FINDING GOD’S AGENDA FOR HOMOSEXUAL ADOLESCENTS

A Senior Paper Presented to Kerry Loescher, Theology Department Oral Roberts University

In Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Class CHRM 499—Senior Paper, T 2:30

by Timothy O. Margheim Fall 2007

INTRODUCTION Steve Gerali tells the story of a colleague in youth ministry who is approached by the parents of a core student wondering if their son might be gay. They tell the youth pastor that they had found gay pornography on their son’s computer and that they have no idea what to do. While Gerali’s friend was surprised by this occurrence—a first for him—Gerali himself was not. He writes that “homosexuality is becoming the emergent issue in youth ministry.”1 For youth pastors, this is particularly troubling because, unlike other issues, the Church as a whole has done a poor job of addressing this situation across all congregants. In fact, recent movements within multiple mainline denominations— particularly the United Methodist Church, the Presbyterian Church (USA), and the Episcopal Church (USA)—have left churches facing deep divisions over the perceived extension of ordination and marriage rites to homosexual parishioners. Both those who condone homosexuality and those who condemn it claim the moral high ground, both sides claim biblical authority, and both sides claim to be conforming to the will of God.2 Those in favor of full inclusion of homosexuals point to scholarly studies showing that sexual orientation is something discovered and not chosen, while their opponents refute the merit of the academic work, citing published works of their own or anecdotal records of ministries designed to “cure” people of homosexuality. Particularly in recent years, the debate within the Church has become less and less civil as each side argues from an assumption that their stance is the only reasonable position,

1

Steve Gerali, Teenage Guys: Exploring Issues Adolescent Guys Face and Strategies to Help Them (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006), 96. 2

Stanley J. Grenz, Welcoming but Not Affirming: An Evangelical Response to Homosexuality (Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 1998), 8. 2

leaving Christians on all sides to respond only with incredulity at the seemingly ridiculous nature of their opponents’ arguments. Somewhere in the midst of this chaos, the eternal God is at work in the lives of homosexuals and a Church which is confused about how to deal with them. As such, there must be a philosophy with which youth ministers can approach this complex issue and provide spiritual guidance to adolescents who are questioning heterosexual orientation, as well as adolescents who have already eschewed such an identity in favor of some sort of non-heterosexual self understanding. At the same time, this must be done without compromising a theologically sound understanding of God’s work within the homosexual community. As such, an effective youth ministry will embrace homosexual adolescents with messages of acceptance and love rather than with messages of judgment and condemnation, all the while seeking the ultimate goal of leading students to a true relationship with God. It is from this relationship, then, and not from the edicts of a sometimes capricious and arbitrary Christian community, that the student will find direction for his/her sexuality and the expression thereof.3 Before attempting to discuss such a complex issue, though, it is helpful to clarify some often vague terminology surrounding the discussion. Defining Key Terms “Homosexual” A term as frequently used as “homosexual” seems as though it should have a fairly simple and standardized definition, but that assumption could not be much farther from the reality. At the basic level, the term “homosexual” refers to those who are

3

Gerali, Teenage Guys, 108-109. 3

attracted to people of their own sex.4 But even among scholarly research, there seems to be no consensus on precisely when this word is used and what specifically is meant by it. For example, some authors use a dichotomous approach to sexuality, in that everything which is not heterosexual is by definition homosexual. Others use the word only for those individuals they consider exclusively homosexual, thus excluding those whose behavior could be termed “bisexual” or “mostly heterosexual.”5 Furthermore, some confusion exists as to what constitutes homosexuality. Some authors use the term only of those who engage in same-sex sexual behavior. However, this definition is often too broad in some respects while simultaneously being too narrow in others. Those who are attracted to members of the same sex—but are not sexually active—are not included in this definition, while, as will be demonstrated later in this paper, many heterosexual adults report having had same-sex sexual experiences. Others attempt to use the term only in reference to those who self-identify as homosexual. This understanding can also be less than helpful, as self-identification is often a process of self-discovery and as such is subject to change over the course of time. For this paper, the terms “homosexual” and “homosexuality” will be used to describe only those who exclusively or nearly so experience attraction to members of their own sex. “Heterosexual” will describe those who exclusively or nearly so experience attraction to members of the opposite sex. “Bisexual” will refer to those who experience roughly the

4

David A. Statt, The Concise Dictionary of Psychology (3rd ed.: New York: Routledge, 1998), 66. 5

Mark A. Yarhouse, “Same-Sex Attraction, Homosexual Orientation, and Gay Identity: A Three-Tier Distinction for Counseling and Pastoral Care,” The Journal of Pastoral Care & Counseling 59, no. 3 (Fall 2005): 201-202. 4

same attraction for members of both sexes.6 Furthermore, in contrast to some writers, the terms “gay” and “lesbian” will be exclusively used to denote male and female homosexuals, respectively. 7 “Adolescent” According to The Concise Dictionary of Psychology, adolescence is described as “the period of human development between the onset of puberty at around 12 years and the attainment of physical adult maturity at around 21 years.”8 The exact relation between students in a youth group and adolescence depends upon the specific division of age levels in a given church. But, as a rule, the vast majority of students in a youth group fall into this age category. The results of studies designed to describe adolescent sexuality will therefore be used as representative of the students in a youth group. The word “adolescent” will be used as the general term unless referring to a specific context in which a term like “student” or “teenager” is more appropriate. “Disclosure” “Disclosure,” in the context of homosexuality, is a technical term referring to nonheterosexual people sharing their knowledge of their orientation with others. This process is also commonly referred to as “coming out.” In opposition to these terms stand words related to “avoidance,” “passing,” and “closeting,” which all refer to some attempt by a

6

This formulation of sexual orientation follows the majority of writers, including Statt, Frankowski, Yarhouse, and Harrison. When referring to all individuals who do not experience heterosexual attraction (i.e., homosexual and bisexual people), the simple term “non-heterosexual” will be used. 7

See Li Kitts, for example.

8

Statt, The Concise Dictionary of Psychology, 3. 5

person with a non-heterosexual orientation to convince others that he or she is indeed a heterosexual.9 PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES: ADOLESCENTS AND HOMOSEXUALITY Determining how an effective youth ministry will engage the homosexual adolescents it encounters requires a survey of the academic discourse regarding the phenomenon of homosexuality in general and, more specifically, the occurrence of homosexuality among adolescents. The past fifty years have witnessed a dramatic transformation in the psychological understanding of what it means to be homosexual and these studies have, in turn, forced the evolution of cultural norms regarding homosexuality. Perhaps as a result of the greater social acceptance of homosexuals, more and more individuals have come to fully and openly self-identify as non-heterosexual. This, in turn, has opened doors for research that would have been closed prior, allowing psychologists a clearer view of the inner workings of the lives of homosexuals. The past ten years have seen a depth and breadth of study unimaginable even three decades ago. Such studies are most commonly of American origin, as the United States has blazed the trail in regard to the academic study of homosexuality.10

Relevant Demographics 9

Gerali, Teenage Guys, 100.

10

K. Berg-Kelly, “Adolescent homosexuality: we need to learn more about causes and consequences,” Acta Paediatr 92 (2003): 143. Because of this fact, they lack an international perspective, which could be informative regarding homosexuality within the general human population. However, the studies are sufficient for the purposes of this paper, which is focused on American adolescents. 6

Specific statistics regarding the prevalence of homosexuality range from one to ten percent of the general population who self-identify as homosexual.11 Such statistics are further complicated by the aforementioned questions as to how one ought to define “homosexual.” For example, 37% of adult men report having had at least one same-sex sexual encounter over the course of their lifetime.12 In 1994, a study representative of the entire American population (i.e., both urban and rural) set the currently accepted estimates of between two and four percent of the general population as homosexual.13 A study of over 36,000 adolescents in 1992 “found that 1.6% of boys and 0.9% of girls had had a homosexual experience in the previous year and that 0.7% of boys and 0.2% of girls reported a homosexual orientation.”14 Other studies indicate that among adolescents in their late teens, 17% of males and 6% of females had had at least one “sexual experience with a person of the same sex” and that 2.5% of all adolescents self-identifies as gay, lesbian, or bisexual.15 Furthermore, studies have shown that adolescence is a time when many people discover their sexuality, as one-quarter of twelve-year-olds reported feeling uncertain regarding their orientation, compared to only 5% of eighteen-year-old adolescents.16 With such segments of the 11

Mark A. Yarhouse, “When Families Present with Concerns about an Adolescent’s Experience of Same-Sex Attraction,” The American Journal of Family Therapy 26 (1998): 323. The low-end of these results is based on a study which separated results by gender. The separated results were 2% of men and 0.9% of women. 12

Berg-Kelly, “Adolescent homosexuality,” 142.

13

Benjamin B. Lahey, Psychology: an Introduction (9th ed.: Boston: McGraw Hill, 2007), 420. 14

Yarhouse, “When Families Present,” 323.

