A gay Jesus: a heretical Christology

Some members of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A,) have stated that the move toward a more inclusive church, the ordination of members of the LGBT community and the recognition of same gender marriage, is not as troubling as an official endorsement of a heretical Christology. While I agree with them, accepting the immoral sexual practices of the LGBT community as a gift leads to a heretical view of Jesus Christ.

Several days ago the More Light Presbyterians shared, on a twitter paper, The #PCUSA Daily, a Huffington Post blog posting by Presbyterian teaching elder Brett Webb Mitchell entitled “Sunday School Taught Me that Jesus was Straight... and Other Myths and Legends of Yore.” [1]

Not only does the title imply that Jesus was gay, in the body of the article, Mitchell implies that Ruth and Naomi as well as David and Jonathan were also lovers. And beyond the point of the article, that sexuality, especially LGBT sexuality, was not discussed in Sunday School and should be, because of the title, a heretical view of Jesus overshadows the whole post. If the denomination allows for that which is sin, homosexual practice, to be called “no sin” and enough PCUSA members insist on even the possibility that Jesus was homosexual, a Jesus will be created who is not the Jesus of Scripture or the church universal.

Remembering that More Light Presbyterians is an organization involving a moderate sized group of people, their sharing of the article implies that too many PCUSA members have a low view of Jesus Christ and are willing to debase his person in order to under gird their own particular theology. And their Christology, in fact, runs counter to several basic reformed doctrines. One is that a resurrected man who is also fully God exists within the Godhead. (Acts 7:56; Scots Confession 3.11) Shall we teach that a resurrected gay man is within the Godhead?

Secondly is the doctrine that we are in Christ, that is, we are united to Christ in his resurrection. Who Jesus Christ is, the resurrected One who is fully human and fully God is who we are united to and it his image we bear. His righteousness is ours, his life is our life. He takes his sinlessness and places it on those who belong to him. (Romans 7:4; 8:11) Does his righteousness include homosexuality?

Furthermore, the work of Christ as redeemer is destroyed for those who are caught in the bondage of homosexuality if Jesus in his person is homosexual. In this scenario, God's love and care for any sinner, in particular for the sexual sinner, has no meaning or value. The author of Hebrews points out that Jesus was that offering without blemish. (Heb 9: 14) Shall we take the bloody death of our redeemer and make it of no account?

So my plea would be that leadership would now see the seriousness of the dispute happening in the church because of homosexuality. It does touch the person of Christ, it will and has produced a heretical Christ. And the denomination is allowing the most important of their essentials to be undermined:

2. The Son of God, the second person of the Trinity, being very and eternal God, of one substance and equal with the Father, did. When the fulness of time was come, take upon him man's nature, with all the essential properties and common infirmities thereof; yet without sin; being conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, in the womb of the Virgin Mary, of her substance. . So that two whole perfect and distinct natures, the Godhead and the manhood, were inseparably joined together in one person, without conversion, composition, or confusion. Which person is very God and very man, yet one Christ the only mediator between God and man. (The Westminster Confession of Faith 6.044)

True, those who do not agree with Scripture, who do not stand under the authority of Scripture or find a way to twist the meaning will have no problem with the coming heretical Christ. Nonetheless, the church of which Christ is Lord must care unto death. 

[1] For a view of how Mitchell views sexuality as he writes about his own desires read “I "Heart" Ron: Young Life, Youth Ministry, and Me” but be aware it is offensive.

Picture by Ethan McHenry