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| The Rev. Gordon Bates |
On March 13, 2002, the Rev. Gordon Bates led a group of 25 members of the South Granby Congregational Church in a forum/discussion on the topic: The Challenge of Sexuality. The presentation was well received and dialogue was honest and instructive.
The program was one of four successive Lenten offerings at the South Granby church, pastored by the Revs. Geordie Campbell and Mark Diters. Other topics were The Challenges of Genetics, . . . Money and . . . Jesus. The term "sexuality" in the title of this program was chosen specifically to set the topic in its broadest context while stressing that whatever issues exist around homosexuality, the most basic issue is human sexuality as such and the way it is viewed.
To begin the session, Bates commented on his own background as a straight person, citing his experiences with an uncle who was gay (but not out in 1944) and his more recent challenge in dealing with prostate cancer and its effects. He summarized the three basic attitudes prevalent in our churches toward persons oriented toward same-sex intimacy: 1) total rejection of homosexuality as unnatural and depraved; 2) conditional acceptance based on denial of gay or lesbian relationships; and 3) total acceptance of homosexuality as one of the natural or God-given potentialities within human beings.
Bates then led the group in a brief biblical study of the half-dozen scriptures cited to condemn homosexuality, focusing the light of current research on the traditional ways the passages have been interpreted. He compared the relative paucity of the seemingly negative texts to the prophetic emphases on poverty and justice; he mentioned new findings in biology and psychology that have led to an understanding of sexuality far different than that of biblical times or even recent centuries. Key to that new understanding is awareness of sexuality as a spectrum on which each of us falls according primarily to our genetic makeup--which determines our basic sexual orientation--and secondarily on the nurture we receive, which helps form attitudes we hold toward ourselves and others regarding sexuality and intimacy.
Commenting on the inclusive open and affirming stance of the United Church of Christ, Bates reiterated that stance to be based on scriptural research, scientific evidence, and on the UCC commitment to justice. This means upholding civil rights and meeting the human needs of persons who have been marginalized, whether by unexamined secular prejudice or by unquestioned religious traditions.
