Queer Theology: Do God Hate Gay People? | BU Today | Boston Universy

Contents:

• QUEER THEOLOGY: DO GOD HATE GAY PEOPLE?
• 'MOST-HATED,' ANTI-GAY PREACHER ONCE FOUGHT FOR CIVIL RIGHTS
• MY BIG FAT ANTI-GAY WEDDG CAKESCE FOR THE GOOSEIS DISCRIMATN WHEN A BAKER REF TO BAKE A KE SAYG ‘GOD HAT GAYS’? NO—BUT THE OPPONENTS OF LGBT EQUALY ARE STILL LIKELY TO W.JAY MICHAELSONUPDATED APR. 14, 2017 12:25PM EDT PHOTO ILLTRATN BY THE DAILY BEASTWELL, THIS WAS BOUND TO HAPPEN.YOU MAY HAVE HEARD OF THE CHRISTIAN BAKER WHO REFED TO BAKE A KE FOR A SAME-SEX WEDDG. IN DECEMBER 2013, HE WAS FOUND TO HAVE VLATED COLORADO’S ANTIDISCRIMATN LAW. THE CHRISTIAN RIGHT WAS OUTRAGED.AND NOW, A GOOD CHRISTIAN NAMED BILL JACK HAS MAND THAT THE AZUR BAKERY, OUTSI OF DENVER, BAKE A BIBLE-SHAPED KE WH THE WORDS “GOD HAT GAYS” AND AN IMAGE OF TWO MEN HOLDG HANDS WH A BIG X OVER THEM. THE BAKERY REFED. HE FILED A PLAT, ALLEGG DISCRIMATN “BASED ON MY CREED.”ON THE FACE OF , THIS IS RIDICULO. DIGGG EPER, THOUGH, ’S A CLOSE SE—ONE THAT, ULTIMATELY, THE CHRISTIAN RIGHT IS LIKELY TO W. AS A MATTER OF LAW, BILL JACK WILL LOSE ON A TECHNILY. TECHNILLY, HE WAS NOT DISCRIMATED AGAST FOR BEG A CHRISTIAN. HE MAY HAVE A RELIG BELIEF THAT GOD HAT GAYS, BUT NONE OF HAS A RIGHT TO HAVE ANYTHG WE WANT PROCLAIMED ON A KE. I ULD BE TURNED AWAY FOR WANTG PROFANY ON A KE, FOR EXAMPLE. AS LONG AS ’S NOT BASED ON A PROTECTED STAT (RACE, RELIGN, SEXUAL ORIENTATN, GENR), THE REFAL IS NOT AGAST THE LAW.INED, THE OWNER OF AZUR BAKERY SAYS SHE IS A CHRISTIAN AND HAS BAKED “LOTS OF CHRISTIAN K.”BY NTRAST, DAVID MULLS AND CHARLIE CRAIG WERE TURNED AWAY OM MASTERPIECE CAKHOP 2013 BEE THEY WERE A SAME-SEX UPLE. THERE WAS NO KE THAT THEY ULD PURCHASE; THEY WERE TOLD TO SHOP SOMEWHERE ELSE.THE PROBLEM, THE URT SAID, WAS THAT MASTERPIECE “REFED TO BAKE ANY KE FOR [MULLS AND CRAIG] REGARDLS OF WHAT WAS WRTEN ON OR WHAT LOOKED LIKE.”SO THERE’S AN IMPORTANT LEGAL DIFFERENCE HERE: MULLS AND CRAIG WERE TURNED AWAY BEE OF WHO THEY ARE. JACK WAS TURNED AWAY BEE OF HIS BAD TASTE NFECTNARY.BUT WHILE BILL JACK WILL LOSE THIS BATTLE, THE BILL JACKS OF THE WORLD ARE ULTIMATELY GOG TO W THE WAR.THE S—BAKERS, PHOTOGRAPHERS—ARE THE POSTER CHILDREN OF THE CHRISTIAN RIGHT, BEE THEY VOLVE DIVIDUALS AND THEIR EXPRSIVE ARTS. MOST BS SERVIC ARE NOT SO PERSONAL. I GO TO THE HOT-DOG STAND, I BUY A HOT DOG, AND THE VENDOR DON’T SAY ANYTHG OTHER THAN “HAVE A NICE DAY.”BUT WHEN I GO TO THE BAKER, SHE’S BAKG THE KE, WRG THE WORDS; THE PHOTOGRAPHER IS TAKG THE PICTURE. THE ARE MERCIAL SERVIC, AND WHILE THEY ARE REGULATED BY THE LAWS OF THE MARKET, THEY ARE ALSO ARTISTIC AND EXPRSIVE NATURE. THE S ARE MUCH MORE DIFFICULT TO CI.MOREOVER, THE ARE DIVIDUALS. IF MULLS AND CRAIG HAD GONE TO CARVEL, ANYONE