There are certain “clobber verses” that some Christians use to justify the exclusion and condemnation of LGBTQ folks. They pull a translation of the scriptures, remove it from any surrounding biblical verses (verses that might point out other sins or laws that are harder to condemn or enforce, easier to ignore) and make a claim that the verses stand independently as true for all time and all places, in the name of Biblical inerrancy.
I have 5 “clobber verses” of my own that I would like to pull from the Hebrew Bible and from the Christian New Testament because they seem to me to give life, love and peace more than the usual clobber verses about “homosexuality*” that only seem to bring dread, despair and condemnation (*keep in mind this term was only recently coined in the 19th century by a German psychologist and, as evidence by changes in our own culture, has different meaning at different times).
1. Joshua 5:13-15
As Joshua approached the city of Jericho,
he looked up and saw a man facing him with sword in hand.
Joshua went up to him and asked, "Are you friend or foe?"
"Neither one," he replied. "I am commander of the Lord’s army."
At this, Joshua fell with his face to the ground in reverence.
"I am at your command," Joshua said.
"What do you want your servant to do?"
The commander of the Lords army replied,
"Take off your sandals, for this is holy ground."
And Joshua did as he was told.
I choose this verse to start with because I have frequently seen people on all sides of the debate sticking to their guns - and framing this issue as “friend or foe,” as “us vs. them,” as pro-biblical authority or pro-love and inclusion. This verse calls us to let go of our own agenda (“take off your shoes”). It calls for us to fall to the ground in reverence and ask “What do you want your servant to do?” Then it calls for us to listen and hear. When a response is given, we can follow Joshua’s example.
I want to note that I absolutely lean on one side of this debate. Like Joshua (we can all put ourselves in his shoes), when I talk to people about this debate I want to know, “Are you friend or foe?” I want to know, do you support full inclusion of LGBTQ folks on all levels? I want to know, do you use the scriptures to oppress and condemn others or for liberation and justice?
But, I also believe that a living God is doing something amazing in the world right now. This Spirit-movement is happening among those who profess to believe in God and fit in seamlessly to their faith communities, and also among those excluded from faith communities, finding their own way. (By “excluded” I mean those who have been excluded for being too “sinful” and also those who choose to remove themselves from faith communities because they have not found life there - but rather judgement, division and hypocrisy).
This brings me to by next verse:
2. Isaiah 42:16
"And I will lead the blind in a way that they do not know,
in paths that they have not known I will guide them.
I will turn the darkness before them into light,
the rough places into level ground.
These are the things I do and I do not forsake them."
This verse says that God will lead “the blind” in a way that they do not know. I think this is a very important part of this verse and others like it. When we are being led, we are not directing the course.
There are many different postures I perceive that Christians take when coming to their relationship with God. I cannot capture in words all the different ways, it is far too varied and diverse. But, I have seen that there are some who come to their relationship with God and to life with biblical certainty. Many of those who are certain in this way have been well-educated in Christian norms and beliefs. They know what the Bible says and they seek to follow that. Of course, those with certainty want to be open to letting God/the Bible/Jesus lead them - in fact, following Jesus is practically a “letter of the law” in Christianity.
However, when we are truly being led, we are not saying our lives (or other people’s lives) must go THIS way or THAT way because of our biblical or theological certainty. True, that the darkness before the blind will be turned into light, and rough places into level ground. And although the Bible gives us a framework of good laws/commands for how to live life, that is not the end of the story. When we are led, we realize that every person is on a journey and there is an uncertainty to where that journey will take us. Those who claim to know the way they should go (or the way others should go) are definitely not “the blind” mentioned in this verse. To further emphasize this point, I recall another similar verse: “If you were blind, you wouldn’t be guilty but you remain guilty because you claim you can see” (John 9:41).
3. Luke 12:2-3
“The time is coming when everything will be revealed;
all that is secret will be made known to all.
Accordingly, whatever you have said in the dark
will be heard in the light,
and what you have whispered in the inner rooms
will be proclaimed upon the housetops.”
The controversy about LGBTQ folk among Christians is in many ways surrounded in secret, in the dark, and whispered about in private inner rooms. Yet, the time is coming…
There are gay Christians who have been forced into secrecy because of the hurtful environments the “clobber verses” (and subsequent church exclusionary practices) have created. Some of these brave Christians are coming out of the closet and refusing to leave their churches despite the hostility they face. They will forge ahead.
There are straight Christian leaders who secretly feel that they would change their hardline stance on homosexuality if one of their children turned out to be gay. There are many Christian parents who have openly accepted their gay children, only to lose long time church family and friends because of it.
There are many pastors who privately feel God is calling them to think differently about this issue. If this calling were made public - shouted from the rooftops - these pastors justifiably fear the consequences for their livelihood and in their congregations. There are pastors (like Rev. Danny Cortez) who have publicly changed their views and suffered trials and disaffiliations and loss. Their future is uncertain.
There are Christians who are wrestling with these issues in private and are not settled - God is calling their hearts to go one way but their minds are going another. They will either allow themselves to be led into the unknown, or will fall back on their intellectual and biblical certainty.
All these examples are stories of secrecy and darkness coming to light. They are evidence to me of a living God leading his children into an unknown future - and of his children who are willing to follow despite their blindness with trust and faith, come what may.
I am no theologian, and there are people who are much smarter and well-read in biblical law and theology that can run circles around me on this issue. This debate can bring out the best in people (vulnerability, willingness to accept that love covers a multitude of sins, and humility) but it can also bring out the worst in people (pride, overbearance, and focusing on the sawdust in our neighbor’s eye, rather than the log in our own.)
4. Luke 11:48
“Yes,” said Jesus,
“how terrible it will be for you experts in religious law!
For you crush people beneath impossible religious demands,
and you never lift a finger to help ease the burden.”
Amen to that. We are called to serve one another and lift each other’s burdens. We are not called to crush people beneath impossible religious demands.
5. John 17:21
“I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one
as we are one—I in them and you in me—
so that they may be brought to complete unity.
Then the world will know that you sent me
and have loved them even as you have loved me.”
Danny Cortez, a Southern Baptist Minister who I mentioned earlier, referenced this verse from John 17 about unity. He writes:
“If we become a gay affirming church, I will step down.” These are the words I told my congregation after I disclosed that I had become affirming of same sex relationships. It seemed like a contradiction. Many people were surprised by my statement since they assumed that this is what I had wanted, but my deeper hope was motivated by Jesus’ prayer—that, even in the midst of our differences, we would be one.” (Cortez, "A Third Way: A Response to the Southern Baptist Convention")
I appreciate his sentiment that even in the midst of our differences, we would be one. Why does this issue create such enemies among Christians? It is so controversial right now and people are building up armies on both sides of the debate. This brings me back to the story of Joshua. Although, I admit, I often want to ask people on this issue, “Are you friend or foe?” And it’s fine to ask that question, but then we need to realize that each person we meet is an image bearer of the divine. When we turn against each other and maintain divisive reactions to our perceived differences, no one wins. Let us fall to our knees and ask, “How can I serve?” Let us unite in the knowledge that we are loved - isn't that a biblical truth?
It is time for those who are proud to be humble, and those who would condemn, have mercy - let God be the judge - and those who claim to know who God prefers most to remember with humility that it is said, “The last shall be first and the first shall be last.” All this in the kingdom of heaven on earth.
