AQA A-Level Religious Studies - Christianity, Gender and Sexuality

What are some different influences on Christian thinking about women?

-What NT texts say about the role and status of women
-Biblical criticism
-Social attitudes to women
-Rights given to women by UK law

Role and status of women in the NT

-Jesus regarded women highly. He taught them in the same way that he taught/dealt with his disciples for example when he ate with Mary and Martha and when he spoke to the Samaritan woman at the well(John 4). Jesus also defended the woman who anointed him during a meal at Bethany when his disciples criticised her.
-Jesus was accompanied by both women and his disciples throughout his ministry and women were given a notable role in his crucifixion/burial/resurrection e.g. Jesus visited the women first im his tomb after his resurrection. Some feminists could counter this by saying that men and women were still treated differently. Women were caring for Jesus whilst men were preaching and Jesus didn't commission women as future leaders.
-GAL 3:28- asserts that gender distinctions no longer exist if one is now a Christian
-ROM 16:1-2- shows the prominent role Phoebe had in the church, she was a deacon and had contributed greatly to the faith.
-1 COR 14:34-35- this view is now considered as sexist, shows that women are viewed as inferior in the church

GAL 3:28 on gender equality

'There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus'.

ROM 16:1-2 On gender equality

'I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon of the Church in Cenchrea. I ask you to receive her in the Lord in a way worthy of his people and to give her any help she may need… she has been the benefactor of many people including me'

1 COR 14:34-35 Against Gender Equality

'Women should remain silent in the churches. They are not allowed to speak, but must be in submission as the law says'.

Ephesians 5:22-23 against gender equality

'Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church'

Pre-19th c views on women

-Views held in secular society were quite similar to the Church's views for most of this time.
-The NT shows that some women had positions of authority within the church, such as the 'deacon and patron of many' Phoebe sent to the Romans by Paul or Junia who is described as an apostle
-In the early centuries of the Church, leaders held views that were often sexist and sometimes misogynist.
-Tertullian, a Christian author from c155 AD-c220 AD referred to women as the 'devil's doorway'
-Augustine of Hippo and others blamed Eve for the Fall
-In the 5th C, a number of Church Councils banned women from being ordained as deacons and the Pope stated his opposition to women's involvement in celebrating the Eucharist. This suggests that women had been acting in leadership roles in some churches.
-The role of women was generally restricted to marriage and motherhood- Martin Luther said women should 'remain at home, sit still, keep house and bear and bring up children'
-With the development of the monastic system which came with celibacy, some women were able to escape from these expectations.

influential women pre-19th c

-Hildegard of Bingen(12th c) was in charge of her own convent and a respected musician, poet and naturalist whom many medical men consulted about herbs that were useful for healing
-Mother Julian of Norwich(14th c)- 'as truly as God is our Father, so truly God is our Mother'

Post 19th c views on women

-At first because of the Industrial Revolution, roles hadn't changed much. Men would go out to work and women would stay at home.
-Beliefs that humans were endowed with reason led to an increase in education for both men and women.
-1848 Bedford college and Queens college in London were established to train women as teachers
-1870 Education Act ensure universal primary education for both boys and girls
-The start of the movement of women's rights. The spread of feminist ideas among the educated middle classes
-Very few had the right to vote in national election, sue in court or own property and women were still the property of their husbands
-Women gradually became accepted into professions e.g. medicine and many women with money and influence became involved in charity work
-In 1859, Catherine Booth, the wife of the founder of the Salvation Army wrote a book 'Female Ministry: Women's Right to Preach the Gospel'. She mentioned how women who speak under the influence of the holy spirit are not claiming any authority for themselves, they are just vehicles for the gospel and that women have been excluding from preaching even though they have useful traits e.g. 'persuasive speech'
-WW1-women played a key role in keeping the country going whilst men were fighting. Forced soc to reasses the status of women.
-women acquired equal pay yet a minority of women were in superior positions. Some churches do not allow women to be in leadership positions.
-more women in the political sphere e.g. Theresa May

Female Ministry: Women's right to Presch the Gospel 1859 by Catherine Booth

'God has given to women a graceful form and attitude, winning manners and persuasive speech… the eminent natural qualifications for public speaking'

Biblical Criticism

Developed from the belief(which comes from Liberal Theologians) that the Bible should be studied in the same way as other literature.
Can be done by studying the Bible as a whole, the different books and analysing the contents and sometimes the individual words.
Protestant christian's claimed the freedom to challenge the traditional interpretations of scripture because of the availability of scripture and the challenge of authority of the a church at the reformation
An example is Albert Schweitzer who tried to get beyond the biblical text in order to understand the historical jesus.

