Rejecting Christian Homosexual Marriage, Part 2

In coming to the conclusion that there can be no such thing as homosexual marriage within the Christian community, I have relied upon the Scripture of both Old and New Testaments, my personal experience with homosexual feelings (which I can identify having had since as early as seven years old), personal experience living in the homosexual community, and my heterosexual marriage of twenty-nine years now.

It is important at this juncture to establish that I am speaking of marriage as described in the Bible. The larger reality of "marrying," which occurs among people who do not claim Christ as Lord and includes co-habitations, sexual alliances, contractual obligations, political agreements, and homosexuals unions, are not the topic examined here.

It will be argued by many Christians that since God instituted marriage with Adam and Eve, then the institution of marriage belongs to God and must follow His precepts. True enough, perhaps. However, marriage is just one example of many precepts from the Bible which are reflected in larger culture but not practiced. There most likely are about 5.35 billion people in the world who do not acknowledge any of the Bible's teachings, who do not care, or who overtly reject the relevancy of the Christian faith and its teachings. These people are defining marriage for themselves according to human logic and desire outside all God has ordained.

Thus the rejecting of Christian homosexual marriage is a view for those who are within the Body of Christ. I am not speaking to the larger culture and the debates therein over homosexual marriage. However, having brought the ways of those who are not of Christ into this discussion, consider these NT words:

Jesus said, "For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him."

Paul said, “I wrote you in my letter to not associate with immoral people; I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to go out of the world. But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler – not even to eat with such a one…What have I to do with judging outsiders?”

Should Christians be angry or aggressively attempting to legislate the behavior of those who live apart from the Light of the World? If we Christians will live fully in the Spirit and Presence of Christ, the Truth of Him will spread; and in those who come to know Him, the revelation of Truth will convict. Then words upholding marriage as a sacred union which cannot be mimicked through homosexual intimacy will ring true of life and love from God.

Oh...there's the title for next path in the Wild Wood: "The Sacred Union."

Rejecting Christian Homosexual Marriage

The short answer for the question of why not receive a "Christian" homosexual union is that the Scripture so clearly forbids it. For a while in my life, I stopped trusting the Bible as the revelation of God to humankind. My sojourn without the Bible (please do not read this as maudlin) coursed through the streets of several major American cities and became a personal trip into the heart of darkness within me. If Joseph Conrad and I shared a few hours over coffee, he would find his knowledge of the dark heart expanded considerably!

This prohibition is stated in both Old and New Testaments. Any reader can find detailed exegesis of these Scriptures from both texts and written from the perspective of both sides. Were I to exegete in support of my view, you would not read much difference between me and all those with whom I agree. The next two posts will not dwell too much on exegesis.

I am proficient with language and still developing wisdom and the result is I sometimes write in tones suggesting I know more than I do (consequentially not intentionally, but nonetheless true). My challenge in this post is finding the strongest expression against something while remaining compassionate, standing apart from dogmatism and hatred, and stating my thoughts thoroughly within God's plumb line.

Next up, I take a swing at the topic within those stated parameters.

Fifty-cent Philosophy

Discovered a new author/philosopher. Actually he's been dead since 1965 and just "new" to me. Apparently, I have been in the dark a bit. The back of the book said he has been widely known among baby-boomers.

How did I miss him?

I was enjoying the time of rummaging through rummage sales on Saturday with my wife. I check out used books, any covey of man-junk to be flushed out and the occasional baked goods at these community encounters. Found a book on managing classrooms based on being loving. Brand new book essentially, as it has only been read by one person (original owner was the seller). At the next and last sale, I found the Martin Buber book, I and Thou. Both books were only fifty cents! Gotta love a good bargain.

Went to the car and read, while my wife went back for the half-price sale at noon in the warehouse sized National Guard Armory. Inside of three pages with the Buber book, two things happened. I read one sentence six times and am still not sure what Buber meant by an allusion he used. Second, I was fascinated.

