In response to the recent flurry of activity regarding the question of OCC’s admissions policy toward LGBT students, they have uploaded a post to their blog (accessed today) in which they state their current position on the issue.
This doesn’t represent a full response to the question of homosexuality and the Bible, but it does allow us to start somewhere in critiquing their stance. Among the nine points, we see the following very interesting remark:
However, that really isn’t the limitation of what is meant here. This statement has been worded in such a way as to disguise its real meaning. The expression «between a man and a woman» needs to be tied to «marriage» here. That is, the real statement would be as follows:
In other words, gay marriage is illegitimate even though it is legal throughout the States. Since marriage is not an option for gay people, and since sex is permissible only within marriage, gay people have no option for sex as long as they live. Therefore, gay people are called to celibacy or chastity – for life.
This is the official and unfiltered position of Ozark Christian College once the diplomacy is pealed away.
Here are the problems with this statement:
When we judge other individuals, we should give them the benefit of the doubt. Just as the leadership of OCC assume that straight students are not hooking up with each other, so they should assume that gay students are able to maintain sexual abstinence while enrolled. If it comes out that someone is gay, no one should assume that he or she is sexually active and jump to expulsion. If you give the benefit of the doubt to straight students, why hypersexualize gay students and assume that they are engaging in sexual activity?
The most important thing is compassion – and whereas the full statement released by OCC oozes compassion in word, preachment is not enough. Christianity is a religion in which confession is the road to healing, yet once someone admits something that he struggles with throughout his youth, he is told to submit to “counseling” intended to repress his emotions and his personality. There is no healing when confession leads to sublimation and rejection.
Indeed, there is no compassion when people are excommunicated or forced to suffer extreme punishment not for something they’ve done but for something the are.
Contributor: Jason (ג׳ייסון)
This doesn’t represent a full response to the question of homosexuality and the Bible, but it does allow us to start somewhere in critiquing their stance. Among the nine points, we see the following very interesting remark:
- How does OCC interpret the biblical passages addressing homosexuality?
OCC’s understanding of the Bible’s teaching is the traditional understanding of the Church: God forbids sexual activity outside of marriage between a man and a woman, including homosexual activity.
However, that really isn’t the limitation of what is meant here. This statement has been worded in such a way as to disguise its real meaning. The expression «between a man and a woman» needs to be tied to «marriage» here. That is, the real statement would be as follows:
God forbids sexual activity outside of marriage. Marriage consists of a union between one man and one woman, and nothing else. Any sexual activity that takes place outside of this specific construct – whether between two men, a man and a woman or two women (or any other combination of partners) – is forbidden by God.
In other words, gay marriage is illegitimate even though it is legal throughout the States. Since marriage is not an option for gay people, and since sex is permissible only within marriage, gay people have no option for sex as long as they live. Therefore, gay people are called to celibacy or chastity – for life.
This is the official and unfiltered position of Ozark Christian College once the diplomacy is pealed away.
Here are the problems with this statement:
- Hypersexualization of LGBT people, whereby the entire question of sexual identity is reduced to the sex act and ignores the entire spectrum of emotional compatibility and such concepts as love, relationship and intimacy.
- Gay people are called – by decree of religious leaders – to lifetime celibacy and chastity. They are given no option for sexual expression throughout their lifetimes. That is extreme punishment.
- It is actually not the case that LGBT people have been allowed to remain on campus even with a commitment to celibacy/chastity. People have been ejected from the college (OCC) for their sexual identity, quite apart from sexual engagement. Due to the hypersexualization issue, sexual orientation is again assumed to be related only to genital contact.
יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן־פְּרַחְיָה אוֹמֵר: עֲשֵׂה לְךָ רַב וּקְנֵה לְךָ חָבֵר וֶהֱוֵי דָּן אֶת־כָּל־הָאָדָם לְכַף זְכוּת.
Yehoshua ben Peraḥya used to say: “Get yourself a teacher, acquire a companion, and give everyone the benefit of the doubt.”
When we judge other individuals, we should give them the benefit of the doubt. Just as the leadership of OCC assume that straight students are not hooking up with each other, so they should assume that gay students are able to maintain sexual abstinence while enrolled. If it comes out that someone is gay, no one should assume that he or she is sexually active and jump to expulsion. If you give the benefit of the doubt to straight students, why hypersexualize gay students and assume that they are engaging in sexual activity?
The most important thing is compassion – and whereas the full statement released by OCC oozes compassion in word, preachment is not enough. Christianity is a religion in which confession is the road to healing, yet once someone admits something that he struggles with throughout his youth, he is told to submit to “counseling” intended to repress his emotions and his personality. There is no healing when confession leads to sublimation and rejection.
Indeed, there is no compassion when people are excommunicated or forced to suffer extreme punishment not for something they’ve done but for something the are.
Contributor: Jason (ג׳ייסון)
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