Liberal Theology

An approach to biblical scholarship and theological thinking that aimed to analyse the Bible and Christian teaching using modern thought informed by reason and science.

The attempt to show the relevance of religious ideas to modern life and to rationalise and present the Christian faith in a way compatible with science and modern thought

What are different forms of Biblical criticism?

Form-looking at the literary genre to understand the context. e.g. whether the book is a historical account, poetry or a letter ( examples: 1 Corinthians is a letter of advice, Philippians is liturgical material recited when people gathered for worship)

Redaction-Tries to discover the motive and biases of the author(redactor). The commonly held views which authors assume his readers would know .

Language: The original languages in which scripture was written to make sure they translated words reflect the meaning tray the authors intended

Source- Liberal biblical criticism may also consider archaelogical evidence, extra biblical written sources and parallels with other biblical texts and non-biblical literature e.g. comparing the status of men and women according to GEN 1 with that in the Babylonian creation story which is thought to be the source of GEN 1.

Reponses to the use of Biblical criticism

-Karl Barth- rejects the liberal approach. He said that the Bible passes judgement on human reason, not the other way round. The Bible should be allowed to challenge secular values rather than having its interpretation driven by them.

-Fundamentalist Christians- Some protestant group developed an emphasis on the 'fundamentals' of faith. They reject anything but a literalist interpretation of the Bible. Everyone inspired by the holy spiritual can read and understand the scriptures be abuse God's word was clear. They believe the Bible is the infallible word of God and so the role of the status of women in Church for example is not a matter for debate. The rules which applied in first century Palestine should apply today because they were accepted by early Christians

1 TIM 2:8-15

'Therefore I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or disputing. I also want the women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, adorning themselves, not with elaborate hairstyles or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God.
A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man, she must be quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not the one deceived

it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner. But women will be saved through childbearing- if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety'.

1 TIM 2:8-15 summary

At face value, this verse shows the difference in the treatment of men and women.
Women are meant to dress modestly, be submissive, learn in quietness and they are not meant to have power over men and this is all supported by the fact that Adam was formed first and that it was Eve, a woman who sinned.
It is unlikely that the writer here was Paul himself as was traditionally held.

what is the Liberal Christian approach to 1 tim 2:8-15

-Many Biblical scholars argue that there was a particular issue with the Christian community of Ephesus the letter was addressing.
-Verse 8 suggests that the men had been arguing with the women and the women had been answering back which threatened the habitual power exercise by men over women
-Greek word translated as 'assume authority' may actually have sexual connotations such as leading someone on and this supports the previous point that women were acting inappropriately sexually in the church.

Liberal Christian approach to 1 COR 13:34-35

May be that these verses are a latter addition to the text based on 1 TIM 2:8-15 as a number of early manuscripts omit these verses.

What is the complimentarian view?

View adopted by the Catholic Church that men and women are equal in God's sight but have different roles in life, women can therefore not be priests.
This view is also supported by NML- men and women are different physically, nature shows us that they therefore must have different roles.
-Apostolic succession can only be passed from men to men as all of Jesus' Apostles were men.
-This view was declared in 1976 by a Vatican declaration inter insigniores- declaration states that Jesus' radical attitude of respect for women provides a model to be followed, but it doesn't mean that women should have positions of leadership in the Church It says:
1) The ordination of women in the early church was limited to minority sects and was condemned
2) The church followed Christ himself in choosing only men for this ministry
3) Whilst other churches ordain women following the reformation, this doesn't follow the historical tradition of the church as a whole
4)Jesus chose only men to be his twelve disciples

Quote from Youcat 257 complementation view

'In God's sight, man and woman have the same dignity, but they have different duties'

What is the egalitarian view?

