Christianity, Gender and Sexuality Flashcards
1
Q
Homosexuality
Christian views on homosexuality
A
- Many evangelical protestants believe that the Bible is the direct word of God and is therefore divinely inspired and infallible, therefore homosexuality acts are ‘detestable’ and incompatible with being a Christian
- Othe protestant Churches take into account the insights of bBiblical criticism and instead seek to follow Jesus who challenged social and religious injustice, treating all people equally
- The Catholic Church distinguishes between orientation and practice, accepting those with homosexual inclinations but expecting them to remain celibate
- The CofE is torn between the liberal and progressive views of many of its members, the official teaching is that gay relationships fall short of the ideal which is heterosexual marriage however homoexuals should be treated with respect, clergy in gay relationships should practice celibacy
2
Q
Homosexuality
Biblical teaching on homosexuality
A
- Genesis 2:24- one flesh concept is heterosexual, God creates 2 sexes and they create new life themselves through sex –> creation theology
- Sodom and Gomorran in Genesis 19- Traditionally, Sodom is condemned because of the homosexual desires between its inhabitants. Modern liberal interpretation points out that their sin is much more about violence and inhospitable behaviours
- Leviticus 20:13- capital punishment is the consequence for homosexual sex between men. Modern liberals would say that the Levitican code was written by heterosexual patriarchal elites and therefore a response to their disgust when considering homosexual sex
- 1 Corinthians 9- ‘homosexual offenders’ cannot inherit God’s kingdom, for conservatives, the act is inherently evil and this text proves it. For liberals, this text is about homosexual prostitution in the context of idolatry and does not refer to committed homosexual relationships
- Romans 1:27- Paul is clear that homosexual acts are unnatural, disordered and perverse. In Romans 1 these acts are a punishment from God for idolatrous worship. Modern liberals contextualise Pauls views- he was talking about male prostitution in temple worship and had no knowledge of committed, loving homosexual relationships
3
Q
Celibacy
Christian views on celibacy
A
- In Christian times, most Jews married but celibacy was unknown, but since Jesus lived a celibate life, modern attitudes have changed
- Matthew 19:12 talks about celibacy as a choice made to focus on the kingdom of God
- In 1 Corinthians Paul advocated celibacy unless sexual urges became to strong in which marriage was the next best thing (Paul believed that the end of the world was imminent and marriage distracted from preparing for judgement day)
- From the 4th century, the idea of celibacy as a way to be closer to God developed as it became an element of monasticism, this extended to clergy in the 12th century
- In the Catholic Church, celibacy is seen as a way of offering oneself to the service of God
- The Orthodox accepts married men as priests but is not allowed after ordination for Bishops
- In the Anglican and Protestant Churches, clergy are often marriage, some even oppose celubacy due to 1 Timothy
- Celibacy does not mean ‘remaining empty in our love but rather must mean allowing oneself to be overcome but a passion for God’ Benedict XVI
4
Q
Marriage
Christian views on marriage
A
- In the earliest days of the Church, marriage was seen as the norm for everyone, Christians were expected to marry or remain celibate
- This is still the view of the Catholic Church, marriage is a sacrament, if couples are divorced they cannot remarry as in the eyes of God they are still married. Only anulment can allow a Catholic to remarry
- Protestant churches see marriage as an ordinance not a sacrament, therefore divorce and remarriage is allowed
- Western society is very different now, challenging some of the traditional views of marriage:
- The idea that the purpose of marriage is children
- Many marriages are civil ceremonies with no religious significance whatsoever
- Divorce is more common and many will not remain celibate after divorce
- Same sex marriage is now legally permissible
- Some key marriage passages are: Genesis 2:24 (one flesh bond), Mark 10 (divorce is not permitted) and Matthew 5 (divorce is only permitted if a woman commits adultery
5
Q
Transgender issues
Christian views on transgender issues
A
- The Bible says nothing about changing gender, but the early church condemned those who had surgery to modify their sexual identity
- Fundamentalist Christians believe that God alone decides gender, any act to change it goes against his wishes, God does not make mistakes
- Liberal protestants accept transgender people and rights fully, some of them allowing them to be ministers
- They focus more on the psychological struggles of a person denied gender changing surgery as this would provide them mental comfort (Christians who do not agree advocate for therapy intended to help a person feel comfortable in their biological gender)
- The Church of England takes the same approach as liberal protestantism
- Since 2000, transgender priests have continued ministry and transgender people are accepted for ordination
- Marriage is permitted where one member of the couple is transgender
- The Catholic church rejects the idea of changing gender
- A report issued in 200 said that surgery did not change a persons identity
- It might be permissible in extreme cases but transgender marriage could never be valid
6
Q
Female ordination
History of the ordination of women
A
- There has been debate about the ordination of women in the CofE since 1920
- In 1944 a woman was ordained in China because of the lack of male priests, she handed her license back as soon as the war ended, she was officially recognised in 1971
- The first ordination of women in the UK took place in 1944 and the first female bishop was Libby Lane in 2015
- To prevent a split in the CofE over the ordination of women, a special provision was made for those who could not accept a female bishop or priest
- Communities can say they will only have a male priest in their parish
- ‘flying bishops’ can be appointed to exercise pastoral care for the Churches that reject female ordination
- They administer confirmation and ordain priests to serve those churches- there has been an increase in men seeking ordination under this system
- Some priests have felt unable to remain in the CofE since 1944
- Many have received ordination in the Catholic Church
- In 2011, the ordinariate was set up to allow married Anglican priests to become Catholic
7
Q
Female Ordination
What the debate on female ordination is all about
A
- If writing a part 2 on this, draw attention to:
- Do men have the capacity for a level of spiritual authority that women do not?
