CONFLICTS ABOUT HOMOSEXUALITY WITHIN CHRISTIANITY

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Religion and homosexuality

Because different Christian denominations have diverse methods of interpreting the Bible, they develop belief systems that are poles apart. Some commentators view Christianity as two separate religions, one liberal and the other conservative. They are seen as sharing the Bible, a name, and little else. More often, theologians divide Christendom into three wings: conservative, mainline and liberal.

Individual denominations hold different beliefs on many controversial social topics. Most are related in some way with sex, such as: equal rights for women, pre-marital sex, living together without marriage, divorce, abortion, power sharing in families, methods of disciplining children, female ordination, etc. But perhaps the most passionately held belief, next only to a woman's access to abortion, is homosexuality. The specific points of conflict are:

Christians who have taken a strong stand on the "homosexual question" generally fall into one of two categories, which we call very conservative and very liberal.

It is important to realize that public opinions are in a state of flux over homosexuality. Most people may well hold beliefs which are intermediate between these two positions.

The following table indicates the considerable gulf between the two positions. For purposes of clarity, the descriptions are simplified:

There has been radical social change since World War II, in areas such as: abortion choice, extra-marital sexual behavior, inter-racial marriage, racial integration, school prayer, equal rights for women, physician assisted suicide, etc. There have also been rapid religious changes in such diverse areas as women wearing hats in church, female ordination, concepts of hell and heaven, the nature of Satan, etc. Religious liberals, both individuals and denominations, tend to promote change; religious conservatives tend to resist it. Change often seems to flow like a river, starting with the more liberal religious groups, (e.g. Unitarian Universalists, the United Church of Christ, and the United Church of Canada). Perhaps decades later, mainline denominations (e.g. the Presbyterians and United Methodists) follow, repeating the same battles. Finally, many decades or even centuries later, conservative denominations complete the transition. 

Current beliefs about homosexuality in the U.S.:

Strains within religious groups over homosexuality will probably increase in the future. In 2001-AUG, Barna Research reported on their sampling of over 1,000 American adults. Barna asked whether they considered homosexuality to be "an acceptable lifestyle." This is not a well worded question.  Many people consider homosexuality to be a sexual orientation and not a lifestyle. Thus, some persons polled would answer that it is not an "acceptable lifestyle" because they don't regard it is not a lifestyle. The results show a remarkable polarization in the country:

This presents very conservative Christians with a serious problem when they try to carry out the Great Commission and evangelize the "unsaved." Their potential converts will be increasingly in favor of equal rights for persons of all sexual orientations. Yet the evangelizers will remain very strongly opposed to homosexuality. Their beliefs will be a millstone around their necks, as the people they are trying to convert increasingly view conservative Christians as intolerant of sexual minorities. Many of their potential converts will want to have nothing to do with any religion whose believers are so prejudiced.

Conflict within conservative denominations

Social change tends to be very slow with in many conservative denominations. One example is the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), the largest Protestant denomination in the U.S. They broke away from their abolitionist parent organization over slavery in 1844. They believed, at the time, that slavery was not a sin according to the Bible. It took them 151 years before they issued their remarkable 1995 statement apologizing for their racist past, and promising to eliminate any residual racism still left within the SBC.

Almost all Fundamentalist and Evangelical congregations and denominations have not yet altered their stance on homosexual rights, marriage and ordination. ₁ Some do accept homosexual members as long as they remain celibate. When a local church does become inclusive, treating homosexuals and heterosexuals alike, it is often dealt with harshly, as in the cases of three SBC congregations in North Carolina :

These were remarkable decisions that reversed centuries of tradition. ₂ One of the identifying characteristics of Baptist denominations had always been the freedom of the individual congregation in matters of doctrine and morality. Congregational freedom had existed in the SBC ever since the founding of the denomination. It ended in the 1990s. More details on the SBC and homosexuality.

The conflict within mainline denominations

Mainline faith groups have a special problem. Their members are often far more heterogeneous on matters of belief. Within their denomination, they often have substantial numbers of members who hold liberal, mainline and conservative belief about matters as diverse as the virgin birth, the inerrancy of the Bible and equal rights for homosexuals. One or more organizations of renewal or reform have been formed within many mainline denominations.  These are conservative groups that are dedicated to rolling back any change in denomination beliefs and practices. These groups are often formed because of pressure by progressives in the church who favor homosexual ordination.

The Presbyterian Church (USA) is typical. The Presbyterian Coalition is its renewal organization. They describe themselves as "god-menA Movement of Christ's People Committed to Life and Transformation in the PC(USA), Exalting Jesus Christ, Energizing Congregations, [and] Upholding Historic Biblical Leadership Standards."  They have "gathered individuals, churches, organizations and their leadership into a loosely defined, open, and active movement sharing the conviction that the words of Scripture, interpreted by the Confessions of the Church, reveal the will of God."  ₅ god-menThe organization of Presbyterian Coalition was trigger by proposals that might have led to the ordaining of non-celibate homosexuals. 