Belief held by many Protestants that equality between men and women extends to their roles. Both should have equal roles in the church
Priesthood of all believers- all humans can have direct contact with God, there is no need for intermediaries, because of this, they do not believe in ordination to the priesthood since all vocations are of equal value. Because no job is more important than another, women can also have this role.
In the United Reformed Church, women have been ordained since 1917.

what is ordination?

The consecration a person receives to give them the grace from Christ through the Church, to enable them to carry out the responsibilities of the ministerial priesthood.
In the Protestant Church, ordination is more like a formality to enbale someone to carry out sacraments for example, whereas in the C Church, ordination is something which changes a person and makes them worthy to be a priest.
Salvation Army and CofE allow women to be ordinated as priests

Who are the Anglican Communion?

A worldwide group of Churches who are self governing, but all share a ,washes of common theology with the Church of England and who all pay respect to the Archbishop of Canterbury.

What is the General Synod

the governing and decision making body of the CofE. It comprises of three houses

the bishops, the house of clergy, and the house of Laity

Views on the ordination of women in the CofE

-The first attempt to discuss women's ordination was the Lambeth Conference in 1920, an Archbishops Commission was set up to consider the matter but ruled it out.
-In 1944, Florence Li Tim-Oi was ordained priest in China because there were insufficient men who could serve, as soon as the war ended, she handed back her license and returned to her role as a deaconess.
-In 1971, when the Synod of Hong Kong and Macao accepted the ordination of women, her status as priest was offically recognised.
-The general synod discussed the ordination of women in 1975 and 1978.
-In 1981 the Synod agreed women could be ordained as deacons
-In the UK, there were decades of debate. In 1994, the first ordination of women as priests took place. It is thought that by 2025 there will be as many women priests as male
-The first CofE bishop, Libby Lane was consecrated as Bishop of Stockport in 2015 after much debate
-Some priests have felt unable to remain in the CofE since 1994 and they went on to receive ordination in the C Church. Led to the Ordinariate, which was set up to allow whole congregations to become fully Catholic but retain elements of Anglican practice.

what are some arguments for the ordination of women as priests in the CofE

-Sometimes one branch of the universal Church must go it alone in order to do what is right. The CofE was therefore justified in the action taken w/ seeking the agreement of other Christians.
-Jesus' decision was a pragmatic one. If he chose women, his mission would have never taken off because women could not leave their children behind. The choice of men was based on the culture of the time and so the ordination of women also reflects the culture of today's soc.
-Equality should lead to an egalitarian approach. Refusing women from ordination is treating them as unequal.
-Metpaphors in the Bible that compare God to a mother, however God could not be referred to as Mother because of fertility religions. There is no longer this danger
-Gender should have nothing to do w the Apostolic Succession. The ordination of female bishops would not break it.
-Writers of the Bible were products of their culture. Christians of today should use the insights of Church leaders today, psychology, their own religious experiences and biblical criticism to help them discern what are/ are not universal truths in the Bible. GAL 3:28 is seen by most Christians as stating a universal truth.

Special provisions made regarding women as ordained priests in the CofE

-Christian communities can state that they will have only male priest only to serve in their church. Means that 'flying bishops' are required to exercise pastoral care for the church's that object to women's ordination.
-Done to prevent a split in the Church over the issue of the ordination of women and done for churches who didn't want female bishops/priests

what are some arguments against the ordination of women as priests in the CofE

-The decision lacks 'catholic(universal, lower case c) consent'
-Jesus challenged many social conventions of his day but still chose only men as apostles nd leaders of the Church.
-Religious change should not be dictated by culture.
-Evangelical wing of the CofE see texts suchas 1 COR 14 and 1 TIM as being the infable word of God

what is feminist theology

Beginning in the late 19th C, feminist theology is an examination of theology, religious history and religious communities which challenges the Bible and Christian teaching as it sees them as patriarchal.
3 stands:
-Liberal approach- views Christianity's patriarchal beliefs and structures as problematic since it denies women's fundamental rights to equality w men.
-The Biblical approach that draws upon texts. Biblical scholars who are Christian feminists may therefore ascribe to God qualities associated w women and draw out the importance of women in the Gospels.
-Radical approach which claims that the Christian story is a (patriarchal) myth and it aims to speak of God using gender inclusive terms.

