Week 3—A Curious Collection of the Rules of Bacon, Football, and Sex

Why we do this

We began by looking at sobering stats about the effects the marginalization of the LGBTQ+ community has on queer youth in particular—increased risks of homelessness, depression, and even suicide. But there is hope: LGBTQ+ youth who reported having at least one LGBTQ-affirming space had those risks reduced by 35%. This is why the work that we are doing to open our hearts and minds to queer inclusion is so important.

       Scholar David Gushee explains how this data led him to explore affirming theology: "The fact that traditionalist Christian teaching produces despair in just about every gay or lesbian person who must endure it is surely very relevant information for the LGBTQ debate… It became clear to me that however complex the exegetical and theological issues are, existentially and humanly I needed to wrestle with these questions in the community of the bullied rather than the community of the bullies."

Taking a Deep Breath

       As we begin to consider queer inclusion in our churches and families, conflict often comes to the forefront. When we're talking about the lives and wellbeing of our own loved ones, this raises anxiety. We’ve gathered some tips for managing that stress and being able to be a "non-anxious presence" in those spaces:

1. Lower the temperature—use deep breaths and cognitive reframing to remain calm and non-anxious.

2. Listen carefully, ask good questions, and summarize what you heard.

3. Spend time in prayer and silence together.

4. Use clear communication. Defining terms is particularly important here.

5. Look for places of commonality. Is it possible to reframe the conflict?

6. Keep coming back to prayer and silence.

The Widening of God’s Mercy, ch. 4-6

       In ch. 4, Christopher Hays builds on a key principle of open theism—that God is mutable or changeable. Its a controversial position, but one that makes sense of Scripture, especially passages that support genocide or child sacrifice. The dangers of taking everything in Scripture as indicative of God’s unchanging will are especially evident in the conquest passages. (see Greg Boyd, Death of the Warrior God.)

        “’Offering children to Molech’ (Canaanite child sacrifice) is a powerful metaphor for interpreting laws in a way that we know to be harmful to children.

       “Many in the church treat sexuality in a similar way: They understand that traditional church teaching about sexuality can be harmful, and they often have people in their families and networks whom they know are affected, but because of their faith and their reverence for God and tradition, they feel unable to support a systematic rethinking of the questions. The situation is especially excruciating for parents of LGBTQ teens who feel pressure to choose between the teaching of their church communities and support for their own children...

       “Rather than denying we mean harm and continuing to do harm, it may be better to say that we have been following statutes that are not good.” 

       In ch. 5, Hays demonstrates how in the Old Testament, God is constantly widening the borders of who is included in their grace. The prophet Isaiah reveals that even the Egyptians and Assyrians, enemies of Israel who had oppressed and enslaved them, will be met with grace and inclusion.

       “There are strong indications from the very beginning of the Old Testament story that God’s plan for the other nations was much broader and more inclusive than it sometimes appears. It’s often said that the Hebrew Bible is the story of the ‘chosen people,’ but the Bible itself says that God’s story with this people is only a microcosm of his purposes for the whole creation...

       “From start to finish, Isaiah’s vision of God is expansive, in ways that would have been uncomfortable for the book’s original readers. But Isaiah’s prophecies also crystallized the image of a universal God that we still hold today.” 

       In ch. 6, Hays returns to the theme of God changing their mind: “God does not mechanically control all events.... The idea that God does not foresee and control everything, and feels pity and regret even concerning his past judgments, is troubling for some theological views, but if we take the Bible seriously, it is hard to deny.”

       He ties this to the danger of “knowingness”—or certainty. He draws on the philosopher Jonathan Lear who sees certainty “as a substitute for thought” in which “reason is being used to jump ahead to a conclusion, as though there is too much anxiety involved in simply asking a question and waiting for the world to answer.” This default desire for certainty, for our knowledge of God to be settled and complete, can blind us to the ways that God is moving and doing new and unexpected things. 

Curious rules and oddities

       Our exploration of today's "clobber verses" began with a clip from a satirical monologue by President Jeb Bartlett in the classic drama, The West Wing, in which Bartlett challenges the use of Leviticus to condemn homosexuality by pointing out a number of other Levitical laws that seem ridiculous to today’s Christians. You can find the humorous clip at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSXJzybEeJM.

       Aaron Sorkin obviously intended the speech rhetorically—but it highlights the problem Christians, who generally hold the whole Bible as authoritative, have grappling with their relationship to the Old Testament Law. Very few Christians quote from Leviticus today unless it's to condemn homosexuality. It's full of some very odd rules, many of which very few Christians follow today. Pastors and theologians have attempted time and again to find a way to differentiate which rules are binding for Christians today and which aren't. They will distinguish between a "moral code" versus a "cultural (or purity) code." But the fact is, the two are intermingled throughout the book. The rules Christians often think are "cultural" are placed right alongside the ones we think are "essential"—with no clear distinction.

       It's helpful to remember that these laws were written to a people (the Hebrew community) coming out of slavery in Egypt, where they had no freedom—every aspect of their lives dictated by their oppressors. They are learning how to form a community of free men and women. And they are entering into the Promised Land—Canaan.

But there were already people living in that land—Canaanites, Philistines. (The fact that they are displacing another people group raises other significant theological problems– but that's a discussion for another day). The Levitical law was about being set apart from the people in Egypt and Canaan. The rules are making them distinct, different. They highlight how Yahweh is calling them to a distinctive way of life.

Why is it always about men?

       Which leads us to two similar clobber verses: Lev. 18:22 “Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable" (or "an abomination"). Lev. 20:13: “If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads."

