[Oe List ...] {Spam?} Re: Article by Bishop Yap Kim Hao

Thu May 17 12:37:59 EDT 2007

It the fear of the "other".  Somebody has to be to blame for my  insecurity.  
Easier to point to the "group de jour" than to perform  spiritual examination.

Dick Kroeger

In a message dated 5/17/2007 11:22:40 A.M. Central Daylight Time,  
jfwiegel at yahoo.com writes:

So. what  is the underlying issue?  What is going on behind this that keeps  
homosexuality going as such a divisive issue?  Is it fear for the  family?  
deep male insecurity?  what?

George Holcombe  <geowanda at earthlink.net> wrote:  
This is an article written by Bishop Yap Kim Hao of  Singapore, who was our 
initial sponsor in that region years ago.  Some  of the old hands will remember 
him.  A very good article especially in  light of the 3rd world churches' 
support for anti-gay issues in the United  Methodist church.

This is from UMNexus list serve.

Public Dialogue on Christian Perspectives on  Homosexuality and Pastoral Care
By Yap Kim Hao

Let me at the outset  indicate the rationale for my perspective on 
homosexuality.

I can do no better than  to quote from an official statement of The United 
Methodist Church in the  United States that considers homosexuality as 
incompatible with Christian  teachings and I am a Methodist. Yet it is this same Church 
that recognizes  its "limited understanding of this complex gift and 
encourages the medical,  theological, and social science disciplines to combine in a 
determined  effort to understand human sexuality more completely. We call the 
Church to  take the leadership role in bringing together these disciplines to 
address  this most complex issue."

My approach is therefore a multi-disciplinary  one.

Firstly, I will raise some general observations  about the teaching of the 
Bible itself.

I quote a former colleague of mine when I was  teaching at the Southern 
Methodist University in Dallas. Victor Paul  Furnish, a distinguished Professor of 
New Testament who wrote:  "Homosexuality is not a prominent Biblical concern. 
The earliest ethical  codes of the Hebrews makes no mention of homosexual 
behavior. There is  nothing about it in the Ten Commandments. The four Gospels 
record no saying  of Jesus on the subject. The texts that are discussed are few 
and far  between and not even all of these are pertinent."

But what do we see in  many Churches in different parts of the world today? 
Homosexuality has  become a major issue, much more serious than doctrine or 
church order. It is  projected to split the Episcopal Church in the United States 
as well as the  worldwide Anglican Communion. The Archbishop of Canterbury 
who is personally  gay-affirming, has to recognize the current teaching of the 
Anglican  Communion which is against homosexuality.

As Christians refer to this common source of the  Bible, those who are 
anti-gay are quick to say that the Bible says so and  then close the Book. And the 
controversial issue of homosexuality is no  longer discussed. The teaching of 
the Bible leads to the teaching of the  Church which then becomes official, and 
obedience is demanded. The different  perspectives arise from the differing 
interpretation of the words of the  Bible and the teachings of the Church and 
its pronouncements change as we  gain more knowledge and insights.

My view is that the different books of the Bible  are time bound, 
historically related, culturally conditioned and  contextually based. They are related to 
the time and place of the recorded  events. They reflect the society and the 
culture at the time the books of  the Bible were written. The revelation of 
God is mediated and translated by  inspired human beings who are not infallible. 
We have to account for the  relevancy of the teaching to our contemporary 
context.
The various books of  the Bible are the products of writers who claim to have 
received the  revelation from God, and under the inspiration of the Holy 
Spirit, put it in  writing. Their different interpretations resulted in the 
changing official  teaching of the Church and the varying perspectives of Biblical 
scholars and  theologians. This process continues and we have today come 
together to share  our different perspectives and though we differ, we are expected 
to respect  our differences.
The teaching of the  Church must necessarily be continuously changing. Take 
for instance human  relationships, we have moved from the predominantly 
patriarchal to more  equality between men and women. In reference to health we are 
attributing  disease not to spirit possession but to bacteria and viruses. In 
terms of  geography even the flat earth has been rounded into a spherical one. 
Our  world-view is ever changing.
With this as  background, the Biblical view of sexual relationships is that 
heterosexuals  who engage in same-sex acts are sinful. The Biblical writers 
regard all men  as heterosexual and in condemning same-sex acts, they see it as 
men  exchanging their male role to that of an inferior role of women. At that  
time, they were not able to distinguish between those whom we now identify  as 
homosexual, from the heterosexual. Their view was that of heterosexuals  
engaging in same-sex sexual acts.
The Biblical texts that  explicitly talk about same-sex acts are few in 
number. The brief references  are related to laws of purity, holiness, temple 
rituals and to the  Greco-Roman culture and pagan worship. There were temple 
prostitutes, male  prostitution and pederasty (mentoring and sex with young 
callboys). Jesus  did not deal with same-sex relations in His teaching although he had 
much to  say about sex, love, marriage and divorce. Homosexuality in terms of 
sexual  orientation and long-term committed relationships as we understand 
them  today was not discussed and not even a term used at that time.
It was much later that  the term "homosexual" was used. Homosexuality as a 
term was introduced in  1869. It first appeared in newer translations of the 
Bible – Revised  Standard Version in 1946 and in New International Version in 
1978.  Homosexuality is not originally a Biblical word.
Other terms like  'heterosexual,' 'bisexual,' and ‘transgendered’ presuppose 
an understanding  of human sexuality that was possible only with modern 
psychology and  sociological analysis. The ancient writers were operating without 
the  faintest idea of what we have learned to call 'sexual  orientation'.

