This pamphlet
was written by the Rev. Nancy L. Wilson, Pastor of
Church of the Trinity MCC,
Sarasota, FL (USA) and Member of MCC Board of Elders. Copyright 1992 Nancy L. Wilson.
 You
may also print an Adobe Acrobat format file (pdf) of this article.
Reading the
Bible with "New Eyes"
Most modern gay
men and lesbians are either afraid of the Bible or unfamiliar with its
content, thinking that the the Bible has only bad news for them. While it
is true that the Bible was written in the context of patriarchal,
heterosexist cultures, the message and story of God's unconditional love
in Christ can be the "power of salvation" for gays and lesbians as well as
for heterosexuals.
A bold, proactive reading of
the Bible offers new life for lesbians, gay men, and their families and
friends. Consensus is growing among respected scholars of Scripture that
the Bible does not condemn such relationships. Contemporary gay and
lesbian Christians have focused on proving that the Bible does not condemn
homosexuality. It is time to move beyond defending this position. It is
not enough for the Bible simply not to condemn homosexuality.
Gays and lesbians must be able to say,
"Yes, it is..."Our
Story, Too!"
Opening Doors of Ancient "closets"…
Liberation
theology and feminist biblical critique have shown that the Bible, in
order to empower all people, must be read with new eyes from the vantage
point of oppressed peoples. When we read the Biblical stories through
today's experience, they come alive with new relevance. What if we just
assume that lesbian and gay people were always in the Bible? Their
historical counterparts followed Moses and Miriam in the Exodus, and
walked with Jesus by the Sea of Galilee! Lesbians and gay men are
everywhere, and always have been, even when silent and closeted about
their sexuality.
It is time to
boldly liberate some Biblical gay, lesbian, or bisexual characters and
stories from ancient "closets". Centuries of silence in Biblical
commentaries and reference books must now be broken by a passionate search
for Biblical truth about sexuality.
Does the Bible
include references, to, or stories about, gays and lesbians consistent
with what historians and anthropologists know about sexuality during
Biblical times? The answer is, "Yes!". Some stories are incontrovertible.
Others are compellingly gay and lesbian. And, there are other stories
curiously suggestive of same-sex relationships. All of these can empower
lesbians and gay men to joyfully embrace the Bible.
A Lesbian
and Gay "Nation"
The book of Acts is
an account of the early Church as it attempts to preach and live an
"unhindered gospel" (Acts 28:31). Today, there is a great, global
awakening of gay and lesbian communities, who still need access to an
"unhindered gospel." Two crucial stories are central to such a gospel:
Peter and Cornelius (Acts 10) and Phillip and the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts
8). Both have their roots in the prophecies of Isaiah 56. Isaiah proclaims
a future day when Gentiles and eunuchs will be included among the people
of God, and their sacrifices will be "acceptable." The Greek
translation of the Hebrew word for "acceptable" in Isaiah 56:7 also
appears in Acts 10:35.
An
Unhindered Inclusive Gospel
In the story of
Peter and the Roman centurion Cornelius (a Gentile), Peter is given a
divine revelation from God: ". . . God shows no partiality, but in every
nation anyone who fears God and does what is right is acceptable to God."
(Acts 10:34-35). The word "nation" is actually the Greek word ethnos from
which we derive our word "ethnic." The term refers to a race,
culture or people. Thus Peter learns that among every race, culture or
people those who fear God and do what is right are eligible for baptism.
Is the gay and lesbian
community just a political lobby for homosexual behaviour, or is it an
ethnos? Certainly, there are heterosexual people who engage in homosexual
sex, and gay and lesbian people who may never have sex at all. Are gay and
lesbian people a kind of behaviour, or a kind of people for whom
homoerotic attraction is one characteristic? An ethnos could be defined by
a common history, vocabulary, culture, institutions (schools, libraries,
clubs, churches, synagogues, social organizations, businesses) heroes,
political leaders, scholars, values, and the ability to recognize each
other even when submerged in the dominant culture. If these constitute an
ethnos, gay and lesbian people are included in the word "nation"
used in Acts 10. What evidence of gay and lesbian ethnos exists in
the Bible? This is a complex detective story made more difficult by
thousands of years of heterosexist bias in secular history and Biblical
scholarship.