Anyway, if you've come looking for the post I planned on homosexuality. I am still pondering how to say what I want to say. I am also reading a lot currently.

;^)

Overcoming Sin, Part 5

Overcoming sin has a practical side. Filling time with fellow believers, especially in acts of service toward others, is key. The old adage, "an idle mind is the devil's workshop," is an adage for a logical reason. Memorizing pertinent scriptures and exercising the discipline to recite them when being tempted to revisit the old pattern helped me. 1 Corinthians 10:13 and 2 Corinthians 5:17 were especially powerful in my circumstance.

However, none of the practical will be effective over the long term, if the biblical revelation of God being a holy God is not accepted as the core reason for seeking to overcome sin--especially sexual sins. There can be no overcoming of sin, if the spiritual truths associated with sin are not embraced.

We do not reject the need for sleep, food, water or excretory function for any reason. We simply accept these drives as necessary for biological life. The sexual drive is a bit more complex since it is a physiological need deeply rooted in our emotional need. Unlike any of the aforementioned biology, the sexual drive may be denied without death occurring as a consequence. So why deny it?

There is no reason for anyone to deny the sexual drive of the human body is the view of most people. After all, it is a biological drive just like eating ... until one considers the words found in the Bible in multiple places regarding sexuality. One interpretation of these references (from my viewpoint the most logical and accurate interpretation) is that the sexual union between man and woman is only authorized by God as occurring within marriage. All other sexual activity is considered sin. Homosexuality is forbidden specifically with no references being found that a committed union may be included in the blessed state of marriage. (That is the subject of the next post.)

Which leads inexorably to denial of all thoughts, desires and decisions around sexual activity outside of marriage. Folks claiming Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior either accept this or rationalize it away.

How is denial of the sexual drive to be accomplished?

Loving God for Who He is, is the motivational spark which lights the will to self-denial. At the beginning of each day if I am not centering my thinking, my emotions and my will on the whole concept of love for God, I have no hope of maintaining any faithfulness to the commands and principles found in the Bible. To love anyone means knowing that person's characteristics and loving the person fully for the whole--sometimes in spite of--these characteristics. Unconditional love.

Not so with God. There is no "in spite of this characteristic" in loving Him. All God's characteristics, which include both His beautiful grace and His perfect judgment may be easily loved. Of all His characteristics, His holiness is the most compelling and inscrutable attribute. It is because of His holiness that His grace and judgment exist. In His holiness is the source both of the blessings' flow and all His commands against some actions labeled sin, which thus carry negative consequences.

I have learned I cannot overcome sin--any kind of sin-- without the loving of God as my motivation. I cannot truly love God for Who He is, if I deny His holiness. I think this is true for all of us.

Field Trip

Headed out at 5:00 AM to Washington DC. My traveling companions are 62 thirteen year-olds and some colleagues. We will be gone until late Friday night, then it is off to the beach for a week with our family.

Timing of a next post is a mystery to you and me.

Overcoming Sin, Part 4 (correctly counted this time!)

I have had some difficulty knowing where to take this series of posts next. I write and delete; I start and save the paragraph only to return and realize this is not what needs to be said at the moment. My trouble is I cannot always sort out the words which are bringing illumination to spiritual truth separated from an inclination to preach my opinions. For those who have been checking for the next installment, I appreciate your patience with me.

Homosexuality is just one of many, many ways humans seek fulfillment in sin. Our fallen nature is completely blinded to the Truth, Beauty and Holiness of God. We humans are totally committed to rebellion against Him. Even the person who has intellectually accepted the Cross, emotionally committed to God and experienced the born-again paradigm, there still remains the process of walking out salvation with fear and trembling, which implies the struggle with the fallen nature is part of walking in the Truth of Jesus.