- This will depend on the view of communion taken
- How far should changes in society- liberation of women to be of an equal status with men- create change in the Church?
- This depends on the view of the Bible taken
8
Q
Female Ordination
Catholic view on the ordination of women
A
- The Catholic Church has a complemetarian approach to the role of women, this is the view that men and women are equal in God’s eyes but have different roles in life
- Apostolic Succession can only be passed from men to men- for RC’s only men can be priests and ‘in persona christi’
- Unbroken succession goes back to the Apostles, all of which whom were men. This was confirmed by a declaration from the Vatican in 1976
- This stated that Jesus’ radical attitude of great respect towards women provides a model to be followed but does not entail leadership since only men were Apostles
9
Q
Female Ordination
Protestant views on the role of women in the Church
A
- Many protestants believe in the priesthood of all believers (1 Peter 2:9)
- They have an egalitarian approach meaning that women may hold leadership positions e.g. in the United Reform Church women have been ordained since 1917
- Reform is a modern movement in conservative evangelical circles attempting to bring the Church back in line with 1 Timothy 2+3
10
Q
Hampson v Reuther
Daphen Hampson’s views (post Christian theologian)
A
- Rejects Christianity on 2 accounts:
1. Its based on the belief that there is a uniqueness in the person of Christ, meaning that Christians have to look at a revelation of history for their faith
2. Therefore Christians are always looking to a past imbued with patriarchal imagery which are carried into the present, perpetuating sexism - Hampson thinks that they way we seek to express God should reflect human awareness of God and the Christian story must be viewed as a myth from the patriarchal age
- Hampson argues that Christians look to literature from a past age in which a patriarchal outlook is taken for granted
- God is transcendent yet referred to using male metaphors, the Church is then referred to in female terms, this then created a gender hierarchy which is reflected in society
- Given that there was no especial revelation in Jesus, there is no particular reason to look to him, he is a product of the patriarchal society in which he lives
- Hampsons modernist perspective allows her to disempower the patriarchal concepts given divine justification but she could be criticised for assuming an anti-supernatural approach to Christ because it serves her feminist agenda
11
Q
Hampson v Reuther
Rosemary Radford Reuthers views (Catholic liberationist)
A
- Above all concerned with the Biblical message of liberation, the traditional doctrine of atonement with a depiction of Jesus as a radical figure
- Points to Gospel references of him siding with the marginalised in society, the most vulnerable of whom were women
- The Kingdom of God is not a heavenly state but is to be set up on Earth as a sphere where justice prevails for all
- Denounces traditional theology as patriarchal and sexist- replaces God with God/ess to express a freedom from gender. God can be androgynous as he embodied both characteristics
12
Q
Hampson v Reuther
The Hampson-Reuther debate
A
Hampsons arguments:
* One can be religious and feminist but Christianity is a historical religion and reading past religion and reading past literature propels it into the present
* Hampson commented that whilst she recognises that Christians need not be fundamentalist they must necessary reference the past revelation, if it is simply mythological why make use of such a sexist vehicle
Reuthers arguments
* Christianity is an eschatological faith focused on the future, therefore it is open to interpretation and feminist reinstatement
* Accuses Hampson of fundamentalism as she takes such a literal approach purely to criticise and demythologise it
* For Reuther, once a non literal reading has been established then Christ can be reworked to support feminist theology
13
Q
Gender Equality
God and Gender
A
- God is usally depicted in masculine terms e.g. God as King
- Feminine imagery can also be found although less common e.g. God as mother hen
- Feminine imagery allows us to value feminine characteristics and break the superiority that might be given to masculine characteristics because of the frequency with which they are used to express the character of God
14
Q
Gender Equality
Examples of gender equality in the Bible
A
- Genesis 1:27- This text makes equality fundamental, but it is said before the Fall, suggesting that it is a theoretical idea and not the world we live in
- Galatians 3:28- if all have equal access to God through Jesus, society’s unusual distinctions between different races, classes and genders become irrelevant
- Mary and Martha- Jesus speaks to Mary as a Rabbi would speak to a student of theology, this is significant as a revolutionary idea at the time, demonstrating that Jesus values Marys mind and education highly and believes that she should learn from him, something reserved for men at that time
- Deborah- This passage is interesting, especially as it is in the OT. IN the patriarchal society Deborah has a matriarchal role, first as a judge and then a prophet. Furthermore, the power given to her is a punishment for the weak and faithless men around her
15
Q
Gender Equality
Challenges to gender equality in the Bible
A
- Eve takes the Forbidden Fruit- the problem here is the subjugation of women is represented as divine punishment, therefore if you attempt to reverse this you are going against God’s will
- Husbands and wives (Ephesians 5)- despite the obvious continuation of inequality, the leadership of a husband is analogous to the leadership of Christ, it should be entirely loving, even sacrifical. So although the framework is patriarchal a husbands authroity is based on sacrifical love
- Women covering heads (1 Corinth 11)- there are a number of issues here, Paul is taking the Genesis story in that Adam created Eve out of his rib meaning she has a lower status prior to the Fall, it doesn’t say clearly that women aren’t created in the image of God but it does make the value of women dependent on the servitude to men
