Haak on
Homos
Rev. Matthijs
Haak is a GKv pastor. Recently he visited a one-day conference, organized by the
theological colleges of the Reformed churches, traditionally associated with the
Free Reformed and Canadian Reformed churches. The topic was Homosexuality and
the Church.
It is
worthwhile reading his observations and deliberations from this conference.[1]
At first Haak
noticed that:
1
in
respect to content the debate has reached an impasse.
2
evidently
there has been a shift. Until recently it was thought that the Bible condemns
homosexual relationships (the ‘classical view’). Yet, today the majority “wants
to give homosexuals space (in the church), also if they choose to live in
homosexual relationships”.
The dilemma
experienced is that we don’t want to ignore the biblical teaching, and yet we
must watch out that we don’t read our own views of right or wrong into the
biblical text.
Ad de
Bruijne, professor of ethics in Kampen opened the presentations by warning
participants to avoid speaking from narrow perspectives.
Haak observes
that this indeed regularly happened during the discussions. As example, he
mentions that someone stated that we can recognize a tree by its fruit. Homos
are suffering in many churches, and often they end up leaving. So, the churches
are bad. Haak agrees that churches and church members indeed have made (and
some still make) thoughtless and rude comments to or about homosexuals.
And yet,
Haak warns that we cannot force people to have a loving attitude to church
members with homosexual desires; only the Spirit can work that in and among us.
He then challenges the applicability of the passage on the tree and its fruit.
If God’s Word -as many Christians believe- is indeed clear on the issue
(condemning a homosexual lifestyle), then the church expresses her love to God
and His Word if she insists on obedience to it. The passage of the tree and its
fruit argues that the church that continues to take God’s commandments in earnest
will be blessed.
One
participant made a beautiful plea to focus on the good laws of God. Haak
notices that contemporary culture has little respect for laws and rules, and
sometimes church members who refer to God’s commandments are too easily
labelled as Pharisees. This also happens in the discussions on this topic.
Haak
noticed that the participant who pleaded for obedience to God’s commandments
was repeatedly challenged (invited) to work his statement out practical terms,
but he would not or could not spell this out. When that happens, people easily
dismiss the warning, shrugging their shoulders, and assume that God’s Word
offers no real direction in the debate.
Haak
bemoans the fact that clear and open communication is often lacking in such
situations.
A few times
it was suggested that heterosexuals easily talk about the wrongs of homos,
while bypassing their own “shortcomings”. Nobody stated explicitly that homos
are called to live celibate lives. It seems that “the world’s” condemning verdict
of ‘discrimination’ has quietly been adopted in the church. Haak even suggests
that today’s church members have little notion of the sacrificial nature of
discipleship. They no longer understand what is implied in: “Take up your
cross, and follow me.”
Rev. Haak
insists that we cannot easily dismiss the issue and alienate the homosexuals.
At the same time, we may not dismiss the Word of God. He then tries to analyze
the underlying paradigm shift that now calls for (unrestricted) acceptance and
tolerance, even while (at least in theory) people agree that the Bible has no
good word to say about it.
The
underlying shift has also resulted in the fairly sudden acceptance of having
women in the church offices (especially as elders, pastors). If people come
with (only) scriptural arguments the discussion stops.
The real
issue is how we are (or ought to be?, AS) church in a post-Christian era and
pluriform society. Haak had noticed and written earlier that today a major role
is played by the pressures of ‘political correctness’. The ideals of liberty
and equality have won the day! Today, we are immersed in this world and its
thinking, so we reason from this perspective.
Haak was most
disappointed that nobody could or dared to speak for God. Those who maintain
the classical viewpoint (that homosexual activity is condemned in Scripture)
could not explain why this would be significant for (the church) today. There
is much embarrassment on this point, especially now it seems that the majority
has shifted to acceptance. Those who argue from Scripture are immediately seen
as outdated and irrelevant for the situation of today.
Haak
insists that we must dig deeper to find the root of the dilemma. The church
must be a place of freedom and relevance for all. We are placed in Europe of 2018,
so we may not be an island. Therefore, we must be open over doubts and
unbelief, the rise of Islam, our cities, environment, economics, and
relation-building in the I-world we live in. We have to deal with complex
reality, and in that process we must not alienate our homosexual brothers and
sisters.
