Is Christianity Homophobic? Series

Is Christianity Homophobic?

Series: The Deconstruction Zone: Navigating Doubts and Difficulties

Brad Bailey – July 23, 2023

Note: The notes here are more extensive than what was actually shared due to time requiring moving more briefly and quickly through parts. All the main points were shared and these notes are simply more complete.

Intro

Welcome as we seek to hear God…and continue in a mid-summer series entitled “The Deconstruction Zone. In this series we are engaging some core ideas amidst our current culture… that can become seeds of doubt and difficulty… that are too often left unengaged.

Our intent is not to presume that such large questions can be satisfied and settled in the brevity of our time…but to provide some initial perspective that can help in navigating the question.

Especially true today… in engaging the question:

Is Christianity Homophobic?

Does the Christian faith inherently bear a fear of those who are attracted to their own gender?

I will unpack that a bit further in a moment…but I imagine that some of us are thinking… this is almost too dangerous to engage amidst our current culture.

I know that we live amidst polarizing narratives regarding sexuality…a cultural war in which we can find ourselves drawn to stand up against those who are oppressing a marginalized group … or to stand up against an ideology that is seeking to devolve the very foundations of our meaning and morals.

It's very possible that 30% of those here are drawn towards one side… and 30% are drawn to the other side…and 30% are feeling entirely divided… and the other 10% don’t have an internet connection.

I can imagine that some of us may fear the potential for division among us…and even within us.

So why speak into the polarized nature of sexuality?

Because equally not engage is to allow hurt and hate to go unspoken to. Thousands of live who experience same-sex orientation… or conflict with gender identity… have grown up in churches…where they never found a safe space to process what they experienced… and sometimes never found kindness.

And of course…in relationship to our series… it relates to a cultural idea that many are navigating as they consider their beliefs.

Knowing how strongly people feel about the …I want to begin with two critical points that I believe are vital to you and I…

1. We don’t have to agree…but let’s grow together in engaging the heart and mind of God for human life.

The current issues regarding sexuality are challenging… and I would add …evolving.

For the past 20 years I have had a personal desire to focus on the challenges related to sexuality and sexual ethics… cycling through cultural ideas… personal conversations… and engaging in fresh Biblical study and reflection.

On one level…I embrace that I am always in process. I have come to embrace that my responsibility is to be faithful more than certain. I embrace my best understanding of the heart and mind of God for human good…but continue to seek to discern that. And I hope that at some level we are all in that process. [1]

The issue of sexuality is so wide and deep…and today we are only engaging one question.

So I imagine a lot of “But what about..?”

Towards that end… we’ve created space today for some initial opportunity to discuss the wider deeper questions.

I have also prepared a lot more in the way of resources as well… but I hope we can take advantage of some initial direct discussion

time after services.

I believe that it is also fundamental that

2. We should never forget that engaging sexuality is never just an ethical “issue”… but about what real people are navigating.

The more I have watched the differing positions engage…what continues to strike me…is that much of the intensity arises as we move away from this intersecting space… some operate out of a loyalty to truth… some operate out of a loyalty to people… and when positions arise out of either….the other tends to only go deeper into their reference point.

I sense that we are often being played…into a false space… between truth and love.

In Jesus these meet… (will come back to that)

The point is that that kindness is not optional.

As one voice described [2]…

“Sometimes how we believe is just as important as what we believe.” – Preston Sprinkle

Today… we are only engaging one question.

Is Christianity Homophobic?

For nearly 2,000 years it has been the general understanding of the Christian Faith…that created us as complimentary as male and female…and that complementary nature is what reflects the image of God… and that this complimentary nature uniting in covenant… is what constitutes the basis for physical union.

Until recently…that was a rather consistent but not central belief. I believe that is still true…though not with recognizing the challenges it raises. There is a lot we could explore about this position…but today the focus is not so much on the position….but on the posture.