Justin Lengthy and Unsolicited Opinion

It’s time for Justin’s Lengthy and Unsolicited Opinion, slow Friday afternoon edition.

Religion and politics in one post. No matter who you are you will probably disagree with and possibly be offended by something I’m about to say. Also, if you’re not a Christian or interested in theology, you may just not care about the lion’s share of this essay. You have been warned.

I openly support marriage equality as a secular concept, though I utterly despise the tactics of a lot of gay rights activists with regard to this particular debate. Specifically, the law is not a club to get people to approve of your way of life. To protect you from physical harm, slander or libel, yes, but not to violate others’ right to free association or punish them for their opinions- no matter how objectionable you may find those opinions. It’s called rule of law, not rule of feels and it protects asshole and saint equally. The being said, the government cannot pick and choose which ostensibly lifelong romantic relationships it’s going to recognize based on religious criteria.

But don’t get too happy with me, my liberal friends, because…

I cannot pretend that homosexual marriage is in accordance with anything remotely resembling sound Christian doctrine. I really, really, REALLY want to, believe me, and I’ve been wrestling with my opinion on the issue for a few years now.

I’ve always described myself, simplistically, as something like a moderate libertarian within our borders and something like an unrepentant imperialist outside them. I was these two things long before I accepted my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Ergo, my two ingrained philosophical instincts, and I fully acknowledge I am not entirely rational where they are concerned (then again, who is?), are:

1. The United States of America is awesome and unique, despite her myriad flaws and sins.

2. All human beings should be allowed to do whatever the hell they want as long as they are not demonstrably harming their fellow man. In terms of secular law, if not religious and spiritual conviction, this is still the basis of my opinion on any given issue.

But just because the Church cannot and should not enforce scripture via the government does not mean she should simply surrender her principles in those debates where sin and law clearly do not overlap. The Church should not ignore the inspired word of God because it has become inconvenient and highly uncomfortable to live it. In short- the Church should not lobby against secular homosexual weddings- but pastors and priests shouldn’t be performing them either.

Have I managed to piss everyone off, Left and Right, yet? Wait, there’s more!

I’ve attended Methodist churches since I became a Christian. In complete honesty, this was the default choice largely due to Michele growing up a Methodist. Regardless, it has been, I think, a good fit. Methodists run a wide gamut politically, philosophically and theologically. Base on my own anecdotal experience, I’d guess the average Methodist is more liberal than an average Southern Baptist, more conservative than an average Episcopalian.

Episcopalians already allow openly homosexual priests and leave their clergy latitude to perform homosexual marriages. I doubt Southern Baptists, by and large, will ever accept homosexuals with anything other than gritted teeth and attempted conversion therapy. Methodists are wrestling with the issue at present, I expect the denomination will have to sway one way or another and possibly schism over it.

My emotions are with the liberals on this. I want to be accepting, I want to tell my homosexual brothers and sisters in Christ that their sexual orientation doesn’t violate the scripture and they should feel free to love whomever they choose, provided we’re talking about consenting adults, of course.

But I just can’t. Oh, I can like and love homosexuals, but I can’t pretend that I know their behavior isn’t sinful. It’s not in accordance with the scripture, even if you squint and look sideways, it’s still not quite there. I know- I’ve tried.

I’m going to unpack the most common arguments I hear in favor of Christian recognition of homosexual marriage and why I think they fall apart under scrutiny.

1. Well, Leviticus/Deuteronomy has all kinds of dietary/clothing/customary restrictions you don’t follow, how is homosexual conduct, and therefore gay marriage, any different?

Response: Jesus Christ did not abolish the law, but he did fulfill it. Many of the disciplines of the ancient Jews are not necessary for Christians because our new covenant takes their place. You can find elaborations on this topic in the gospel of Matthew and in Paul’s letter to Timothy, off the top of my head, I’m sure there are other places. There is no such easement when it comes to the restrictions against homosexual conduct. I am dying for someone to prove me wrong on that.

2. Jesus doesn’t say anything about homosexual conduct in the gospels.

Response: Well, he does reiterate what the book of Genesis said about marriage, “for this reason a man shall leave his father and mother, etc.,” but I’m going to go ahead and give my imaginary opponent the point, the gospels do not specifically condemn homosexual behavior. But the Old Testament does without being specifically modified by the New Testament and so do a couple different epistles IN the New Testament. Is the cornerstone of your argument that being Christian entitles you to ignore the other sixty-two books of the bible? How is that sound theology?

3. Jesus says to love your neighbor as yourself, how is counseling homosexuals that their only holy options are abstention from romantic and sexual love or “conversion” therapy loving in any way?

Response: The best argument of the lot, in my opinion. I’ve used it myself. And based on my own limited experience, it does seem cruel to tell homosexuals that they are simply wired so that they can never have a romantic relationship that isn’t sinful. I’ll come out now (no, not that kind of coming out) and say I suspect conversion therapy is ninety-nine and forty-four one hundredths percent pure bullshit. I don’t believe I or anyone else can convert a gay man into wanting sex and romance with women any more than one could convert me into wanting sex and romance with dudes. That just doesn’t make any fucking sense.

This third argument continues to haunt me and sow doubt, because I know how deeply sad my life would be without my wife and it is not beyond my capability to imagine that a gay man might feel as deeply for another man what I feel for her. I cannot reconcile it except to say that we are not supposed to follow Christ only when it makes us feel good, only when we know it’s going to turn out okay, or even only when we agree with him philosophically. We are supposed to follow, not mindlessly or unquestioningly, but in genuine faith and, uncomfortable as this word is for modern Westerners, obedience.

What does that all mean in practical terms? Well, to reiterate, nothing legally. The Church does not wield the authority of the government, and the government does not wield the authority of the Church. As it applies to how Christians should treat homosexuals on a personal level, it sure as shit isn’t a justification for anyone to be an asshole towards or exclude homosexuals, including open and unrepentant homosexuals, from worship.

If you’re reading this then you’re likely one of my friends, which means you’re friends with someone who has sinned and does sin and will continue to need Christ’s intercession for his sins. No, I’ve never wrestled with same sex attraction, but I’ve got plenty of other deeds and thoughts in my ledger that would send me straight to hell with a first class ticket on an SR-71 if it weren’t for Jesus. We are all broken, our fractures are just in different places. I understand that you have repent of your sins to be forgiven of them, but how the hell do you expect anyone to repent when you try to exclude them from the body of the church or make them feel like their special sin makes them double bad because it happens to be a hot topic right now?

If anyone has a good scriptural argument to prove me wrong about this, please, by all means, lay it on me.