15

Barbara L. Frankowski, “Sexual Orientation and Adolescents,” Pediatrics 113, no. 6 (2004): 1828. 16

Ibid., 1828. 7

adolescent population questioning their sexuality or developing non-heterosexual identities, it is clear that every person seeking to work to meet the spiritual needs of adolescents must take seriously the probability of ministry directly to homosexual students. History Homosexuality is not a new phenomenon. Early texts, including the Bible, contain accounts of homosexuality which indicate that such behavior has been present throughout human history. Extrabiblical sources of ancient homosexuality, particularly pederasty, include—among many others—Xenophon’s account of an Olynthian named Episthenes, described as “a great lover of boys,” who spots an attractive youth fighting on the battlefield among the opposition and contrives with the commanding officers of his side to spare the boy’s life in order to acquire him for a homosexual relationship.17 Such stories also appear in medieval Europe, where, in Florence, young “Officers of the Night,” some as young as six, served as prostitutes for the wealthy and politically elite men of the city.18 This behavior is also not limited to men within the annals of history, as fragmentary accounts of the life of Sappho the poet seem to point to some sort of female pederastic relationships between her and the girls enrolled in her school on the island of Lesbos.19 The tradition of apologists standing in the defense of homosexual behavior stretches through the nineteenth century into the contemporary period, in the work, for

17

B. R. Burg, Gay Warriors: A Documentary History from the Ancient World to the Present (New York: New York University, 2002), 24. 18

Michael Rocke, Forbidden Friendships: Homosexuality and Male Culture in Renaissance Florence (Oxford: Oxford University, 1998), 243. 19

Harriette Andreadis, “Sapphic Tradition,” Lesbian and Gay Histories and Cultures: An Encyclopedia, 666-667. 8

example, of Edward Carpenter, who remarks (albeit in a passage rife with ethnocentric remarks typical of the nineteenth century) positively regarding the reputed propensity of Tahitians to homoerotic behaviors.20 Within the field of psychology, homosexuality was regarded as a mental illness or, at least, as symptomatic of a mental illness until the early 1970s, when the American Psychiatric Association (in 1973) and the American Psychological Association (in 1975) officially amended their policies to no longer view all homosexual expressions as signs of mental illness. Furthermore, in 1984, the American Psychological Association established Division 44, a formal division of the entity devoted solely to the study of lesbian and gay issues.21 However, stigmatization of homosexuality even within the psychological community is common. Despite the official policy changes noted above, homosexuality can still be described as a “Gender Identity Disorder,”22 and a recent study shows that 20% of therapists treat homosexuality as if it were a disease and 57% agreed that “heterosexual relationships are preferable for a positive, healthy lifestyle.”23 Still, an academic consensus is being reached regarding how psychologists ought to classify and understand homosexuality, which Yarhouse categorizes as a “shift […] away from treating homosexual clients for their experience of same-sex attraction toward helping them to accept and integrate these impulses into a gay or lesbian identity.”24 20

Chris White, Nineteenth Century Writings on Homosexuality: A Sourcebook (London: Routledge, 1999, 124-125. 21

Celia Kitzinger, “Psychology,” Lesbian and Gay Histories and Cultures: An Encyclopedia, 615. 22

Therese W. Harrison, “Adolescent Homosexuality and Concerns Regarding Disclosure,” Journal of School Health 73, no. 3 (March 2003): 107. 23

Yarhouse, “When Families Present,” 326.

24

Ibid., 321. 9

Etiology Scholars nearly univocally agree that the choice of an individual cannot be a reasonable consideration for the cause of that individual’s homosexual orientation.25 This notion of a somehow innate cause for sexual orientation mirrors the understanding presented by homosexuals, who almost universally accept homosexuality as “a natural sexual identity.”26 What precisely this “natural” cause is has been the subject of great debate. Popular until recently, models attributing the genesis of homosexuality to traumatic childhood experiences still generate support in some segments of psychology.27 The vast majority of scholarship, though, sides with Frankowski’s assertion that “there is no scientific evidence that abnormal parenting, sexual abuse, or other adverse life events influence sexual orientation.”28 More popular now are various biological explanations for homosexuality. Proponents of these views focus their studies on genetics and the influence of prenatal hormones. They point to studies regarding brain structures which are claimed to be similar in homosexual men to those of heterosexual women29 as well as those showing a relation of family lineages to homosexuality, particularly within the special cases of monozygotic twins.30

25

Frankowski, “Sexual Orientation and Adolescents,” 1828. See also Yarhouse, “When Families Present,” 323. 26

Mitzi G. Henderson, “Disclosure of Sexual Orientation: Comments from a Parental Perspective,” American Journal of Orthopsychiatry 68, no. 3 (July 1998), 372. 27

Yarhouse, “When Families Present,” 323.

28

Frankowski, “Sexual Orientation and Adolescents,” 1828.

29

Yarhouse, “When Families Present,” 323-324.

30

Frankowski, “Sexual Orientation and Adolescents,” 1828. 10

As intriguing as these early studies have been within the psychological community primarily interested in the research of homosexuality, no single theory seems to be able to explain why some individuals are homosexual while others are not. Yarhouse’s conclusion regarding the future of such investigations is telling: “there is no compelling reason to believe that any one theory can explain such a diverse phenomenon.”31 Homosexuality within the Context of Adolescence Current psychological understanding of the process of discovery an adolescent goes through in order to emerge from adolescence as a homosexual occurs in four stages: 1) Early Awareness, 2) Identity Confusion, 3) Identity Assumption, and 4) Identity Consolidation. The first stage, in which the child first begins to notice same-sex attraction and feelings of being different, usually begins when the child is about ten years old. As the child moves into adolescence, he/she also begins to move into the second stage, where the adolescent is frequently overwhelmed by confusion regarding his/her sexuality. These feelings often lead to overt heterosexual activity in an attempt to appear “normal,” sometimes reaching the extent, among young women, of intentionally becoming pregnant. The next stage involves the adolescent beginning to try a homosexual identity and self-identifying as a homosexual, perhaps disclosing to a very limited group of people. The final stage in this development sees the adolescent recognizing and accepting his/her homosexuality, allowing it to more overtly shape social decision making. It is at this stage that full disclosure begins.32A 1998 study showed that children entered Early

31

Yarhouse, “When Families Present,” 324.

32

Harrison, “Adolescent Homosexuality,” 108. 11

Awareness at an average age of ten, self-identified as homosexual at age fourteen, and first disclosed at age sixteen.33 Some more recent works by scholars have questioned whether such a linear understanding of development of a homosexual identity is realistic. Scholars have particularly criticized this model’s treatment of full disclosure as the pinnacle of homosexual identity, as some cultural, economic, and legal conditions can frustrate even fully self-identified homosexuals from sharing their orientation with others.34 No scientific studies have yet verified the anecdotal claims of reorientation made by many paraprofessional groups; there is consensus among the scientific group that orientation “is not changed by a simple act of the will.”35 However, some psychologists are also quick to caution against the assumption that an adolescent has come to any rigid conclusions regarding his/her sexuality. Berg-Kelly notes that “adolescence is a transitional stage characterized by becoming, not by being.”36 This notion is echoed by the fact that many adults admit to having had sexual relations during adolescence which were opposite to their sexual orientation as adults.37 Because of this unfocused nature of adolescent sexuality, many scholars argue that it may be harmful for people in this stage

33

Anthony R. D’Augelli, Scott L. Hershberger, and Neil W. Pilkington. “Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Youth and Their Families: Disclosure of Sexual Orientation and Its Consequences,” American Journal of Orthopsychiatry 68, no. 3 (July 1998): 368. 34

Ellen C. Perrin, Sexual Orientation in Child and Adolescent Health Care (New York: Kluwer Academic, 2002), 78. 35

Yarhouse, “When Families Present,” 324.

36

Berg-Kelly, “Adolescent Homosexuality,” 142.

37

Frankowski, “Sexual Orientation,” 1828. 12

of life who are in doubt in regards to their sexuality to make any attempt to solidly determine their sexuality at this point.38 Disclosure Within the specific context of adolescence, numerous factors exist which affect a student’s likelihood of disclosing his/her sexual orientation to parents and family members. Adolescence is a naturally confusing period in family life, even without an issue such as non-heterosexuality, as relationships between family members are evolving from adult-child into adult-adult.39 Adolescents are often motivated to remain closeted by fears of suddenly having to provide for themselves financially should their parents kick them out of their homes, an event which is, sadly, common enough to justify such a fear.40 Students from certain cultural backgrounds find the most frightening aspect of disclosure to be the possibility of bringing shame upon their families, leading them to adopt a heterosexual lifestyle while secretly playing through torturous scenarios in their minds in which their families are shamed on account of them.41 Furthermore, teenagers also find their peers to often be less than accepting. A recent nationwide study of teenage boys found that only 12% said that they could have a gay friend, with 89% stating that the idea of sex between men was disgusting.42 An Australian survey showed similar 38

Yarhouse, “When Families Present,” 327.

