Because I was out of the country, I seem to have missed the latest skirmish in the religion and homosexuality wars.
An Associated Press story today summarizes the uproar that Albert Mohler, President of the Southern Baptist Association, started when he blogged about the etiology of homosexuality on March 2nd. His blog today decries how he has been misquoted in the media and has received hate mail from both gay people and those on the Christian right.
He states today that regardless of whether there is a biological basis for homosexuality, that in the Bible, "all forms of homosexual behavior are expressly condemned as sin." I am sure many Biblical scholars would disagree. Yes, there are the four to six "clobber" verses, but surely the overall message of Scripture is one of compassion, justice, and a recognition that we are all created in God's image. I recall the line from Ethel Waters, "God doesn't ever make junk."
But, I also wonder how Mr. Mohler would address the texts that offer another message about sexual difference -- the stories of Jonathan and David, of Ruth and Naomi, of Jesus and the beloved disciple...the texts that call for acceptance of the eunuchs, the known sexual minorities of the time. Or, how he responds to the fact that committed loving same sex relationships were unheard of in the time of Scripture and that the Romans and Leviticus texts probably refer to the practice of male cultic prostititution. And so on.
So, here's an invitation, Mr. Mohler. You seem to be both genuinely pained by the response to your blog and I hope genuinely open to thinking about these issues. I'd be happy to send you a copy of our new study guide on sexual and gender diversity as soon as it's ready and a reading list in the meantime to get you started.
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2 comments:
Thanks for the post, Debra. I love reading your blog. However, you may want to recheck the links on this post. The first one includes two http:// and the second is missing the "m" in the extension ".com"
I haven't followed this one all that closely, but I think he may have done the debate a favor.
If homosexualty is genetic, and we find a genetic marker for it, should we allow parents to abort a child because of it? Much as we now allow them to abort a child unwanted for any reason?
It's a tough moral question I think given current law.
It's a resounding no in my mind.
But I wouldn'd dismiss the Rev M. here for raising it.
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