ULD ICE THEIR COOKIE PS FOR THEM. IF ONE EMPLOYEE WERE HORRIBLY OFFEND, ANOTHER ULD BE FOUND.BUT MASTERPIECE CAKHOP IS BASILLY A ONE-MAN SHOW. AND WHILE MANY OF MAY FD S OWNER’S RELIG VIEWS DISTASTEFUL, THEY ARE SCERELY HELD, AND NSTUTNALLY PROTECTED. TECHNILLY, ’S MASTERPIECE THE RPORATN THAT IS GUILTY OF DISCRIMATN—BUT THE LE IS FUZZY SOLO SHOPS LIKE THIS, AS WH DIVIDUAL PHOTOGRAPHERS AND FLORISTS. FOR THE REASONS, ’S ALMOST CERTA THAT MANY STAT ACROSS THE UNTRY, CLUDG COLORADO, WILL RVE OUT RELIG EXEMPTNS TO CIVIL-RIGHTS LAWS FOR SMALL BS LIKE THE. THE QUTN WILL BE ONE OF SPE. AT ONE EXTREME, SUCH EXEMPTNS MIGHT JT VER SMALL, FAY-OWNED, EXPRSIVE BS LIKE THE. AT ANOTHER, THEY MIGHT VER ANY RPORATN THAT PROFS A RELIG BELIEF—LIKE HOBBY LOBBY, FOR EXAMPLE.HOBBY LOBBY, REMEMBER, IS ALSO A SOMEWHAT “CLOSE SE.” IT’S FAY-OWNED, AND PROUDLY OPERATED BASED ON CHRISTIAN VALU, BUT ’S A LONG WAY OM A SMALL COLORADO BAKERY. HOBBY LOBBY HAS 13,000 EMPLOYE AND OVER 500 STOR. IT’S NOT YOUR TYPIL “CLOSELY HELD” RPORATN.IN OTHER WORDS, THE VIL WILL BE THE TAILS. SOME (THOUGH NOT ALL) LGBT ACTIVISTS MIGHT BE OK WH A NARROW EXEMPTN FOR SOLE PROPRIETORSHIPS PRACTICG EXPRSIVE ARTS. NOT HOTELS, NOT RTRANTS—BUT MAYBE A PHOTOGRAPHER AND BAKER WOULD BE EXEMPTED OM FERAL NONDISCRIMATN LAWS FOR RELIG REASONS. BUT THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THAT KD OF EXEMPTN AND ONE THAT WOULD LET HOTELS KEEP GAYS OFF THEIR PREMIS IS A MATTER OF FE PRT.IRONILLY, A NARROW EXEMPTN ULD BE A LOSS FOR THE CHRISTIAN RIGHT, RATHER THAN A W. IT WOULD TAKE AWAY THEIR MOST PHOTOGENIC PLATIFFS, WHILE NOT GIVG THEM WHAT THEY REALLY WANT: THE RIGHT TO ENGAGE WISPREAD DISCRIMATN AGAST LGBT PEOPLE. THE BATE WOULD BE ABOUT HUGE HOSPAL CHAS, GIGANTIC “CHARI” THAT MOSTLY SUBSIST ON ERNMENT NTRACTS, AND RPORATNS THAT PROFS TO HAVE NSCIENC, RATHER THAN THE S VOLVG DIVIDUAL-OWNED BS.I DOUBT THAT THE LGBT MOVEMENT WILL SEE THAT WAY, THOUGH. EMBOLNED BY THE “TURN THE GAYS AWAY” VICTORY ARIZONA (EVEN THOUGH A SIAR BILL PASSED JT WEEKS LATER MISSISSIPPI), THEY’RE NOT THE MOOD FOR PROMISE.SO, THE TWO SIS ARE DIGGG . THE CHRISTIAN RIGHT IS DRAWG SPEC PARALLELS BETWEEN THE ANTI-GAY MASTERPIECE CAKHOP AND THE MORE WELG AZUR BAKERY.LEGISLATN TO PROTECT ALL THE BAKERI “EQUALLY” HAS BEEN PUT FORWARD BY STATE REP. GORDON KLGENSCHMT, WHO STATED DURG HIS MPAIGN THAT COLORADO’S (GAY) NGRSMAN JARED POLIS WANTED TO “JO ISIS BEHEADG CHRISTIANS, NOT JT SYRIA, (BUT) RIGHT HERE AMERI.”AND WHAT OF BILL JACK? TURNS OUT, HE WORKS AS A EELANCE CHRISTIAN TOR AND SPEAKER, AND HAS GOTTEN A NICE PUBLICY BOOST OM THE NTROVERSY. HE MAY NOT GET A KE WH A MSAGE OF HATE, BUT I’M SURE HE’LL GET SOME MORE SPEAKG GIGS. JAY MICHAELSON
• DO GOD HATE GAYS / HOMOSEXUALS?