39

D’Augelli, Hershberger, and Pilkington, “Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Youth,”

367. 40

Lynne Hillier and Lyn Harrison, “Homophobia and the production of shame: young people and same sex attraction,” Culture, Health, & Sexuality 6, no. 1 (JanuaryFebruary 2004): 80. 41

Ibid., 86.

42

D’Augelli, Hershberger, and Pilkington, “Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Youth,”

367. 13

results, with other students portraying disclosed homosexuals as “sick, twisted and perverted.”43 Faced with such cause for fear in disclosure, the questions of to whom adolescents disclose and why they choose to do so have been the focus of much recent research. Seventy-seven percent of adolescents who had disclosed their sexual orientation first did so to a friend, while only 9% chose to disclose first to a parent, and those only to mothers. Of those adolescents who had disclosed to a parent at some point, 39% waited until they were over the age of 18; adolescents who had not yet disclosed to family members had on average been aware of their sexual orientation for at least three years without sharing that information with their families.44 Such statistics, however, neglect cultural and ethnic distinctions; a different study found that less than 50% of adolescents belonging to minority groups had disclosed to their families or communities.45 The study led by D’Augelli suggests that the primary indicator of whether an adolescent would disclose to family members was the adolescent’s perception of the his/her mother’s reaction; fathers were assumed by all surveyed to have a negative response, while only in the results of non-disclosed did mothers score as negative an assumed response as fathers. In the surveys of those who disclosed their sexual orientations, expectations regarding the mother’s response were much higher.46 Other scholars favor more general, multi-faceted understandings of factors related to an 43

Hillier and Harrison, “Homophobia,” 88.

44

D’Augelli, Hershberger, and Pilkington, “Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Youth,”

363-364. 45

Harrison, “Adolescent Homosexuality,” 109.

46

D’Augelli, Hershberger, and Pilkington, “Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Youth,”

366. 14

adolescent’s decision to disclose. These factors include such categories as the self-esteem of the adolescent, prior family relationships, and adolescent coping abilities.47 Any discussion of adolescent disclosure would be incredibly incomplete without at least a cursory examination of family response to disclosure. As can be expected, parents generally are confused by the revelation that their son or daughter is not a heterosexual, an assumption which they may or may not have even known that they had. This confusion extends into various questions regarding their suitability as parents, the difficulty of their son or daughter’s life, and even their own sexuality. Often, parents are also forced to face the notion that they will not have grandchildren.48 This sentiment which also appears in some adolescents reasoning for not disclosing to their parents. Essentially, some adolescents do not disclose out of fear of upsetting or disappointing parents in this respect.49 Among adolescents who disclosed, 51% of mothers and 27% of fathers were described as “fully accepting,” while 10% of mothers and 26% of fathers were described as “rejecting.”50 While adolescents are typically hurt and confused by rejection from their family members, as well as any response other than acceptance, those who work with adolescent homosexuals point out that this is often due to unrealistic expectations of their parents’ reactions. While most adolescents who disclose have spent several years struggling with their sexual orientation and learning about themselves, their parents have been caught

47

Harrison, “Adolescent Homosexuality,” 109.

48

Henderson, “Disclosure,” 373-374.

49

Hillier and Harrison, “Homophobia,” 87.

50

D’Augelli, Hershberger, and Pilkington, “Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Youth,”

365. 15

completely off guard by the news and cannot be expected to come to the same point of understanding as their adolescent son or daughter.51 Current understanding within family counseling regarding the acceptance of a homosexual son or daughter is based on the notion that a family must often “grieve” for the loss of their presumed heterosexual son or daughter in order to accept their homosexual child. As such, one approach gaining popularity is based on stages of grieving as articulated by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross. This approach identifies a family’s response in five stages: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. According to this model, parents first attempt to deny the homosexuality by encouraging the adolescent to continue closeting or by dismissing the notion as just a phase in their adolescent’s life. Then, parents will attempt to find someone to blame for their child’s orientation, try to coerce (often through threats and physical abuse) their son or daughter to adopt a heterosexual orientation, or become angry with society for their family no longer being viewed as “normal.” Parents move then into a stage of bargaining with God and the adolescent, often asking God to change the adolescent or asking the adolescent to not disclose to the entire family. Depression follows the bargaining stage, where parents will often withdraw from society and the emotional needs of the rest of their family members while mourning the loss of their heterosexual son or daughter. Finally, parents move to a stage of acceptance of the adolescent’s homosexuality, leading to a greater awareness of issues related to homosexuality and an integration of the homosexual identity into the identity of the family.52 51

52

Henderson, “Disclosure,” 373.

Harrison, “Adolescent Homosexuality,” 109. As with the previous model presented by Harrison, critics often allege that this view is overly simplistic and unnaturally linear. 16

Dangers and Difficulties The adolescent homosexual faces numerous stressors unique to his/her context. As with most people in their age group, homosexual adolescents fear abuse and rejection; unlike most adolescents, however, they tend to feel the need to keep their orientation secret in order to avoid such treatment.53 Compared to adolescents who are in racial and religious minority groups, students who grow up with a minority sexual orientation generally experience more loneliness and stress, primarily due to the lack of affirmation that the other minority groups generally receive.54 An effective approach to meeting the spiritual needs of members of this turbulent community requires an understanding of the variety of pressures from society, parents and peers and the effects of these pressures on dangerous behaviors in which homosexual adolescents are more prone to engage. Also, special attention must be given to commentary psychological research provides regarding the effects of religion on the homosexual adolescent. As Berg-Kelly notes, one of the primary difficulties a homosexual adolescent faces is in accepting an identity which will invariably lead them to being marginalized within most societies.55 Social stigmatization which results in social isolation and eventually to physical and psychological illness is common for homosexuals and is particularly damaging to the well-being of adolescent homosexuals.56 Some social assumptions—such as that homosexuals are a threat to children—directly attack the homosexual psyche, while others—such as a negative general perception in regard to the 53

Ibid.

54

Hillier and Harrison, “Homophobia,” 80.

55

Berg-Kelly, “Adolescent Homosexuality,” 142.

56

Frankowski, “Sexual Orientation,” 1827. 17

homosexual support groups—deter adolescents from receiving the assistance which counselors feel could be immensely helpful for their healthy identity formation.57 The larger social milieu of adolescents often has a profound impact on their mental health due to the power of the fear of ostracism, particularly at this stage in human development. Religion often works to further compound this sense of isolation instead of working toward any positive result in the adolescent’s life.58 Some scholars who find value in religion also point out that these negative responses may merely be presented as religious in nature though they are in fact birthed in an irrational homophobia.59 Still, adolescents from religious families are often sent to paraprofessional reorientation groups, such as Exodus International and Homosexuals Anonymous,60 which some scholars describe as “coercion to change” which are ultimately “ineffective.”61 Some parents try to scare their adolescents into a heterosexual orientation through spiritual threats. Adolescents provide accounts of parents sending them to meet with pastors who explain “the sinfulness of homosexuality.”62 An Australian teen provided her account of disclosing her sexual orientation to her devoutly Christian parents: “My parents totally freaked out, especially my Mum who yelled and screamed that I was going to hell […] and Mum threw me out of the house saying that I couldn’t go back to her house till I 57

Harrison, “Adolescent Homosexuality,” 108.

58

Robert Li Kitts, “Gay Adolescents and Suicide: Understanding the Association,” Adolescence 40, no. 159 (Fall 2005): 626. 59

Yarhouse, “When Families Present,” 326.

60

Yarhouse, “When Families Present,” 322.

61

Harrison, “Adolescent Homosexuality,” 108.

62

Joseph A. Jackson et al., “Acting (to) Out: Approaching Homosexuality in a 15Year-Old Boy with Anxiety and Depression,” Harvard Rev Psychiatry 13 (2005): 45. 18

changed my evil ways and gave my heart to Jesus—well fuck them.”63 While psychologists may seem to be overly harsh in their assessment of religion as useless and even detrimental to the well-being of adolescents who are homosexual, accounts like these show how disconnected religious responses to homosexuality often are from the adolescents. Family and peer group structures often offer only more difficulties for adolescent homosexuals. The inability of parents to cope with this important shift in the identity of their adolescent son or daughter leads many adolescents to leave home, either cast out by parents or as runaways, leading to a heavy overrepresentation of homosexuals among homeless adolescent populations.64 One fifteen-year-old boy, identified as JM, reported that his father “spit beer on him, threw a bottle at him, and shouted, ‘You’re a woman… you’re gay, and if you’re gay, I’m gonna kill you!’”65 Within their peer groups, recent surveys have shown that “homophobic epithets” are routinely used in the context of common conversation between students,66 leading more and more adolescents, particularly males, into passing behaviors in order to “fit in,” all the while attempting to deny their true selves.67 Poteat and Espelage’s study suggests that, because of this internal tension, male adolescents who were the victims of such homophobic attacks had “higher levels of 63

Hillier and Harrison, “Homophobia,” 84.

64

Hillier and Harrison, “Homophobia,” 80.

