Hearing the Scriptures

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Hearing the Scriptures Same Sex
RelationshipsBound Together in ChristLiving
with Diversity
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What is the Bible for?

• Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of
  his disciples, which are not written in this
  book. But these are written so that you may come
  to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of
  God, and that through believing you may have life
  in his name.
• John 2030-31

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Martin Luther and Reformation Insights

• I believe that it has now become clear that it
  is not enough or in any sense Christian to preach
  the works, life, and words of Christ as
  historical facts, as if the knowledge of these
  would suffice for the conduct of life.
• Far less is it sufficient or Christian to say
  nothing at all about Christ and to teach instead
  the laws of men and the decrees of the fathers.
• Rather ought Christ to be preached to the end
  that faith in him may be established and that he
  may not only be Christ, but be Christ for you and
  me, and that what is said of him and is denoted
  in his name may be effectual in us.
• Such faith is produced and preserved in us by
  preaching why Christ came, what he brought and
  bestowed, what benefit it is to us to accept him.
  This is done when that Christian liberty which he
  bestows is rightly taught and we are told in what
  way we Christians are kings and priests and
  therefore lords of all and may firmly believe
  that whatever we have done is pleasing and
  acceptable in the sight of God.
• (Martin Luther, Freedom of the Christian, 1520)

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ELCA Constitution -- Word of God
This church confesses Jesus Christ as Lord and
Savior and the Gospel as the power of God for the
salvation of all who believe. a) Jesus Christ is
the Word of God incarnate, through whom
everything was made and through whose life,
death, and resurrection God fashions a new
creation. b) The proclamation of God's message to
us as both Law and Gospel is the Word of God,
revealing judgment and mercy through word and
deed, beginning with the Word in creation,
continuing in the history of Israel, and
centering in all its fullness in the person and
work of Jesus Christ. c) The canonical Scriptures
of the Old and New Testaments are the written
Word of God. Inspired by God's Spirit speaking
through their authors, they record and announce
God's revelation centering in Jesus Christ.
Through them God's Spirit speaks to us to create
and sustain Christian faith and fellowship for
service in the world.
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How Do We Read?
1. The Bible is our Norm because of what it
does. 2. God uses Human means of Grace to Create
Nurture Faith 4. Through Hearing Gods Promises
we recognize ? Our Unity in Christ ? Diversity
and Differences in Secondary Matters Our
Reading is DynamicCommunalPersonal Guided by
Tradition / Reason / Experience 5. We read
Theologically What is God about?
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For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are
your ways my ways, says the LORD. For as the
rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do
not return there until they have watered the
earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving
seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so
shall my word be that goes out from my mouth it
shall not return to me empty, but it shall
accomplish that which I purpose, and succeed in
the thing for which I sent it. Isaiah 558,
10-11
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Hearing Gods Word Assumptions
We all interpret when we read The church
has from the beginning and still regularly
differs in its interpretation of Scripture
Debates over proper interpretation include
careful Reading, changing Experience, and new
consensus about how we read the Bible (cf.
Reformation) Experience and Knowledge
matter Bible is not first about ethics.
Ethics are conditioned by context as we are drawn
into the story of Gods people, and our stories
are shaped in faithful hearing and experience
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The Reformation Tradition How Lutherans Read
Scripture Interprets Scripture Unclear passages
in light of clear ones Interpret texts in their
literary context Texts must be read in wider
context Interpret texts in their historical
context How is historical and cultural context
like or unlike our own Recognize the varieties of
biblical literature narrative, poetry, parables,
prayer, history, laws, etc. Read in terms of Law
and Gospel Law accuses and shows need for Christ
the Gospel proclaims forgiveness and salvation in
Christ Christ is at the Center All scripture
interpreted in ways consistent with the witness
to salvation in Jesus Christ as understood
through the lens of Law and Gospel
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7. Two Kingdoms In the lefthand kingdom, God
works in the structures of creation to promote
justice and care of the neighbor In the
right hand kingdom, God works through the
gospel of grace to give forgiveness, life, and
salvation. Our decisions and actions on social
issues, including matters of sexual ethics,
belong to the kingdom on the left in which we are
guided by reason in concern and care for our
neighbors good. They are not a matter of the
gospel and are matters on which responsible
Christians will and do disagree.
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The Bible Issues of SexualityFactors affecting
Attitudes Actions
Attending to biblical texts about
homosexuality Hearing these texts within the
broader biblical witness Range of Christian
tradition on these matters Role of
experience and the types of experiences we bring
to the conversation
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Biblical Texts on Same-Sex Intercourse
A word of caution about translation and
interpretation Term homosexuality first
appears - 1869 Earliest OED entries for both
homosexuality and homosexual are from 1892
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Two Old Testament Stories