Daphne Hampson 1944-

-post-Christian theologian, believes in God, yet not the traditional God of Christianity
-rejects Christianity

• looking at 1stC Palestine with patriarchal imagery transports these images to the present, affecting people at least subconsciously
  -Based on the belief that there was a uniqueness to the person of Christ or a unique resurrection. Since the Englightenment however, we have come to think that there could not be interruptive events and it is difficult to credit that Jesus' relationship w God could be one of a kind.
  -Believes there was no special revelation in Jesus and so there is no need to look to him.
  -As Christianity is rooted in the belief that there has been a revelation in history, Christians look to the past. You cannot escape the patriarchal baggage that comes with Christianity as to separate Christianity from its past, it is no longer the same. Christians bring the past views re gender to the present.
  -Christianity has a patriarchal outlook. God is seen in terms od male power and transcendence and men are seen as essentially superior to women
  -Father-Son imagery is dominant. Lack of imagery depicting women and men as equal adults
  -Christians are compelled to ignore present day ethical requirements in favour of God's historical revelation- essentially Christianity only deals with things from the past and so it is outdated with modern issues.
  -Christianity encourages people to rely on God/ Jesus rather than to take responsibility- doesn't promote morality
  -Ultimately, she thinks the Christian story is a myth which has carried people's sense of God, but now that sense must be expressed differently.
  -She describes Christianity as irredeemable sexist (inevitably sexist so is illogical to be a feminist and a Christian)
  -Any thought system which attempts to make it look as if one part of humanity is the no

How does Daphne Hampson believe we should approach God?

-God should be seen as part of the world/ part our experience in the world not as being transcendent
-The way we seek to express God should reflect human awareness of God e.g. that there is a power for healing.
-Refers to God as 'that which is God'

Rosemary Radford Ruether 1936-

-A feminist, liberation theologian and a member of the Roman Catholic Church
-Mostly concerned with the biblical message of liberation. The traditional doctrine of atonement w its masculine ideas of power is replaced w a depiction Jesus as a radical and liberating prophetic figure
-She points to the Gospel references to him siding with the marginalised in soc, the most vulnerable were often women e.g. the woman with the issue of blood
-denounces traditional theology as it is patriarchal and sexist , but she remained with the C Church.
-Traditional doctrines of the Incarnation promote the idea of God as transcendent, male, power-based being, yet she replaces the term God with God/ess to express a freedom from gender.
-Jesus embodied both masculine and feminine aspects of human nature e.g. healing and caring, and can be seen as androgynous.
-Jesus died for the sin of a patriarchal soc, shows that there were flaws in that soc and that leaning to feminism may be better.
-The childbearing abilities of women are closer to nature and therefore makes women closer to God- Ecofeminsim(ecological feminism, branch of feminism that examines the connections between women and nature)

Hampson/ Ruether debate

-Public debate held in London 1986 and letter published 'Is there a Place for Feminists in a Christian Church?'
-Hampson commented that one can be religious and feminist. The problem w Christianity is that it is a historical religion. Reading past literature that is considered inspired, propels the past into the present.
-Reuther responded claiming that Christianity is an eschatological faith, focused on the future, liberating reign of God. Christianity is always reinterpreting itself and is therefore open to feminist restatement.
-Hampson mentioned how Christianity is not simply a political/ social message

Christians believe that a particular revelation has occured in history
-Ruether accused Hampson of Fundamentalism and said that she should know that mythological language is symbolic and not to be taken literally.
-Hampson acknowledged how not all Christians take a fundamentalist approach, but, they all refer to this past revelation. If Christianity is simply mythological, why make use of it as a sexist vehicle?

A comparison of the views of Hampson and Ruether

Looking at the reality of human experience of religion and the history and teachings of Christianity, there is a fundamental choice

Either (Hamspson) Christian claims could not possible be true and because a past patriarchal history is central to Christianity, it is inevitably sexist. Men and women together need to find new ways of speaking of that dimension of reality which is God.

Or (Ruether) There is a measure of female thinking within the New Testament and elements of Christian theology, so that it is possible to remain Christian and yet also experience and express the aspiration of women today, inspired by the Holy Spirit and the example of Jesus' ministry.

