Here's a question from an email I received not long ago. The subject line was, "The Clear Truth of Scripture." The question was, "What we're asking for is a straight answer out of you people on where in the Bible you find a passage that shows God approves of same sex marriage. Can you do that or not?"
Finally a question I can answer without hesitation.
And the answer is "no."
There is no single text, no specific chapter and verse, that I can point anyone to and say, "Here it is: the clear truth of scripture in support of same-sex marriage!"
Nor is there any "clear truth of scripture" in support of the equality or ordination of women.
Nor is there any "clear truth of scripture" on the sanctity of interracial marriage.
Nor is there any "clear truth of scripture" opposing the death penalty, supporting the abolition of slavery, or proving that the Earth revolves around the Sun -- which you may remember got Galileo in all kinds of trouble with the clear-truth-of-scripture crowd in his generation.
And yes, Galileo's opponents also cited biblical references in defense of their position that the Sun revolved around the Earth, including Psalm 93:1, which states that "the world is firmly established; it cannot be moved"; Psalm 104:5, which states that "the LORD set the earth on its foundations; it can never be moved"; Ecclesiastes 1:5, which states that "the sun rises and sets and returns to its place"; etc.
Meanwhile, Galileo defended the science of heliocentrism to the point of being condemned by the Catholic Church for "vehement suspicion of heresy" -- and of course history eventually proved him right. In 1992 the Roman Catholic Church issued a declaration acknowledging the errors committed by the Church, and in 2008 Pope Benedict XVI praised Galileo's contributions to astronomy.
They say that those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it -- and an excellent example of that theory is the folks who, 400 years later, are throwing around isolated scripture passages to support outdated understandings of human sexuality, just as others have done through the ages, on everything from slavery and integration to equality for women.
So here's the "takeaway" from this today's object lesson on life, the universe, Galileo, and heresy: the Bible is no more a textbook on human sexuality in the 21st century than it was a textbook on astronomy in the 17th. And the folks who get that part confused repeatedly end up on the wrong side of history as the arc of the moral universe continues to bend toward justice.
And here's the good news: we live in a country where the First Amendment protects not only your right to read the Bible any way you choose but your right to be on the wrong side of history. It does not, however, protect your right to write your theology into our Constitution and take away the equally protected rights of all Americans from some Americans because you've gotten the Bible confused with a textbook on human sexuality.
We begin this new year with anti-gay rhetoric in the presidential primary debates escalating while we await a decision on California's Proposition 8 to come down literally any day now and watch the move to repeal DOMA gaining support on Capitol Hill. There is therefore every indication that gay and lesbian Americans will continue to experience the collateral damage of seeing their lives and relationships treated like sacrificial lambs on the altar of partisan politics by those firmly planted on the wrong side of the history of LGBT equality.
It is a time of opportunity for everyone who holds fast to the fundamental American value of liberty and justice for all to remember that the First Amendment is both a protection of and a protection from religion, and to say so loud and clear.
It is also a time of challenge for people of faith to stand up and speak out in rebuttal to those who presume to speak for "traditional Christian values," which have nothing to do with God's values of love, justice, and compassion and everything to do with their own homophobia projected onto biblical texts taken out of context.
Galileo didn't live long enough to get the apology he deserved from the institutional church, and neither will we. But we're not in it for the apology. We're in it to win it -- as we work to make "justice roll down like waters" and to turn "liberty and justice for all" from a pledge to a reality for LGBT Americans.
Follow Rev. Susan Russell on Twitter: www.twitter.com/revsusanrussell
Susan Boynton and Diane Reilly: How the Bible Became a Book
Fr. W. Paul Jones: Clayton A. Fountain: The Murderer Who Became a Monk
1 Corinthians 6:9-10
Or do you not know that the unrighteous[a] will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality,[b] 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
And I would also point you to 1 Timothy: 8-11. I agree that the church has not been loving toward the queer community, that being said, homosexual acts are NO WORSE than sex before marriage. Sin is sin. But, God lovingly sent his son to free us from the bondage that sin has us in. Accept his righteousness and live life in community with God the creator. I'm praying that these words are helpful/freeing and not condemning.
In fact, she has already marked herself out for eternal condemnation by even posing the question of who is on the "right/wrong side of history". What? Was she asleep in church the day it was read in church, "Fear not, LITTLE flock; for it has pleased the Father to give you the keys to the Kingdom"?
True Christians are ALWAYS in the minority. Even in an embattled minority. Always embattled by the dominant trends in society, those on "the right side of history". But the promise of Christ remains true, and the Church endures despite it.
Believing – a really important thing, right? 272 times.
Prayer – even more important. 371 times.
But twice as often as both of those, Jesus talked about Love. In the four Gospels, Jesus mentioned “love” 714 times. That’s pretty impressive.
But here’s one that’s even more impressive. The number of times Jesus talke about possessions .. about “stuff” -- about giving things away – are you ready? – 2,172 times.
It’s not even close. And so -- for the record, the number of times Jesus talked about homosexuality – or gay marriage or same-sex couples or women bishops for that is a big fat 0. AKA: Not.At.All. Instead, he talked about stuff 2,172 times, because Jesus knew how critical it was for us to be willing to give up the stuff that owns us. And youd never know that from the messages we get in the public discourse from the Religious Right. Which was part of the point of this blog. Thanks for asking!
The notion that absence of affirmation equals condemnation is ridiculous. Every day, we all consume, use, and do things that are never, ever affirmed in the Bible.
Potatoes are not in the Bible, neither is corn, tomatoes, or chocolate. That's right - if absence of affirmation equals condemnation, eating chocolate is a sin. Vaccines are not affirmed in the Bible, neither are x-rays, chemotherapy, sonograms, antiseptic and anesthesia. Computers and software - not in the Bible. Ipad, Ipods, and Macs - oh my, they're not in the Bible either.
Neither is Wall Street, the Republican party, Democrats, or constitutional republics. Credit cards - not only are they not affirmed, Leviticus forbids the charging or paying of interest. And paying workers every two weeks - not in the Bible.
Trains, planes, and legos - not in the Bible. Shunts and pacemakers - that's right, they're not in the Bible. The only languages in the Bible - are Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic, though one might make an exception for other related middle eastern languages. Nylon, rayon, and polyester, and the hair spray so beloved by so many fine So. Baptist minister's wives - not in the Bible either.
If the folks who use this standard had to live to it themselves, their lives
http://christiangays.com/articles/louise.shtml
It may not be the shining light either.
revsusanrussell @iskra ... As an Episcopal priest when I was ordained I affirmed that I believed that the Holy Scriptures -- The Bible -- "contain all things necessary to salvation." I did NOT affirm that all things IN the Bible were necessary ... or even helpful. When Jesus was tested by the clear truth of scripture crowd in his day, he came down with a very simple summation ... [a] love God and [b] love your neighbor as yourself. That's the light that shines through all the other "stuff" in the scriptural record of our spiritual ancestors. And what I hope this blog ... and others like it ... will do is work to neutralize those who want to use the Bibel to beat up people they don't agree with rather than as a tool to build the kingdom of love, justice and compassion God would have us build. (End of sermon disguised as a comment! :) Thanks for taking time to post!)