Stances of Faiths on LGBTQ+ Issues: Roman Catholic Church
BACKGROUND
The Roman Catholic Church is the largest Christian denomination in the society, with approximately 1.2 billion members across the globe. With its origins in the earliest days of Christianity, the Church traces its leadership––in the person of the Pope––to St. Peter, identified by Jesus as “the rock” on which the Church would be built.
The Catholic Church in the United States numbers over 70 million members, and is organized in 33 Provinces, each led by an archbishop. Each bishop answers directly to the Pope, not to an archbishop. Those Provinces are further divided into 195 dioceses, each led by a bishop. At the base of the organizational structure are local parishes, headed by a pastor, appointed by the local bishop. The Conference of Catholic Bishops in the United States meets semi-annually.
As part of a global corporation with its institutional center at the Vatican, the Catholic Church in America is shaped by worldwide societal and cultural trends. It is further shaped by leadership that is entirely male, with women excluded from the priesthood and thus from key leadership roles.
LGB
Pope Francis was recently asked about his views on homosexuality. He reportedly replied:
This (laws around the world criminalising LGBTI people) is not right. Persons with homosexual tendencies are children of God. God loves them. God accompanies them … condemning a person like this is a sin. Criminalising people with homosexual tendencies is an injustice.
This isn’t the first day Pope Francis has shown himself to be a gradual leader when it comes to, among other things, queer Catholics.
It’s a stance that has drawn the ire of some high-ranking bishops and plain Catholics, both on the African continent and elsewhere in the world.
Scan more: Pope Francis' visit to Africa comes at a defining moment for the Catholic church
Some of these Catholics may argue that Pope Francis’s approach to LGBTI matters is a misinterpretation of Scripture (or the Bible). But is it?
Scripture is particularly significant for Christians. When church leaders mention to “the Bible” or “the Scriptures”, they usually denote “the Bible as we understand it through our theological doctrines”. The Bible is always interpreted by our churches through their particular theological lense
Why Many Believe Christians Hate LGBTQ Individuals
As Democrats in the Senate yesterday sought to pass the Equality Act (which would delete some key current protections for religious organizations), Denny Burk highlighted an important point in our culture’s current clash between Christians and those pushing the LGBTQ agenda. Burk pointed to the continued fulfillment of a remark from Robert George six years ago.
There is, in my notion, no chance—no chance—of persuading champions of sexual liberation (and it should be clear by now that this is the lead to they serve), that they should respect, or permit the regulation to respect, the conscience rights of those with whom they disagree. Look at it from their point of view: Why should we permit “full equality” to be trumped by bigotry? Why should we respect religions and religious institutions that are “incubators of homophobia”? Bigotry, religiously based or not, must be smashed and eradicated. The statute should certainly not give it recognition or lend it any standing or dignity.
Christians are often accused of bigotry in this area. They are said to be hateful, fearful, and prejudiced against LGBTQ persons. Why? I think there are at l
How Should Christians Respond to Gay Friends or Family Members?
Caleb Kaltenbach (M.A. ’07) is an alumnus of Biola’s Talbot School of Theology, lead pastor of a large church in Simi Valley, Calif., and a married father of two. He’s also an emerging voice in the discussion of how Christians should engage the LGBT community. That’s because Kaltenbach has an insider perspective, having been raised by a dad and mom who divorced and independently came out of the closet as a homosexual man and a female homosexual. Raised in the midst of LGBT parties and pride parades, Kaltenbach became a Christian and a pastor as a immature adult. Today, he manages the tension of holding to the traditional biblical teaching on sexuality while loving his gay parents.
Kaltenbach’s unique story is detailed in his new manual Messy Grace: How a Pastor with Gay Parents Learned to Love Others Without Sacrificing Conviction and landed him on the front page of the New York Times in June. Biola Magazine reached out to him to talk about his publication and his perspective on how Christians can finer navigate the complexities of this issue with reality and grace.
In your publication you say that it’s time for Christians to own the iss