Homosexuality is one of the most controversial, yet most often ignored, issues in the church. The Voice interviewed three people to help students consider how Christ would want students to respond to this issue. A Catholic priest, a Multnomah professor and the director of a support group for recovering homosexuals all agreed to be interviewed on how Christians should respond to homosexuality.

Father Dennis O'Hare is a Catholic priest who leads a support group for homosexuals at the University of Portland. He is a graduate of Notre Dame University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in psychology and a master's degree in theology.

Multnomah professor Michael Gurney teaches theology and ethics. Professor Gurney has taught at Multnomah for three semesters. He graduated from Multnomah in 1992 with a bachelor's degree in theology. Professor Gurney also earned a master's degree in philosophy at Talbot School of Theology.

Phil Hobizal is the director of Portland Fellowship, an organization that helps people who have, or are presently trying to, change their homosexual lifestyle. Mr. Hobizal was an active homosexual for seven years before he became a Christian. He has now been married for 16 years and has five children.



The Voice: How do you interpret what the Bible says about homosexuality?

O'Hare:
I think some of the passages that have traditionally been interpreted as being about homosexuality are not. The texts that refer to homosexuality are quite clear, but at the same time, I think that they're also culturally conditioned and have to do not only with sexuality, but also with pagan religion. Certainly Jesus never addressed himself to the issue, and most of the text from St. Paul could certainly be interpreted in a negative sense. I have to accept that.

Gurney:
The Bible is fairly clear that that type of sexual behavior is morally wrong and contrary to God's intended design for sex. It seems to me that the reason why there are these moral strictures placed upon sexual practices, whether it be homosexual relationships, bestiality or relationships with your children or spouse, goes back to the Genesis account in which the Scriptures lay down the model for sexual relations, which was between a husband and a wife. I would say that those who wish to deflect the moral force of what the Levitical account or Paul's statement says are really trying to find legitimacy for that type of behavior. I think they're forcing the text or trying to mold the text to their preconceptions.

Hobizal:
Traditionally, there are seven references to homosexual behavior in the Bible. All of them are seen as a behavior that God does not affirm. I think that a very clear argument that one could make is that God sees sexuality contained within a heterosexual, monogamous relationship. So for us [Portland Fellowship] that's the model that God lays out. Anything outside of that -- adultery, fornication, homosexual behavior -- all are outside God's plan and would be seen as sin.



The Voice: What do you think is the best way Christians can witness to homosexuals?

O'Hare:
The least we can afford them is respect. Respect their dignity as persons and treat them with compassion and as much acceptance as we can. I think a lot of gay and lesbian people live a pretty difficult life of not being accepted. I think that they interiorize a lot of self -hatred. We should remind them often that they are as much children of God as anyone else is.

Gurney:
When witnessing not just to homosexuals, but to heterosexuals as well, we ought to model a Biblical understanding of sexuality. What I mean by that is quite simply this: sex is more than just a physical act that's done strictly for the purposes of pleasure. There is that dimension to it, but I think sex is intended to be strictly limited to the husband and wife and is intended to be an act of intimacy. It seems to me that a Biblical model of sex is that the person is motivated out of love to please the other person. In one sense, homosexuality is just one aspect of the problems of our country in regards to sex. So I guess, in my view, what we need to do is to demonstrate loving, committed relationships.

Hobizal:
One thing I'd like to say is that often times we look at certain sins differently. We categorize them. I think that people have seen homosexuality as something worse than some other things. Yet when Paul refers to homosexuality, he lists homosexuality in a list of many sins. As Christians, we need to realize that we all are sinners and have fallen short of the glory of God. It has to be approached from that sense. I don't think a person is going to even really listen to you if you approach him from a "your sin is worse" perspective. When we talk to people about how to even approach someone who is a homosexual, we encourage them not to focus in on that (homosexuality). The greatest need is not for the homosexual to turn away from their homosexuality. The greatest need is to turn toward God and to have a deep relationship with him.



The Voice: What mistakes do you feel the church has made in dealing with homosexuality?

O'Hare:
I think a lot of homosexual people turn away from the church because they do not experience the church as welcoming, understanding or compassionate. In fact, I think many gay people feel so harshly treated and misunderstood that they actually become anti-religious and think that the church not only doesn't have anything to offer them, but also that the church promotes negativity in society. I think that we have not witnessed with the kind of love and understanding that Jesus would afford these folks who live on the margins.

Gurney:
My sense is that the church has not done a very good job dealing with sexuality. One, we don't feel comfortable talking about it. We usually talk about it in very hushed tones, as if something about sex is dirty rather than being a gift from God -- but it's a gift that has a context. Second, I think the way we approach sexuality is very reactive. In other words, we're very good at telling people what they should not do rather than saying what that should do. Particularly in regards to homosexuality. Quite often our reaction to the homosexual community has been heavily leaning toward condemnation of the act without giving a rational why. We throw Scriptures at them and don't really propose an alternative. We need to uphold a biblical model of sexuality.

Hobizal:
I think there is a fear of dealing with sexuality and the subjects related to sexuality. Not that we have to make it prominent, but there is a certain sense of shame that has gone on for years related to sexuality. I think it only promotes promiscuity. Statistically the church, in some other areas like heterosexual promiscuity, is not any different than the community at large, and the divorce rate is not much different. So we have a problem in this area. I would say in the area of sexual purity and of being able to honor God in that area, it's not just the homosexual who has the problem. I think we all have a problem.



The Voice: Do you feel that being homosexual is a choice that a person makes?

O'Hare:
Homosexuals don't have a choice in the matter. It's not a matter of choice like trying on a hat or wearing certain clothing. It's who people are. The students that I've known in our gay and lesbian group have never given me any hint that this is something that they wanted. Many of them have been aware since their early years that their attraction to people of the same sex was present. I can only presume that homosexual people, in a sense, come that way from the hand of God. I guess I wonder what that means. In God's great scheme of things, what is the purpose of homosexuality?

Gurney:
I don't think the answer is either-or. From some of the studies that have been done, there is reason to believe that it's both due to genetics and environmental considerations. There may be certain individuals who do have predispositions. Some of the studies that have been done suggest that some people have experiences called "gender confusion." I am not convinced at all that one can attribute one's decision-making strictly to genetics, as if we are somehow genetically determined. I think that is philosophically problematic as well as empirically unverifiable. But I do think that there is predisposition. That doesn't make people morally inexcusable.

Hobizal:
Yes and no. I think that from my own experience, the feelings or the desires to have an intimate sexual relationship with the same sex is, in part, beyond their control. The choice part comes in as what we do with those feelings and emotions. I think that there are factors that contribute to what we call homosexual orientation that are outside of our control. These are the events that have happened in our lives. One element may be abuse. Sexual abuse, which is very high among women, is a circumstance that is outside their control but definitely contributes toward lesbian behavior. So it's a yes and no answer, which means that the process of change is more than one answer. I think the real question is: Can people change? Can sexual orientation change? We've found that yes, it can. The homosexual condition is something that's produced in a relational setting through a variety of different things. So the things that make up a homosexual orientation are things that can be addressed. God doesn't hate the homosexuals; as a matter of fact, he loves them. His desire is that they surrender their sexuality and walk in obedience to Him. I don't believe that there is a genetic component to homosexuality. No more than there is a genetic component to any kind of sexual promiscuity. We are people who have choices and we have to take responsibility for our choices.