what would jesus say to the lgbt community
The Church of England issued pastoral guidance from the House of Bishops to its clergy on Jan 23, following the legal introduction of heterosexual ceremonious partnerships in 2019. While the guidance concerns heterosexual civil partners, the document has, controversially, been used by the church building to reiterate its position on sexual relationships exterior of heterosexual wedlock. It states that "sexual relationships exterior heterosexual wedlock are regarded equally falling short of God's purpose for human beings".
This is squarely in line with the church's official position on homosexuality, which is that it is "incompatible with scripture". We have seen recent attempts by liberal members to become the church to have a more inclusive arroyo towards gender and sexuality, but these have been rebuffed by conservatives. In October 2018, 4 bishops from the diocese of Oxford published guidance designed "to propose local clergy and congregations in order to support LGBTQ+ people and their families, and to learn from the insights of LGTBQ+ people about being church building together".
Several months later, more than a hundred "concerned Anglicans" signed an open letter criticising the guidance. The alphabetic character claimed that the attempt at inclusivity by the Oxford bishops actually served to exclude those who "concord to the traditional reading of scripture". Their response stated:
We cannot see how information technology is right to accept every bit Christian leaders those who advocate lifestyles that are not consistent with New Testament educational activity.
The alphabetic character writers may be referring to New Testament teaching from Paul'due south letters in ane Corinthians vi:ix—x and Romans 1:26-27 which describe how those who are "sexually immoral" will not enter the kingdom of God.
This case is one of the many cases where conservative Christians deploy biblical verses to bolster arguments confronting same-sex union, transgender identities, adoption and parenting past LGBTQ+ people.
Within the Bible, there are a number of texts which have been used as a weapon confronting LGBTQ+ people, known as "clobber texts" or "texts of terror". Just using biblical verses in this way is really an abuse of scripture. It must stop, urgently. Many LGBTQ+ Christians struggle to reconcile their organized religion with their gender or sexual identities, which tin lead to cocky-harm or suicide.
Non the Discussion of God
The Bible is often used as a source of authorisation, only it is misleading to call it "the word of God". In fact, Christianity teaches that the word of God is not scripture, it is Jesus Christ.
As such, Jesus said nothing explicit about same-sex relationships or transgender people. In the New Testament, it is Paul who teaches well-nigh sexual morality, not Jesus. In i Corinthians six:9 - 10, he said:
Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practise homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers volition inherit the kingdom of God.
While statements like these are cited by bourgeois Christians to support arguments against the sexual activities and relationships of LGBTQ+ people, information technology is of import to note how Paul himself warns that such use of the Bible is dangerous. In 2 Corinthians three: 6 Paul writes "for the letter of the alphabet kills, but the Spirit gives life".
In his provocative book, The Vicious Text: The Use and Abuse of the Bible, theologian Adrian Thatcher cautions that Christians who mobilise the Bible to argue confronting the inclusion of others actually commit "bibliolatry" – worshipping the Bible instead of God.
Selection 'n' mix Bible?
Conservative Christians adopt a option 'n' mix approach to scripture, selecting what appeals to suit their prejudices while ignoring other texts. The excerpt from Corinthians, above, lists alongside homosexuals, adulterers, the greedy and drunkards to only proper name a few. Thankfully, these and other offerings on the biblical buffet, such as divorce, owning slaves, and the role of women in the Church building take, to some extent, been sympathetically re-interpreted by the church building.
The Bible is complicated when information technology comes to the issue of homosexuality, every bit it is on many other issues. However, many other activities inconsistent with New Testament teaching don't share the same airtime in religious discussions. There is no longer much concern, for example, about dressing modestly and inexpensively or getting boozer on wine. Too, there are many inclusive LGBTQ+ readings of the Bible and interpretations of Christianity that raise new questions and have particular relevance for readers interested in LGBTQ+ issues.
I of the yardsticks for measuring how in touch the Church of England is with contemporary life lies in ongoing discussions near the acceptance and inclusion of LGBTQ+ people in the Church. However, the current state of affairs shows the diminishing authority of the Church building and the Bible in everyday life in the Uk.
The Church building of England faces a generational crisis, with only 2% of immature people identifying with it in the Britain. The decline points to how the Church building'south current position is seemingly hostile and incompatible with socially liberal views, particularly those towards LGBTQ+ people.
Source: https://theconversation.com/using-the-bible-against-lgbtq-people-is-an-abuse-of-scripture-110128
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