How can a gay man be a priest?

Recently I received a question from a friend.  The question was essentially "How can a gay man be a priest?". 

This person asked a very valid question which required me to carefully think through  answering the question with dignity and respect.  I share this person's question with you here along with my response. It is a question that often comes up whenever the topic of "gay" and "christian" meet.  I do not intend to know all the ways to answer this question. I can only say that my response came from years of myself wrestling with Theology.   The opinion here is my own and reflects no opinion for anyone or organization.  It is strictly my opinion.

Question:

Jeff,

I ask this w/ utmost respect for you and without malice.........I consider us friends.....But doesn't it say in the Bible that homosexuality is an Abomination and detestable sin?

In First Corinthians 6:9 it states it is "unrighteous and will not inherit God's Kingdom.

Now I am not a real religious person, grew up Southern Baptist....and don't pretend to know the Bible from cover to cover and would not know enough about it to argue w/ anyone... I just don't understand how an openly gay person can become a priest in the church. Can you please explain that to me.

As I said I do not mean any harm in this email...I just have a heavy burden on my heart about this and just want some clarification.

[Anonymous to protect privacy]

Response:

That is a great question. For centuries individuals have wrestled with this question. If you look at the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, what was the sin? Today's preacher's would have you believe it is homosexuality. However, if you read the text carefully, one discovers that the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah was not homosexuality, but in-hospitality. The Angels that knocked on the door had the door literally slammed in their faces.

Much can also be said if you look at the Bible from a Sociological point of view (purely academic), much of the old world in Christ's time and even up through the middle ages was primarily a patriarchal society. Man was dominate and women submissive. However, I doubt today that many of you would agree today that women are subservient to men. As a society we have grown up so to speak.

Christ himself never spoke about homosexuality directly. In fact, there are two simple rules I try to follow every day. The first is the Golden Rule: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you". The second is the Great Commandment: "Love your neighbor as yourself".

If God does not make mistakes, and everything that God creates is sacred, then I am not a mistake and I am sacred. It has once been said "God don't make no junk". As a follower of Christ it is not for me to judge whose lifestyle is more holy - Straight or Gay. My responsibility as a follower of Christ is to follow the Golden Rule and the Great Commandment.

Judgment is reserved for God - my responsibility is to treat all with dignity and respect.

I know this may not provide an appropriate response to the question for some, but if we truly are followers of Christ, it makes no difference whether a person is gay or straight. It only matters if they love God with all their heart, soul, mind and body.

Often Christ uses the lowly and seemingly unjust to be a beacon and light to the world. Christ teaches that those who are rejected by society often become the great defenders of the faith.

Mary Magdalene has often been described as a prostitute and whore. Yet, it was not Peter or Paul, nor James nor John who announced to the other disciples that Christ has Risen. It was Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph and a third Mary. When the Pharisees first brought Mary Magdalene to Christ, they asked Christ what should be done with her because according to the Jewish Law, since she slept with a man who was not her husband, she should be stoned to death. They asked Christ what he says about this situation. Christ paused, and then wisely said, "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone" (John 8:7). 

You see, just because a person is straight, it does not mean they are more holy or without sin. In fact, let me ask with whom would God be more pleased? A straight man who sleeps with many women who are not his wife, but goes to confession every Sunday? Or a gay man who is celibate or in a monogamous relationship and dedicates his life to serving others as Christ served others? Who does God see as more Christ like? You see, it is easy to create "second class" citizens, because it makes those of us who are not in the "second class" by society's standards "better". But you and I both know the dangers of creating a class of people that are considered lower or beneath others. Hitler did that and look at the holocaust that followed.

I applaud my friend for asking the question. It is not an easy question ask nor is it an easy question to answer. In fact, I today, still wrestle with the same question - but I have faith that there are no coincidences in life and that I'm here to serve a purpose.

