The Ethics of Human Sexuality

I was asked to provide a response to Dr. Brad’s presentation on the ethics of human sexuality. I appreciate the opportunity, as I have dealt with this issues from time to time. I think many pastors are confronted with this in different ways, especially if you assume the stance that same-sex eroticism is sinful and contrary to God’s plan for human sexuality.

I will first comment on Richard B. Hay’s three images as foci for New Testament ethics, what he calls the moral vision of the New Testament.

Richard Hays’ Moral Vision of the New Testament

Hays presents three foci, that of community, cross and new creation. He states:

“By placing community first, we are constantly reminded that God’s design of forming a covenant people long precedes the New Testament writings themselves, that the church stands in fundamental continuity with Israel. By placing cross in the middle, we are reminded that the death of Jesus is the climax and pivot-point of the eschatological drama. By placing new creation last, we are reminded that the church lives in expectation of God’s future redemption of creation.” (Hays, 199)

Hays defends these foci as consisting of a coherent moral vision. And for these there is a mandate of a community’s ethical code, a mandate to die to self, as Jesus stated in Matthew 16:24:

Matthew 16:24 ESV

24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

and the necessity of a changed lifestyle as a result of being “in Christ,” as 2 Corinthians 5:17 states:

2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

And so my question is, why would the cult instruction against same sex eroticism, if it applied to Israel, why then would it not apply to the church?

This becomes even more focused to witness what the Council of Jerusalem determined as an ethical code for newly converted Gentiles in Acts 15:27-29

Acts 15:27–29 ESV

27 We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who themselves will tell you the same things by word of mouth. 28 For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements: 29 that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.”

Of course the revisionists point to such relationships as Jonathan and David, or The Roman centurion and his slave and assume that same sex eroticism is a part of such relationships. But there is nothing in the Scriptures to denote that these relationships were anything other than platonic.

The centurion was kind to the Jews and funded the building of a synagogue, which makes one think that he may have been a God-fearer; and thus may have been exposed to the cult teaching prohibition against such relationships.

The revisionists say that when the Bible speaks against same sex eroticism, that it is always in the case of rape, cult prostitution, or other cultural contexts- not same sex monogamy. Such revisionists assume that participants are “born this way.”

Scriptures relevant to homosexuality

Leviticus 18:22 ESV

22 You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.

1 Corinthians 6:9–11 ESV

9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Romans 1:18–32 ESV

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. 24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. 26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error. 28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. 29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.

Genesis 18:20–21 ESV

20 Then the Lord said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave, 21 I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me. And if not, I will know.”

What sin was very grave? The sin revealed in Genesis 19 is the sin of homosexuality, the perversion of the men of Sodom.

Allow me to present a handful of times that this has come up in congregational life.

Can someone be a member of Central Schwenkfelder Church if they are also a homosexual?

I would say the person must be non-practicing. Though we have had members that have come out as gay after they were accepted into membership, none of whom are serving in leadership.

Can someone be married to their partner of the same sex at Central?

No they may not. In 2009, our Church Council endorsed a wedding policy that states:

“Believing marriage to be the sacred union of one male and one female, under no circumstances, will a same-sex ceremony take place at Central Schwenkfelder Church.”

But this was challenged several years ago when a father named Michael, who was a son of a prominent couple here, chose to leave his wife and daughter and enter a relationship with another man that he met at a UCC Church Bible study. He then came back to Central and asked the Senior Pastor to marry he and his partner.

The decision was presented to the deacons, who determined that anyone is allowed to attend our worship services, but such a wedding could not take place at Central. This was in the late 1980’s.

In recent years, we have had the strange occurence where a church member asked Dr. Drake to perform a baby dedication for a lesbian couple. Drake and I discussed it and since the church does not recognize same sex marriage, we determined that we could not in good conscience dedicate the child.

What if you were invited to participate in the ordination of a prospective clergy member that was Open and Affirming?

I would not and have not. The laying on of hands means that one has full confidence in someone to preach and teach according to the Scriptures. And since I do not believe that such a stance is Biblical, I did not participate in that person’s installation.

How would you govern a young person speaking from the pulpit on a Sunday morning?

A fair number of youth, we can assume are pro-gay lifestyle in their thinking, since nearly 20% of young people identify as LGBTQ+, and it is likely they have friends that belong within that subgroup?

We have not had a young person speak out on such issues, but have presented their support privately.

We decided some time ago to review the manuscripts of our young people before they speak from the pulpit.

How frequently do you speak on the issues of human sexuality?

Twice per year, usually, outside of a comment here or there.