Journal: Eikon
Volume: EIKON 04:1 (Spring 2022)
Article: Pastoral Accommodation Of Same-Sex Relationships: A Critique In Light Of 1 Corinthians 5–6
Author: Charles Lee Irons

Eikon 4.1 (Spring 2022) p. 65

Pastoral Accommodation Of Same-Sex Relationships: A Critique In Light Of 1 Corinthians 5–6

Charles Lee Irons

Charles Lee Irons (Ph.D.) is a New Testament scholar with a focus on the letters and theology of Paul. Currently he is a senior research administrator at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science. He is a member of and licensed to preach in the United Reformed Churches of North America.

Introduction

With increasing pressure from the culture to revise the traditional moral disapproval of same-sex relations, evangelicals are wrestling with how the church ought to treat same-sex attracted Christians. A shift toward greater openness is taking place among some evangelical churches committed to the authority of Scripture as the only infallible rule of doctrine and life. A small but growing number of evangelical pastors and congregations have shifted from holding that same-sex activity is irreconcilable with commitment to Christ to allowing committed same-sex relationships within their membership.1

It remains to be seen how these evangelicals will answer further questions, such as whether same-sex relationships can be blessed as a “marriage” by the church and whether such individuals are eligible for ordained office in the church. Progressive evangelical churches could accept them as members, but hold the line there and reject gay ordination and same-sex wedding ceremonies. Presumably, if they wish to remain Bible-believing evangelicals, they would still want to maintain that same-sex relationships fall short of God’s creation ideal for sexuality and cannot be called “marriage” as the Bible defines it — a male-female one-flesh union. They would thus be pastorally accommodating same-sex relationships rather than treating them as true marriages fully blessed by God and endorsed by the church.

The best example of an evangelical holding this position is Lewis B. Smedes (1921–2002), who was a minister in the Christian

Eikon 4.1 (Spring 2022) p. 66

Reformed Church and a professor of ethics at Fuller Theological Seminary. In Sex for Christians (1976), Smedes outlined a three-step discernment process for the same-sex attracted Christian. Step one is self-knowledge, meaning that the homosexual person must face the abnormality of having a same-sex orientation and refuse to blame themselves for this unchosen condition. Step two is hope — they should believe that change (from being homosexual to being heterosexual) is possible and seek it. But for those who have sought change and could not find it, there is a third step, which Smedes labels “accommodation.” The third step has two sub-steps. Step 3a is to consid...