• (1) Genesis 191-11, Sodom and Gomorrah
• (2) Judges 1916-30, Gibeah Event
• Relevance?
• Stories refer to actions of humiliation,
  violence, and domination rather than to same-sex
  activity per se

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Two Old Testament Legal Texts

• Leviticus 1822 You shall not lie with a male as
  with a woman it is an abomination.
•  
• Leviticus 2013 If a man lies with a male as
  with a woman, both of them have committed an
  abomination they shall be put to death, their
  blood is upon them.

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What to Make of Laws in Leviticus?

1. Is concern religious? Reference to homosexual
   activity or about cultic religious practice?
2. Cultural concerns? Issues of procreation for a
   nomadic people concerned for survival?
3. Are Christians bound by these Levitical codes?

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Does the Holiness Code Apply Today?

• Death penalty for
• Idolatry (202-5)
• Cursing ones parents (209)
• Adultery (2010)
• Being a medium or wizard (2027)
• Blasphemy (2413-16)
• There is only one law in Leviticus that we take
  seriously you shall love your neighbor as
  yourself (Lev 1918)
• Repeated by Jesus, Paul, and the Letter of James
  in the New Testament (Mark 1231 Matt 1919
  Luke 1027 Rom 139 Gal 514 James 28).

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• The farmer must not reap the entire crop but
  leave a portion for the poor (Lev 199-10).
• Mixing two kinds of cloth in a garment is
  forbidden (Lev 1919).
• Tattoos are forbidden (Lev 1928).
• The Sabbath (seventh day, Saturday) must be
  observed as a day of rest (Lev 233).
• The Sabbatical Year (seventh year) must be
  observed in the seventh year there shall be a
  Sabbath of complete rest for the landyou shall
  not sow your field or prune your land (Lev
  253-4).
• Every fiftieth year is to be a Jubilee debts
  must be canceled, and there is no sowing and
  harvesting (Lev 258-24).

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New Testament Texts Romans 126-27

• For this reason worship of false gods God gave
  them the Gentiles up to degrading passions.
  Their women exchanged natural intercourse for
  unnatural, and in the same way also the men,
  giving up natural intercourse with women, were
  consumed with passion for one another. Men
  committed shameless acts with men and received in
  their own persons the due penalty for their error.

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Comments

1. Context A diatribe in which Paul accuses
   same-sex conduct as a manifestation of sinful,
   violent abusive behavior that is the result of
   idolatry.
2. Paul is talking about ALL Gentiles, not just a
   few
3. What is precise meaning of natural and
   unnatural?
4. What is addressed consensual practice cultic
   prostitution pederasty (adult males with younger
   boys)?
5. Wider context? All are sinners and need Gods
   grace and forgiveness (Romans

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1 Corinthians 69-10 and 1 Timothy 19-10(NRSV
and Greek)

• Do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit
  the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived!
  Fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, malakoi,,
  avrsenokoi/tai, thieves, the greedy, drunkards,
  revilers, robbers?none of these will inherit the
  kingdom of God. And this is what some of you used
  to be. But you were washed, you were sanctified,
  you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus
  Christ and in the Spirit of our God.
• This means understanding that the law is laid
  down not for the innocent but for the lawless and
  disobedient, for the godless and sinful, for the
  unholy and profane, for those who kill their
  father or mother, for murderers, sexually immoral
  people, avrsenokoi,taij, kidnappers, liars,
  perjurers?in fact, for any who live contrary to
  sound teaching that conforms to the glorious
  gospel of the blessed God, which he entrusted to
  me.