QUEER THEOLOGY: DO GOD HATE GAY PEOPLE?

Pope Francis was recently asked about his views on homosexualy. Persons wh homosexual tennci are children of God. Crimalisg people wh homosexual tennci is an jtice.

This isn’t the first time Pope Francis has shown himself to be a progrsive lear when to, among other thgs, gay Catholics. As a biblil scholar, I would suggt that church lears who e their cultur and theology to exclu homosexuals don’t read Scripture refully.

Those who would exclu homosexuals om God’s kgdom choose to ignore J, turng stead to the Old Ttament – most particularly to Genis 19, the stctn of the ci of Sodom and Gomorrah. Their terpretatn of the story is that is about homosexualy. Levic 18:22 and 20:13, for example, are not about “homosexualy” as we now unrstand – as the rg, lovg and sexual relatnship between people of the same sex.

'MOST-HATED,' ANTI-GAY PREACHER ONCE FOUGHT FOR CIVIL RIGHTS

Christians – no matter which church they belong to – should follow Pl and extend to the heterosexual-homosexual distctn. Get a ee py of the ebook ‘What Do the Bible Really Teach about Homosexualy?

Gagnon, The Bible and Homosexual Practice: Texts and Hermentics(Nashville: Abgdon, 2002); Robert A. Via, Homosexualy and the Bible: Two Views (Mneapolis: Fortrs, 2009). For a pastoral asssment, see Kev DeYoung, What Do the Bible Really Teach about Homosexualy?

