Week 3—A Curious Collection of the Rules of Bacon, Football, and Sex

Beginning with understanding

       We began with a guided imagery exercise that encouraged us to imagine an alternative universe where cis-gender heterosexual folks were a marginalized minority. We explored together the emotional landscape of feeling powerless, shamed, and maligned.

Curious rules and oddities

      Our exploration of today's "clobber verses" began with a clip from a satirical monologue by President Jeb Bartlett in the classic drama, The West Wing: 

       "I'm interested in selling my youngest daughter into slavery as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. She's a Georgetown sophomore, speaks fluent Italian, always cleaned the table when it was her turn. What would a good price for her be?"
       "My chief of staff, Leo McGarry, insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly says he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself or is it okay to call the police?"
       "Here's one that's really important cause we've got a lot of sports fans in this town: touching the skin of a dead pig makes one unclean: Leviticus 11:7. If they promise to wear gloves can the Washington Redskins still play football? Can Notre Dame? Can West Point?

       "Does the whole town really have to be together to stone my brother, John, for planting different crops side by side? Can I burn my mother in a small family gathering for wearing garments made from two different threads?

       "Think about those questions, would you?" 

       Aaron Sorkin obviously intended this speech rhetorically—but it highlights the problem Christians—who generally hold the whole Bible as authoritative—have grappling with their relationship to the Old Testament Law. Very few Christians quote from Leviticus today—unless it's to condemn homosexuality. It's full of some very odd rules—many of which very few Christians follow today. Pastors and theologians have attempted time and again to find a way to differentiate which rules are binding for Christians today and which aren't. They will distinguish between a "moral code" vs. a "cultural (or purity) code." But the fact is, the two are intermingled throughout the book. The rules Christians often think are "cultural" are placed right alongside the ones we think are "essential"—with no clear distinction.

       It's helpful to remember that these laws were written to a people (the Hebrew community) coming out of slavery in Egypt, where they had no freedom—every aspect of their lives dictated by their oppressors. They are learning how to form a community of free men and women. And they are entering into the Promised Land—Canaan.

But there were already people living in that land—Canaanites, Philistines. (The fact that they are displacing another people group raises other theological problems– but that's a discussion for another day). The Levitical law was about being set apart from the people in Egypt and Canaan. The rules are making them distinct, different. They highlight how Yahweh is calling them to a distinctive way of life.

Why is it always about men?

       Which leads us to two similar clobber verses: Lev. 18:22 “Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable" (or "an abomination"). Lev. 20:13: “If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads."

       The Hebrew word used to describe same-sex relations in both these verses is Toevah, usually translated "abomination" or "detestable." When you hear the word "abomination" what comes to mind for you? It's a word that we associate with horrible, gross, disgusting things. It is a word that evokes shame.

       Toevah is used 117 times in the Old Testament.  Only two of those 117 verses have to do with homosexuality. Most are things Christians do not condemn today.  In Lev. 18-20 all sorts of sexual acts are forbidden, including sex with menstruating women.  Many scholars note that Toevah is often associated with idolatry (we'll see the role of pagan cult prostitution in a future session). So rules about sex were part of differentiating Israel from their pagan neighbors.

       It's interesting to note that Leviticus condemns "men lying with men" but not the parallel of "women lying with women." In fact, of the six clobber verses in the Bible only one discusses lesbian relationships. Scholars note the emphasis in the Old Testament on fruitfulness or reproduction. Children are a blessing, and having progeny, building  a legacy, is a primary goal of life. Odd stories like the tale of Onan's "spilling his seed" in Gen. 38 seem to reflect this concern about non-reproductive sex.

       To put it crassly, "lying with a man as a woman" appears to be referring to sexual positions. In the ancient world, sex in the dominant (on top) position was considered a way of showing dominance or primacy. There are lots of ugly ways that played out that have nothing to do with sexual gratification or love, but were all about domination and humiliation. It is about power—and who has it. One can see reflected in that the prevailing patriarchy of the time—where being treated "like a woman" is considered humiliating.