God Blesses
the "Barren Ones"
One place to begin
is with the Biblical concepts of immortality. The Hebrew scriptures are
not very clear about any consistent concept of life after death. The
primary way that one would achieve immortality was through one's heirs.
The worst fate that could befall someone was to be "cut off" from one's
people. This could happen by being exiled for certain crimes, by public
execution, or by dying without leaving any children. Prosperity and having
many children were viewed as dual signs of God's favour. (Psalm 127:3-5;
128:3-6).
Better Than
Sons and Daughters
In this context,
female barrenness was considered a curse. A woman's worth was connected to
her ability to give her husband children. The Bible is full of stories of
women who desperately prayed to God to "open their wombs" (Psalm 113:9;
Genesis 30:1; I Samuel 1:10). Barrenness became a metaphor used by the
prophets to describe Israel's pitiful condition when they felt abandoned
or cursed by God. Isaiah 54 begins with a poignant recasting of this
metaphor. Isaiah's prophetic message then revokes the curse of barrenness
and Israel becomes a barren woman with many children. Two chapters later,
Isaiah uses the term "dry tree" (a female image of barrenness) for
eunuchs. It also associated the term "cut off" with eunuchs. The
term "eunuch" in Isaiah 56 is possibly a generic term used to
include men and women who do not have children.
The main reference in the
law which may be the source of exclusion of eunuchs from the temple is
Deuteronomy 23:1. Leviticus 21:17 says only those who are "unblemished can
present themselves before God . . . . " This also excludes eunuchs
who in ancient pagan religions were temple priests, and perhaps excludes
children born of incestuous unions. Ultimately, Isaiah proclaims an
inclusive covenant which promises the eunuchs and barren women full
participation in the blessings of God and a "name better than sons
and daughters. . . an everlasting name that shall not be cut off."
Some People
Are Born "Eunuchs"
Who were the eunuchs
of Biblical times? The word, "eunuch" , seems to refer to a male who has
been castrated (often to render him "safe" for female royalty).
However, there are references to eunuchs as court officials who were not
necessarily physical eunuchs. Eunuchs referred to in Genesis, Isaiah,
Jeremiah and Daniel, as well as the New Testament, were not all castrated
males. "Eunuch" is a more generic word that may well have included barren
females, gay foreign court officials and magicians and priests, as well as
castrated males. Castrated males were often functionally, if not
constitutionally, homosexual.
Marriage is
not for everyone!
Jesus speaks about
three kinds of eunuchs: "For there are eunuchs who have been so by birth,
and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others, and there are
eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of
heaven. Let anyone accept this who can." (Matthew 19:12)
One might assume that
eunuchs "made so by others" are those who have been castrated. Those who
"made themselves eunuchs" are voluntary celibates. What of those,
however, who were born eunuchs? Jesus makes it clear that
heterosexual marriage is not the norm for everyone. This important
comment by Jesus, which acknowledges lifestyles other than heterosexual
marriage, applies to gays and lesbians.
Two stories of black
eunuchs, both royal court officials, exemplify God's redemptive action. In
Jeremiah 38, an Ethiopian eunuch saves the life of Jeremiah, and unmarried
prophet. Jeremiah, in turn, brings a message of God to the king which
describes how Jerusalem can be saved.
Another Ethiopian eunuch, in
Acts 8, is baptized by the apostle Philip. The eunuch is reading from
Isaiah 53 (awfully close to Isaiah 54 and 56!) a passage of messianic
prophecy which describes the destiny of the Suffering Servant who would be
"cut off" from the land of the living. The eunuch got the message
that those who have been "cut off" are to be included. Hence his
question, "What is to prevent me from being baptized?" Philip the
apostle answers, "Nothing!"