MY BIG FAT ANTI-GAY WEDDG CAKESCE FOR THE GOOSEIS DISCRIMATN WHEN A BAKER REF TO BAKE A KE SAYG ‘GOD HAT GAYS’? NO—BUT THE OPPONENTS OF LGBT EQUALY ARE STILL LIKELY TO W.JAY MICHAELSONUPDATED APR. 14, 2017 12:25PM EDT PHOTO ILLTRATN BY THE DAILY BEASTWELL, THIS WAS BOUND TO HAPPEN.YOU MAY HAVE HEARD OF THE CHRISTIAN BAKER WHO REFED TO BAKE A KE FOR A SAME-SEX WEDDG. IN DECEMBER 2013, HE WAS FOUND TO HAVE VLATED COLORADO’S ANTIDISCRIMATN LAW. THE CHRISTIAN RIGHT WAS OUTRAGED.AND NOW, A GOOD CHRISTIAN NAMED BILL JACK HAS MAND THAT THE AZUR BAKERY, OUTSI OF DENVER, BAKE A BIBLE-SHAPED KE WH THE WORDS “GOD HAT GAYS” AND AN IMAGE OF TWO MEN HOLDG HANDS WH A BIG X OVER THEM. THE BAKERY REFED. HE FILED A PLAT, ALLEGG DISCRIMATN “BASED ON MY CREED.”ON THE FACE OF , THIS IS RIDICULO. DIGGG EPER, THOUGH, ’S A CLOSE SE—ONE THAT, ULTIMATELY, THE CHRISTIAN RIGHT IS LIKELY TO W. AS A MATTER OF LAW, BILL JACK WILL LOSE ON A TECHNILY. TECHNILLY, HE WAS NOT DISCRIMATED AGAST FOR BEG A CHRISTIAN. HE MAY HAVE A RELIG BELIEF THAT GOD HAT GAYS, BUT NONE OF HAS A RIGHT TO HAVE ANYTHG WE WANT PROCLAIMED ON A KE. I ULD BE TURNED AWAY FOR WANTG PROFANY ON A KE, FOR EXAMPLE. AS LONG AS ’S NOT BASED ON A PROTECTED STAT (RACE, RELIGN, SEXUAL ORIENTATN, GENR), THE REFAL IS NOT AGAST THE LAW.INED, THE OWNER OF AZUR BAKERY SAYS SHE IS A CHRISTIAN AND HAS BAKED “LOTS OF CHRISTIAN K.”BY NTRAST, DAVID MULLS AND CHARLIE CRAIG WERE TURNED AWAY OM MASTERPIECE CAKHOP 2013 BEE THEY WERE A SAME-SEX UPLE. THERE WAS NO KE THAT THEY ULD PURCHASE; THEY WERE TOLD TO SHOP SOMEWHERE ELSE.THE PROBLEM, THE URT SAID, WAS THAT MASTERPIECE “REFED TO BAKE ANY KE FOR [MULLS AND CRAIG] REGARDLS OF WHAT WAS WRTEN ON OR WHAT LOOKED LIKE.”SO THERE’S AN IMPORTANT LEGAL DIFFERENCE HERE: MULLS AND CRAIG WERE TURNED AWAY BEE OF WHO THEY ARE. JACK WAS TURNED AWAY BEE OF HIS BAD TASTE NFECTNARY.BUT WHILE BILL JACK WILL LOSE THIS BATTLE, THE BILL JACKS OF THE WORLD ARE ULTIMATELY GOG TO W THE WAR.THE S—BAKERS, PHOTOGRAPHERS—ARE THE POSTER CHILDREN OF THE CHRISTIAN RIGHT, BEE THEY VOLVE DIVIDUALS AND THEIR EXPRSIVE ARTS. MOST BS SERVIC ARE NOT SO PERSONAL. I GO TO THE HOT-DOG STAND, I BUY A HOT DOG, AND THE VENDOR DON’T SAY ANYTHG OTHER THAN “HAVE A NICE DAY.”BUT WHEN I GO TO THE BAKER, SHE’S BAKG THE KE, WRG THE WORDS; THE PHOTOGRAPHER IS TAKG THE PICTURE. THE ARE MERCIAL SERVIC, AND WHILE THEY ARE REGULATED BY THE LAWS OF THE MARKET, THEY ARE ALSO ARTISTIC AND EXPRSIVE NATURE. THE S ARE MUCH MORE DIFFICULT TO CI.MOREOVER, THE ARE DIVIDUALS. IF MULLS AND CRAIG HAD GONE TO CARVEL, ANYONE ULD ICE THEIR COOKIE PS FOR THEM. IF ONE EMPLOYEE WERE HORRIBLY OFFEND, ANOTHER ULD BE FOUND.BUT MASTERPIECE CAKHOP IS BASILLY A ONE-MAN SHOW. AND WHILE MANY OF MAY FD S OWNER’S RELIG VIEWS DISTASTEFUL, THEY ARE SCERELY HELD, AND NSTUTNALLY PROTECTED. TECHNILLY, ’S MASTERPIECE THE RPORATN THAT IS GUILTY OF DISCRIMATN—BUT THE LE IS FUZZY SOLO SHOPS LIKE THIS, AS WH DIVIDUAL PHOTOGRAPHERS AND FLORISTS. FOR THE REASONS, ’S ALMOST CERTA THAT MANY STAT ACROSS THE UNTRY, CLUDG COLORADO, WILL RVE OUT RELIG EXEMPTNS TO CIVIL-RIGHTS LAWS FOR SMALL BS LIKE THE. THE QUTN WILL BE ONE OF SPE. AT ONE EXTREME, SUCH EXEMPTNS MIGHT JT VER SMALL, FAY-OWNED, EXPRSIVE BS LIKE THE. AT ANOTHER, THEY MIGHT VER ANY RPORATN THAT PROFS A RELIG BELIEF—LIKE HOBBY LOBBY, FOR EXAMPLE.HOBBY LOBBY, REMEMBER, IS ALSO A SOMEWHAT “CLOSE SE.” IT’S FAY-OWNED, AND PROUDLY OPERATED BASED ON CHRISTIAN VALU, BUT ’S A LONG WAY OM A SMALL COLORADO BAKERY. HOBBY LOBBY HAS 13,000 EMPLOYE AND OVER 500 STOR. IT’S NOT YOUR TYPIL “CLOSELY HELD” RPORATN.IN OTHER WORDS, THE VIL WILL BE THE TAILS. SOME (THOUGH NOT ALL) LGBT ACTIVISTS MIGHT BE OK WH A NARROW EXEMPTN FOR SOLE PROPRIETORSHIPS PRACTICG EXPRSIVE ARTS. NOT HOTELS, NOT RTRANTS—BUT MAYBE A PHOTOGRAPHER AND BAKER WOULD BE EXEMPTED OM FERAL NONDISCRIMATN LAWS FOR RELIG REASONS. BUT THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THAT KD OF EXEMPTN AND ONE THAT WOULD LET HOTELS KEEP GAYS OFF THEIR PREMIS IS A MATTER OF FE PRT.IRONILLY, A NARROW EXEMPTN ULD BE A LOSS FOR THE CHRISTIAN RIGHT, RATHER THAN A W. IT WOULD TAKE AWAY THEIR MOST PHOTOGENIC PLATIFFS, WHILE NOT GIVG THEM WHAT THEY REALLY WANT: THE RIGHT TO ENGAGE WISPREAD DISCRIMATN AGAST LGBT PEOPLE. THE BATE WOULD BE ABOUT HUGE HOSPAL CHAS, GIGANTIC “CHARI” THAT MOSTLY SUBSIST ON ERNMENT NTRACTS, AND RPORATNS THAT PROFS TO HAVE NSCIENC, RATHER THAN THE S VOLVG DIVIDUAL-OWNED BS.I DOUBT THAT THE LGBT MOVEMENT WILL SEE THAT WAY, THOUGH. EMBOLNED BY THE “TURN THE GAYS AWAY” VICTORY ARIZONA (EVEN THOUGH A SIAR BILL PASSED JT WEEKS LATER MISSISSIPPI), THEY’RE NOT THE MOOD FOR PROMISE.SO, THE TWO SIS ARE DIGGG . THE CHRISTIAN RIGHT IS DRAWG SPEC PARALLELS BETWEEN THE ANTI-GAY MASTERPIECE CAKHOP AND THE MORE WELG AZUR BAKERY.LEGISLATN TO PROTECT ALL THE BAKERI “EQUALLY” HAS BEEN PUT FORWARD BY STATE REP. GORDON KLGENSCHMT, WHO STATED DURG HIS MPAIGN THAT COLORADO’S (GAY) NGRSMAN JARED POLIS WANTED TO “JO ISIS BEHEADG CHRISTIANS, NOT JT SYRIA, (BUT) RIGHT HERE AMERI.”AND WHAT OF BILL JACK? TURNS OUT, HE WORKS AS A EELANCE CHRISTIAN TOR AND SPEAKER, AND HAS GOTTEN A NICE PUBLICY BOOST OM THE NTROVERSY. HE MAY NOT GET A KE WH A MSAGE OF HATE, BUT I’M SURE HE’LL GET SOME MORE SPEAKG GIGS. JAY MICHAELSON