If you haven't read my blog on my calling (http://followingmycalling.blogspot.com/), take a moment and read it in total (starting from the earliest entry which is at the bottom). Then you will maybe see how God can call a gay man to be a priest.

Keep wrestling with these questions. Usually I find that in the quiet of the night, God will speak to me and give me peace about these questions.  "Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?" (see Matt 7:3). 

Sometimes all we can do is pray. Keep wrestling with God and these questions. Don't just accept what a church or preacher teaches. Dig into Scripture and learn for yourself.

May God bring you Peace in your search...

Peace,
jeff 

I applaud my friend for having the courage to ask this question.  Sometimes we want simple answers to simple questions.  However, my experience has been, and my faith has taught me, and my journey has led me to believe, that there are no simple answers and there are certainly no simple questions.  I find that if I start worrying about others and the validity of their faith, I usually am not spending enough time exploring my own faith.  

Keep asking questions and keep looking for answers. I leave you all with verse from the Bible (Matt 7:7) and some comparative readings from different versions of the Bible, but verse itself is my prayer for each us...

New International Version (©1984) "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. New Living Translation (©2007) "Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. English Standard Version (©2001) “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. New American Standard Bible (©1995) "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. The above parallel translations come from the following: http://bible.cc/matthew/7-7.htm

Peace until next time...

jeff

A Brief History of my discernment - VI

I began, finally, to see how my UMC experience from Sunday School, to serving as the Youth Pastor, to becoming Roman Catholic and learning about my personal faith development all came together. It all started to make sense. God wanted my attention and he got it by landing me in a hospital literally on my death bed so he could show me what he can do even with me, a gay man, perform a miracle – saving me! A simple unknown soul to 99.99999% of the world. I couldn't believe it. It was all in a plan. God began to help me differentiate the nuances I saw and felt between UMC and the Roman Catholic Church.

United Methodists are taught that when they have communion, it is a symbol of Christ's body and blood, but in no way represents the actual body and blood of Christ. I supposed this goes back to the broken line of succession when John and Charles Wesley appointed unordained ministers. As a Roman Catholic, I believe in the actual body and blood Christ resides in the host and wine once consecrated by the priest during mass. The unbroken line of succession allowed this to happen. That was the difference I had felt. That was the spiritual connection. 

As a United Methodist minister, I would only celebrate communion on Maundy (Holy) Thursday and special occasions. And when I would celebrate communion, it will be only a symbol of the body and blood of Christ. As a Catholic, mass is celebrated every Sunday. Through the power of ordination of the priest (and the subsequent unbroken lines of succession), the same power Christ gave to the Apostles, which is conferred upon the priest so that as priest he may ask God through transubstantiation to have the wafer and wine become the actual body and blood of Christ.

That was the difference I felt between Catholic and Protestant denominations. The unbroken lineage (through the laying on of hands) conveying the same power Christ conveyed to the Apostles. I now I had my answer. I knew where I needed to become a part of Christ's church. With the Catholic faith I believe in transubstantiation. That made all the difference in the world to me and my personal faith. After God literally pulled me back from the grave in 2003 when I was in the hospital, and after the doctor could not explain medically, logically or scientifically why I was still alive, I knew I had my answer. A miracle of faith had occurred. And with that miracle that science cannot explain, how can I not believe in transubstantiation? Much like St. Elizabeth Ann Seton when she converted to Catholicism, three things made a difference in my decision to serve the ministry as a Catholic – the Real Presence of Christ in the consecrated host and wine, Devotion to the Blessed Mother, and the unbroken lineage back to the Apostles. So now I knew within which church I would reside. It would be with the Catholic faith. 

But not with the Roman Catholic faith, but an independent Catholic church called the American Catholic Church in the United States which stands to embrace all of Vatican II and as John XXIII understood, realizing that the church is open to all who come, regardless of their station in life. Even today, the Roman Catholic church will not allow professed gay men be accepted into seminary. What if the potential seminarian they turn away because of a disease, becomes the next Thomas Aquinas or John XXIII or John Paul the Great? Most of the great saints have not been without their own cross to bear at sometime in their lives.

