Archive for March 2011
Can One be [ ] and be a Christian?
“Can one be a soldier and be a Christian?”
This is by no means a perfect analogy, or even a good one, but some thinking on this might help guide some of our thinking about the question “Can one be gay and be a Christian?” For the sake of this post, let’s assume the stance that Scripture teaches homosexuality is contrary to God’s original intent (otherwise, the question of “Can one be gay and be a Christian?” would not be pertinent).
I believe that, according to Scripture, it is morally wrong to take the life of another, even under conditions set in just war theory, both jus ad bellum and jus in bello (I realize that this is a position not undisputed within the Church, but the purpose of this post is not so much to argue this claim). Does it then follow that I think someone who claims to be a Christian yet is a soldier is not really a Christian? By no means. I believe that s/he is in serious error on this issue, both in belief and in practice, but it is not an issue so foundational to the apostolic faith that it places him/her outside the household of God.
Something that is critical, though, is how someone reaches their conclusion: examination of and submission to Scripture is essential. Someone might reach an interpretation of Scripture that I believe to be fatally erroneous, but s/he is at least appealing to Scripture.
Like homosexuality, just war/pacifism is one of the issues that more obviously affects the lives of some people everyday; there are many who profess Christianity currently serving in the United States military, and many of them face the possibility of taking the life of someone made in the image of God (I am not likening self-identifying as gay to taking the life of another; the point is that these are disputed issues that have clear, everyday effects). The appeal to beliefs about homosexuality being ones that potentially affect lives everyday, and consequently an “in or out” issue, therefore, are not so persuasive to me (Besides, shouldn’t most, if not all of our beliefs affect our lives everyday?).
Thoughts?