Paradigm
Shift
Only
recently have homosexuals in our society taken courage to talk about their sexual
orientation or allowed to confirm this in marriage.
Meanwhile a
number of (non-parallel) developments are taking place. Haak observes two such
trends: (1) Humans have become creators, and (2) Western values are under
pressure.
We, the creators.
Tom Wright wrote about a new form of Gnosticism in our culture, where children
are encouraged to question their sexual identity. Human beings must be the creator
of their own destiny. Having abandoned God as our creator, we must now
re-create ourselves: genetically, socially, and sexually.
Christians
know, praise, and honor Jesus as Creator and Savior, but the relevance of this
in daily life is dwindling. We don’t know how to live this out in a hostile
world that knows not God. There is some good in the attention for individuals,
but we must consider the warnings from Scripture about alienation from our
Creator.
Yet, Jesus
is the Living One, and we must encourage all those who desire to live for Him. Yet,
we must at all times be conscious of the changing situation: we live in a
pluriform society, and we cannot float on traditional clichés. We must continue
to study and proclaim the Word and continue to show that God created us- as man
and wife (and they are different!) and God came to redeem and restore the
broken creation in faithfulness, in families. Be clear on Who God is!
Western
values. Liberty and equality are key values of western civilization. Yet, after
9/11 the West has lost its vision and mission. We see how these values can
breed a new legalism with its own laws and repercussions. In some countries (in
Eastern Europe, for instance) the promotion of homosexual relationships threatens
to further destabilize the demographic and economic health of the nation. Also
in America and Western Europe there is a tendency toward paranoia about the
preservation of traditional values and cultural stability. Such fears can drive
people to traditionalism and a cliché-Christianity.
Haak notes
that many people see that the church in
the West has become a church of the
West. By immersion, we have shifted into Western thinking, and we cannot avoid
it for ‘we don’t live on an island!’
Haak urges
the church not to neglect her ‘mother-role’; she must offer a shelter, a safe
haven, also for God’s homosexual, bisexual, single, pedosexual, and transgender
children.
He spends
some time to relate the developments in various churches. I skip this section
here.
It is not
uncommon that people say: “We must be patient with the older, more conservative
churches and church members. Haak notes that the underlying attitude is often
arrogant, like “Give them some time, for everybody is bound to agree with us
and join us- sooner or later.”
The Key
Concern
Many things
that were used to be shown or known as un-biblical are now promoted as fitting
fine within the biblical context. We have to redefine our convictions, but in
the meantime, we must recognize that something quite Satanic is at work today.
Haak is
convinced that many in the church have recreated God in the image of the West. In
the past we have been too dogmatic in the sense that our church’s teachings
were the factual Truth of God. Today,
subjectivism is rampant, and in Bible studies it is no longer said, “It is
written”, but “it is my feeling…” or “I cannot image God would do such a thing!”
We are losing
sight of God and of His Word. Haak recalls how he once showed a young person
what the Bible actually says about homosexuality. The reply was, “Interesting,
I did not know the Bible said anything about it.” (And yet, he/she was an
educated church member!)
In the new
generation, it is people’s feelings that decide what is the truth, also in the
church.
At the
surface, the modern culture is not (no longer) anti-religious. People are free
to believe in God. But the god that is allowed back in the modern world is a
god, created in our Western image. God is not the transcendent, holy One. He is
not the righteous ruler, who is ready to come with a terrible judgment. Of
course, he is a loving Father and His Son is meek and mild. We decide what God
must be like; he must satisfy our standards of what is good. God had better not
get in the way of our freedom or (the thereto required) equality!
Haak notes
that this is not Worship. We are back into pagan self-salvation and the idol
factories that the Scriptures warn us for. Satan has tweaked and twisted the
truth, but it is no longer the Truth of God!
Yet, we no
longer fight in the church. We must tolerate and accept each other, even on
points where we cannot and may not do so. That does not come from the
homo-debate, no I it we merely detect the fruits.
We must
return to God and to His Word!
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