When it comes to LGBTQ+ issues, we must first realize that the bible condemns likewise heterosexual relationships that are essentially exploitative. All of the passages detailed in the quote above, in fact, are condemning exploitative acts. Any kind of intercourse that objectifies one's partner (or worse, victimizes another) is contrary to the vision of love exemplified by God in creation and, later, in Jesus' crucifixion. This is why, for Jesus, even if a man looks at a woman lustfully he has already committed the sin. The issue is not the act, but the disposition of the heart. Now, can any of us fully embrace selfless love? Even marriages between heterosexual couples can and often are exploitative in orientation. Yes, even those marriages we think of as good marriages suffer from this problem. The call, however, is to strive to embrace selfless love, a reciprocal gift of self to the other that receives the gift of other in return. We seek this despite the exploitative and selfish tendencies that creep into all human romantic relationships. If we use this lens to evaluate the texts regarding certain kinds of behaviors we will see that in every instance what is condemned is an act that is wholly selfish, exploitative, that does not reflect the relationship between God and humankind instituted in the beginning. We must also recognize that not all marriages are "fruitful" in the sense that they produce children. If we were to identify the ability to bear children with "godly" marriage we'd have to argue that intercourse post-menopause is inappropriate, that sterile persons must remain chaste, and the like. These aren't arguments that many of us would make. The question, then, is ultimately this: can this relationship grant the couple the experience of God's image of selfless love, of reciprocal gift, that human romance that puts us in touch with God's love for us?
Ultimately, the focus on the particular meaning of specific culturally-conditioned texts is not the point. If we're going to evaluate the godliness of a relationship from a Biblical perspective the primary concern is love. Does the love of such a relationship allow us to better experience the kind of love God has for us? If the answer is "yes," I'd argue that issues of sexual orientation are irrelevant.
Now, I write all this recognizing fully that not all (or even most?) of my readers embrace a biblical worldview. However, I hope that this little explanation combined with the story offers a different view on Biblical spirituality that counteracts the sort of religion we see represented by the Order of the Morning Dawn. When we consider the heart of one's beliefs, whether love or hate is at the core, it is not always the "religions" who are the most godly or righteous. Jesus makes this point repeatedly in his disputes with the Pharisees in the Gospels. Now, I realize there's a lot of meat here to chew on. But ultimately, I think, we need to ask what good any religion does anyone if its core motives are found in the judgment of others, in identifying or labeling what is or isn't sinful, and the like. Jesus' point when asked about the "greatest commandment" is one that I think even those who don't believe the Bible can embrace when it comes to spiritual matters. Does this practice, this worldview, lead us to love on another more fully? Does it open our hearts, or close them off? Does our religion make us feel better than others or does it lead us to give of ourselves to others (even those whose lifestyles are different than our own, or whose views do not align with ours)? If you're wrestling with these questions then, I suppose, you're on the right path. It's when we don't struggle with such things, when we aren't fighting our innate tendencies of fear, bias, hate, or selfishness, that we find ourselves the furthest from the greatest of these commandments, the principle of loving others as ourselves, the principle of reciprocal love, the gift of oneself to others and the ability to accept the gift that others are to us.
Ultimately, when it comes to how folks who believe in the Bible approach issues like this I think the wrong questions are being asked. Rather than focusing on the particular meaning of specific passages perhaps we should be looking at the larger message, the romance that is woven through the scriptures like a golden thread from start to finish. Once we understand that "sin" is another word for self-love, for exploitation rather than a participation in divine love, a participation in the reciprocation of the gift of one to another (which is the opposite of "sin") we can pose different ethical questions. The question is not "does the bible say this or that is/isn't a sin?" but "does this practice cohere with God's design of selfless love?" If we ask this question, can we really say that heterosexual relationships are innately any more or less susceptible to exploitative patterns than homosexual relationships? In turn, is there really any essential difference in terms of the experience of love that can be reciprocated between couples based on orientation? Is a relationship with a cis-gendered person inherently any more capable of expressing selfless love than a relationship with a transgendered person? If love is the paradigm, rather than "defining what is or isn't sin," then we can have a broader umbrella in terms of the kinds of relationships we might embrace as expressions of divine love.