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Who Are the malakoi,?

• Literal Meaning soft ones.
• Extended Meanings in Translations or Suggestions
• -King James Bible the effeminate.
• -Luther (1522) Weichlinge ( weaklings).
• - NIV (1973) male prostitutes.
• -NRSV (1989) male prostitutes.

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Who Are the avrsenokoi/tai?

• Literal Meaning ? The word does not exist in
  Greek literature prior to Paul. Paul may have
  coined it.
• Etymology arsen male koi,th bed
• Extended Meanings or Suggestions
• Luthers NT (1522) Knabenschänder ( pederasts
  in English).
• KJV (1611) abusers of themselves with mankind.
• NIV (1973) homosexual offenders.
• NRSV (1989) sodomites.
• Bauer, Danker, Arndt, Gingrich, Greek-English
  Lexicon (2000), page 135 pederasts.

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Translations of 1 Corinthians 69-10

• KJV 1(611) 9 Know ye not that the unrighteous
  shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not
  deceived neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor
  adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of
  themselves with mankind, 10 nor thieves, nor
  covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor
  extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
• NIV, 1973 9 Do you not know that the wicked will
  not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be
  deceived Neither the sexually immoral nor
  idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor
  homosexual offenders 10 nor thieves nor the
  greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers
  will inherit the kingdom of God.
• NRSV, 1989 9 Do you not know that wrongdoers
  will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be
  deceived! Fornicators, idolaters, adulterers,
  male prostitutes, sodomites, 10 thieves, the
  greedy, drunkards, revilers, robbersnone of
  these will inherit the kingdom of God.

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Summary A Diverse Community Response Four Views
1) The passages in question refer to homosexual
practice in all times and cultures and so
universally prohibit such practice. 2) The
passages do not refer to homosexuality as we know
it and so cannot be seen as prohibiting it. Other
passages therefore need to inform our discussions
about homosexual relationships. 3) The passages
may or may not refer to homosexuality as we know
it, but they - and the larger witness of
Scripture - imply a view of nature and creation
that only support and allows sexual relationship
and union between and man and woman, and so
homosexual practice is prohibited. 4) The
passages may or may not refer to homosexuality as
we know it, but they - and all of Scripture - are
conditioned by the cultural and historical
realities of the authors and so offer an
incomplete and insufficient understanding of
creation and nature as so cannot be used to
prohibit homosexual practice.
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Remaining Questions
1) Do the passages refer to anything like the
phenomena of life-long, monogamous same-gendered
relationships that we know of today? (our word
homosexual and the notion of homosexual
orientation not present in the ancient world
first appears in the nineteenth century) 2) In
any case, are we bound to ethical determinations
made by persons living in vastly different
cultures and times and whose understanding of the
world and of Gods activity was shaped and
limited by their own cultural viewpoints?
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Hearing the Broader Witness of Scriptures
Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus.
"Teacher," he said, "what must I do to inherit
eternal life?" 26 He said to him, "What is
written in the law? What do you read there?" 27
He answered, "You shall love the Lord your God
with all your heart, and with all your soul, and
with all your strength, and with all your mind
and your neighbor as yourself." 28 And he said to
him, "You have given the right answer do this,
and you will live." 29 But wanting to justify
himself, he asked Jesus, "And who is my
neighbor?" 30 Jesus replied, "A man was going
down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the
hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and
went away, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by
chance a priest was going down that road and
when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the
place and saw him, passed by on the other side.
33 But a Samaritan while traveling came near him
and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. 34
He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having
poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on
his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took
care of him. 35 The next day he took out two
denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said,
'Take care of him and when I come back, I will
repay you whatever more you spend.' 36 Which of
these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the
man who fell into the hands of the robbers?" 37
He said, "The one who showed him mercy." Jesus
said to him, "Go and do likewise." Luke 1025-37