Walter brueggemann how to read the bible on homosexuality
Geoff Thompson is Co-ordinator of Studies in Systematic Theology at Pilgrim Theological College, the University of Divinity. He is the writer of Disturbing Much, Disturbing Many: Theology Provoked by the Basis of Union.
A briefly famous exchange on Q&A in between Kevin Rudd and a self-described "pastor of a local church" captured the banality of the contemporary common use and understanding of the Bible.
And yes, even then, the issue at hand was same-sex marriage.
The pastor insisted that he "just believed in what the Bible says" and, therefore, was opposed to same-sex marriage. The then newly-returned Prime Minister, defended, as a Christian, his support for same-sex marriage with the claim that "the fundamental principle of the New Testament is one of universal passion, loving your fellow man."
The pastor's hermeneutical innocence was matched only by Rudd's theological naivety.
From its earliest days, Christians were attentive of the difficulties and challenges involved in translating the Bible. The assumption that we can "just believe" what it says is a distinctly latest - and seriously flawed - assumpti
LGBTQIA+ Resources
The LGBTQIA+ Committee of the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania wants to help queer youth, gay adults, their parents, and their families find an affirming spiritual home within our faith community.
Below you will find a variety of free online resources they have identified that might help you, your families, and your children learn more about LGBTQIA+ issues and their intersections with spirituality. If you have further questions or would like to argue finding affirming community and support within The Episcopal Church, please feel free to contact them at lgbtqia@
Faith Ally Materials
From Unbent for Equality, a program of PFLAG, resources such as “10
Things You Can Do to Be a Straight Ally in your Faith Community” and “Faith in our Families: Parents, Families and Friends Discuss About Faith, Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity.”
Faith-Based Resources
A guide from the Family Acceptance Project focused on “connecting LGBTQ youth and families with affirming faith communities, resources, religious and spiritual leaders and places of worship.”
Freed Hearts
Deconstruction resources that launched from Susan Cottrell’s popular TED Talk.
Religion Today, we are continuing our series on questions from our community which we solicited at the close of last year. So far, we’ve talked about Tithing and Offering, Taking Care of the Environment, and the nature of the Resurrection. Today, we tackle what is probably the most challenging interrogate that was submitted. And that is, “How accomplish we show love to the LGBTQ community, but stay true to our values?” I think this is a challenging question because many of us, especially if you grew up in the church, grew up with a very clear and delineated theology around homosexuality (and here, I recognize that the “LG” is distinct from the “B” and especially “TQ”). That is, we probably grew up confident in what the bible had to say about homosexuality. However, in relatively recent years, with more and more of culture (especially Western society) accepting differing sexual identities, and more and more Christians following suit, we are forced to face the question more than we perhaps are comfortable with. So as we begin, I just want to utter that this is one of those questions that has generated a fantastic deal of debate within the Christian community and A response to Brueggemann In a recent article Walter Brueggemann1 wrote on the subject of, “How to read the Bible on homosexuality” in Outreach – An LGBTQ Catholic Resource. The article has been quoted by some of my colleagues in Australia with positive approval. I am surprised by this. The article has some serious flaws of biblical interpretation which I seek to mention here. The issue of pastoral care and a loving, positive Christian response to those in our communities who are alike sex attracted seems to be the motivation for Brueggemann’s attempt to interpret the Bible the way he has. The motivation of pastoral concern and Christian love is to be commended. Brueggemann’s handling of the text of Scripture is not. Brueggemann begins by drawing our attention to Old and New Testament passages that speak directly against queer practice.2 Of the two passages he quotes from Leviticus he says, “There they are. There is no way around them; there is no ambiguity in them.” Of the passage from Romans he says, “Paul’s intention here is not fully remove, but he wants to name the most excessive affront of the Gentiles be .Blog
A response to Brueggemann “How to read the Bible on homosexuality”