What is celibacy?

The state of abstaining from marriage and sexual relations
Christianity traditionally teaches that marriage is sexual, social and emotional union. Celibacy is choosing to live the life of a single person in order to devote oneself completely to God.

what are Christian views on celibacy?

-As far as we are aware, Jesus did not marry
-According to MAT 19:12, celibacy was seen as a choice made to focus on the Kingdom of God.
-Some accept celibacy for vocation purposes e.g. priests
-In 1 COR, Paul advocated for celibacy unless sexual urges are too strong, then it would be better to marry. Paul believed that the end of the world was imminent and marriage would be a distraction from preparing for Judgement day.
-There are also several NT writings which take marriage to be a given.
-From the 4thC a monastic tradition grew which celebrated total devotion to God and so celibacy was seen as a higher calling than family life. For man women celibacy in a convent allowed for an intellectual environment where they were freed from male domination
-In the C Church, priestly celibacy is seen as a positive offering of oneself to the service of God. There has been a fall in numbers of those seeking ordination which has put pressure on the need to permit marriages for priests.
-The Orthodox Church accepts married men as priests, but it is not allowed after ordination and bishops must be celibate.
-In the Anglican and Protestant Churches, clergy are often marrried. Some Evangelical Protestant Churches oppose celibacy for their clergy on the grounds that it opposes 1 TIM 3:1-7- which talks about how overseers in churches should be 'faithful to his wife' and that he 'must manage his own family well'

Early churches views on celibacy

-From the 4th C, the development of monasticism required celibacy
-In the 12th c, definitive rules were put in place to prohibit marriage for clergy.

Celibacy and NML

-goes against primary precept of reproduction and goes against GEN 1:28- 'Go forth and multiply'

1 Corinthians 7:9 on celibacy

'But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion'

Matthew 19:12 on celibacy

'there are those who choose to live like eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven'

Catechism quote on celibacy

'all the ordained ministers of the latin church… are normally chosen among men of faith who live a celibate life'

Christian views on marriage

-In the earliest days of the Church, Christians were expected to either remain celibate or to marry. Marriage was the norm for most people.
-St. Paul suggested marriage was for those who couldn't remain celibate However by the time of the letter to Timothy it is clear that being married and taking care of a family shows that the person is suitable to lead the church congregation.
-Marriage was seen as a sacrament and raising a family was regarded a vocation (seen as an inferior vocation to celibacy) C Church still take this view.
-Marriage was for procreating, an outlet for sexual desire and to fulfil the sacraments of the Catholic Church (and achieve salvation!)
-If couples divorce in the C Church, they should not remarry because in the eyes of God and the Church they are still married, when a couple gets married, they become one flesh. Only if an annulment is given can a Catholic remarry. Annulment is saying that a valid marriage never took place.
'Marriage is indissoluble'- Catechism
-Protestant Churches see marriage as an ordinance not a sacrament. Divorce and remarriage are therefore accepted. Those who remarry may be expected first to admit their failure and show their intention to live in their new marriage as God would wish
-In the protestant reformation, views shifted in favour of marriage as a family was seen as Gods blessing upon the union of husband and wife

Changes to marriage in Western soc

-Nowadays marriage is more about a relationship than having children
-Many marriages are civil ceremonies with no religious elements
-Divorce is much more common now and many people are unwillling to live celibate lives after divorce.
-Same-sex marriages and the adoption of children by same-sex couples are both legally permissible
-These changes challenge traditional ideas of marriage in soc

Martin Luther quote on marriage

'worldly thing… that belongs to the realm of government'

Society and the law on homosexuality

-Until the European Enlightenment, religion was imposed by the state. e.g Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity in the 4thC so the whole roman empire became Christian.
-Over the last 300 years religion has moved to the private sphere
-Until the 2nd half of the 20th c, social attitudes viewed same-sex relationships as unnatural and to be discouraged.
-Until the end of the 1950s Churches of all denominations regarded homosexuality as a sin.
-Practice of homosexuality, even in private was illegal and until the early 19th c was punishable by death.
-Gay people often lived in fear of ridicule, assualt and public exposure
-In the last 50 y, UK law and attitudes have changed radically.
-In 1967, homosexual acts carried in private between consenting adults were decriminilased.
-In 2005, laws permitting both civil partnerships and same-sex adoption came into force.
-in 2010, Equality Act made discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation a crime
-In 2014, the first same sex marriages took place. They were civil cermonies, religious bodies were permitted not to perform them if they did not wish to.