65

Jackson et al, “Acting (to) Out,” 44.

66

V. Paul Poteat and Dorothy L. Espelage, “Predicting Psychosocial Consequences of Homophobic Victimization in Middle School Students,” Journal of Early Adolescence 27, no. 2 (May 2007): 177-178. 67

Gerali, Teenage Guys, 100. 19

anxiety and depression, personal distress, and lower sense of school belonging.”68 Studies vary on the prevalence of such language directed towards homosexual teens, with most results showing 20-40% of non-heterosexual students experiencing some sort of bullying,69 though some report as high as 50%,70 varying primarily due to cultural and gender distinctions.71 Also, 91% of homosexual students state that they typically hear homophobic language everyday at school.72 While especially true for homosexual adolescents, such language serves to predict negative psychological consequences even among students who self-identify as heterosexual and thus should be addressed by those in authority over adolescents.73 Harassment of homosexual students is not, however, limited to just verbal attacks, but also includes physical assaults. Twenty-seven percent of disclosed homosexual students reported being physically hurt by schoolmates due to their sexual orientation74 and homosexuals are threatened with weapons at school two to four 68

Poteat and Espelage, “Predicting Psychosocial Consequences,” 184.

69

Frankowski, “Sexual Orientation and Adolescents,” 1828, reports 45% of gay men and 20% of lesbian women while Poteat and Espelage, “Predicting Psychosocial Consequences,” 177, reports 37% of all homosexuals. 70

Margaret Rosario, Mary Jane Rotheram-Borus, and Helen Reid, “Gay-Related Stress and Its Correlates Among Gay and Bisexual Male Adolescents of Predominantly Black and Hispanic Background,” Journal of Community Psychology 24 (April 1996): 144. 71

As noted elsewhere, ethnic minority groups tend to be less accepting than the national average in regards to homosexual adolescents. An interesting trend throughout this literature is a generalized greater acceptance for lesbianism than for male homosexuality, for example in D’Augelli, Hershberger, and Pilkington, “Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Youth,” where lesbians showed a far greater rate of parental acceptance (366). 72

Poteat and Espelage, “Predicting Psychosocial Consequences,” 177.

73

Ibid., 187.

74

D’Augelli, Hershberger, and Pilkington, “Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Youth,”

365. 20

times more frequently than their heterosexual peers.75 It should be no wonder, then, that almost two-thirds of homosexual students (64%) feel unsafe at school.76 Faced with such pressures, adolescents who experience a homosexual orientation are more likely than heterosexual teens to engage in various high risk behaviors. Studies have shown that non-heterosexual youth are more likely to begin using drugs, alcohol, and tobacco at a young age and to engage in the frequent, heavy use of illicit drugs and alcohol than their heterosexual peers.77 Counselors also posit that the stigmatization of homosexuals and open homosexual dating may lead adolescents into casual sex, meeting potential partners via the Internet or in public restrooms.78 Even more disturbing, psychologists are agreed that non-heterosexual adolescents are 20-40% more likely to attempt to commit suicide than heterosexual teens.79 Psychologists estimate that over 30% of the suicides of Americans between the ages of 15 and 24 are due to emotional distress over non-heterosexual orientation.80 Further complicating issues is the fact that, of a group of 350 disclosed homosexual adolescents who had attempted suicide, 54% of suicide attempts were made prior to disclosing to anyone else.81 Thus, there seems to be reason to assume that of the many adolescents who commit suicide without supplying a

75

Frankowski, “Sexual Orientation and Adolescents,” 1829.

76

Poteat and Espelage, “Predicting Psychosocial Consequences,” 177.

77

Frankowski, “Sexual Orientation and Adolescents,” 1829.

78

Harrison, “Adolescent Homosexuality,” 108.

79

Li Kitts, “Gay Adolescents,” 624.

80

Hillier and Harrison, “Homophobia,” 80.

81

Li Kitts, “Gay Adolescents,” 624. 21

reason for their decision, at least some of them are dealing with issues related to sexual orientation. Not all adolescents who self-identify as homosexual or bisexual are overcome by these negative internal and external influences. In fact, according to one recent survey, 60% of homosexual adolescents described their feelings about their orientation as “great” or “pretty good.”82 Even in social and family situations in which adolescents do not find acceptance, counselors argue that teens can find security in themselves through a number of different methods, including finding positive homosexual role models83 and becoming involved in support groups designed for homosexual teens, which may provide access to resources in the event that a family rejects the adolescent to the point that they need to provide for themselves.84 Concluding Remarks The unique vantage point and expertise of psychologists, psychiatrists, and counselors provides those seeking to help nurture and develop the spiritual lives of adolescents a clearer view of the deeper psychological issues related to the developmental stage in which teenagers find themselves. In the case of those teenagers who find themselves homosexual, the image psychologists provide is one of pain, solitude, confusion, and fear. For reasons beyond the control of these students, they are no longer able to consider themselves “normal.” Additionally, as they share this important aspect of themselves with their friends and family members, those closest to them, they often face

82

Hillier and Harrison, “Homophobia,” 83.

83

Berg-Kelly, “Adolescent homosexuality,” 143.

84

Henderson, “Disclosure,” 374. 22

rejection and ridicule, leading many to a life on the streets, drugs, alcohol, and some so far as suicide. Most researchers point to the negativity these adolescents feel from organized religion as an additional stressor, giving them adequate defense for their often low view of the value of church involvement in the lives of young people. This largely stems from long-held traditions within the Church regarding gender roles and sexual identity, manifest essentially in what some researchers label a “homophobic” belief sets within certain sectors of the church.85 Any youth ministry seeking to effectively meet and minister to the spiritual needs of homosexual adolescents must then also be aware of the strained relationship between the Church and the homosexual community. THE CHURCH AND HOMOSEXUALITY The growing debate within the Church regarding homosexuality is perhaps the most important discussion facing the Church in this generation. In her concluding remarks to her discussion of the proper Christian response to homosexuality, Ellen T. Charry rightly posits that “the homosexuality debate is not about individual rights, or Christian hospitality, or the goodness of the body, or friendship, or committed relationships, or pastoral care, or Scripture. It is finally about the responsibility of the church to the culture at this moment in time.”86 This discussion is not limited to any specific set of denominations or cultural backgrounds; James H. Cone refers to the issue as the most “potentially controversial” issue facing the Black church, lamenting that

85

86

Hillier and Harrison, “Homophobia,” 85.

Ellen T. Charry, “Christian Witness to Contemporary Culture Regarding Sex,” Anglican Theological Review 86, no. 2 (Spring 2004): 292. 23

“preachers and theologians tend to ignore it, apparently hoping homosexuals will go away or remain in the closet.”87 Despite these wishes, whether they be conscious or unconscious, there still exists a significant portion of the Church who experience some level of same sex attraction or behavior. Within African American churches, for example, survey responses regarding same-sex sexual behavior included statements such as “I would say religion and homosexuality are like peas and corn,” “Black gay men have always been in the church,” and “if it wasn’t for homosexuals in church, there would probably be no tenor section in the choir.”88 The researchers were led to conclude that “men who have sex with men” are present in nearly every aspect of African American religion.89 With such a picture of the presence of homosexuality within the Church, it is even more imperative that churches work to discern an appropriate perspective regarding the coexistence of Christianity and homosexuality. Overview of Various Philosophical Positions Entering a conservation of this sort once again necessitates a discussion of terminology used to label groups of people and, as before, also necessitates the assumption of terminology which is often less than perfect. For the purpose of clarity in this paper, I will use the term “liberal” to describe those advocating increased acceptance of homosexuality within the life of the Church and “conservative” to describe those

87

Jeffrey Lynn Woodyard, John L. Peterson, and Joseph P. Stokes, “‘Let Us Go Into the House of the Lord’: Participation in African American Churches Among Young African American Men Who Have Sex With Men,” The Journal of Pastoral Care 54, no. 4 (Winter 2000): 452-453. 88

Ibid., 454, 456.

89

Ibid., 458. 24

advocating a decreased acceptance of homosexuality within the Church. The Church seems to be, unfortunately, in the midst of a philosophical tug-of-war between these two factions, with neither side satisfied that the current consensus position is close enough to their ideology and each side claiming to be holding the true Christian understanding. “Liberal” and “conservative” seem to be equally unpopular terms with both groups, as each strives to claim the mainstream. Those who hold liberal views prefer terms like “progressive”90 and conservatives prefer terms like “traditional.”91 Each side also has pejorative names for the other side, conservatives decrying “revisionists”92 and the “Gay Agenda,”93 and liberals bemoaning the control of “heterosexists”94 and the “Religious Right.”95 What follows are very brief overviews of complex and sometimes selfcontradictory philosophical positions relatively equally held throughout the broad spectrum of the Church. Liberal Views

90

Kathy Rudy, Sex and the Church: Gender, Homosexuality, and the Transformation of Christian Ethics (Boston: Beacon, 1997), 14. 91

Grenz, Welcoming but Not Affirming, 8.

