Copyright William C. Kiefert. All Rights Reserved.
Originally written on May 9, 2002.
Dear friends:
Homophobia is the product of a grave misinterpretation of Paul’s letter to the Romans (1:27). That mistake cannot be recognized from the Judaic-Christian worldview. To understand this mistake, Romans 1:27 must be understood in Paul’s worldview; i.e. that of a Gnostic Christian.
Please consider reading “Does the Bible Condemn Homosexuality?” below, which comes from the Solving Biblical Mysteries section of my book, “The Practical Side of Heaven.” I believe reading this can open the door to the correct interpretation of Romans 1:27, which, in turn, eliminates the “cause” of homophobia.
Your thoughts on this will be greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
William C. Kiefert
Does the Bible condemn homosexuality?
The condemnation of homosexuality is not authentic to early Christianity for two reasons. First, I will show that the supposed denunciation of homosexuality in Rm 1:26 is not valid because this interpretation does not fit the biblical context in which it appears (Rm 1:1 thru 2:11). Second, I will demonstrate that what Paul is denouncing is the unnatural separation of pneumatics (Gnostic Christians in Stage IV who emphasize Jesus’ logos/logic teaching) and psychics (Jewish Christians in Stages II and III who emphasize Jesus’ role as the Jewish Messiah). My point is that what Paul meant by pneumatics and psychics is lost after the Council of Nicaea. From that time on, the unnatural separation of pneumatics (Gnostic Christians) and psychics (Jewish Christians) is thought of as males, separating themselves from females, and vise versa—i.e., that homosexuality is unnatural. To document my argument, let us first review 1:1 thru 2:11 to see how 1:26-27 does not fit the context about which Paul is speaking.
Paul begins Chapter 1:1-8 by introducing himself as a servant of Jesus’ Christ message, who is specially “chosen to preach the Good News that God promised long ago through his prophets. In Jer 31:33, for example, Yahweh (God) promised Jeremiah that “deep within them I will put my law, writing it on their hearts [minds].” In other words, Paul links Jesus’ logos teachings to God’s promise to Jeremiah that he will write his law within the minds and hearts of mankind.
Paul then explains that because of “the spirit of holiness that was in him [meaning Jesus’ psychological perfection], he was proclaimed son of God…Through him we [Gnostic Christians] received grace and our apostolic mission to preach the faith [meaning a rational way to internalize God’s law] to all Pagan nations…you are one of these nations, and by his call belong to Jesus Christ.”
What is important to notice in 1:7 is that Paul considers himself a servant of Jesus’ Christ or Messianic message which God promised in the OT. He is not teaching his readers to believe in Jesus, but rather to believe Jesus’ messianic/logos teachings.
It is also important to notice that Paul recognizes his readers are not Jewish Christians, but Pagans/Greeks, who by their own path, discovered Gnosticism. This seems clear because Paul refers to his readers as “one of these [pagan] nations, and [by God’s Call rather than by Jewish birth]” mirror Jesus’ Christ/logos teachings. These Greeks, or Gnostics, were not, however, accepted by Christians.
The rift between Paul, his followers, and Jewish Christians, like Peter, is well known. In 1 Co 1:10-16, for example, Paul appeals to factions in the Church to “make up the differences between you, and instead of disagreeing among yourselves, be united again in your belief and practice. From what Chloe’s people have been telling me,..it is clear that there are serious differences among you. What I mean are all those slogans that you have like: I am for Paul’; I am for Apollos’; I am for Cephas’ [Petros in Greek, Peter in English],..”
In 1:9-15, Paul recognizes the good works of his readers and hopes his meeting with them will be mutually rewarding. For even though they have a common understanding of Jesus’ Christ/logos teachings, Paul hopes his understanding of those teachings will expand theirs and vise versa. Paul finishes by saying that he feels obligated to bring his message to “Greeks”, “barbarians”, “the educated and just as much the uneducated” and that is what makes him “want to bring the good news to you in Rome.”
Having introduced himself and recognized his readers, Paul restates the purpose of his visit in 1:16-17. Specifically, he intends to justify his pride in the good news of Jesus’ Christ message. “I am not ashamed [said Paul] of the good news; it is the power [logos/logic] of God serving all who have faith [in the logos of God]—Jews first, but Greeks [like yourself] as well–. since this is what reveals the justice of God to us [meaning the fulfillment of Yahweh’s promise to Jeremiah to put his law within the minds of all humanity]: it shows how faith leads to faith [meaning, how reason points the way to higher reasoning/logos of God].”
In 1:18-25, Paul explains that human suffering comes from “men who keep truth imprisoned in their wickedness.” Paul is saying that suffering in the world, including Jewish Christians in Rome, is a consequence of their lack of virtue and depraved ways. And that they should know better, for God’s “power and deity—however invisible—have been there for the mind to see in things he has made. That is why such people are without excuse:. they [even] made nonsense out of [using reason] logic [to reach the higher reasoning logic/logos of God] and their empty minds were darkened—the more they called themselves philosophers, the more stupid they grew, until ‘they exchanged the glory’ of the immortal God [meaning the perfection of the logos of God within man]…’for the image’ of mortal man [i.e. the demiurge, meaning the fatherly image of the God of the OT], …”
In 1:24-25 rsv, Paul explains that the consequence of not having the logos of God within them, meaning exchanging Christ-consciousness for error-consciousness, “divine truth for a lie”, not only allows them to rationalize “lusts of their hearts [minds, and]…the dishonoring of their bodies* (meaning being disrespectful of their psychological well-being) among themselves”, and even worshiping a God they created (the demiurge), instead of the creator (the logos/will of God).