Let us look more closely at some of the Biblical  records related to 
sexuality and how they show varying  perspectives.
The law of Moses allowed  for man to divorce his wife on account of some 
"indecency" in her.  (Deuteronomy 24:1); Jesus categorically forbids it and will 
not man "put  asunder" those united in marriage. (Mark 10:1-12); Jesus was also 
said to  have sanctioned divorce on the condition of "unchastity." (Matthew 
9:9). Yet  many Christians, in clear violation of a command of Jesus are 
divorced and  for other reasons.

Divorced people are allowed baptism, church  membership, communion, 
ordination and re-marriage but this has not always  been the case for homosexuals. What 
makes the one so much greater a sin than  the other, especially considering 
the fact that Jesus never even mentioned  homosexuality but explicitly 
condemned divorce? Yet we ordain divorcees. Why  not homosexuals? 

Take the issue of sex itself. It began with sex  only for procreation which 
the early Christian theologians agree. When it  serves to satisfy lust it is 
regarded as venial sin. Augustine in the fifth  century said that we should 
mature as early as possible to the point when we  can dispense with sexual 
intercourse.

However, the Old Testament regarded celibacy as  abnormal and we are to be 
fruitful and multiply. And 1 Timothy 4:1-3 calls  compulsory celibacy a heresy. 
Yet the Catholic Church has made celibacy  mandatory for priests and nuns. 
Some Christian anti-gay demand celibacy of  homosexuals, whether they have a 
vocation for celibacy or not. Some anti-gay  people condone sexual orientation but 
condemn homosexual acts. Some gay and  lesbians like heterosexuals have 
chosen to live a life of single  blessedness.

Leviticus 21 discussed how priests need to be  morally, and even physically 
unblemished and must meet the requirements of  the purity laws at that time. 
Today most of these purity laws are being  ignored.

Far from being a Book full of bad news for gays  and lesbians, I believe the 
Bible is indeed full of good news of God's love  for all of creation - gay, 
lesbian, bisexual, transgender and straight  alike. The Bible has no clear and 
consistent sex ethic and only knows a love  ethic, which is constantly being 
brought to bear on whatever sexual mores,  moral codes or church teachings are 
dominant in any given country, culture,  or period. There is also the emphasis 
on grace rather than on  law.

The medical sciences today acknowledge  homosexuality as a sexual 
orientation, not a medical, psychological or  psychiatric condition that can be changed 
therapeutically.

It is on record that the  American Psychological Association removed 
homosexuality from its Diagnostic  and Statistical Manual of Psychological Disorders 
in 1973. In 1975 it then  released a public statement that homosexuality is not 
a mental disorder. In  1994, two decades later, the APA categorically said, 
"... homosexuality is  neither a mental illness nor a moral depravity. It is 
the way a portion of  the population expresses human love and sexuality".

The American Psychiatric  Association, the American Psychological 
Association, and other major groups  of medical, educational, and counseling 
professionals have concluded that  there exists, as yet, no scientific basis for the 
contention that so-called  reparative, reorientation, or conversion therapies can 
successfully change a  person’s orientation from homosexual to heterosexual. 
The prevailing view  among therapists is that gay and lesbian patients should be 
helped to  improve their self-esteem and to overcome the continuing 
stigmatization of  homosexuality in many societies. However reparative therapies are 
being  endorsed by the National Association for Research and Therapy of  
Homosexuality, which represents a minority of psychoanalysts, psychiatrists,  
psychologists, and other practitioners, and by some religions.

Recently MM Lee Kuan Yew  was widely quoted on this issue: "If in fact it is 
true, and I have asked  doctors this, that you are genetically born a 
homosexual -- because that's  the nature of the genetic random transmission of genes 
-- you can't help  it," he said in remarks published by The Straits Times.

"So why should we  criminalize it?" Lee asked.

"But there is such a strong inhibition, in all  societies -- Christianity, 
Islam, even the Hindu (and) Chinese societies.  And we are now confronted with a 
persisting aberration. But is it an  aberration? It's a genetic variation."