Jesus Chooses a new "family"
Jesus
Christ, the fulfillment of Isaiah 53, was "cut off" from his people in two
ways: he was executed as a criminal and died without heirs. He was a
functional, if not physical, eunuch. The death and resurrection of Jesus
Christ redefined eternal life, dissociating it from the necessity to
produce children.
Once, when confronted by his
biological mother and brothers, Jesus pointed to his disciples as a new
family, saying: "For whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister
and mother." (Mark 3:31)
Jesus Lived
an Alternate Lifestyle
Relationships of
Jesus in the gospels differ greatly from the contemporary so-called
nuclear family. Jesus loved Lazarus, Mary and Martha. What drew Jesus to
this very non-traditional family group of a bachelor brother living with
two spinster sisters? Two barren women and a eunuch are Jesus' adult
family of choice. Are we to assume they were all celibate heterosexuals?
What if Mary and Martha were not sisters but called each other "sister" as
did most lesbian couples throughout recorded history?
John's gospel refers no less
than eight times to the "one whom Jesus loved", also called the
"beloved disciple". Scholars rarely explore that fact that Jesus
obviously had a particularly close friendship with one man. Whether or not
Jesus was gay, homophobia has silenced exploration of this relationship.
The Bible, in fact, knows
almost nothing of the Post-Reformation ideal of monogamous, lifetime
romantic heterosexual marriage. The Bible portrays marriage in terms of
property and business transactions, polygamy, extended family, tribal
groupings, Levirate marriage and other lifestyles. The anti-marriage bias
in the New Testament and sex-negative emphasis of early theologians is
well known by historians and students of human sexuality.
The new Christian
community in Acts includes childless widows, former prostitutes, social
outcasts, celibates, married people, eunuchs, blacks, Jews, and Gentiles.
Those previously excluded were now fulfilling the promise of Isaiah 56:
"My house will be called a house of prayer for
all the people.
"Same-Sex"
Relationships in the Bible:
(Note 2)
The stories of two
prominent same-sex couples in the Scriptures provide gay men and lesbians
with Biblical models of committed love in stressful circumstances.
Ruth and
Naomi
The Book of Ruth is
a romantic novel but not about romance between Ruth and Boaz. Naomi is
actually the central character, and Ruth is the "redeemer/hero." Boaz'
relationship with Ruth, far from being romantic, is a matter of family
duty and property.
This story contains the most
moving promise of relational fidelity between two persons in all of the
bible: "And Ruth said, 'Entreat me not to leave thee, or to return from
following after thee: for whether thou goest, I will go; and where thou
lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God".
(Ruth 1:16)
Although used in
heterosexual marriage ceremonies for years, this is a vow between two
women! When their husbands die in battle, Ruth makes this vow to Naomi,
her mother-in-law. Ruth marries Boaz, a close relative, and redeems
Naomi's place in her own family, also bearing a child for Naomi. Did Ruth
and Naomi have a lesbian relationship? There's no way to know, but it is
clear the two women had a lifelong, passionate, committed relationship
celebrated in Scripture.
United in a
Covenant of Love…David and Jonathan
Another story, that
of David and Jonathan, occurs in a time when male warrior/lovers were
common and considered noble.
This tragic triangle of
passion, jealousy and political intrigue between Saul, Jonathan and David,
leads to one of the most direct expressions of same-sex love in the Bible:
"I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan; you have been very pleasant
to me. Your love to me was more wonderful than the love of women." (II
Samuel 1:26)
The author is clearly
attuned to David's classic male beauty (I Samuel 16:12) in this story of
love and loyalty marked by romance (I Samuel 18:1-5), secret meetings (I
Samuel 20:1-23; 35-42), kissing and weeping (I Samuel 20:41), refusal to
eat (I Samuel 28:32-34), and the explicit warrior/lover covenant which
David keeps after Jonathan's death (I Samuel 20:12-17; 42).
One cannot read this
account without discerning that Jonathan was the love of David's life.
