Simple appeals to the Bible are not enough in a hostile world

There are two immediate issues that come from the furore over the ‘gay bishops’ controversy last month. One is about the Bible and the other about the hidden dangers of homophobia.

First,  it’s clear that in our society ‘the Bible says’ doesn’t have any traction anymore.  The reactions to comments about the Bible show that in these days our society has no real idea about what we evangelicals mean.

For a start, the Bible is taken to be simply a collection of rules, to be picked and chosen at leisure - something like a large edition of the Taxation Act.

There is no concept of the development of revelation or the place of the New and Old Testaments. Hence all discussion of homosexuality is conducted in relation to obscure texts from Leviticus, rather than the central Christian understanding of sexuality and marriage given by Jesus and the apostles.

But even more deeply, it was clear in the debate that there is almost no comprehension that the Christian faith claims to be based upon that which God has already spoken to us ? upon revelation. There is no comprehension that Christians don’t regard themselves as in any way free to make up their religion. In this context, appeals to the Bible appear to be, as one writer to The Sydney Morning Herald put it, merely the reflections of ‘the beliefs and prejudices of those ancient writers. It made no sense to say they are the literal word of God’.

Simple appeals to the Bible aren’t enough. In talking to our society and friends,  we need to go back to the whole concept of who God is as our Creator,  that he is personal, that he has spoken to us, and that we know this through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Then we can talk about the Bible.

Secondly,  it is clear that in our society anyone who criticises same-sexual activity is automatically seen to be ‘against homosexuals’ and engaging in homophobia. The distinction between the Christian understanding of the need to live a holy life, and the Christian love and acceptance of those who struggle with same-sex desires, was entirely lost in the debate.

The big danger in such debates is that we Christians will find ourselves unwittingly being drawn into positions that are deeply rejecting of people with homosexual desires.  The damage will be felt mostly by our fellow believing gay brothers and lesbian sisters in our churches who are looking for acceptance and support as they seek to live lives of abstinence. Harsh comments perceived as rejection will unwittingly send them off into the arms of the very gay lobby, which will encourage them into immorality. (You may be interested in reading an article I wrote in the ‘Bah! Humbug!’ series over nine years ago on this very question. It’s available here.

In the superheated world of media and international Anglican crises, it is very hard for the voice of understanding and support for holy living to be heard in our churches. The one thing we need to do, I believe, is to have churches which are,  in the words of Stanley Hauerwas ‘communities capable of sustaining Christian virtue’  which enable us ‘to be better people than we could have been left to our own devices’ - including those Christians who are homosexual.