       The Hebrew word used to describe same-sex relations in both these verses is Toevah, usually translated "abomination" or "detestable." When you hear the word "abomination" what comes to mind for you? It's a word that we associate with horrible, gross, disgusting things. It is a word that evokes shame.

       Toevah is used 117 times in the Old Testament. Only two of those 117 verses have to do with homosexuality. Most are things Christians do not condemn today. In Lev. 18-20 all sorts of sexual acts are forbidden, including sex with menstruating women. Many scholars note that Toevah is often associated with idolatry (we'll see the role of pagan cult prostitution in a future session). So rules about sex were part of differentiating Israel from their pagan neighbors.

       It's interesting to note that Leviticus condemns "men lying with men" but not the parallel of "women lying with women." In fact, of the six clobber verses in the Bible only one discusses lesbian relationships. Scholars note the emphasis in the Old Testament on fruitfulness or reproduction. Children are a blessing, and having progeny, building a legacy, is a primary goal of life. Odd stories like the tale of Onan's "spilling his seed" in Gen. 38 seem to reflect this concern about non-reproductive sex.

       To put it crassly, "lying with a man as a woman" appears to be referring to sexual positions. In the ancient world, sex in the dominant (on top) position was considered a way of showing dominance or primacy. There are lots of ugly ways that played out that have nothing to do with sexual gratification or love, but were all about domination and humiliation. It is about power—and who has it. One can see reflected in that the prevailing patriarchy of the time—where being treated "like a woman" is considered humiliating.

Watch out for the abominable… bacon

       But it's not just sex. Food is also a key concern— with that same Hebrew word, Toevah, used to describe unclean (or non-kosher) foods. Pork, shellfish, all sorts of forbidden foods (including *gasp* bacon!) are also called an "abomination."

       But then… in Acts 10 the apostle Peter has a vision in which a sheet, covered with all sorts of forbidden foods, is lowered from heaven:

       Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.”

        “Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.”

       The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.” This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven. –Acts 10:13-16

       This led to Peter converting a Gentile (non-Jew) to Christianity. Something similar is discussed by Paul in 1 Cor. 8 regarding food offered to idols. These stories are one of the reasons why Christians generally do not feel bound to kosher food laws. The bottom line is that many things that are called an "abomination" in the Old Testament don't seem to be so in the New Testament.

       A lot of Jesus' teachings have to do with establishing a new relationship with the Law. This is a whole discussion in itself. An excellent resource is Glen Stassen's book, Living the Sermon on the Mount. Stassen shows how Jesus didn't come to abolish the law, but to show us it's intent (Matt. 5:17). In the sermon, Jesus gives example after example where he specifically references an Old Testament law—and then shows how interpreting it literally is fruitless—what Stassen calls a vicious cycle. Stassen suggests the goal is not to rigidly follow the rules that control external behavior, but to have a transformed heart. In Matt. 15:17-20 Jesus emphasizes that we don't become pure by what we do or don't eat, that it is what's in the heart that makes someone clean or unclean. And so if we can eat bacon, we can accept homosexuality. If bacon doesn't make us unclean, neither does loving someone of the same sex. 

Shame

       The word "abomination" is used to shame people—especially queer people.

       When we do something that we believe or have been told is wrong or immoral, we feel pain. We feel guilt. Humans basically have three responses to guilt. One is denial. We can think of the Roman governor, Pilate, who examines Jesus and finds he has done no wrong, but is too cowardly to stand up to the crowd shouting "crucify him." So Pilate washes his hands in an attempt to symbolically absolve himself of guilt. This sort of denial is rooted in shame. It is a way of hiding.

`      We have an even more dramatic and tragic response to shame in the example of Jesus' disciple, Judas– the one who betrays Jesus. Almost immediately after putting his plan in motion, Judas is filled with remorse and tries to undo it. When he is unable to do so, Judas kills himself. This reminds us of those horrible, tragic statistics we read earlier from the Trevor Project research—demonstrating the destructive impact of shame. It leads to self-harm and devastation. It leads, whether figuratively or literally, to death.

       Shame is so destructive because it has to do with our innate worth and identity. Someone experiencing shame does not just feel regret for something they did. They feel shame because of who they are. Their very core identity is a source of devastation. The tarnished identity of shame is intractable and permanent—you are forever defined by your worst moment. Even today, when we think of Pilate, we think of his cowardice. When we call someone a "Judas" we are calling them a betrayer.

       Shame leads to hopelessness.

       That is not the good news of the gospel. That is not the good news of grace. One can look to Peter—who similarly denied and abandoned Jesus in his time of greatest need. When the rooster crows, waking Peter up to what he has done, he is devastated. He feels remorse. But… he is not destroyed. He does not hide his actions, but is able to face it honestly, with repentance and healthy remorse. And because of that, he is able to move forward. We know about his denial—it is not hidden—but he is not defined by it. His remorse is transitory, and in fact, energizing. It moves him forward. He has a full and powerful life after that low point.

       Because of the use of words like "abomination" and the associations we give to that word, queer people are often stuck in shame or denial. They feel marked by the label. They often hide themselves, their true identity, from their families and their church communities.

       But the message of grace calls us to something different. Jesus is calling all of us to a more authentic spirituality. It's obvious from this blog that I don't believe homosexuality is a sin. But what's even more important is for people of all sexualities and gender identities to be able to be authentic. To create safe spaces where no one needs to hide parts of themselves. To not live in shame.

       Come Lord Jesus, come. Help us to be a part of healing all that is broken, including all that is broken and hurting for LGBTQ+ people and especially for youth. Give us wisdom and soft hearts. Help us to create safe places where everyone is known, loved and valued for their full and complete selves. Amen.