An issue we cannot avoid with government and courts urging us to accept gay lifestyles

Troubling as it may feel to many of us in the church, the question about how or what to think about homosexual relationships faces us squarely. We will be forced to deal with it, and likely increasingly.

Those who follow developments in other denominations will know the turmoil that has followed, for example, for the worldwide Anglican communion in the wake of the decision by Bishop Michael Ingham and the Westminster diocese to bless same sex unions, and of the U.S. Episcopal Church to confirm the election of an openly gay bishop. The United Church of Canada lost tens of thousands of members and many ministers, largely over how it dealt with this issue.

Among Mennonites, Mennonite Church Canada is clearly facing a great deal of internal conflict over the ambivalence that a number of church leaders are showing toward acceptance of homosexual practice. Church members are troubled to hear denominational leaders who appear to be arguing for acceptance on the basis that the Scriptures have little to say on this subject, that we need to demonstrate love for people, or that patriarchal Scriptures got this one wrong too, etc.

We are witnessing the impact of a larger cultural shift.

The government – led by the courts – has launched a campaign to persuade Canadians that to deny gays and lesbians the right to call their relationships a marriage is to deny them justice and fundamental human rights. Is the government right? Whether it is or not, how may these developments affect us?

Clearly they create issues for us in terms of our relationship to the government. It is troubling, in the first place, to see Parliament yielding to the courts on this issue as it is has. It was the courts who wrote “sexual orientation” into the charter and who now have decided that gay relationships can be defined as marriages, even though Parliament voted overwhelmingly a scant few years ago that marriage would always be applicable only to persons of the opposite sex.

We have reason to be concerned, furthermore, that governments and the courts may now act to stifle the convictions of those who believe that practising a homosexual lifestyle is contrary to the will of God. The experience of Trinity Western University (Langley, B.C.) with the B.C. College of Teachers or that of Quesnel, B.C. teacher Chris Kempling because of views he expressed outside the classroom, or the blacklisting of Camp Arnes by the Winnipeg 1 School Division, or the hate legislation now before Parliament all carry troubling implications.

At the same time, the challenges we face on this issue are not fundamentally different from others on which we may take a position different from the government. We understand that though governments pass laws that may permit or even encourage morally questionable or harmful practices, that does not mean we need to support them. Think of what governments have done with gambling and lotteries, or on abortion, for example.

Nonetheless, as Brian Stiller wrote in a fine article in ChristianWeek, law does more than allow or prevent, it also instructs. We might well ask what the proposed law on marriage will teach us about marriage. Many of us have argued that it will teach that no difference in essence or value exists between a marriage bond between a man and a woman and that between two persons of the same sex. It will teach that it is not fundamentally important whether a child grows up without a male or female in its life, if the partners happen not to be of that sex. It will teach that the unions that are essentially capable of bringing life into being and nurturing them to maturity will not be valued above those incapable of that task. In terms of public policy this is very problematic. But it also represents an opportunity for the church to clearly set another direction.

Let me suggest several elements to such a direction.

We need to strengthen our teaching about human sexuality, taking genuine account of creation, human sin and what redemption in Christ may mean.

We need to use marriage preparation classes as opportunities to lay a strong foundation for an understanding of biblical marriage, with all the richness that such teaching implies. Intimacy, sexual union, procreativity, children, uniting the generations, serving societal well-being – all are part of the vision the Bible conveys.

We need to develop a much deeper concern for the young people and adults within our culture who are struggling with issues of sexual brokenness. A recent Winnipeg Free Press article described the Internet and now the emerging video phones as technology driven by pornography. Think of all the people harmed by such addictions. Think of those whose life stories and personal pain have led them into gay or lesbian lifestyles and much brokenness. We will need to find ways of welcoming such people into the church and into friendships where they can be accepted as persons and find Christ and healing. We don’t need to approve their behaviours but we can embrace them as people. We need churches that will lead the way in such ministries.

We also need to acquaint ourselves with resources. Many people – even in the church – have come to believe that homosexuality is something genetic that the person is born with and cannot be changed. This is a lie. The reasons why people become homosexual are complex, they are not easily addressed, and change does not happen easily. But it does happen, and the scores of evangelical ministries around North American that have dealt with such seekers and seen such change are ample testimony to this reality. Excellent resources are available to individuals and churches who want to become equipped to deal with issues of sexual brokenness. A few are given at the end of this article.

We need to remain confident that the Bible has genuine words of hope and healing for sexual strugglers and that what Christ taught about marriage and the apostle Paul wrote about redemption is as right and true today as it was two millennia ago. That will give us all the encouragement we need to go against a culture moving in quite another direction.

Harold Jantz is former editor of MB Herald, and founder and former editor of ChristianWeek. He is a member of River East MB Church, Winnipeg.