The Bible In A Gay Christian's Perspective
Urquico, Jan Paolo
10 October 2012
I – AB Economics-Honors
EN12 S11
QUEER FAITH: The Bible in a Gay Christian’s Perspective
“We treat them [homosexuals] as pariahs, and push them outside our church communities, and thereby we negate the consequence of their baptism and ours. We make them doubt they are children of God, and this must be nearly the ultimate blasphemy. We blame them for something that is becoming increasingly clear they can do little about.”
—Archbishop Desmond Tutu, The Rainbow People of God
Until now, homosexuality has always been a controversy in the Church and among its followers. For some traditional Christians, the words “homosexual” and “Christian” are mutually exclusive, and thus, in their point of view, there …show more content…
Thus, there is originally no homosexual connotation attached to the word malakos. However, Martin says that if the English meanings of malakos were to be taken into a wider perspective it would mean the “feminine” or “effeminate” (124). This is where the sexism in Biblical times was prevalent. Acting like a woman was a form of denigration to oneself, and was thus considered inappropriate back then. Hence, men who are malakoi back then were considered an insult to the whole male population. Additionally, McNeill suggests that malakoi, in patriarchal Greek society, was used to refer to general immorality. Moreover, he adds that being or acting feminine does not necessarily make one homosexual; he notes that “Contrary to popular misconception that homosexuals are effeminate, the majority of homosexuals prefer manliness in themselves and in their partners” …show more content…
List of Works Cited
SCHOLARLY BOOKS
Helminiak, Daniel. What the Bible Really Says About Homosexuality. San Francisco: Alamo Square, 1994.
Martin, David. “Arsenokoites and Malakos: Meanings and Consequences.” Biblical Ethics and Homosexuality. Ed. Robert Brawley. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 1996.
McNeill, John. The Church and the Homosexual. Boston: Beacon, 1988
DOCUMENTS/VERTICAL FILES
For the Bible Tells Me So. Dir. Daniel Karslake. Gene Robinson, Desmond Tutu, Mel White, and Jake Reitan. FRF Studios, 2007.
SPECIALIZED REFERENCE MATERIALS
Thompson, Mel. “Sexual Morality: Christian Demands and Modern Attitudes.” Philosophy and Ethics: Books, Ideas, and Images from Mel Thompson. 7 Jul. 2012 <http://www.mel-thompson.co.uk/lecture%20notes/Sexual%20Morality.pdf>.
WEBSITES
The Official King James Bible Online. Nov. 2007. 29 Jul. 2012 <
10 October 2012
I – AB Economics-Honors
EN12 S11
QUEER FAITH: The Bible in a Gay Christian’s Perspective
“We treat them [homosexuals] as pariahs, and push them outside our church communities, and thereby we negate the consequence of their baptism and ours. We make them doubt they are children of God, and this must be nearly the ultimate blasphemy. We blame them for something that is becoming increasingly clear they can do little about.”
—Archbishop Desmond Tutu, The Rainbow People of God
Until now, homosexuality has always been a controversy in the Church and among its followers. For some traditional Christians, the words “homosexual” and “Christian” are mutually exclusive, and thus, in their point of view, there …show more content…
Thus, there is originally no homosexual connotation attached to the word malakos. However, Martin says that if the English meanings of malakos were to be taken into a wider perspective it would mean the “feminine” or “effeminate” (124). This is where the sexism in Biblical times was prevalent. Acting like a woman was a form of denigration to oneself, and was thus considered inappropriate back then. Hence, men who are malakoi back then were considered an insult to the whole male population. Additionally, McNeill suggests that malakoi, in patriarchal Greek society, was used to refer to general immorality. Moreover, he adds that being or acting feminine does not necessarily make one homosexual; he notes that “Contrary to popular misconception that homosexuals are effeminate, the majority of homosexuals prefer manliness in themselves and in their partners” …show more content…
List of Works Cited
SCHOLARLY BOOKS
Helminiak, Daniel. What the Bible Really Says About Homosexuality. San Francisco: Alamo Square, 1994.
Martin, David. “Arsenokoites and Malakos: Meanings and Consequences.” Biblical Ethics and Homosexuality. Ed. Robert Brawley. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 1996.
McNeill, John. The Church and the Homosexual. Boston: Beacon, 1988
DOCUMENTS/VERTICAL FILES
For the Bible Tells Me So. Dir. Daniel Karslake. Gene Robinson, Desmond Tutu, Mel White, and Jake Reitan. FRF Studios, 2007.
SPECIALIZED REFERENCE MATERIALS
Thompson, Mel. “Sexual Morality: Christian Demands and Modern Attitudes.” Philosophy and Ethics: Books, Ideas, and Images from Mel Thompson. 7 Jul. 2012 <http://www.mel-thompson.co.uk/lecture%20notes/Sexual%20Morality.pdf>.
WEBSITES
The Official King James Bible Online. Nov. 2007. 29 Jul. 2012 <