follower of Jesus should be homophobic or mean or unkind to those who choose a life-style in opposition to God's will. However, at the same time, true love compels us to reject destructive choices while embracing those who make them. Further, from this frame of reference, it would be wrong to attempt to control one's private choices; however, there is no kindness, warmth, or love in the public promotion of such choices. Failure to embrace, accept, and promote homosexuality as normal and healthy is NOT homophobia, but consistently applied biblical faith.
To put another spin on homophobia, perhaps a more insidious manifestation of it is a fear that hinders us from being, saying, and doing what is ultimately best for a person caught in the web of such life-style choices.
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ReplyDeleteThe following is a thoughtful response from my friend, Thomas Wilson, who originally left it on Facebook. I repost it here with his permission. Clearly, he has different perspective than I do; however, he makes some good points regarding our consistency that those who claim the label of "conservative Christian," better give heed to.
ReplyDeleteKeith. . .all due respect (having read your article), The conservative Christian tendency to overlook a plethora of vices, sins, transgressions, etc that are cited side by side in scripture--in the OT, eating of shellfish, blended fabrics, cutting of hair, etc; and in the NT greed, anger, gluttony (GLUTTONY? wow, that one is lauded in many churches). . .Conservative Christianity overlooks, dismisses, minimizes, or explains away all of these other things, yet treats Homosexuality as a the epitome of immorality. . .THAT is why it is generally considered Homophobia. It is not simply that Christians think that Homosexuality is a sin. ..but rather that they refuse, at the cost of the well being of other people, to use the same tendency to rationalize and dismiss away OTHER lifestyle choices which are against what the Bible teaches. When Christians give greed and the hoarding of wealth equal billing with homosexuality. . .when believers emulate Christ's example of tolerance, equality, generosity, and charity. . .when the faithful stop singling out one specific group of "sinners" and identifying their "sins", while failing to indict our Nation's trend of waste, materialism, and discrimination. . .THEN maybe your point will be valid. . .
But the Difficulty, Keith, is that in general, the Conservative Christian community does not just treat homosexuality as something that they "believe is against God's will". . .They treat it as a much GREATER sin than a thousand other lifestyles and transgressions and "iniquities". And they use that "belief" to make legislation to impose their faith upon, and thereby limit the rights of, other human beings.
When I see the Conservative Christian community speak out against the problems of the exploitation of the poor, deprivation of health care, and discrimination as strongly as they do against the "sin" of homosexuality, then I will gladly accept your premise as valid. . .
But the bottom line is, that the Jesus that Christians claim to follow spoke out against all of these things and more, yet said not one single word against homosexuality. . .and Christians overlook all of the things he vocally and repeatedly condemned and single out Homosexuality as an issue that they are Divinely Mandated to speak out against. THAT is why it is Homophobia.