REFLECTION SIX: DO JUSTICEOnly, live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that, whether I come and see you or am absent and hear about you, I will know that you are standing firm in one spirit, striving side by side with one mind for the faith of the gospel. (Philippians 1:27) By interpreting the Scriptures from a position of erotic justice-seeking,
gay and lesbian Christians unlock the discriminating constructs, uncover
the injustices and uncover nuances of same-sex relationships with new sensitivity.
It is in a manner worthy of Christ, who stood with outcasts and sinners,
as a brother and liberator. To be in Christ is to have unencumbered claim
to all that Christ gives. In our time, Christ gives and maintains
through the Spirit, given that we we may not lose the way. It is
the Spirit that leads us to interpret the Way of Jesus Christ in new and
liberative ways, always seeking to bring love and justice into the world,
in new contexts of living faith.
Arguments against homosexual persons in leadership positions do not follow the above theology. By quoting Levitical law and "new laws" that they derive through spurious exegesis from Romans 1:26-27 and 1Corinthians 6:9-10, they negate or fail to recognise that first-century Graeco-Roman and Jewish culture influenced the expression of Paul's statements. Later European attitudes and beliefs influenced the way that those original statements have been translated and passed into modern religious debates regarding homosexuality. This is achieved through a distortion or the original meaning and intent of the Pauline Gospel. The epistles rose from an ancient, cultural context that is different from today and they arose from understandings of human sexuality that are different from today. They refer to pederastic acts or to male prostitution and it is inappropriate to infer a general reference to homosexuality from them. Appropriate use of those statements requires understanding of their contextual derivation and an attempt to discern the intention of Paul, in making those statements. They have become texts of terror, that have been used to limit and control participation of gay and lesbian Christians within their churches. God's saving acts in Christ, as proclaimed in Paul's gospel, do not distinguish between people on the grounds of race, ethnicity, culture, social status or gender. It is within keeping of the spirit of the gospel and God's action for all people that we extend this understanding to include a lack of discrimination on the grounds of sexuality. Gay and lesbian Christians claim their place, as children of God, created in God's image and called to a new existence in Christ Jesus (1Cor. 1:26ff; 1Cor. 6:11). They belong to God through faith and are liberated, set free (1Cor. 6:19f.; 7:23f.; Rom.13:11f.), for they are "washed, sanctified justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God". (1Cor. 6:11). The early Christians who followed Peter and Paul would not have called upon the authority of the old law to justify moral behaviour under the new, in Christ. Neither must present day Christians revert to the Law to justify discrimination against homosexual persons. Levitical regulations of the Holiness Code had no hold on Christians and are manifestly irrelevant in explaining Christian hostility to gay sexuality. Likewise, to lapse into Law, even those that are selected from the Levitical Code or extapolated from the New Testament to suit personal or group dislikes or prejudices, is to annul the cross of Christ and to deny what Christ has won for all believers (1Cor.1:17; Gal. 5:11; Phil.3:18). To claim inspiration from the Holy Spirit, that purports a fanciful perfection that promotes the interests of heterosexual persons over all others, limits the flow of Grace, by projection of prejudice. It creates a false isolation, a ghettoe of deceipt from which lies and hatred "protect" the self-righteous. On reading Paul, we find that in Christ, participating in the freedom that Christ has given us, all persons of faith are free to extend that participation into full church life. We are free to use our whole being, all our god-given gifts and talents, for the service of our fellows and for service within the church and the world. This inclusivity is radical, in the sense that it lies at the root of what it means to be the church. All Christian people of faith are placed within the context of the body of Christ. In Christ, all have been made righteous by God's own acts of righteousness. There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ
Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free
from the law of sin and of death. ... For all who are led by the Spirit
of God are children of God. (Rom.8:1-2,14).
The evangelical truth is, "You are accepted through faith!" There are no factors to consider. Yet God-given participation through acceptance in faith is denied to gay and lesbian Christians by some members of the church. Consequently, gay and lesbian Christians wait for the conversion of their churches to conformity with Christ. They wait with revolutionary patience for the church to act in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. They wait for the realisation of Paul's vision of unity through Christ Jesus, in which all are equal participators, in and for Christ, through faith. Brother, Sister, stand and
be counted with those who share this vision
of unity. To do so, is to stand with dignity and divine purpose, for
you
stand with with Jesus, who called for the unconditional love of
neighbour,
to set the captives free, to bring in the outcast and proclaim the
acceptable year of the Lord. You stand with the prophets, who called
for the
doing of justice, with mercy. You stand with God, who called us
into being,
created in God's image as children of God. You stand with
love.
wla 6/98
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