92

Thomas E. Schmidt, Straight and Narrow?: Compassion and Clarity in the Homosexuality Debate (Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity, 1995), 29. 93

Ronnie W. Floyd, The Gay Agenda: It’s Dividing the Family, the Church, and a Nation (Green Forest, Ark.: New Leaf, 2004), 13. This is but the first mention of what becomes a very comically fear-driven term in this book dedicated to “exposing” the covert actions of a few well-placed homosexual activists. 94

Carter Heyward, “Heterosexist Theology: Being Above It All,” Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion 3, no. 1 (Spring 1987), 29. 95

Rudy, Sex and the Church, xv. 25

Liberal understandings of the intricacies of the relationship between the Christian Church and the homosexual community are certainly not univocal, adopting many divergent approaches to facing the issue. Before attempting to outline several of the views adopted, it is important to note that such views are not products of some fadtheology in response to greater social acceptance of homosexuals in the 1990s. Rather, such views were in existence for at least a majority of the second half of the twentieth century, as evidenced by a study which found that 37.2% of Christians surveyed in 1973 held liberal views regarding homosexuality.96 Furthermore, several self-proclaimed Christian movements specifically designed for homosexuals began around the same time as the survey. Most notable among these is the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches, which sprang out of a single Metropolitan Community Church begun in 1968 in Los Angeles and which held its first conference in 1970.97 The dominant characteristic within the arguments of those adopting a liberal position is the notion that the Church’s understanding of Biblical text can, and ought to, be altered by the progression of humanity’s understanding of the universe, the planet, and, ultimately, humanity itself. Proponents of these views have, for instance, used the current evolutionary understanding of human origins to discredit the notion of some eternal soul or aspect of existence which would make possible an eternally consistent and binding moral ethic.98 Others seem to embrace the entry of homosexuals into the Church 96

Larry R. Petersen and Gregory V. Donnenwerth, “Religion and Declining Support for Traditional Beliefs About Gender Roles and Homosexual Rights,” Sociology of Religion 59, no. 4 (1998), 361. 97

Melissa M. Wilcox, Coming Out in Christianity: Religion, Identity, and Community (Bloomington, Ind.: Indiana University, 2003), 18. 98

See, for example, the argument presented in Jack A. Bonsor, “Homosexual Orientation and Anthropology: Reflections on the Category ‘Objective Disorder’,” 26

as an opportunity for the Christian community to divorce itself from the notion of the importance of the “traditional” nuclear family toward a freer understanding of human interrelatedness which would more fully reflect that by which Christians were intended to be defined. For example, Kathy Rudy writes, regarding the veneration of the “complementary” nature of heterosexuality within the Church: “Instead of a final outcome in which sex brings us closer to both God and church community, complementarity leads us to a God who is mediated through gender and to a church that is virtually unnecessary. Moreover, it overtly ostracizes gay and lesbian couples, other sexual minorities, and single people to the realm of less than whole beings.”99 These arguments are representative of the extreme end of the spectrum of liberal positions. Conservative Views As a rule, conservatives tend to dismiss the notion of an innate homosexual orientation. Instead, both same sex erotic behaviors and inclinations, or desires, towards members of the same sex are viewed as sinful; “if the Bible prohibits a certain behavior, the longing for or inclination toward performing such behavior is sinful as well.”100 However, many who would consider themselves conservative—and would be so deemed by liberal Christians—hold a view which allows greater flexibility for those who experience a homosexual orientation. By divorcing orientation—understood as unchosen —from action—understood as chosen—homosexuality can be moved into a moral gray

Theological Studies 59 (1998), 71-72. 99

Rudy, Sex and the Church, 119-120.

100

James R. White and Jeffrey D. Niell, The Same Sex Controversy: Defending and Clarifying the Bible’s Message About Homosexuality (Minneapolis: Bethany House, 2002), 202. 27

area wherein only God can judge the moral acceptability of a certain desire or inclination.101 In the course of research into the conservative perception of homosexuality, several disturbing trends become apparent. Primarily, Christians tend to develop a worldview which places Christians and homosexuals on opposite sides of a cultural war with no room for coexistence. Ronnie Floyd, for example, pitches the battle: “Make no mistake, two irreconcilable agendas are at war. Where do you stand in this great divide?”102 Many who would consider themselves members of the conservative side of the debate seek to counteract this mentality. As Schmidt writes, “those who get caught up in the political aspect of a moral issue often adopt a simplistic us-them attitude and a set of tactics based on the acquisition of power.”103 Floyd provides many examples of such an us-them mindset in phrases such as “the goals of a few threaten the freedom of many in America today,”104 “if something does not change, this gay influence will take over our schools,”105 and, in probably the most grandiose claim he makes, “for more than 40 years, the homosexual activist movement has sought to implement a master plan that has had as its centerpiece the utter destruction of the family.”106 Though, as demonstrated via the writing of many much more level-headed scholars, Floyd’s view is not ubiquitous to

101

Schmidt, Straight and Narrow, 164-165.

102

Floyd, The Gay Agenda, 15.

103

Schmidt, Straight and Narrow, 170.

104

Floyd, The Gay Agenda, 36.

105

Ibid., 41. Emphasis mine.

106

Ibid., 67. 28

conservative ideology, it is nonetheless present and a factor which youth ministers must take seriously in their attempts to reach gay and lesbian adolescents. Scripture and Homosexuality Any evangelical response to the homosexual question will require a serious consideration of the passages of the Bible in which the idea of homosexuality is addressed. As noted earlier, Christians who identify more with the liberal Christian position in regards to homosexuality as well as those who identify with the conservative position both claim to be acting in accordance with Scripture.107 The following paragraphs will deal with each group’s understanding of Scriptural passages commonly referenced in the conversation regarding the proper response of the Church to homosexuality. At Sodom & Gomorrah (Gen 19) The story of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19 appears in almost every discussion of the issue of homosexuality within Christianity. At face value, the text tells the story of a pair of angels who visit the town of Sodom to see if they can find ten righteous men, on whose account the entirety of the cities will be saved.108 Lot takes the men into his house in an attempt to protect them, but the men of the city come and demand that he “bring them [the angels] out to us, so that we may know (‫ה‬S‫דע‬U W‫)נ‬ them.”109 After allowing Lot and his family to escape, God destroys the entire region. Some scholars have fervently argued that the request of the men of Sodom to “know” the

107

Grenz, Welcoming but Not Affirming, 8.

108

This context is provided by the previous chapter.

109

All citations from Scripture in this paper will be from the NRSV unless otherwise noted. 29

visitors does not refer euphemistically to a sexual act, as conservative interpretations maintain. Instead, the men of Sodom are trying to violently interrogate the angels— perhaps even by means of sexual assault—whom they assume are spies sent by a foreign king.110 However, the root ‫ ידע‬is used elsewhere in the Old Testament as a euphemism for sexual relations. The context here clearly suggests this interpretation as well, as Lot’s daughters are described as having “not known a man” in the following verse.111 A much more substantial problem with identifying the text with homosexual practice is the witness of other portions of the Bible regarding the demise of Sodom and Gomorrah. The primary difficulty lies in Ezekiel 16:49-50, in which the sins of Sodom are listed as having “pride, excess of food, and prosper[ity],” and that they “did not aid the poor and needy.” Ezekiel further describes them as haughty and states that they did abominable things (‫ה‬S‫עב‬W ‫)תו‬. Many scholars connect this term to homosexuality, which is described in the Law using the same term.112 Others understand such tensions in the text differently, concluding that they reflect a long-standing tradition of a spectacular cataclysm which had destroyed the two cities. Seeking to argue for the sovereignty of Yahweh, the prophets and author of the Genesis account assumed that some moral lapse was responsible for such an obvious negative judgment, each taking up a tradition which best suit their specific theological purposes. Speiser, who holds this position, sees the purpose of the author of the story of Sodom and Gomorrah as a condemnation of 110

Holly Joan Toensing, “Women of Sodom and Gomorrah: Collateral Damage in the War Against Homosexuality?” Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion 21, no. 2 (Fall 2005), 68. 111

112

White and Niell, The Same Sex Controversy, 43-44.

