Homosexuality & the Church:
By KARAN MINNIS, Guardian Lifestyles Reporter -
Nassau, Bahamas:


Homosexuality is difficult to admit, especially for those people who profess Christianity, and attend church on a regular basis. For these men and women who have "given their lives to Christ", and who may or may not have heterosexual relationships as well, facing their "truth" is sometimes difficult. And living in a country where the reality of homosexual relationships is still considered taboo, as opposed to more liberal countries, Bahamian "Christian homosexuals" find themselves in a tough position.

And this is no more true than for Angelo Douglas and DeAngelo McCoy (names changed to protect identities), who both profess to be Christians, but are homosexuals, and in a relationship.

Douglas, 35 a married father of two, said he has been struggling with his sexual preference for 20 years, while remaining active in his Anglican church. "I was christened in the same church I was married in, which my family now attends. I've always been a deeply religious person, but I've always been torn," he said. Douglas who has been married for 10 years said he has been faithful to his wife, except the last four months when he gave in to his feelings.

He has been engaged in a relationship with another man for four months, and said his wife does not know that he is bisexual. "I love her, but I'm torn. I've never really explored this side of me [before now] and now I am. And right now, as we speak, I think that this [homosexual relationship] is what I want," he said. McCoy, 30, on the other hand, was engaged, but he said that he came to the realization that it was not what he wanted. He too is active in his church, and is a member of the Men's Ministry and Prayer Group. As far as he knows, the people in his church do not know that he is homosexual, and he doesn't think he's ready to come out of "the closet" and face the reaction by his church members. "I'm afraid of being condemned," he said. "We both are," he said, referring to Douglas.

To some, this confession may seem like an untrue scandalous talk show, however, for these men it is real. Although reports of physical violence against homosexuals are rare in The Bahamas, there are some in the Christian community who have spoken out against homosexuality. Anglican Archbishop of the West Indies Drexel Gomez spoke out against homosexuality in his church last month during a sermon he gave in Nairobi, Kenya, when he said the present impaired state of the Communion is due mainly to actions taken by the Episcopal Church of the United States of America in respect of human sexuality with special reference to the consecration of a bishop living in an open homosexual relationship.

"The actions of the Episcopal Church have created a situation in which some Anglicans in the United States and throughout most of the Provinces of the Communion are convinced that the gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is clear in its teaching and must take precedent over culture. Holding fast to this belief, they cannot accommodate those who believe the contrary," said Archbishop Gomez. "The issue is not primarily on of sexuality but one which seeks to answer the question "which relationships correspond to God's ordering of life, and violate it?

"It is a division of opinion between those of us who firmly believe that homosexual practice violates the order of life given by God in scripture, and those who seek by various mean to justify what scripture does not honour. We, in the global south, whole-heartedly support the position outlined by Richard Hays in "The Moral Vision of the New Testament." "Paul singles out homosexual intercourse for special attention because he regards it as providing a particularly graphic image of the way in which human fallenness distorts God's created order. God the Creator made man and woman for each other, to cleave together to be fruitful and multiply. When human beings 'exchange' these created roles for homosexual intercourse, they embody the spiritual condition of those who have 'exchanged the truth about God for a lie.'

"We believe that faithfulness to the gospel of Jesus Christ prevents us from compromising the truth so clearly revealed in holy scripture," said Archbishop Gomez.

In the Catholic church, judgment is not generally cast, but rather ministry is given, said Monsignor Alfred Culmer of St Thomas More Catholic Chuch. "The position of the Catholic Church is clear," he said. "It's based on the scripture, you hate the sin, but you love the sinner.

You know when it comes to homosexuality in the community, it becomes basically the total sum of who the person is, but the position of the Catholic church is clear. We minister to persons with that sexual ordination, we don't condemn them as a person but rather the actions." Culmer said if the church condemns homosexuals, they would never be in a position to work with them and find out their story.

"There are some churches that come right out and say it's immoral, which it is, but at the same time they ostracize people who are homosexual and kind of put them out of the church. But I think you have to recognize that you have to deal with people where they're at, and the only way you can work with persons that have different orientations in life, is not to ostracize them. "Everyone has a story, and these feelings come from some place, but it's the church's job to work with them, not against them. We don't do it to thieves or persons that commit adultery — and I'm not saying we should — but the same ministry and assistance is needed for these persons," he said.

Bishop George Fowler, of Final Hour Ministries, agrees. "Christians have been among the most ardent opponents of homosexuality, because they believe it is contrary to the explicit teaching of the Bible. One might think [homosexuals] would not really care what the Bible says about their lifestyle, because they do not view scripture as their authority, and think it is wrong on this matter anyway.

However, there are many homosexuals who not only care about scriptural teaching, but think it does not condemn their practice," he said. "Many homosexuals have come out of the closet. Though many are still uneasy about going public, there are equally as many or more who are not embarrassed about their sexual preference," he said. "But, we note that scripture does not say a lot about homosexuality. This is possibly because the issue was not widespread in Jewish culture. However, we cannot escape the clear conviction that when scripture does speak of it, it prohibits and condemns it. But therefore, working with these persons is key," said Fowler.