I re-examine the traditional gender requirement for morally endorsed and ecclesially blessed Christian sex and marriage, and suggest it may be “a time to throw [it] away” (cf. Eccl. 3:6). After defining the question, I survey arguments for and against this gender requirement from three Christian ethical approaches: divine commands in Scripture, natural law, and theologies of the body, and suggest the revisionist arguments stronger in each case. Firstly, the best way to make sense of the Scriptural material on gender norms is a ‘trajectory’ hermeneutic, which Christians already apply in many situations. The Bible’s trajectory on gender points away from gender-based restrictions on social, ecclesial, and familial roles. Secondly, common rationalist natural law arguments against homosexuality, based on the procreative end, reduce to an inconsistent rule based on gender essentialism, abstracted from real procreation. The classic natural law method re-applied today can support the removal of the gender requirement, especially if brought into dialogue with newer insights from the observation of nature. Thirdly, ‘gender complementarity’ is an inadequate account of, and norm for, the bodily experience of real people, especially LGBTIQ people. Examining real embodied experiences of human flourishing and suffering provides strong arguments against the traditional gender requirement.

a dispute with Eugene Rogers on marriage

The Pentecostal theological notion of being “born again” stems from the mainstream Evangelical doctrines of “sin,” “salvation” and “baptism in the Holy Spirit” that are inextricably interwoven into the fabric of the Pentecostal church in general. Most theological discourses in Pentecostalism are founded upon these notions. Sexual morality is expected to be grounded on the principle that “marriage is an institution created by God in which one man and one woman enters into an exclusive relationship for life, and that is the only form of partnership approved by God for sexual relations.” This study uses the Grace Bible Church (GBC) in Soweto, a dominantly “black” township west of Johannesburg South Africa, as its case study since the church declared in its Statement of Faith (SoF) that it will only allow persons to become members in the church if they adhere to these heterosexual, monogamous, heteronormative principles. Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex and Queer (LGBTIQ) lifestyles are in most general cases pathologized as being a transgression, spiritual deviance among the conservative and fundamentalist Bible-literalist churches, particularly the Pentecostal-Charismatic churches. They are regarded as sinful “unnatural” acts that may result in divine judgement whilst other go as far as asserting that same-sex sexual activities are demonic and “Un-African”. This is mainly because of the widely accepted binarism views and assertions that according to the Bible God created humans as either male or female. This binary view of gender has been largely upheld within the South African religious community while gender diversity has been ignored. People born intersex have been forced to live according to this gender binary. The gender bipartite also problematizes people that are transgender and excludes people that are gender diverse. Gender identity is widely accepted as a person’s private sense of being male, female, both or of the other gender. This may or may not match the biological sex assigned to them at birth. Due to the gender binary that promotes heterosexist theological positions, sermons are preached from the most conservative Christian pulpits with the intention that non-heterosexual members will repent, be ‘delivered’, and transformed by the power of God. Such sermons are viewed by some as being derogatory and discriminatory against members who are of LGBTIQ sexuality. Their argument is based on the premise that these churches do not consider queer members’ lived experiences, but instead insist on a literalist hermeneutical approach on the Bible exegesis and the traditional heteropatriarchal views ascribed to the Biblical worldview. Moreover, such views hold that human sexuality promotes only the heterosexual perspective as a religious and societal norm. Queer persons experience a negative impact from stigmatization and victimization due to patriarchal, heteronormative and cisnormative societies, that is even argued to be dominated by the hegemonic masculine mindset. This study shows that international and South African research has found significant negative effects are caused by exclusion and other forms of discrimination based on sexual orientation and queer gender identity. Sexual orientation-based discrimination presents the same risks of psychological and other harm as discrimination based on race, religion or gender. Notably, among youth who already identify as, or think they may be homosexual or bisexual, research has found that family rejection and exclusion, as well as bullying by peers, correlates highly with a range of high-risk behaviors and outcomes ranging from truancy to substance abuse to attempts at suicide. Much of the evidence shows that this stigmatization leads to deep-seated and widespread prejudice, discrimination and violence in Africa toward those who are not heterosexual. Furthermore, many gay and lesbian people suffer from stress due to ill treatment by a homophobic society, especially when confronted with religious condemnation. Public religious speeches can lead to not only grave psychological, but also social consequences, as such speeches may contain a strong element of humiliation and degradation that may promote corrective rape, bullying and belittlement. Religious homophobic speeches may cause a polarization of society as people unconsciously absorb the hidden agenda that is intended to show that people who do not conform to the heterosexual norm are inferior and should be shunned. Research and observation have found that gay and lesbian people are referred to as “detestable” or “unnatural”, which could constitute religious hate speech. Due to what is believed to be a religiously infused homophobia, the LGBTIQ church members and activists have started protesting their churches. While some leave churches, others choose to remain “in the closet” and celibate so that they may be accepted by the Christian community and participate in church activities. In other instances, some closeted LGBTIQ members in Pentecostal-Charismatic churches are experiencing heightened homonegativity when anti-gay sentiments are uttered. It is therefore, the purpose of this study to investigate issues related to gender, law and theological discourses within the context of a selected Christian denomination –the Grace Bible Church in Johannesburg South Africa. This study is interdisciplinary, since it is positioned within the fields of Christian theology, the sociological concept of human sexuality with a specific interdisciplinary dimension on the intersection between gender, law and religion. The interconnectedness of the notions on gender, law and religion is the foundational basis of this study. This is pertinent since, historically, law and theology have been accepted as the fundamental grounds of the universal notion of the recognition of the inherent dignity of persons, and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family. Such laws form the foundations on liberty, justice and the pursuit of happiness of all members of human family in the world. These laws are also contained in the liberal Constitution of the Republic of South Africa of 1996. The South African Constitution, recognizes and protects, in Chapter 2 Section 9 of its Bill of Rights, the human rights of LGBTIQ persons to not be discriminated against on the ground of their sexual orientation or gender identity. While there appears to be some tension with regard to understanding the Constitution’s definition of religious freedom, churches seem to be generally free to formulate the conditions of their faith and church membership and free from state intrusion and doctrinal entanglement in such matters as relating to faith dictates. Hence this study considers these issues, focusing on human sexuality, theological and legal notions of human dignity, human flourishing, and human rights jurisprudence.

