On January 1, 1962, the state of Illinois became the first state in the U.S. to decriminalize homosexuality by repealing its sodomy laws. More than fifty years later, we now see gay marriage legal in 17 states, plus Washington D.C. While these milestones should be recognized in the journey toward legal equality, there is an implicit voice of the marginalized calling out for more work to be done.
While part of this work involves a reorienting of language (from the use of "no homo" by high school boys, to "homosexual lifestyle" by conservative politicians), a reorienting of historical narrative (how many of you have heard of Matthew Shepard's lynching?), and a reorienting of what you, my people, call discrimination, I believe there is a specific, God-ordained work for the church.
Christians in the U.S. attach themselves to arguments and positions across the spectrum of support for the LGBT community and individuals. A Chicago church currently seeks to address what its leadership team has called, "Hospitality and our LGBT Neighbors." The congregation takes part in (nearly) monthly conversation after worship, regarding topics that have included "Reading the Bible with Humility," "Our Behavioral Covenant," and "What is Biblical Hospitality." All these conversations are centered around the idea of how to be hospitable to LGBT members of the congregation, as well as visiting worshipers or families of LGBT individuals.
Elizabeth A. Johnson, Catholic feminist liberation theologian and scholar, would not question the absolute need for the American church to accept the LGBT community, to the point of social and political equality (at the very least).
In her essay "Redeeming the Name of Christ," Johnson discusses the fact that Jesus' male humanness is not indicative of Jesus' divine gender. "In the end," Johnson writes, "from the perspective of Jesus' relationship with divine saving function, gender is not constitutive of the symbol of the Christ. Neither does gender restrict the identity of Christ within human community." If neither sex nor gender restricts the identity of the Christ within human community, it must be assumed that Johnson agrees that other human factors, such as ethnicity, socio-economic status, and, most importantly in this context, sexual orientation, do not restrict the identity of Christ either.
Perhaps it is too often assumed that Jesus the human (whether the distinction between Jesus the human and Jesus the divine can be made is an entirely separate theological debate, which will not be addressed at the moment), along with being white, brown-haired, blue-eyed and English speaking, was also straight. However, whatever Jesus' sexual orientation was during his time in skin, it quite frankly doesn't matter. Because Jesus the human made it quite clear that in his eyes, as well as in the eyes of the Triune God as One, there is no distinction made when it comes to the salvific act of grace and love that is the crucifixion, death and resurrection.
As Johnson makes the argument that the gender of Jesus is irrelevant to the divine salvation given through him, Johnson would also argue that the sexual orientation of Jesus is even more irrelevant to that salvation. Along these lines, Johnson writes that "Jesus' ability to be Savior does not reside in his maleness but in his loving, liberating history lived in the midst of the powers of evil and oppression set loose in the wisdom community by the power of the Spirit to the ends of the earth."
Moving forward from that argument, Johnson makes the case for inclusion of all in Christ, and Christ's inclusion in humans. She cites 1 Corinthians 12 and Galatians 3:28. 1 Corinthians 12 uses the classic Pauline "Body" language, generally summed up in verse 14: "Indeed, the body [of Christ] does not consist of one member but of many" (Holy Bible, NRSV). Galatians 3:28 is also familiar to the practicing Christian: "There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus" (Holy Bible, NRSV). The Galatians passage deals with contextual historical divisive human categories of humans. The implicit argument for inclusion of gays in the body of Christ is presented as well. Today, many might argue that Paul would continue with "... there is no longer hetersexual or homosexual, transgender or bisexual ..."
This is not to say that factors innate to personal identity are no longer allowed to be identifying, but rather that these are lost as barriers to entering into the body of Christ. Christ is in all, and all are invited to be in Christ. This invitation to baptism (invitation to body-ness) by a redeemed Christ in an invitation to all. Inclusivity continues to be key for LGBT individuals. Johnson's argument pinpoints imperative elemental aspects of christological doctrine that, at their core, come alongside the suffering and marginalized gay individual to say, "Christ is here, Christ is for you, Christ invites you!" All are invited to this inclusive table, and therefore Christians should be reflecting such an invitation in society. Christians should be making room for the oppressed - for the queers - at every table, be it in state marriage equality legislature, family insurance policies, news headlines, school system curricula, dinner table language, or in the literal church setting.
Johnson writes that the "passion of God is clearly directed toward the lifting of social oppression and the establishing of right relations." If this is truly the passion of God, that there be no social oppression, Christians aught to be at the forefront of the battle for gay rights, for the reorienting of the English language, for pushback against hate crimes. In making this claim, Johnson challenges Christians all over the world to be Christ in their world. This can be done by living the invitational life.
So go, my people, and redeem. Redeem the church - your church - to be inclusive for your gay brothers and sisters. Live the invitational life.
- taken from "Blessed Assurance!" Claire Nelson, 2014.
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