Christianity and homosexuality

-The changing views of society have posed a significant challenge to Christianity.
-The official position of some Churches is clear, but individual members of those Churches do not necessarily agree with those views
-Some argue that the distinction should be made between 'tendencies' and 'acts', so someone may experience themself as gay but not act upon it. Homosexual acts go against NML
-The Archbishop of Canterbury Geoffery Fisher advocated for the decriminilisation of homosexuality in the mid 20th c
-Liberal Christians/ members of the CofE support homosexuality and minister homosexual weddings.
-Christians such as Protestants who follow scripture directly do not generally support homosexuality because it goes against traditional views on relationships shown through Adam and Eve

C Church views on homosexuality

-There are differing views across individual Roman Catholic parishes, but on a whole it mostly seems that homosexuality isn't supported. Yet, because of the Apostolic Success and Tradition, they accept homosexuality to some extent. Pope Francis voiced his views supporting same sex civil unions- "Homosexual people have a right to be in a family… they are children of God and have a right to a family'.
-One reason for opposing same sex marriages is that marriage requires gender complementarity - this requires one man and one woman.

Quaker views on homosexuality

-Quakers campaigned for same-sex marriage in the UK.
-They assert that 'as Quakers, we are called to answer that of God in everyone.This leads us to campaign for equality and justice in society, recognising the inherent worth of each person'.
-Quakers believe in the importance of celebrating 'committed relationships'.
-Before homosexual acts were legal in the UK - the Quakers
asserted: "It is the nature and quality of a relationship that matters… the same criteria seem to us to apply whether a relationship is heterosexual or homosexual".

Methodist church views on homosexuality

Voted in favour at Conference 2021 (254 votes in favour, 46 against)
The Rev Sam McBratney, chair of the Dignity and Worth campaign group, said it was a "momentous step on the road to justice" after many years of "painful conversations".
Britain's fourth largest Christian denomination.

Biblical teaching on homosexuality

-In the OT, homosexuality was said to be an abomination that was punsihable by death
-In GEN 19, Sodom and Gomorrah, men of the town wanted to have sex with the angels who appeared in the form of men, Sodom was eventually destroyed by God and some see this as being a reaction to homosexuality. Some however see this story as being about a lack of hospitality or about sexual immorality as a whole
-In the NT, Paul twice denounced homosexuality
-These have been interpreted differently by various scholars and churches in recent decades. Many Christians today say that the OT laws and Paul's teaching in the NT reflect common cultural attitudes of the time they were written and can therefore not be applied directly to modern life

Leviticus 18:22 on homosexuality

"You shall not lie with a male as with a woman

it is an abomination."

Leviticus 20:13 on homosexuality

"If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They are to be put to death

their blood will be on their own heads."

Genesis 19: Sodom and Gomorrah

The story of Lot, the nephew of Abraham, living in Sodom, after being welcomed as a stranger. Two angels arrive in the city and Lot invites them to stay with him. The men of Sodom demand Lot to produce the men so that they can habe sex with. They act in a threatening and violent matter. The angels tell Lot and help him and his family escape as God plans to destroy the city.

1 Corinthians 6:9-10 on homosexuality

'Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral nor men who have sex with men will inherit the kingdom of God'

Romans 1:26-28 on homosexuality

"Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received themselves the due penalty for their perversion"

Contemporary Christian views on homosexuality

-Many Evangelical Protestants believe that the Bible is dirctly inspired and the infallible word of God. Homosexual orientation and practice are therefore both 'detestable'(LEV 18:22) and incompatible w being Christian
-Other Protestant Churches take into account the insights of biblical criticism and of psychology and genetics. They may support changes in the law and seek to follow the example of Jesus who challenged social and religious injustice.
-The C Church distinguishes between orientation and practice. It accepts unreservedly those with homosexual inclinations, but expects them to be celibate.
-The CofE is torn between the liberal and progressive views of many of its members. Some members of the clergy are gay. Clergy in gay relationship should practice celibacy.
-Fundamentalist wings in the UK and Nigeria
-Official teaching is that gay relationships fall short of the ideal which is heterosexual marriage, but that homosexuals should be treated w respect.