At the heart of the claim that the Bible is clear "that homosexualy is forbidn by God" is poor biblil scholarship and a cultural bias read to the Bible. What Do The Bible Say About Homosexualy? Although s unlikely that the biblil thors had any notn of sexual orientatn (for example, the term homosexual wasn't even ed until the late 19th century) for many people of fah, the Bible is looked to for timels guidance on what means to honor God wh our liv; and this most certaly clus our sexualy.

” In askg, “What do the Bible say about homosexualy” (or more appropriately stated, “what do the Bible say about attractn to someone of the same sex, ”) our task is to explore what the relevant biblil passag on the topic meant their origal ntext and what they mean for today. God and The Gay Christian: The Biblil Case Support of Same-Sex Relatnships (Convergent Books, 2014)Jam V.

Why should we rpect religns and relig stutns that are “cubators of homophobia”? They are ls fortable teractg wh a gay person than a serial adulterer.

DO GOD HATE GAYS / HOMOSEXUALS?

They do not harbor the same feelgs for everyone the followg list of those the Bible says will not her the kgdom of God: “the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexualy, nor thiev, nor the greedy, nor dnkards, nor revilers, nor swdlers” (1 Cor 6:9–10). In that sense, they have wrongly fallen to a kd of homophobia or bigotry, though ually of a relatively d variety.