“Gardens at Ceperley House, Burnaby Art Gallery” Phone Photo, DS
In my youth I avidly read each book required by courses. I joined into class discussion, my hand always in the air. Debates fascinated. Once upon a time, in a flurry of defences, I argued against free will. When I listened, I became convinced of the other side, for a lifetime. Mrs. Krueger was the freedom fighter. I wonder now at her background. Were her arguments from experience?
I was more to be found on the dance floor than at the library door. I married young and had my children. It was then, in the hours after bedtime, and during naps, that I read as if my life depended on it. The first tome was Gone With the Wind. I began university and was interrupted by life many times. This became my pattern.
The Gleanings Project will be part of one of those interruptions. I will glean books for glimpses of knowledge and wisdom, fun and study, using fewer than 500 words (with a few exceptions). Later, I will get down to serious work again. Thank you for being companions on the way. Your likes and comments are awesome.
Keen, Karen R. Scripture, Ethics & The Possibility of Same-Sex Relationships. Grand
Rapids: Michigan, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2018.
658 Words
The evangelical world is facing increasing tension as leaders like Hatmaker express affirmation of same-sex relationships . . . so what is causing some Christians to switch sides in the debate? (Keen, ix)
I had resigned myself to a celibate life and focused on serving in ministry . . . Then something happened . . . The more I dug into the Bible . . . gnawing sense that my previous conclusions were incomplete. New questions arose that I had not considered before . . . false stereotypes . . . As our knowledge of human sexuality and sexual orientation increases, I suspect we will continue to grow in our pastoral response . . . explore the inspired authors’ intended meaning . . . (x)
In what ways does the Bible inform our ethical practices? . . . explore the biblical authors themselves to see how they interpret . . . implications . . . life-giving . . . (xi)
The trend of treating same-sex attraction as a spiritual or medical disorder continued into the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. (2)
Same-sex attraction cannot be simplistically characterized . . . C.S. Lewis in a letter to a friend, suggested gay people have a lifelong condition and declined to offer a spiritual explanation for causation . . . he suggested that gay people can find a redemptive purpose in their lot . . . The disciples were not told why (in terms of efficient cause) the man was born blind (Jn IX 1-3): only the final cause, that the works of God should be made manifest in him . . . Lewis was before his time, and it would be many years before the church at large caught up with him . . . others were rethinking the issue. Notably, gay and lesbian people themselves began challenging both ancient and modern theories of disorder; testifying that their lives did not match prevailing negative assumptions . . . 1969 Stonewall rioters launched a visible fight for dignity and fair treatment. Shortly thereafter, in 1972, the United Church of Christ began ordaining gay and lesbian pastors, the first mainline denomination to do so. (3)
Religious Right organizations . . . psychological theory that same-sex attraction was environmentally caused . . . In response, churches became more supportive of efforts to heal or cure gay or lesbian people rather than criminalize them . . . Gay people are admirable saints called to a celibate life. (8)
The 2000’s brought another significant shift in the conservative church’s response . . . awareness that sexual orientation change is unlikely for many. Like previous shifts, this was brought about by the stories of gay people, namely, young Christians whose testimonies differed from classic ex-gays . . . These young Christians often reported growing up in loving homes and had no history of destructive behavior. They remained devoted to God and committed to chastity. (9)
Celibate gay Christians who lend their voices to this movement include Wesley Hill [Regent College] . . . [and] gay members married to people of the opposite sex who are straight . . . This movement has made significant contributions to theologies of friendship and community . . . held up as examples of how to live a self-sacrificial life . . . Currently, the conservative church finds itself with a palette of options. (11)
Gay-affirming evangelicals have gained traction through the support of biblical scholars who are providing new arguments rooted in traditionally accepted hermeneutics . . . now an in-house [debate] . . . (13)
If historical trends continue, whatever paradigm shifts occur in the future will likely flow from gay and lesbian Christians truthfully testifying about their lived reality. (14)
The biblical authors do not write about the morality of consensual same-sex relationships as we know them today . . . The current debate on same-sex relationships centers on anatomical (or bodily) complementarity, including the role of procreation. (20)
ShellseekerReflections 