Christian arguments to support homosexuality

-It is thought Paul was writing about a very particular type of homosexual act -pederasty. This involved an older male and an adolescent boy. His condemnation of hese acts cannot be generalised to condemn all homosexual acts, such as those between consenting adults.
-Translations are different: Paul's letters have been translated hundreds of times.Not all translators believe Paul was
talking about homosexuality or homosexual acts, translations may not capture the original meaning.
-Jesus did not talk about same-sex attraction: instead, he consistently emphasises the
importance of love. If a relationship is genuinely loving, why would Christians condemn this? ( link toSituation Ethics).

Church of England ordination of lgbtq

For many years it was acknowledged that many ordained to the CofE priesthood were homosexual but as their homosexual activity was within stable relationships and didn't interfere with their pastoral ministry they were good pastors. (A pragmatic approach) In 2005, the General Synod decided that same sexual partnerships could be ordained to priesthood as long as they were celibate and this was extended to Bishops in 2013.

It was more problematic for ordinands who were openly gay or lesbian, the general view was that they could be ordained but would remain celibate.

The first gay priest was consecrated in the anglican communion in 2004, Gene robinson bishop of New Hampshire. The first lesbian consecrated Bishop was in 2010, Mary Glasspool Bishop in he diocese of LA

Christian views on transgender issues (against)

-Bible says nothing about changing gender, but the early Church strongly condemned those who underwent surgery to modify their sexual identity.
-Eunuchs (a man who was castrated and therefore not sexually active and couldn't procreate) were not allowed to be ordinated for priesthood.
-Those who believe it is wrong to change gender argue that passages relating to homosexuality also apply to transitioning. A transgender female having sex with a man is seen as a homosexual act and is condemned
-Fundamentalist Protestants believe that God alone decides gender. Since He doesn't make mistakes, any attempts to change it is an act of rebellion against God.
-C Church rejects the idea of changing gender. A report issued in 2000 said that surgey did not change the identity of the person. It might be permissible in extreme cases, but the marriage of transgender people can never be valid.

Christian views on transgender (in favour)

-Liberal Christians accept transgender people and transgender rights. Many denominations accept transgender people as ministers.
-The CofE takes the same approach as liberal Protestantism. Since 2000, transgender priests have continued their ministry and transgender men and women are accepted for ordination.
Marriage is permitted where one member of the couple is transgender and special naming ceremonies are proposed for transgender members
-In Galatians 3:28 paul seems to be saying gender identity has no importance and changing one's gender is of no significance in terms of salvation

apochryphal Gospel of Thomas Logion 114 quote on transgender

'I will draw her in so as to make her male, so that she too may become a loving male spirit. Every woman who makes herself male will enter the Kingdom of God'
Encourages a change of gender but there is problems of gender equality as it seems only men can enter the kingdom of Heaven

GEN 1:27 applied to the issue of transgender

'So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them

male and female he created them'.
Shows that God created two distinct genders and it is part of His plan for people to be either male or female.
This verse can arguably be used to support transgender people. Just because there needs to be two genders, the verse doesn't say that people have to remain the gender they were born.

JW views on gender reassignment surgery

It is a form of 'mutilation'.
To become one of Jehovah's Witnesses, they are expected to "live in accord with their original biology".

Issues raised by transgender issues about God as the Creator

May be seen as a challenge to God's omnipotence and sovereignty as creator.
Suggests God has made a 'mistake' in the creation of your body - God is supposed to be perfect (link to arguments for the existence of God).
May be seen as a challenge to the 'order of creation'.

How should all Christians ideally respond to issues of homosexuality and transgender issues?

As agape underpins the whole of the NT and Jesus taught that loving your neighbour as you love yourself is the second greatest command, all Christian should treat those who are transgender/ homosexual with respect and kindness, whether they agree with their choices or not.