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Prev    Next Commentary: Why I embrace homosexuals' rights but accept heterosexual norms Published on Monday, October 26, 2009 Email To Friend    Print Version By Dr Isaac Newton I received an invitation to explore the socially volcanic issue of homosexuality and the Caribbean community from a theological perspective. This created hot pepper disagreements and bacchanal emotions. Some felt that my firmly grounded religious background would prejudice my view. Others believed that my liberal academic training would keep my perspective on an even heel. Dr Isaac Newton is an international leadership and change management consultant and political adviser who specialises in government and business relations, and sustainable development projects. Dr Newton works extensively in West Africa, the Caribbean and Latin America, and is a graduate of Oakwood College, Harvard, Princeton and Columbia. He has published several books on personal development and written many articles on economics, leadership, political, social, and faith-based issues. Around the same time, some Caribbean leaders were advancing the idea that for the islands to be fully integrated in the global community, discriminatory policies and customs against homosexuals should be revisited. Prime Minister, Bruce Golding of Jamaica had indicated on a BBC talk show (HardTalk), that it would be impossible for him to include a known homosexual in his cabinet, since this lifestyle is at war with Jamaica’s cultural values. Months before that, the United Progressive Party government of Antigua and Barbuda began exploring whether laws that do not allow homosexuals the freedom to practice their preferred sexual lifestyle, should be revamped. This created vigorous discussions inside and outside the religious community. The desire to talk about homosexuality seems motivated by an honorable concern: How can we embrace different beliefs about sexual ethics and justly resolve bitter disputes that linger beneath the surface, without destroying the basic foundations of our moral values? Knowing that self righteous anger alienates and stifles healing conversations, I entered that packed lecture hall to foster an honest, hard dialogue against attitudes of bigotry and a mindset of socially sanctioned disgust against homosexuals. I wanted to create an atmosphere where justice, open-mindedness and compassion were validated. Although my moral values reject homosexual behaviors, I affirm that homosexuals should not be discriminated against, if the ideals of a healthy democracy are to flourish. I accept the dignity and sacred esteem of all human beings--heterosexuals, bisexuals, and homosexuals alike-- and embrace the Bible’s restriction to heterosexual norm, without having any moral ambivalence about homosexuality. Yet, if we are going to have real progress in thinking and talking about homosexuality, we must actively listen to each other, even though we know that sometimes, our strong beliefs can lead to poisonous conflicts. But we must guard against the legitimacy of harboring spiritual hypocrisy. We must also reject an ideology that spiritually terrorizes homosexuals, by placing their transgressions on the bottom rung, while excusing heterosexuals’ sins. My struggle to break free from homophobic tendencies means that I am still in the process of ridding myself of socialized childhood repulsion; thus, sharing this perspective illustrates this journey. Academic and Cultural Background I arrived at a theological stance on homosexuality through academic and cultural exploration, by developing an enlightened awareness for interpreting Scriptures, and through moral sensitivity for discerning the will of God for the Church today. Several years ago, I read ‘Homosexuality and Christian Community’ authored by Dr. Choon-Leong Seow. The book emerged from heated debates taking place at Princeton Theological Seminary. Professors and students engaged each other on ‘the practical, theological, ethical and exegetical issues relating to homosexuality.’ The topic burned with implications for the church in an increasingly open society. Disagreements over sincerely and sometimes, emotionally difficult interpretations of the Bible abound. How could the same Bible, persuade and evoke such striking differences of convictions, particularly from recipients of the Biblical tradition? This question fascinated me, and sent me on my own disquieting journey. As a graduate student, I was also troubled by the irony of being open to new ideas while nurturing a made up mind. In retrospect, this was normal for a typical Caribbeaner. My religious and social orientations flatly rejected homosexuality without considering its wider implications for church life, or the serious struggles that self-professed homosexual Christians face. How oxymoronic I thought, that anyone dared proclaim himself or herself to be, simultaneously a follower of Christ and a homosexual. More so, how bold for anyone to adopt this perspective. Since then, I have matured considerably. Though my convictions remain the same, my knowledge about the topic and my attitude has changed remarkably. Viscerally, I am willing to give credence to scientific findings and human experience. This shapes and informs but does not uproot my Biblical understanding of human sexuality as deposited in the Creation story. What this means for how we should affirm or disaffirm models for