See, for example, White and Niell, Same Sex Controversy, 42. This specific suggestion will be addressed in greater depth later in the discussion of homosexuality in the Law. 30

homosexuality, while Isaiah focuses on issues of justice, Jeremiah on moral complacency, and Ezekiel on disregard for the poor.113 Furthermore, such an exclusive connection between the reason for Sodom’s destruction and this specific encounter with homosexuality also discounts the presence of women in the city. While non-hospitality, haughtiness, and arrogance are sins which can be committed by either gender, only the men would be able to commit the homosexual acts described in Genesis 19. This makes the judgment on the totality of the region seem unjust, particularly considering that Israelite tradition did not seem to excuse women from punishment for their sins. Feminist scholars thus argue that such a reading—one in which the punishment is solely for male homosexuality—is ignorant of the presence of women in the biblical narrative.114 Appearances in Law (Lev 18 and 20) Homosexuality is also addressed in two passages within the law codes of the Old Testament. Leviticus prohibits male homosexual sex, referring to it as “an abomination” ( ‫ה‬S‫עב‬W ‫ )תו‬in both occurrences (18:22 and 20:13), and requires the death of participants as punishment. Many scholars dismiss the relevance of this prohibition today, as these verses fall within the Holiness Code (Lev 17-26) which contain numerous other rarely upheld proscriptions intended to differentiate Israelites from the neighboring nations.115 113

E. A. Speiser, Genesis (ABC 1; Garden City, NY: Doubleday and Company, 1964), 142-143. New Testament commentary on events can be found both in 2 Peter 2:6 and Jude 7. Peter’s contribution follows these Old Testament sources in general condemnation of ungodly behavior, while Jude specifies that the destruction was due to “sexual immorality” and “unnatural lust.” 114

Toensing, “Women of Sodom and Gomorrah,” 69. She points to several sections of Deuteronomy as support for her contention regarding the moral accountability of women in Israel, specifically 13:6-11, 22:20-27, and 25:11-12. 115

Schmidt, Straight and Narrow, 32. 31

Indeed, the seemingly arbitrary nature by which even the very close context of these commandments is divided seems to betray that one must accept some portions of the Law a priori while rejecting others—a process which is, at the very least, suspect. Gagnon, for example, argues that Lev 18 is filled with universally binding proscriptions— including incest (6-18), adultery (20), child sacrifice (21), homosexuality (22), and bestiality (23). However, he acknowledges that the other prohibition, against sex with a woman “in her menstrual uncleanness” (19), is no longer binding, without giving any cause for the distinction.116 Some argue that the distinction between homosexuality and other requirements of the Levitical Law is to be made due to the use of ‫ה‬S‫עב‬W ‫תו‬, translated “abomination.” The word ‫ה‬S‫עב‬W ‫ תו‬is generally used to describe “that which was deemed dangerous on the basis of group norms and hence that which aroused anxiety and repulsion.”117 While the word certainly does appear in both Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13, both in reference to male homosexual activity, the word also appears in numerous other contexts in the Old Testament. Some instances are found in narrative referring to general social taboos (e.g., the Egyptians distaste for sharing company with Hebrews in Gen 43:32 and 46:34) and non-Hebrew religious practices (child sacrifice, in 2 Kgs 16:3). As observed above, the word also appears in Ezekiel’s explanation for the destruction of Sodom. However, the usage of the word is not nearly as precise as White and Niell seem to suggest. They write, in reference to ‫ה‬S‫עב‬W ‫תו‬, that it is “the Hebrew word

116

Robert A. J. Gagnon, The Bible and Homosexual Practice (Nashville: Abingdon, 2001), 113. 117

E. Gerstenberger, “‫תעב‬,” TLOT 3:1428-1431. 32

associated with homosexuality in His law.”118 While the word appears in Leviticus only in Lev 18:22 and 20:13, in close proximity to homosexuality in both cases, the same word is used throughout Deuteronomy to describe manifold infractions ranging from spoils of war (7:25-26) to unclean foods (14:3).119 However, while the connection which they maintain is not nearly as simple and overt as they claim it to be, it certainly is not baseless. ἀρσενοκοιτης and μαλακοι in Paul (1 Tim 1 and 1 Cor 6) Much has been made of words which appear in vice lists found in some of the Pauline epistles. The texts in question are 1 Timothy 1:10-11 and 1 Corinthians 6:9; the term ἀρσενοκοιτης appears in both lists (translated “sodomites” in NRSV), paired with μαλακοι in 1 Corinthians 6:9 (translated “male prostitutes,” literally “soft ones”120). The NRSV translation of ἀρσενοκοιτης, following the KJV, is particularly misleading in this discussion as the Greek term does absolutely nothing to conjure images of the Genesis account of the destruction of Sodom. The term seems to be some sort of compound word formed from ἀρσεν (“man”) and κοιτεν (“lay”). Jones and Yarhouse take the morphology of the word as indicative of its meaning and translate the word as “manlayers.”121 However, the precise meaning of the word is the subject of no small debate. Martin begins an argument against Jones and Yarhouse’s translation of the word by 118

White and Niell, Same Sex Controversy, 42.

119

The term is translated “abhorrent” in the NRSV in both cases.

120

F. W. Danker, “μαλακος,” BDAG 613. This translation lends support to the notion that this passage refers to pederasty, though the word may simply refer to the passive partner in a same-sex sexual act. 121

Stanton L. Jones and Mark A. Yarhouse, Homosexuality: The Usage of Scientific Research in the Church’s Moral Debate (Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity, 2000), 20-21. 33

asserting that the fundamental philosophy of translation is flawed. He argues, using the English word “understand,” that combining the definitions of smaller words which make up another word is not a valid method of ascertaining the meaning of the compound word. In his example, he points out that the meaning of the word “understand” has nothing to do with “standing under” anything; instead, the meaning of any word can only be determined by the usage of the word.122 Unfortunately, in this case, the word being examined is found in no extant sources prior to its appearance in 1 Corinthians.123 The word, however, does appear in several early Christian vice lists, often appearing with vices which reflect abuses of the poor and exploitation of the needy, sometimes serving as a transition between sexual and economic sins. As these vice lists are generally organized by category, Martin suggests that ἀρσενοκοιτης “refers to some kind of economic exploitation, probably by sexual means: rape or sex by economic coercion, prostitution, pimping, or something of the sort.”124 However, even Martin admits that his understanding may not accurately reflect the meaning of ἀρσενοκοιτης. He clarifies in his concluding remarks, “I am not claiming to know what arsenokoitês meant, I am claiming that no one knows what it meant.”125 As such, these views may not be as strong a support for the conservative view regarding homosexuality as many Christians who hold them generally assume.

122

Dale B. Martin, “Arsenokoitês and Malakos: Meanings and Consequences,” in Biblical Ethics and Homosexuality: Listening to Scripture (ed. Robert L. Brawley; Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 1996), 119. 123

Schmidt, Straight and Narrow, 33.

124

Martin, “Arsenokoitês and Malakos,” 121.

125

Ibid., 123. Emphasis his. 34

Exchanging Natural for Unnatural (Rom 1) Of all the texts discussing homosexuality, Romans 1:26-27 is probably the keystone for the entire discussion. 126 The passage cannot be dismissed as a portion of the purity commands in the Law to which Christians are no longer held. Still, it—unlike the other Pauline passages discussed above—maintains a clarity and objectivity of language that seems as though it should provide the final word on the issue. When Paul refers to homosexual acts as “degrading passions” and “shameless acts,” it seems as though his understanding of homosexuality is clear. Still, there is considerable discussion regarding the proper interpretation of this passage. Critics of a traditional understanding of these verses point both to questions regarding the nature of sexual orientation and to the pagan context from which the letter was written.127 Some scholars see the text speaking against homosexual acts by people with naturally heterosexual orientation. Thus, the condemnation lies not on “true” homosexuals (i.e., those born with a homosexual orientation), but with those who adopt an orientation not their own.128 However, such a line of reasoning disregards all current understanding of Paul’s context in human history, one in which the very modern idea of

126

Everett R. Kalin, “Romans 1:26-27 and Homosexuality,” Currents in Theology and Mission 30, no. 6 (Dec 2003), 424. 127

Brian D. McLaren and Tony Campolo, Adventures in Missing the Point: How the Culture-Controlled Church Neutered the Gospel (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2003), 206-207. 128

John Boswell, Christianity, Social Tolerance, and Homosexuality (Chicago: University of Chicago, 1981), 107-108. 35

sexual orientation was completely foreign.129 The other major argument currently presented against a traditional interpretation relies on an understanding of Paul’s context as a guide to interpreting what he is describing in the text. Writing from Corinth, Paul would have been heavily exposed to the worship of Aphrodite, the primary god of the city. Aphrodite exhibited traits of both sexes, and thus one aspect of the pagan worship was to take on the sexual role of the opposite sex.130 Thus, Paul’s condemnation here may be of the pagan idolatry rather than the homosexual activity, which is merely the vehicle by which these pagans worshiped. Final Evangelical Statement on Homosexuality Based on an objective and academic survey of the current psychological understanding of the phenomenon of homosexuality among adolescents, it seems impossible that a ministry should approach homosexual adolescents with a mindset of altering orientation. However, this scientific consensus may not provide enough valid and relevant evidence to persuade conservative, evangelical Christians to divorce themselves from the traditional understanding of the sinful nature of homosexual activity. Essentially, even if a conservative Christian were to accept the proposition that, as research indicates, homosexuality is not a chosen orientation, the authority of the Scripture may provide justification to still stand firm in the assertion that homosexual activity is sinful. Many such conservatives may find themselves agreed with Tony Campolo, who writes, in response to the more liberal understandings of the above passages, “Christian tradition has consistently held that St. Paul specifically condemned 129

