Roy Clements on his journey with scripture and sexuality

In actual fact, the modern social phenomenon of two gay men or women forming a lifelong commitment as an alternative to heterosexual marriage was probably unknown to the biblical authors. If they were aware of such relationships, they ignored them. Their comments relate solely to the kind of exploitative and commercialised sexual activity that was characteristic of pagan culture. Thus, it is perfectly possible to argue that the Bible is silent about the kind of homosexual relationships which are becoming widely accepted in Western society today; just as it is silent about many other controversial aspects of sexual behaviour like masturbation and contraception. Many gay Christian couples, however, do find a relevant biblical model for the kind of same-sex devotion they seek to express in the covenant love which is described between between David and Jonathan.

You have every right to hold that homosexuality is morally wrong if that is your considered opinion. However, I believe that the intuitive interpretive clarity you experience where the Bible is concerned has been conditioned by the church culture which taught Christianity to you. A couple of hundred years ago you would have been telling me with equal earnestness that you felt the Bible clearly approved slavery. Had you lived in Germany in the 1930's you might well have quoted the Bible is support of anti-semitism. The fact is, we Christians learn together what the Bible is clear about. And on many ethical issues we have changed our collective mind as the years have gone by. It seems to me that we are in process of changing our mind on homosexuality too. Of course, history may prove me wrong about that. Roy Clements

From courage.org.uk I found this because I found myself thinking about the words of the Archbishop of Canterbury this Saturday (He was speaking at an event which was part of his visit to the Lichfield Diocese).

Christianity, Church, theology

Comments

[Simon]

I read the whole letter - thanks for the link. A friend of mine went on Saturday. What did Rowan say about the issue?

[Mark]

Basically that the Bible was clear in it's prohibition of Homosexual behaviour but that we should celebrate the ministry of Gay clergy.

[Simon]

Thanks - I didn't think he held that view, I assumed he was much more open on the issue

[Joel Raynor]

Mark, Roy Clement's long quotation is deeply flawed. Firstly, Christians did indeed know of "same sex" relationships and marriages - cf for example Plato's Symposium where once such "lifelong relationship is celebrated - yet still rejected by Jews and Christians.
Secondly, David and Jonathan's relationship was not sexual or it would have been condemned by the Deuteronimist redactors who tell us of their personal history. Thirdly, the bible doesn't "approve" slavery -the OT is a the story of thwe liberation of slaves. Fourthly, the fact that "some" so called German Christians quoted the bible anti-semitically did not prevent the truth from coming out. People like Barth and Bonhoffer suffered and or died for rejecting National Socialism. Fifthly, Roy Clement abandoned his wife when he met another man. She was his lifelong, loyal wife - utterly blameless. Yet Mr Clements had the audacity to set up a website where for seven years he pilloried the evangelical churches for their bypocrisy. Mr Clement's sinful behaviour and hypocrisy is the greatest argument against the points he makes in your citation