human relationships within a culture that promotes freedom of sexual expressions is worth exploring. Interpretative Grid I do understand that merely reading the Bible does not equal understanding what it says. Interpreting and applying the Scripture to our time and place is just as important. I keep in mind that the Bible was authored through the historical presuppositions of inspired men. When I interpret the Bible, I want to know, how the human situation--then and now--influence both the meaning of the message and its ethical application. I see homosexuality as a way of life that is both politically charged and religiously controversial. Within the larger society, some argue that it is an anomaly, others that it is less a sexual preference and more a genetic reality, while still others see it as a psychological dysfunction, predicated upon experiences of pain and abuse. Understanding the ways cultural, social, psychological and religious forces influence my interpretative constructs- my position is this: I give Biblical revelation supremacy to scientific knowledge. My faith disallows me to dismiss scientific wisdom; instead it takes scientific knowledge seriously enough, to transcend it. Theological Perspective I believe that Genesis 1-2 cannot separate the issue of homosexuality from the role and function of human sexuality. Here, the Bible establishes maleness and femaleness as the norm for human sexuality. This fundamental sexual ethos is given as part of the goodness of God’s creation. Both Old and New Testament texts refer to this normative model for human sexuality. Homosexuality is at odds with the norm of maleness and femaleness. More so, all other forms of heterosexual distortions fall equally outside of God’s intention for human sexual behavior. Gender distinction therefore, epitomizes the quality of the constancy of human sexual relationships. Neither time nor social conditions can alter or render illegitimate Creation’s sexual model. I believe this model determines the very nature of sexual relations as a spiritual, physical and procreational force. Humans are limited by space, time, and physicality. But free. The freedom to operate within space, time and physicality is just as consistent with Creation as is, human finiteness. This freedom to choose however does not erase the male-female status of sexuality nor remove obligations to decide what constitutes desirable choices. Cultural patterns and scientific data may help to explain sexual perversions from the Biblical norm of human sexuality. Although the affirmation of homosexual conduct makes flexible the scope of human sexuality, it provides no ethical guide for sexual behavior. Theologically, I believe that the Bible affirms heterosexuality as the norm for human sexual intimacy. Implications for the Church If the Christian Church in the Caribbean is going to maintain its moral authority, it can no longer avoid addressing the issue of homosexuality. In some quarters, the Church either engages in politically correct posturing or spews condemnation without a sense of grace instilled with compassion. But growing minorities of Christians confess that they too have read the Bible, and feel that traditionalists have misinterpreted scripture to reflect their homophobic biases. They are willing to boldly affirm homosexual life styles as consistent with their calling to be faithful followers of God. In such a controversial context, several implications come to mind. These are: • How does the Church condemn sin and affirm the grace of God towards homosexuals? • How should the Church respond to the fact that those who accept and reject homosexuals, do this on the basis of their firm belief that they are completely right about the heart of the gospel’s good news? • Beyond the debates over theological correctness, how does the church decide on the substance of the gospel or which version of gospel truth to tell, when addressing the issue of homosexuality? • How is the justice of God revealed in assisting the faithful to overcome all sexual and nonsexual forms of oppression to which they so readily succumb? • Since God cares about our sexual intimacy, why is this issue important for the Church to explore? • What principles should define our broader Christian relationship with each other, and how does that relationship helps us to relate to homosexuals? • Should the Church harbor different attitudes and ethical responses to violators of pre and extra marital sex, and practitioners of heterosexual perversions? A Word of Caution It is my hope that all Christians ground their identities in God’s unconditional love for humanity, regardless of their convictions about homosexuality. We should honor, respect, love and remember always, the faces of those who war against all versions of sexual temptations, sexual perversions and sexual obsessions. And we must do this, without denying the truths of the Gospel as embodied in the Bible. In formulating our positions, we should subject our views to constant challenge. We should filter our convictions through spiritually discerning streams. And, we should uncover what ethical standards, God’s love is communicating to us in this generation. However, regardless of how tempting, we must never surrender Biblical principles for shifting social and cultural conveniences nor use the Bible to justify unholy prejudices.   Reads : 693   Prev    Next

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