Mark D. Smith, “Ancient Bisexuality and the Interpretation of Romans 1:2627,” Journal of the American Academy of Religion 64, no. 2 (Summer 1996), 225. 130

McLaren and Campolo, Adventures in Missing the Point, 207. 36

all homosexual eroticism, […] to contradict two millennia of church tradition seems a little bit arrogant to me.”131 The weight and value these various voices are given by an individual youth minister will determine his/her stance on the issue. Based on the above survey, though, it seems untenable for either conservative or liberal Christians to maintain that their views regarding these passages are exclusively true. YOUTH MINISTRY AND HOMOSEXUALITY Youth ministries in an evangelical context are therefore presented with an incredibly difficult role to fill. On one hand, understanding the nature of sexual orientation as a mode of existence as opposed to a choice erases the simple “repent or perish” response employed by many within the evangelical community.132 On the other hand, however, Scripture provides reasonably clear indications that homosexual behavior is somehow inherently sinful. Youth ministries which seek to effectively reach the gay, lesbian, and bisexual adolescent populations within their communities must find ways to bridge this gap. By looking into the work of both academic and spiritual communities regarding approaches to counseling homosexual adolescents and being proactive in regards to addressing sexuality with adolescents, youth ministries can then begin to address the theological ramifications of homosexual behavior. Application of Counseling Techniques When a student approaches his/her youth leader with confusion regarding sexuality, it is imperative that the leader respond thoughtfully and responsibly, even if a referral to a more experienced Christian counselor is deemed the most beneficial response. These events mark the first impression a student will hold in regard to the 131

Ibid.

132

Floyd, The Gay Agenda, 20. 37

Church’s response to his/her crisis, and can hold a significant impact in the future spiritual health of the student. Despite the view that homosexual behavior is inherently sinful, though it may be legitimately held, a youth worker presented with this situation should not respond with condemnation. Rather, an effective youth worker will respond with praise for the adolescent for showing courage in engaging the issue.133 Wolowelsky and Weinstein correctly point out that merely telling a student to stop thinking homosexual thoughts is significantly unhelpful, since “if he were able to, he would not be speaking to the counsellor [sic] at all.”134 Information provided to an adolescent who is questioning his/her sexuality must not be selected and delivered in an attempt to frighten the student into heterosexuality. As Harrison writes, “Professionals working with homosexual adolescents should be positive in providing accurate and sensitive information. For example, no known single cause explains this sexual variation, and most homosexual adolescents develop into productive, healthy adults.”135 Wolowelsky points out that this is particularly important within the context of religious counseling, as it sets a positive foundation for the student and counselor to build upon. If the student is driven away at this first attempt to seek spiritual support because of some sharply negative responses from a religious counselor, he/she is far less likely to ever return to any religious figure.136 With this goal of maintaining a student’s desire to be involved in his/her religion still in mind, Wolowelsky writes that 133

Joel B. Wolowelsky and Bernard L. Weinstein, “Initial Religious Counselling [sic] for a Male Orthodox Adolescent Homosexual,” Tradition 29, no. 2 (Winter 1995), 49-50. 134

Ibid., 54.

135

Harrison, “Adolescent Homosexuality,” 110.

136

Wolowelsky, “Initial Religious Counseling,” 50. 38

“the adolescent must have continual and convincing reassurance that he still remains a person worthy of love and understanding.”137 While some Christian counselors might see this sort of acceptance without reprimand as a license to sin, the fact that an adolescent is approaching a religious counselor in this situation shows that he/she feels that this behavior is problematic.138 Counselors also suggest that information be kept confidential, with very few exceptions. Both the confidentiality of the information and the specific exceptions to this confidentaility should be openly discussed.139 Exceptions should certainly be made if the adolescent is in physical danger, either from self-injury—such as thoughts of suicide—or from others—such as an abusive relationship with an adult. Wolowelsky urges religious counselors to have a plan of action for such a situation. For example, regarding suicide, religious counselors must first ask probing questions to determine whether any sort of suicidal ideation is present. Then, if the adolescent is experiencing suicidal thoughts or behaviors, to have a trained, professional counselor to whom the religious figure can refer the student.140 Finally, scholars are adamant that counselors working with adolescents who are questioning their sexuality must avoid rushing to any sort of final determination regarding the adolescent’s sexuality. Frankowski writes that “strong same-sex feelings and even sexual experiences can occur at this age and do not define sexual orientation.”141 137

Ibid., 54.

138

Ibid., 52.

139

Harrison, “Adolescent Homosexuality,” 110.

140

Wolowelsky, “Initial Religious Counseling,” 50-51.

141

Frankowski, “Sexual Orientation,” 1830. 39

Since same-sex sexual experiences often do not signal that a teen is a homosexual, labeling adolescents as such “could be premature, inappropriate, and counterproductive.”142 Psychologists and counselors also stress the importance of using “the most descriptive language” when describing the adolescent’s experience which has led them to question their sexuality.143 Working to clarify the distinctions between ideas such as identity, orientation, and behavior will help the counselor avoid “the risk of leaving out an important subpopulation of persons who experience [same sex attraction] but do not identify with their experiences and wish to integrate them into a gay identity.”144 Yarhouse suggests that, in order to avoid such early definition, to provide several options for the adolescents to use to describe his or her feelings. Yarhouse offers three such categories: “experiences of SSA [same-sex attraction],” which primarily describe isolated feelings of desire for members of the same sex in an otherwise heterosexual lifestyle; “a homosexual orientation,” in which an adolescent feels primarily or exclusively attraction to members of the same sex; and “a gay identity,” in which an individual self-identifies as gay or lesbian.145 By providing such specific terminology to adolescents by which they can define themselves, counselors significantly improve the communication between the counselor and the student and subsequently the ability of the counselor to be of help.146 Practical Approaches to Ministry with Homosexual Adolescents 142

Ibid., 1830.

143

Yarhouse, “Same-Sex Attraction,” 208.

144

Ibid.

145

Ibid., 202-206.

146

Ibid., 209. 40

Addressing the Issue Youth ministers must not be afraid to proactively address the issue of homosexuality with their youth groups. If youth ministries do not reach out to their adolescents who are homosexual, then these teens will turn to support structures that are inherently harmful. As some have noted, implicitly ostracizing homosexual teens serves to push them into high-risk sexual experimentation.147 Furthermore, even heterosexual students “are likely to have friends, relatives, teachers, etc whom they know or suspect to be gay or lesbian or who are struggling with questions about their sexual orientation.”148 For adolescents, then, homosexuality is not an issue that will go away should youth ministries merely choose to ignore it. Lead Students to a Relationship with God In order to effectively reach homosexual students, youth ministers need to set out to establish a safe environment for adolescents to process these issues. This type of safe environment is best established by educating and engaging church leadership, families, and students. Students, for example, need to know that there is zero-tolerance for jokes or derogatory remarks aimed at homosexuals, as with any other hate speech. 149 Of the three sets of individuals listed above, it is most important to reach families and to equip them to assist their adolescent through the process of adolescence. With such a purpose in mind, youth ministers must look beyond the typical programmed youth event as a model for discipleship and look instead to utilizing the family relationships (if present) to serve

147

Harrison, “Adolescent Homosexuality,” 108.

148

Frankowski, “Sexual Orientation,” 1829.

149

Gerali, Teenage Guys, 107. 41

as a connection to a relationship with God.150 For students without such a family support system available, youth ministries must provide mature leaders “that will ‘be there’ for them, not simply a team of zany youth workers who provide short-term intimacy with little long-term support.”151 These leaders must be trained to listen to all students, especially homosexual adolescents, without judgment or condemnation.152 Emphasize Self-Control Youth ministers should convey to adolescents who feel that their homosexuality contradicts their Christian faith that God has given them the self-control which they need to overcome their temptations. Reminding students that even heterosexual adolescents must overcome powerful sexual urges may help, as will refraining from classifying their desires as disgusting or unnatural.153 Often, this self-control will include celibacy. While many view the suggestion that homosexuals remain celibate as inhumanely binding,154 many Christian scholars emphasize that “Christian freedom” is “freedom from the power of cultural norms,” which, in the current context, includes norms regarding sexuality.155 Jewish scholars point out that “halakha rejects the current proposition that sexual fulfillment is the summum bonum of life, arguing that a halakhically ethical life often 150

Mark DeVries, Family-Based Youth Ministry (Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity, 2004), 95. 151

Ibid., 127.

152

Gerali, Teenage Guys, 107.

153

Wolowelsky, “Initial Religious Counseling,” 51-53. Wolowelsky observes that there are no proscriptions in the Torah against eating feces. Such a commandment is unnecessary because no healthy human being would desire to do that. Therefore, homosexual desires must be desires which healthy human beings face, since there is a commandment against homosexuality. 154

See, for example, Bonsor, “Homosexual Orientation,” 60.

