Denominations worldwide have been arguing about homosexuality for a few decades. In the USA this is amplified by the American tendency to see everything in political terms—even topics that don’t make sense being politicized.
The CUA has a strong inclination to see Christian Universalism as the sole major doctrinal issue. This has the unintended consequence of knocking-down every other doctrinal topic to minor, or at least secondary, importance. While we don’t make much noise about homosexuality, we have had an official position for years.
Anti-homosexual Christians assume that everyone else is choosing to disobey Scripture. That’s entirely inaccurate, it’s their interpretation we disagree with, not obedience to God. We disagree with the idea that Scripture can be translated and interpreted in a vacuum—to the exclusion of the worldview of the original audience. We hear the Law, the Prophets, and Paul telling an entirely different message. Here are a couple of books that do a very good job of discussing the homosexuality portions of Scripture in their original context:
Learning to Interpret Scripture
Hermeneutics is the field of language studies that deals with interpretation. As humans, we decipher newspaper articles, books, legal documents, religious texts, political speeches, emails, and conversations every day of our lives. Seminaries require a course in the proper methods of interpretation; our own coursework also requires this. The Bible came to us in human language, it is best understood through the context of the human experience, through the culture, and in the time it was given.
| You can study Hermeneutics just as it’s taught in seminary! Our course has a single textbook, with end-of-chapter assignments, making it easy to study as a stand-alone course. There are also DVD and workbook supplements, if you really want to dive into the deep end, but only the textbook is required. |
Thank you for the article.
Is there perhaps a link to CUA official position on homosexuality?
Also for some reason the reference to the hermeneutics books and course do not show on my side.
Could mention again what they are please?
Bless you
Do you, by chance have an ad-blocker running in your browser? If so, the Amazon links won’t appear. Here are all three books mentioned:
Paul On Homosexuality: https://amzn.to/39rZtP9
UnClobber: https://amzn.to/39ruRNC
Grasping God’s Word: A Hands-On Approach to Reading, Interpreting, and Applying the Bible: https://amzn.to/33V4Hl8
The CUA stance is non-discrimination based. Individual members agree “…not support or engage in any discrimination or hate based on race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, or disability.”
Clergy & other ministry leaders sign a few page ethics agreement that, among many other topics says:
Ministry leaders respect the inherent worth and dignity of all people, and actively work to counter attitudes & actions that inflict harm to individuals and communities. These include, but are not limited to, bias or discrimination on the basis of race, gender, gender identity, age, class, nationality, sexual orientation, physical or mental ability, and any other characteristic of human diversity. We strive to ensure that our words and deeds do not directly lead to physical, psychological, spiritual, or ritual abuse.
You’ve proven that your “hermeneutical” practises are really just practises in eisegesis. Scripture is clear about sexual immorality, heaven, hell, eternal damnation, and salvation! You are not saved! Universalism is not found in Scripture!
This is a simple listing of about 40 of the very best Bible verses that teach CU: https://mega.nz/folder/PRYBURaJ#pet4XnogcRGYlLC43NbU1Q/file/iRg3yCKK
You can find lots of academic treatises on CU here: https://christianuniversalist.org/textbooks-fast-track-ordination/
The best academic book on why the traditional church got homosexuality wrong, is here: https://amzn.to/424Fpy2
We have plenty of solid Scriptural & historical evidence, but most of the church would rather remain uninformed, than learn their doctrinal forefathers were wrong.
…The CUA has a strong inclination to see Christian Universalism as the sole major doctrinal issue. This has the unintended consequence of knocking-down every other doctrinal topic to minor, or at least secondary, importance. While we don’t make much noise about homosexuality (I have not found this “not much noise”to be the case among many Universalists, and as I am new to you, I cannot speak directly to how much “noise about homosexuality” you have made), we have had an official position for years (what is your official position?)…
[Snipped do to length]
Hi Roger,
We welcome lengthy topical discussions over at our Facebook Group.