An overly rigid, inflexible faith

The early New Testament times were full of confusion for people of faith. Much of what the Jews had been taught was being changed, and many people didn't know what to think. Certain foods which had been unclean for over a thousand years were suddenly "clean." A whole different attitude toward Gentiles was put forth. Circumcision was no longer required. These changes were so fundamental to the faith that they were extremely controversial and threatened to split up the new, predominantly Jewish Christian church.

In the New Testament faith was not comfortable. It involved changing beliefs that one's family had held ("in faith") for hundreds of years. It was a huge emotional upheaval for those involved. There was lots of discomfort in departing from the "old ways."

 

Consequently, the Jewish members of the church had to undergo changes in the way they thought and felt. Numerous passages in the New Testament deal with these changes. Christian Jews couldn't be rigid and still adapt to the changes in content and practice taking place in their religion. It just wasn't possible. It was a painful time for the church.

 

Just as accepting change was difficult in the early church, it will always be something that the church has to face. The Jews must have had visceral reactions to the changes happening around them every as bit as strong as some Christians are having about homosexuality.

 

Rigidity is a form of over-controlled thinking and feeling, and it can be a problem in other arenas also. In psychological circles it is sometimes said that "over-control leads to out-of-control." In fact, any form of all-or-nothing thinking, feeling, and behaving can be a problem. For example, it can be uncomfortable to study the children of rigid and judgmental parents, because there are some pretty unpleasant results of that type of parenting. And most extremist political groups, whether conservative or liberal, become extreme by being strongly rigid and judgmental in their views, including about what it means to be moral. Inevitably, rigid and judgmental churches also become unhealthy.

 

On common sense

Jesus challenged popular Jewish thought about keeping some of the Old Testament practices. One such practice was the prohibition of activity on the Sabbath. Over and over in the Old Testament it was said that the Sabbath was to be holy to Israel (Exodus 20:8-11). God commanded that the Sabbath be a special day in which no work was to be done. In fact, the penalty for breaking the Sabbath was death (Exodus 31:14-15).

Even the old hymns warn us about being too rigid. You can view the entire text of this hymn here. There's a Wideness in God's Mercy There's a wideness in God's mercy, Like the wideness of the sea; There's a kindness in His justice, Which is more than liberty. For the love of God is broader Than the measures of man's mind; And the heart of the Eternal Is most wonderfully kind. But we make His love too narrow By false limits of our own; And we magnify His strictness With a zeal He will not own.           Frederick Faber, 1854

 

Yet, when Jesus healed on the Sabbath and was accused of breaking it, he reminded the people that the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath (Mark 2:27). When a sheep fell in the ditch on a Sabbath, the owner would sensibly rescue it (Matthew 12:9-14). In the same way Jesus healed on the Sabbath because it was humane. In another example, he reminded people that when there was no other food King David took the holy showbread from the temple for his men to eat (Mark 2:23-27).

 

Jesus taught what was considered novel to many who heard him—that the Sabbath was created for man, not man for the Sabbath. Though there was a general principle that no work was to be done on the Sabbath, there were going to be exceptions to that rule for humane reasons. That was quite a different way of looking at things, and his tone suggested that it should have been obvious to the people of his time (Mark 3:1-6). However, religious leaders of the day were offended by his teaching, just as many ministers today are offended by the teaching of some Christians about homosexuality.

 

On common sense regarding sexuality

What about sexuality? Isn't it also true that sexuality was created for humankind, rather than humankind for sexuality? Is sexuality some inviolable mold that all people must fit themselves into (like the restrictive view of the Sabbath mentioned above) with no room for humane exceptions—and at the price of ones mental health? If a loving relationship with a same-sex adult person is what a person is able to have, then perhaps their emotional health and happiness is more important to God than a "typical" idea of what sexuality "should" look like.

 

There is always a need for judgment in these matters. Jesus didn't teach that doing work for trivial reasons on the Sabbath was acceptable. But he did teach that when genuine human well-being (or animal well-being, for that matter) was at stake, then exceptions to the "rule" could—and should—be made. And if a gay relationship between age-appropriate adults is an "exception" to the rule, so be it.

 

Whether it's a creative variety in the plan of sexuality or a genetic "eccentricity" is to some degree an academic, unanswerable question at this time. It's become pretty clear that one has no more control over it than being left- or right-handed...and therefore no reason to feel shame or be deprived of social acceptance because of it. Perhaps, like Jesus' teaching about the Sabbath, this understanding should have been obvious to us. (And if we're honest, it has been to some people.) And perhaps now, instead of being quick to judge, it's time for us to demonstrate acceptance and compassion.

 

Gay people offer a great deal to society, often because of their make-up as gay people. We have reason to affirm gay sexuality and gay contributions to society. And, using the figure of Jesus' story, to fail do so would be to "leave the sheep in the ditch;" in other words, to ignore the legitimate needs of a wonderful group of people. And in truth, we don’t have to understand homosexuality for it to be okay.

 

Celibacy?

At this point some people, maintaining a negative view of homosexuality, have raised the issue of celibacy rather than living out a gay sexual orientation. However, a reading of I Corinthians 7 clearly indicates that this is not a gift that all people have, even if it were considered desirable.

 

Let's look at another frequent concern...

 

Isn't homosexuality unhealthy?