god-menA key consideration for reform/renewal movements is whether individuals and congregations should stay within the congregation and fight to maintain historical standards, or to give up, leave the denomination, and seek another, more conservative, spiritual home. This decision was on the minds of many of the approximately 210 participants who attended the Presbyterian Coalition Gathering IV, at Dallas, TX, 1999 SEP-20/22. On the first evening of the conference, two board members spoke: Jerry Andrews advocated staying within the denomination and trying harder to resist the progressive elements. He proposed "reconnecting" or "keep[ing] covenant." with the PC(USA).  Mark Toone felt that after many years of discussion within the denomination that further dialog would not be productive. "He pleaded battle-fatigue and an unwillingness to devote a lifetime of ministry to fighting for ordination standards - including chastity in singleness, fidelity in marriage and no same-sex relations - that, as far as evangelicals are concerned, are spelled out clearly in scripture and tradition." ₄ He describes their current situation as a "Paul and Barnabas moment," a time for parting of the ways. Mark Toone was referring to the incident in Acts 15:35-41 when Paul and Barnabas experienced a conflict and each went their separate way. ₆ The general consensus of those at the gathering was to stay within the denomination. Leaving is not an encouraging option. They could transfer to the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, or some similar more conservative denomination. (The EPC was formed in 1981 and has 188 congregations and over 55,000 members in the U.S.)  But that alternative would embroil them in other controversies, like debates at the congregation level whether women should be eligible for ordination. The PC(USA) settled that question in the affirmative over 4 decades ago. 

The conflict within liberal denominations

The "homosexual question" has been largely settled in the United Church of Christ and similar liberal denominations. The ordained their first openly gay man, William Johnson, in 1972. They formed the United Church Coalition for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Concerns in 1973. They ordained their first openly lesbian woman, Anne Holmes, in 1977. Ordination of gays and lesbians is left up to the local associations within the denomination. Some, like Western North Carolina have gone on record as refusing to consider any homosexual candidate for the ministry.  The Rev. P.H. Sherry issued a pastoral letter in 1998-DEC which discusses the benefits that the church and its members have received from the inclusive policies of the denomination. ₈

The United Church of Canada (UCC) was until recently the largest Protestant denomination in Canada. It has now been surpassed in membership by the Anglican Church. Although its leadership has consistently had a liberal orientation in recent years, there are still many conservatives and mainliners in the denomination. One factor which may have caused their diversity of religious belief is the origin of the denomination. It was formed in 1925 as a merger of most of the congregations of the Association of Congregational Churches in Canada, the Methodist Church and the Presbyterian Church in Canada. The UCC has its internal reform groups, including the National Alliance of Covenanting Congregations, Community of Concern and Church Alive. ₄ The path which the UCC followed to aughorize homosexual orientation was remarkable. In 1988:

The delegates came to the general meeting with a bias against homosexual ordination, but with an open, caring mind. They heard the painful stories of fellow church members. They experienced an attitude readjustment. They began to realize that gays and lesbians were not people to keep out of the church; homosexuals had been in the church all along -- and that they were hurting. The delegates began to think of how they could contribute to the healing of the suffering of their fellow Christians. Some attribute the startling events of that meeting to the Holy Spirit. 

The author experienced a similar transformation at a meeting of a subcommittee of the local Board of Education. The group was receiving public input on human sexuality in general, and on teaching about homosexuality in particular. The first speakers were stridently homophobic. Then came a gay and lesbian who were equally intense. The next speaker was a lesbian who described, in a soft voice, her experience as a local high school student. She had recognized that she was different; she thought that she was the only lesbian in the world; she had no contacts, no information, and no counseling services available to her. It was a very lonely and painful experience for her. After she finished, one could sense a change in the committee's concern. No longer were they intent on keeping gay and lesbian speakers and information out of the schools. They realized that homosexuals were already among the student body. Their priority became how to properly support their gay and lesbian students.

Related essays on this web site:

References

1. The Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission maintains a list of links on homosexual topics at: http://www.erlc.com/Homosexuality/homosexuality.htm
2. James C. Waller, "In the Middle of Sodom and Gomorrah": Raleigh-Area Churches and the Homosexuality Issue, at http://www.uts.columbia.edu/~usqr/WALLER.HTM This essay describes a gradual evolution of belief within two SBC congregations on the "homosexual issue"
3. Alexa Smith, "Presbyterian Evangelicals say they'd rather fight than switch," PCUSA News, 1999-SEP-24.
4. Randall Donald, Renewal and Reform Groups within the United Church of Canada" website at: http://wwwebcity.com/unitedrenewal/index2.html  
5. The Presbyterian Coalition has a web site at: http://www.presbycoalition.org/ 
6. "Presbyterian Coalition presses on for renewal in PC(USA)," Press release, 1999-SEP-25 at: http://www.presbycoalition.org/PressRelease092399.htm 
7. The Evangelical Presbyterian Church has a web site at: http://www.epc.org/hmaimenu.htm 
8. The Rev. P.H. Sherry, "Now, No Condemnation," at: http://www.ucc.org/headline/pastoral.htm
9. "Born-again Christian oppose abortion, homosexuality, poll shows," Associated Baptist Press, at: http://www.abpnews.com/abpnews/ 

Copyright © 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001 & 2002 by Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance
Latest update: 2002-JAN-6
Author: B.A. Robinson