Centuries of homophobic Biblical interpretations have kept them in the closet too long!
Homosexuality and the Bible:
Some Important Questions
(Note 3)
Is
that all there is? A few prophecies about barrenness
and eunuchs and only
two same-sex couples? There is more,
and scholars need to explore the possibilities:
- Are the eunuchs in the
Joseph story (Genesis 39-45) and the Book of Esther also gay, residing
in royal courts, and rescuing God's leaders?
- In the parable of the
woman who has lost a coin (Luke 15), she had ten and lost one. Are gays
and lesbians a lost coin joyfully rediscovered in our day? Gays and
lesbians are now estimated to be ten percent of the population. Are they
a tithe of humanity? Are they the leaven in the loaf of every culture?
- A centurion petitions
Jesus for the healing of a servant who is dear to him (Luke 7). The
Greek word in Matthew 8 is pais meaning "slave boy", which
commonly described a homosexual relationship in those times. Why did
Jesus praise the faith of the centurion but not condemn his lifestyle?
- Paul, the apostle, had no
sympathy for heterosexuals who couldn't control their sexual desires. At
the same time, his stormy relational life was centered around men, such
as Timothy, Barnabas and Silas. Were his tirades against co-workers and
churches, and his tireless missionary zeal partly a way to suppress his
homosexuality?
- In the story of the rich
young ruler (Mark 10), "Jesus looking upon him loved him." What is the
connection of embodied spirituality and this "love" for a needy
stranger? What studies have been done about the eight times Jesus was
said to "love" someone? How was Jesus' particular "love for individuals
related to his sexuality?
- What of Lydia (Acts 16),
the independent, Gentile businesswoman, seller of purple and the first
European Christian? There is no mention of her husband, or children, yet
she is noted to have led a women's group to whom Paul preached. Was
Lydia a lesbian?
- the color purple is often
used in connection with royalty, or suffering and passion, or
transformation and magic. It is the color which Jesus wore to the cross.
Does the color purple also have gay and lesbian connotations in the
bible and in Christian liturgical tradition?
What
difference does it make?
What difference does
it make for gays and lesbians to dare see themselves in the Bible. It
helps to know the people of the Bible as they were, not unrealistically
assuming they were all heterosexual. In these
references to gays and lesbians, there is no condemnation, and no
cross-referencing to homophobic interpretations of the story of Sodom or
Levitical law. It invites lesbian and gay communities to fearlessly read
the Bible, to apply its healing and empowering message to their lives.
Footnotes to
"Our Story Too"
1)
Consultation of the National Council of Churches of Christ, USA, on
"Biblical Issues and Homosexuality," Unpublished papers, 1987. Six
infamous passages in the Bible are used against gays and lesbians-all of
which must be taken out of context when directed against them. A thorough,
yet concise, commentary on these passages is provided in the pamphlet,
Homosexuality: Not a Sin, Not a Sickness, by Rev. Donald Eastman,
referenced below.
2) This
section, "Same-Sex Relationships," is indebted to Tom Horner's Jonathan
Loved David: Homosexuality in Biblical Times, Philadelphia,
Westminster Press, 1978.
3) This
section, "Important Questions," is indebted to Judy Grahn's Another
Mother Tongue, Boston, Beacon Press, 1984.
Further
Reading:
The following sources are
recommended for those wishing to more carefully study related issues:
Boyd, Malcolm and Nancy L.
Wilson (1991). Amazing Grace: Stories of Lesbian & Gay Faith.
Freedom: Crossing Press.
Eastman, Donald (1990).
Homosexuality: Not a Sin, Not a Sickness.
Los Angeles: Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches.
McNeill, John J. (1988).
The Church and the Homosexual.
Boston: Beacon Press. Orig. pub. 1976.
Schussler Fiorenza,
Elisabeth (1988). In Memory of Her.
New York: Crossroads Publishing Company.
Spong, John Shelby (1991).
Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism.
San Francisco: Harper San Francisco. |