Best!
Theo
1.Gnuse, Robert K. "Seven gay texts: Biblical passages used to condemn homosexuality." Biblical Theology Bulletin 45, no. 2 (2015): 68-87.
HAILEY'S STORY: THE BLOOD WITCH SAGA
COMING SOON!
I'm Hailey Bradbury: Hedge Witch and Vampire.
My sire was staked moments after I was turned.
As a youngling, the Voodoo Queen took me in. She taught me her art.
I've been working with the new Mistress of the Vampire Council.
She trained me in the ways of vampirism, the path of the night.
Witchcraft + Voodoo + Vampirism = what I call bloodwitchery.
Most witches won't mess with the power latent in blood.
It's dark. It's dangerous. But if you can master it...
You can harness the power of life itself.
THREE BOOKS IN ONE MASSIVE VOLUME
BOOK 1: BLOODY COUNCIL:
I’m supposed to seduce and assassinate the vampire king…
He’s defied the new vampire council.
The Voodoo Queen has evoked Erzulie, the Loa of Love, to render him susceptible to my allure
Once I’ve enthralled the king my orders are to stake him and cast a spell to harness the power that lingers in his blood.
But there’s one problem…
He has enthralled me instead.
BOOK 2: BLOODY QUEEN
I never thought I'd literally find myself sleeping with the enemy.
It's not as thrilling as you'd think.
Two staked vampires. Sent to vampire hell.
It's the only way I can claim the crown. To stop the vampire king.
Who would have thought that the Vampire King could rule from hell itself?
BOOK 3: BLOODY DOLLS
This magic is like a drug.
My cravings haven't been this overwhelming since I was first turned.
But it isn't the taste of blood I desire. It's the power within it.
They say that absolute power corrupts absolutely...
But if I can't get a handle on it...
The Voodoo Queen and Mistress of the Council will be left without a choice...
They'll have to end me.
My only chance?
To return to the Vampire King, the one from whom I stole this power to begin with...
He's the only one who has ever managed to control this power.
But the price I'll have to pay... is it worth it?
Do I even have a choice?
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Also by Theophilus Monroe
The Druid Legacy
Druid’s Dance
Bard’s Tale
Ovate’s Call
Rise of the Morrigan
The Fomorian Wyrmriders
Wyrmrider Ascending
Wyrmrider Vengeance
Wyrmrider Justice
The Voodoo Legacy
Voodoo Academy
Grim Tidings
Death Rites
Watery Graves
Voodoo Queen
The Legacy of a Vampire Witch
Bloody Hell
Bloody Mad
Bloody Wicked
Bloody Devils
Bloody Gods
The Legend of Nyx
Scared Shiftless
Bat Shift Crazy
No Shift, Sherlock
Shift for Brains
Shift Happens
The Vilokan Asylum of the Magically and Mentally Deranged
The Curse of Cain
The Mark of Cain
Cain and the Cauldron
More to come!
Nanoverse
Algorithm
Nanoswarm
Posthuman
Nanowar
The Blood Witch Saga
Voodoo and Vampires
More to come!
About the Author
Theophilus Monroe is a fantasy author with a knack for real-life characters whose supernatural experiences speak to the pangs of ordinary life. After earning his Ph.D. in Theology, he decided that academic treatises that no one will read (beyond other academics) was a dull way to spend his life. So, he began using his background in religious studies to create new worlds and forms of magic–informed by religious myths, ancient and modern–that would intrigue readers, inspire imaginations, and speak to real-world problems in fantastical ways.
When Theophilus isn’t exploring one of his fantasy lands, he is probably playing with one of his three sons, or pumping iron in his home gym, which is currently located in a 40-foot shipping container.
He makes his online home at www.theophilusmonroe.com. He loves answering reader questions—feel free to e-mail him at [email protected] if the mood strikes you!
No Shift, Sherlock: A Vampire Hunter Urban Fantasy Mystery (The Legend of Nyx Book 3) Page 19