I have seen how God can use even me, a gay man, with a chronic, manageable illness, to serve the needs of others. John XXIII said that when he looked at the crucifix and saw Christ's arms wide open, it was an invitation to all – ALL – people no matter what their station in life to come to Him and his Father.

This really brings me to the point at where I am at today, submitting my application for Holy Orders as well as matriculation into John XXIII Theological Institute to obtain my Master of Divinity Degree and become an ordained ACCUS priest. I have even considered eventually working toward a JCD or STD degree from John XXIII. But, first things first. 

This his how God has brought me to the point of applying to ACCUS. I realize that this was probably way too long, but for me it truly has been cathartic and given me the ability to allow the episcopate and Admissions committee to truly get to know me a little, even before meeting me in person.

Stay Tuned....

Peace,
jeff

A Brief History of my discernment - PART V

Working went well and Brian and I began to look for a new home. We had lived for several years in Eagledale (on the west side of Indy near his parents) and then when his parents moved to Brownsburg (an outlying suburb of Indianapolis), we followed and moved in two doors down from them. Brian's family is extremely close. Being an only child, I began to see how a family with siblings operated – supporting one another – loving one another, etc. After about 1 year, Brian and I decided to move out-of-town and found a new home in West Lafayette, IN (the home of Purdue University).

So in May of 2003, we moved to West Lafayette. I was by then working at Eli Lilly as a Senior Project Manager (managing all documentation necessary for FDA approval for new drug trials). So I commuted every day from West Lafayette to Indy. August 2003 I started feeling really bad. Within 24 hours of really starting to feel horrible, I was in ICU at St. Elizabeth Medical Center in West Lafayette, IN and the doctors were desperately trying to find out what was wrong with me.

After 72 hours I was diagnosed with five (5) different deadly diseases, all of which were in my spinal fluid. The physician told Brian on the third night to prepare for a funeral just in case. The doctor who was assigned to me was an Infectious Disease physician named Dr. Barbara Bielska. After almost 6 months in and out of the hospital, one year of level 2 antibiotic treatment (of which for this particular drug I was the only patient in the country that was on it as long as I was) my recovery began – so did a renewal in my faith.

The next several years, I started my recovery. I began looking at my faith again. I realized several years later after my doctor told me that she had no idea how I survived and that I was a one in million on the survival list. I knew. She knew. Brian knew. Brian and my mother's intercession from heaven to God, I am convinced God allowed me to survive and return to my normal state of health. After several years being successful in the secular world, God, once again, was not just tugging at me, he was yanking me back to the church.

None of this could have been possible without the devotion, love, and servant attitude of my best friend and spouse, Brian.  His patience even through my anger with God, my short temper tantrums during my recovery and my pitiful attitude, Brian always made me be grateful for what God provided to me and what I have - not what I had lost.  He was, in a sense, Christ serving and carrying me during my recuperation.  Though God made my recovery possible, if it were not for Brian's love, patience and kindness, I might have lost the gift that God and Christ gave me.  For that I will be always and forever grateful for Brian.

I started working on my personal faith development and Brian and I started searching for a church. Low and behold, Brian comes across the ACCUS website. As he read about the Church, he encouraged me to read as well. Brian saw the call in me (don't ask me how he knows, but I truly believe he is empath). He encouraged me to finish my college degree and submit an application to ACCUS. So in 2009 I started back to school and finished my degree with graduation in May of 2009 with my Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology with a minor in Medical Sociology. Brian said me we should move back to Indy and I should start a congregation of ACCUS in Indianapolis. I then initiated contact with his Eminence, Bishop Harms and hence began a discussion that lasted for the last few years intermittently. I began the vocation discernment process with ACCUS.

Stay tuned for Part VI coming soon....

Peace,

jeff