This book places marriage and sexuality within the context of the Eucharistic worship, spirituality, and theology of the Eastern Orthodox Church.

Among orthodox reformed Christians in the Netherlands fierce debates have occurred on moral aspects of Christian life. This essay discusses three major controversial moral issues that are related to conceptions of sex, gender, and sexuality: divorce/remarriage, women’s ordination, and homosexuality. By analysing several contributions to debates on these issues, it proposes and explores a hypothesis that concerns the role of a particular understanding of marriage as characterized by a hermeneutical construct: a communal, deeply rooted and subconscious normative principle that drives our interpretations of texts and practices. This essay illustrates the problems of both the dominance of marriage within Christian communities and lived faith, as well as the modern, romantic aspects of this particular understanding of marriage. keywords: gender, hermeneutics, homosexuality, marriage, ordination

Marriage is a gift from God and it is intended to perfect the well-being of the couples and the good of the society. This important institution which is crucial for human survival is under threat due to challenges such as extreme individualism, domestic violence, infidelity, divorces and anti-life programs. The current reality of marriage as a community of life and love which involves mutual self-giving of the man and the woman has called for discussion on how to promote chastity in marriage through marital counseling. The Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Lætitia, by Pope Francis is timely since “it represents an invitation to Christian families to value the gift of marriage and to persevere in a love strengthened by the virtues of generosity, commitment, fidelity and patience.”1 Pope Francis believes that “we cannot encourage the path of fidelity and mutual selfgiving without encouraging the growth, strengthening and deepening of conjugal and family love. Indeed, the grace of the sacrament of marriage is intended before all else to perfect the couples love”2 whereas the contrary is to a good extend always the case. One of the causes of this infidelity is erosion of Christian values. Couples in many marriages do not experience the love and purity they desire. The Pope therefore, calls for fidelity between husband and wife during marriage. Therefore this work will endeavour to make recourse to Pope Francis in promoting chastity in marriage through marital counseling. This lecture is structured into three main parts. The first

This article addresses seldom addressed issues related to sex and the single Christian. I wrote this when I was still single.

Published in Theology and Sexuality 16.1 (October 2010), 77-93, online at http://essential.metapress.com/content/374478w34122tl61/ The norms which render penetrative vaginal sex between heterosexuals cosmically different in significance from non-penetrative and non-heterosexual acts of sex are problematic and possibly unjustifiable in light of physical intersex conditions. Roman Catholic Canon Law states a marriage is not consummated until the spouses have performed "in a human fashion a conjugal act which is suitable in itself for the procreation of offspring." The paper shows that this is exclusive of those with atypical genital anatomy and represents an inadequate theological understanding of mutual relationship. Obsession with penetrative vaginal sex is echoed by surgeons who perform corrective surgery of children with atypical genitalia, and repeats cultural codes which over-value it. Adrian Thatcher's theology of betrothal is used to show that a more processive understanding of marriage and consummation is desirable, and that there are robust theological grounds for celebrating some types and occasions of sexual intimacy outside marriage.