Homosexuality is not an aberration, tendency, or  inclination. It is a 
genetic or biological variation. It is an  orientation.

We must admit that we do not know for certain  the causes of homosexuality. 
This concluding statement in an article of  causes best summarizes the 
situation: 

"Perhaps there is no one answer, that sexual  orientation, whether homosexual 
or heterosexual; gay, straight, lesbian, or  bisexual, all are a cause of a 
complex interaction between environmental,  cognitive, and anatomical factors, 
shaping the individual at an early age."  

Given this medical perspective on homosexuality  how do I minister to GLBT 
people? Within the larger framework of my  understanding of the love of God for 
all of God’s people and my reading of  Christian ethics relating to justice 
and concern for the marginalized and  minorities, I can only affirm and accept 
the GLBT community and render my  service to them in whatever way that is 
helpful.

>From my perspective,  homosexuality is within the purpose of God in creation. 
There is a continuum  of sexual relationships from heterosexualilty to 
homosexuality. God has made  it possible for each individual to be unique and 
different and I affirm the  diversity in God’s creation. Homosexuality is a given 
and not a  choice.

In my experience of pastoral care to the gay  community, I feel their pain 
and agony when they first became aware of their  attraction to people of the 
same sex. Their experience is that it is not a  phase that will go away. In the 
solitariness of their closets they struggle  and pray. Most gay people know 
from painful personal experience that their  homosexual inclination is definitely 
not a deliberate choice. Who would in  their right mind choose to be gay when 
they know they will be relegated to a  despised minority. On the contrary, 
they choose to wear masks and pretend to  be straight. Yet opponents of gay 
rights choose to disregard these personal  experiences and continue to portray 
homosexuality as a sinful choice that  should be criminalised.

We are aware that the gay community has the  responsibility to change the 
perception that the gay lifestyle is hedonistic  and promiscuous. The straights 
have the problem of pursuing a hedonistic and  promiscuous lifestyle as well. 
The distinctive difference rests on having  sexual intercourse with the same or 
opposite sex.

As I come alongside them,  I sense their silent pain, I see their falling 
tears, I hear their aching  hearts. Today I feel their rising hope for they are 
receiving affirmation,  recovering dignity and restoring pride to be gay.

They are hearing and  believing what Victor Paul Furnish said: "It accords 
with the most  fundamental witness of Scripture that one's sexuality is to be 
received as a  good gift of God. Moreover, this gift is to be expressed in ways 
that  manifest the grace of God -for there is not variance in the reality of 
God's  love, which graces and claims us, whatever the particularities of our 
own  time and place. As for sexual relationships, God's love can find clear  
expression only where the partners are fully committed and faithful to one  
another."

Homosexuality is therefore a gift from God to be  accepted. It is not a 
result of human sin or the fallen nature because of  Adam. We all have, by the 
grace of God, to live out the purposes of God,  straight or gay, for we are all 
created by God.
Rev. Yap Kim Hao is  former bishop of the Methodist Church of Singapore and 
currently serves as  pastoral advisor to the free Community Church of Singapore.
 This text was provided  directly to United Methodist NeXus by Dr. Yap Kim 
Hao and was organized by  Safehaven, a ministry of the Free Community Church, 
Singapore.  Rev.  Yap Kim Hao is former bishop of the Methodist Church of 
Singapore and  currently serves as pastoral advisor to the free  Community Church of 
 Singapore. 

George Holcombe
14900 Yellowleaf Tr.
Austin, TX 78728
Home: 512/252-2756
Mobile 512/294-5952
_geowanda at earthlink.net_ (mailto:geowanda at earthlink.net) 

_______________________________________________
OE  mailing  list
OE at wedgeblade.net
http://wedgeblade.net/mailman/listinfo/oe_wedgeblade.net

401  North Beverly Way 
Tolleson, Arizona 85353-2401
+1 623-936-8671
+1  623-363-3277
jfwiegel at yahoo.com

Now and then it's good to pause in  the pursuit of happiness and just be 
happy. Guillaume Apollinaire  
Choose the right car based on your needs. Check out Yahoo! Autos new Car  
Finder tool.  
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/evt=48518/*http://autos.yahoo.com/carfinder/;_ylc=X3oDMTE3NWsyMDd2BF9TAzk3MTA3MDc2BHNlYwNtYWlsdGFncwRzbGsDY2FyLWZpbmRlcg-- 
 hot CTA = Yahoo! Autos new Car Finder  tool

_______________________________________________
OE mailing  list
OE at wedgeblade.net
http://wedgeblade.net/mailman/listinfo/oe_wedgeblade.net

************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://wedgeblade.net/pipermail/oe_wedgeblade.net/attachments/20070517/1bfd75f3/attachment-0001.html 