Reading Scripture Faithfully

I Corinthians 6:9-11 reads in the NRSV, "[9] Do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived! Fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, male prostitutes, sodomites, [10] thieves, the greedy, drunkards, revilers, robbers—none of these will inherit the kingdom of God. [11] And this is what some of you used to be. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God."  Today's English Version (TEV) translates "sodomites" as "homosexual perverts."  In his recent translation of the New Testament, The Kingdom New Testament (2011), N.T. Wright translates "sodomites" as "practicing homosexuals of whichever sort."

The Message paraphrase, however, removes homosexuality from the equation entirely by translating the heart of the passage as meaning, "Unjust people who don’t care about God will not be joining in his kingdom. Those who use and abuse each other, use and abuse sex, use and abuse the earth and everything in it, don’t qualify as citizens in God’s kingdom."  In doing so, it does a very important thing by virtually removing homosexuality, which is a particular sexual orientation, from a list of otherwise clearly criminal and/or immoral behaviors.  Homosexual "behaviors," when practiced under the same code of behavior expected of heterosexual people, does no harm to others, and it is the only item on Paul's list of sins of which that is true—assuming we understand "idolaters" as being people who worship false gods (such as wealth, fame) that are hurtful to themselves and others.  In a just and loving world, "sodomites" do not belong on this list—nor to be named with that offensive name.

Scripture is authoritative for the majority of those of us who call ourselves "Christians," but that does not mean that it is absolutely authoritative.  It is a human book—inspired but still human.  It is best treated as we treat all beneficial human authority, with a good measure of respect but also critically because we know that any authority can be abused.  The authority of Scripture is regularly and sadly abused by those who use it to force their own agendas and prejudices on the rest of us.  It is for this reason that The Message is in this case the most faithful reading of Paul's words—faithful, that is, to the model of Christ and the core teachings of scripture, which can be found as clearly stated as any one place in the Bible in Galatians 5:22-23.

In the NRSV, Galatians 5:22-23 reads, "By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things."  I would humbly urge that in this light, there is no law against homosexuality any more or less than there is against heterosexuality.  Amen.