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Meera Atkinson  It’s no secret that homosexuality has been a contentious issue for Christians. Within the Uniting Church, that friction gave rise to Uniting Network, a national network for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (previously known as hermaphrodite) people, their families, friends and supporters.
Unpack the issues...
Warren Talbot, Uniting Network NSW and ACT education officer, says the Network was formed to meet the need lesbian and gay people had for community and advocacy. Openly gay for 31 years and a member of the Uniting Church for 27 years, Warren says he gets phone calls every week from people who are gay, isolated, and closeted in their congregation, in need of pastoral support. The Network also lobbies both within and beyond the Uniting Church. “For example,” he says, “the Uniting Network made a submission to the Human Rights Commission Enquiry into same sex relationships. We advocated that there should be equality and all legislation that discriminates against same sex couples be removed.” Asked why has there has been such a historically tricky relationship between queerness and religion, Warren points to differing interpretations of the Bible. “There is no doubt the Bible was written in patriarchal terms and that the Leviticus advocates capital punishment for homosexual men. That’s a fact. What we have to face up to as Christians in this day and age is interpreting it in ways relevant to our own age. It sounds like a Sunday school lesson, but ‘what would Jesus do?’  “Jesus said nothing about homosexuality, but he talked about loving one’s neighbour. He talked about loving oneself, so if you apply Jesus’ principle that leads to a position of being inclusive.”
Warren says the cost of biblical interpretation not focusing on this inclusive message has been high. “In some cases there has been overt discrimination. We’ve had some very well qualified persons who wanted to train for ordained ministry and who have been disallowed solely on the grounds of their homosexuality. People are still scared to come out because they’ll face a presbytery committee of enquiry or a synod investigation or may be sacked. “It’s not spiritually healthy to live your life in dishonesty. The spiritual path for Christians and others is to walk in the truth.” Warrant admits many gay, lesbian, and transgender people feel so alienated by the church that they don’t join or turn their backs on it. “There are only a small number of us who stay on and fight the good fight. For Uniting Network, there is a deep love of the Uniting Church. We are committed to working within the structures of the Church even when we disagree. We know there are people out there who need support and role models.” Warren and the Network accept that change is slow. “The power of the patriarchy has been there for thousands of years. We’ve only embarked on this journey in the past 35 years,” he says. “We’re doing what women have been doing for the past 40 years: re-interpreting the images and symbols of the church in ways which are positive for us. The struggle will continue but the Uniting Church has a strong foundation with which to lead.” In Warren’s view, Uniting Network expresses the fundamental teaching of Jesus — that God loves everyone. “That is our ministry.”
Discussion points... - Do you know a gay or lesbian person who has been hurt by Christian teachings on homosexuality?
- How do you understand what the Bible says about homosexuality?
- What would Jesus’ attitude be towards this issue?
Further reading...
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I want to encourage all gay people to be proud and at peace. It is good that being gay is becoming normalized in our community.
I have a much more difficult issue to face, being a happily married man who is also bisexual. Simply put, this means I have a great longing to be intimate with both a woman and a man and gain grat joy in both. This is complicated by my being in leadership in the church. So I have used an alias here.
I would be willing to write a constructive posting here about being bi-married if this would be welcome.
Thanks.