In this culture, the concept of sin as something which must be addressed and corrected is lost. Folks enter therapy to overcome psychological neurosis or visit the gym while on a regimen of supplements and whole foods with parallel ambition—improve the quality of the life "I" am living. Among those who reject the Cross of Christ, a myriad of counterfeits exist to enable the rationalization that each human is destined to become the master of his or her fate. None of these will admit the effects of the Fall written on the soul.

I suspect, many Christians believe the overcoming of sin is a key component of becoming a fulfilled and content human being, yet they flounder in submission to hidden sins, or worse, walk in a blinding self-righteousness of empty works.

Humans develop spirituality as a practice seeking a reordered outlook, and the term spirituality has come to include a great buffet of spiritisms including salvation by extra-terrestrials. From yoga to Yeti, we stretch our physical experiences and our imaginations in constant seeking of the undoing of our status-quo lives. Most telling of our lack of understanding is how glibly many human pursuits are labeled a “spiritual” experience. I have found that most use of the term spirit is really a reference to something known in the soul which has proved profoundly moving to the one speaking in an aesthetic sense (in philosophy that pertaining to, involving, or concerned with pure emotion and sensation as opposed to pure intellectuality).

In search of this profound emotional occurrence, many live life pushing the parameters of the extreme: extreme sports that defy death, cruises on billion dollar ships or playing million dollar poker games, the "perfect" sexual satisfaction, the singular moment of being declared the best in show... the list goes on and on. All to lift the soul into the face of the sudden rush, that overwhelming moment which can define one's life as unique--and which happens to bring the attached outcomes of wealth, notoriety, or just an ability to say at the water cooler, “Yeah, I’ve done that, too.”

I entered a completely different sexuality, at the time a wholly forbidden state. I did so, recognizing the extreme nature of my decision. I faced the obstacles of violating the precepts of God, incurring much social rejection and family angst, even risking physical attack by the aggressively violent homophobe in a pursuit I determined I could not deny (over the course of my years in the homosexual community, one friend was severely beaten and two were murdered because of being homosexual).

The reason I would take such risk? It was “me.”

Overcoming sin is not simply deciding, "I want to stop behaving in a sinful manner." Though certainly, that is going to be a mental conclusion we adopt in our search for God. Overcoming sin is a renewal of the heart and mind away from alignment with all human identity mechanisms of this earthly life and into an identity which literally flows from His being. To ascribe belief in Him without finding the flow of spirit-life is not enough to keep any of us from seeking life in the things of this world.

This path in the Wild Wood is the one marked by Him and leads into His light. It is a spiritual plane for our soul to embrace which lifts the whole of our being into a holy state of union with Him, even as our bodies continue on in the Wood.

What is Sin? Part 3

Sin. It's both a noun and a verb: "It is a sin to..." and "I sinned when..."

To raise the issue of overcoming sin requires we define what a sin is, else how can we be sure we are dealing with sin? And what about actions people claim God commanded that are out and out vile? Are the murders and rapes committed by those who claim no God any different from the lies and manipulations of those who hold God is the reason they act?

Whose definition of sin shall we use?

How do we dertermine culpability?

What action do we take against perpetrators?

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Romans 3:23

No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.
1 Corinthians 10:13

When I began to wrap my heart around the above words as absolute Truth, the groundwork was laid to release me from drives within me that I identified as my homosexuality. I was able to finally realize there was nothing special about my behavior nor that made me worse than anyone else. More importantly, I was able--just able--to believe I was not significantly different.


So what is sin?

In the big picture, literally from the dawn of time until now, sin is what ails the world.

All the wrongs anyone cares to mention and all the ones we don't want to mention or face,

every act of discord between two,

every incidence of familial strife,

all exploitive acts of avarice,

the violence of the one or the gang,

each collective societal rape and plunder by a people group of the nearest other group

and the all-out wars of nations allied against nations,

every last insult,

and each expletive thought against God,

all are rooted in humanity's ingrained, natural inclination to be selfish.