155

Charry, “Christian Witness,” 276. 42

denies the heterosexual as well as the homosexual the possibility of total sexual fulfillment.”156 CONCLUSION Youth pastors who seek to effectively and positively influence non-heterosexual students can do so in much the same manner, regardless of the theological stance they hold regarding homosexual behavior. The psychological community has provided significant evidence that sexual orientation is not a trait which is chosen by the individual, but rather one which is discovered. Furthermore, psychologists have provided those who work with adolescents a window into the mind of non-heterosexual teens, illuminating those needs which these students may experience significantly more than their heterosexual peers. Youth pastors must engage this material in order to communicate effectively with non-heterosexual teens without alienating them. Theologically, the divisions and the discussions within the Church regarding the nature of homosexuality and the role of homosexuals inside the Church has little effect on the pragmatic notion of doing ministry for and with non-heterosexual students. Both conservative and liberal Christian voices have legitimate concerns and both present reasonable interpretations of the Biblical text. It is vital for a youth minister to be aware of the different possible interpretations and to come to a conclusion regarding his/her understanding of the Scripture. This view ought to be shared with the faith community that the youth worker serves in order to lessen the chances of not meeting the expectations of both the pastoral staff and the families of the students in contact with the ministry. Regardless of the content of this view, however, it is imperative that youth ministries exhibit the love, care, and support for homosexual students just as they ought 156

Wolowelsky, “Initial Religious Counseling,” 53. 43

to for all students. The strategies a youth pastor should use in engaging homosexual adolescents, then, is roughly the same as engaging any student. This should come as no surprise, as all adolescents—whether homosexual or heterosexual—are in the same desperate need of the Gospel.

44

BIBLIOGRAPHY Books Andreadis, Harriette. “Sapphic Tradition.” Pages 666-668 of Lesbian and Gay Histories and Cultures: An Encyclopedia. Edited by Bonnie Zimmerman. San Francisco: Garland, 1999. Bauer, Walter, Frederick W. Danker, William Arndt, and Felix Wilbur Gingrich. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000. Boswell, John. Christianity, Social Tolerance, and Homosexuality. Chicago: University of Chicago, 1981. Burg, B. R. Gay Warriors: A Documentary History from the Ancient World to the Present. New York: New York University, 2002. DeVries, Mark. Family-Based Youth Ministry. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity, 2004. Floyd, Ronnie W. The Gay Agenda: It’s Dividing the Family, the Church, and a Nation. Green Forest, Ark.: New Leaf, 2004. Gagnon, Robert A. J. The Bible and Homosexual Practice. Nashville: Abingdon, 2001. Gerali, Steve. Teenage Guys: Exploring Issues Adolescent Guys Face and Strategies to Help Them. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006. Grenz, Stanley J. Welcoming but Not Affirming: An Evangelical Response to Homosexuality. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 1998. Jenni, Ernst and Claus Westermann, eds. The Theological Lexicon of the Old Testament. 3 vols. Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson, 1997. Jones, Stanton L. and Mark A. Yarhouse. Homosexuality: The Usage of Scientific Research in the Church’s Moral Debate. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity, 2000. Kitzinger, Celia. “Psychology.” Pages 615-618 of Lesbian and Gay Histories and Cultures: An Encyclopedia. Edited by Bonnie Zimmerman. San Francisco: Garland, 1999. Lahey, Benjamin B. Psychology: an Introduction. 9th ed. Boston: McGraw Hill, 2007.

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Martin, Dale B. “Arsenokoitês and Malakos: Meanings and Consequences,” in Biblical Ethics and Homosexuality: Listening to Scripture. Edited by Robert L. Brawley. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 1996. McLaren, Brian D. and Tony Campolo. Adventures in Missing the Point: How the Culture-Controlled Church Neutered the Gospel. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2003. Perrin, Ellen C. Sexual Orientation in Child and Adolescent Health Care. New York: Kluwer Academic, 2002. Rocke, Michael. Forbidden Friendships: Homosexuality and Male Culture in Renaissance Florence. Oxford: Oxford University, 1998. Rudy, Kathy. Sex and the Church: Gender, Homosexuality, and the Transformation of Christian Ethics. Boston: Beacon, 1997. Schmidt, Thomas E. Straight and Narrow?: Compassion and Clarity in the Homosexuality Debate. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity, 1995. Speiser, E. A. Genesis. The Anchor Bible Commentary 1. Garden City, NY: Doubleday and Company, 1964. Statt, David A. The Concise Dictionary of Psychology. 3rd ed. New York: Routledge, 1998. White, Chris. Nineteenth Century Writings on Homosexuality: A Sourcebook. London: Routledge, 1999. White, James R. and Jeffrey D. Niell. The Same Sex Controversy: Defending and Clarifying the Bible’s Message About Homosexuality. Minneapolis: Bethany House, 2002. Wilcox, Melissa M. Coming Out in Christianity: Religion, Identity, and Community. Bloomington, Ind.: Indiana University, 2003. Articles Berg-Kelly, K. “Adolescent homosexuality: we need to learn more about causes and consequences.” Acta Paediatr 92 (2003): 141-144. Bonsor, Jack A. “Homosexual Orientation and Anthropology: Reflections on the Category ‘Objective Disorder’.” Theological Studies 59 (1998), 60-83. Charry, Ellen T. “Christian Witness to Contemporary Culture Regarding Sex.” Anglican Theological Review 86, no. 2 (Spring 2004): 273-292. 46

D’Augelli, Anthony R., Scott L. Hershberger, and Neil W. Pilkington. “Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Youth and Their Families: Disclosure of Sexual Orientation and Its Consequences.” American Journal of Orthopsychiatry 68, no. 3 (July 1998): 361371. Frankowski, Barbara L. “Sexual Orientation and Adolescents.” American Academy of Pediatrics 113, no. 6 (June 2004): 1827-1832. Harrison, Therese W. “Adolescent Homosexuality and Concerns Regarding Disclosure.” Journal of School Health 73, no. 3 (March 2003): 107-112. Henderson, Mitzi G. “Disclosure of Sexual Orientation: Comments from a Parental Perspective.” American Journal of Orthopsychiatry 68, no. 3 (July 1998): 372375. Heyward, Carter. “Heterosexist Theology: Being Above It All.” Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion 3, no. 1 (Spring 1987), 29-38. Hillier, Lynne and Lyn Harrison. “Homophobia and the production of shame: young people and same sex attraction.” Culture, Health, & Sexuality 6, no. 1 (JanuaryFebruary 2004): 79-94. Jackson, Joseph A., Cynthia J. Telingator, Richard R. Pleak, and William S. Pollack. “Acting (to) Out: Approaching Homosexuality in a 15-Year-Old Boy with Anxiety and Depression.” Harvard Review of Psychiatry 13 (2005): 43-53. Kalin, Everett R. “Romans 1:26-27 and Homosexuality.” Currents in Theology and Mission 30, no. 6 (Dec 2003): 423-432. Li Kitts, Robert. “Gay Adolescents and Suicide: Understanding the Association.” Adolescence 40, no. 159 (Fall 2005): 621-626. Petersen, Larry R. and Gregory V. Donnenwerth, “Religion and Declining Support for Traditional Beliefs About Gender Roles and Homosexual Rights.” Sociology of Religion 59, no. 4 (1998), 353-371. Poteat, V. Paul and Dorothy L. Espelage. “Predicting Psychosocial Consequences of Homophobic Victimization in Middle School Students.” Journal of Early Adolescence 27, no. 2 (May 2007): 175-191. Rosario, Margaret, Mary Jane Rotheram-Borus, and Helen Reid. “Gay-Related Stress and Its Correlates Among Gay and Bisexual Male Adolescents of Predominantly Black and Hispanic Background.” Journal of Community Psychology 24 (April 1996): 136-158. 47

Smith, Mark D. “Ancient Bisexuality and the Interpretation of Romans 1:26-27.” Journal of the American Academy of Religion 64, no. 2 (Summer 1996): 223-226. Toensing, Holly Joan. “Women of Sodom and Gomorrah: Collateral Damage in the War Against Homosexuality?” Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion 21, no. 2 (Fall 2005): 61-74. Wolowelsky, Joel B., and Bernard L. Weinstein. “Initial Religious Counselling for a Male Orthodox Adolescent Homosexual.” Tradition 29, no. 2 (Winter 1995): 4955. Woodyard, Jeffrey Lynn, John L. Peterson, and Joseph P. Stokes. “‘Let Us Go Into the House of the Lord’: Participation in African American Churches Among Young African American Men Who Have Sex With Men.” The Journal of Pastoral Care 54, no. 4 (Winter 2000): 451-460. Yarhouse, Mark A. “Same-Sex Attraction, Homosexual Orientation, and Gay Identity: A Three-Tier Distinction for Counseling and Pastoral Care.” The Journal of Pastoral Care & Counseling 59, no. 3 (Fall 2005): 201-211. Yarhouse, Mark A. “When Families Present with Concerns About an Adolescent’s Experience of Same-Sex Attraction.” The American Journal of Family Therapy 26 (1998): 321-330.

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