Watch out for the abominable… bacon

  But it's not just sex. Food is also a key concern— with that same Hebrew word, Toevah, used to describe unclean (or non-kosher) foods. Pork, shellfish, all sorts of forbidden foods (including *gasp* bacon!) are also called an "abomination."

       But then… in Acts 10 the apostle Peter has a vision in which a sheet, covered with all sorts of forbidden foods, is lowered from heaven:

       Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.”

        “Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.”

       The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.” This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven.  –Acts 10:13-16

       This led to Peter converting a Gentile (non-Jew) to Christianity. Something similar is discussed by Paul in 1 Cor. 8 regarding food offered to idols. These stories are one of the reasons why Christians generally do not feel bound to kosher food laws. The bottom line is that many things that are called an "abomination" in the Old Testament don't seem to be so in the New Testament.

       A lot of Jesus' teachings have to do with establishing a new relationship with the Law. This is a whole discussion in itself. An excellent resource is Glen Stassen's book, Living the Sermon on the Mount. Stassen shows how Jesus didn't come to abolish the law, but to show us it's intent (Matt. 5:17). In the sermon, Jesus gives example after example where he specifically references an Old Testament law—and then shows how interpreting it literally is fruitless—what Stassen calls a vicious cycle. Stassen suggests the goal is not to rigidly follow the rules that control external behavior, but to have a transformed heart. In Matt. 15:17-20 Jesus emphasizes that we don't become pure by what we do or don't eat, that it is what's in the heart that makes someone clean or unclean. And so Colby Martin reminds us if we can eat bacon, we can accept homosexuality. If bacon doesn't make us unclean, neither does loving someone of the same sex.

Shame

       The word "abomination" is used to shame people—especially queer people.

       When we do something that we believe or have been told is wrong or immoral, we feel pain. We feel guilt. Humans basically have three responses to the pain of guilt. One is denial. We can think of the Roman governor, Pilate, who examines Jesus and finds he has done no wrong, but is too cowardly to stand up to the crowd shouting "crucify him." So Pilate washes his hands in an attempt to symbolically absolve himself of guilt.  This sort of denial is rooted in shame. It is a way of hiding.

`      We have an even more dramatic and tragic response to shame in the example of Jesus' disciple, Judas– the one who betrays Jesus. Almost immediately after putting his plan in motion, Judas is filled with remorse and tries to undo it. When he is unable to do so, Judas kills himself. This reminds us of those horrible, tragic statistics we read earlier from the Trevor Project research—demonstrating the destructive impact of shame. It leads to self-harm and devastation. It leads, whether figuratively or literally, to death.

       Shame is so destructive because it has to do with our innate worth and identity. Someone experiencing shame does not just feel regret for something they did. They feel shame because of who they are. Their very core identity is a source of devastation. The tarnished identity of shame is intractable and permanent—you are forever defined by your worst moment. Even today, when we think of Pilate, we think of his cowardice. When we call someone a "Judas" we are calling them a betrayer.

       Shame leads to hopelessness.

       That is not the good news of the gospel. That is not the good news of grace. One can look to Peter—who similarly denied and abandoned Jesus in his time of greatest need. When the rooster crows, waking Peter up to what he has done, he is devastated. He feels remorse. But… he is not destroyed. He does not hide his actions, but is able to face it honestly, with repentance and healthy remorse. And because of that, he is able to move forward. We know about his denial—it is not hidden—but he is not defined by it. His remorse is transitory, and in fact, energizing. It moves him forward. He has a full and powerful life after that low point.

       Because of the use of words like "abomination" and the associations we give to that word, queer people are often stuck in shame or denial. They feel marked by the label. They often hide themselves, their true identity, from their families and their church communities.

       But the message of grace calls us to something different. Jesus is calling all of us to a more authentic spirituality. It's obvious from this blog that I don't believe homosexuality is a sin. But what's even more important is for people of all sexualities and gender identities to be able to be authentic. To create safe spaces where no one needs to hide parts of themselves. To not live in shame.

        Come Lord Jesus, come. Help us to be a part of healing all that is broken, including all that is broken and hurting for LGBTQ+ people and especially for youth. Give us wisdom and soft hearts. Help us to create safe places where everyone is known, loved and valued for their full and complete selves. Amen.