The earth is the oldest testament. This morning's sunrise is the newest testament. While we honor wisdom from the past we believe in welcoming new insights. Indeed, we believe each person is a revelation. We believe that each person of every gender identity or sexual orientation should be able to say, as Martin Luther said, "Here I stand. I can do no other so help me God." We welcome all people accordingly.
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What do you say about the "Clobber Passages" in the Bible?
Whenever I bring up LGBTQIA+ inclusion with my family, they point me to a handful of verses (Leviticus, Romans, 1 Corinthians) and insist the Bible is "clear." These are sometimes called the "clobber passages." I'd like to hear from affirming faith leaders how you actually read those passages, and what you'd say to someone using them against me.
4 Responses from Faith Leaders
I teach an entire class on these and am happy to share it with anyone who is curious. The biggest thing is that God is love, and anyone who uses the Bible for anything but love is committing blasphemy.
The "Clobber Passages" are cherry-picked verses that have been incorrectly interpreted and taken out of context to support the belief that homosexuality is sinful.
The "Clobber Passages" are misinterpreted verses that are used by some to justify their position against LGBTQIA+ people. It is important to understand the Bible in its original languages and the context in which it was written. While people may focus on these few excerpts, they often forget the rest of the Bible which is clear that God made all of us with sacredness and dignity. Moreover, in my faith tradition, we hold that both God's salvation and the life of the Church is open to all regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity or expression.