Evidence that my argument, that the condemnation of homosexuality is not biblical, rests on the fact that 1:26-27 does not fit the context of what comes before it.
In 1:18-25, for example, Paul is explaining his mission—to exchange ideas about Jesus’ logic teachings with Greek/Christian Gnostics. He also explains that those who should know better (Jewish Christians in Rome—the Judaizers) have been abandoned by God because they continue to reason judgmentally. This leads them to rationalize their greed (lusts of the mind) and dishonor their bodies* by trying to convince one another that Jesus’ ministry was that of Lord* and Jewish Messiah, not that of a teacher of a nonjudgmental system of logic, the logos of God. All this has nothing to do with homosexuality, the supposed theme of 1:26-27. Perhaps these verses were added because 1:28-32 better follows 1:1-25 then 1:26-27.
In reference to 1:18-25, Paul says, in 1:28-32, “In other words, since they [Jewish Christians] refuse to see it was rational to acknowledge God [let reason lead us to the higher reason/logos of God], God left them to their own irrational ideas and to their monstrous behavior. And so they are all steeped in all sorts of depravity, rottenness, greed and malice, and addicted to envy, murder, wrangling, treachery and spite. Libelers, slanderers, enemies of God, rude, arrogant, and boastful, enterprising in sin, rebellious to parents, without brains, honor, love or pity. They know what God’s verdict is: that those who behave like this deserve to die [live meaningless lives], and yet they do it; and worse, encourage others to do the same.
It is clear in 1:1-25 that Paul is concerned with the greed and hypocrisy of those who should know better (the Judaizers) and their rejection of Paul’s readers—Greek/Gnostic Christians who agreed with Jesus’ logos teachings. As the Jerusalem Bible notes, Paul is concerned with “religious error,..[which] results in moral and social ills…. Though Paul rejects and condemns [greed and hypocrisy in Jewish and] pagan society, he does not condemn individuals…”368 (1:24 note P jbv)
From this I conclude that the condemnation of homosexuality in 1:26-27 does not fit the context. I will next argue, Paul’s concern in these verses is for the unnatural separation of Jewish and Gnostic Christians, not homosexuality.
My second argument that the condemnation of homosexuality is not biblical, relies on demonstrating that 1:12 thru 2:11 is concerned with the separation of Gnostic Christians (pneumatics, later misinterpreted as males) and Jewish Christians (psychics, later misinterpreted as females).
Changing the theme of 1:26-27 from Paul’s condemnation of homosexuality to his condemnation of the Gnostic and Jewish Christians restores the textual integrity of these verses.
Paul’s references to those “who keep the truth imprisoned” (1:19), those “who knew God…made nonsense out of [God’s logos] logic” (1:21)….refuse to see it was rational to acknowledge God (1:28)….and what is worse, encourage others to do the same” (1:32) suggest a schism between Paul’s readers and Jewish Christians, like Cephas, who knew about Jesus’ logos teachings, but favored Jesus’ role as Lord and Jewish Messiah. (See GP 17)369
Paul’s concern for the ongoing animosity between Gnostic and Jewish Christians surfaces in 2:1-11. Here he reminds his readers that “no matter who you are, if you pass judgment you have no excuse. In judging others you condemn yourself, since you behave no differently.”
The point is that, in 1:18-32, Paul is acknowledging the separation of Jewish and Gnostic Christians. In 2:1-11, Paul is reprimanding Gnostic Christians for their resistance to Jewish Christians. In effect, in these verses, Paul is arguing that it is as unnatural for Gnostic Christians (pneumatics) to separate themselves from Jewish Christians (psychics) as the vise versa.
Let me now reinterpret 1:26-27 from the perspective that Jewish Christians (psychics) are without full understanding of Jesus’ logos teachings. This is why they reject Gnostic Christians (pneumatics). If they truly understood, they would not be so unreceptive to us. It is as unnatural for Jewish Christians (psychics/later translated females) to socialize (have intercourse) only with Jewish Christians as it is for Gnostic Christians (pneumatics/later translated males) to socialize only with other Gnostic Christians. In doing so, everyone loses.
Gnostic scholar, Elaine Pagels, offers a similar interpretation of 1:26-27. She suggests that Paul “reveals that the Father has yielded his creation into ‘sufferings’…which forms the elements of cosmic existence. In the process, those who become psychic having fallen victim to ‘error’…were separated from the pneumatics, who, being divinely chosen, remain secretly related to the Father. Originally, these two were part of the same being: they belong together, but now they have been separated, their natural relationship disrupted, and both suffer from this alienation. According to Theodotus, this is the mystery hidden in the story of Adam and Eve. Although originally, they were one being (cf. Gen 1:26), Eve’s separation from Adam typifies the psychic’s separation from the pneumatic elect (as ‘females’ separated from the ‘males’).”370
“Reading Romans 1 as Paul’s symbolic description of the present situation of the Christian community, the Valentinians [Gnostic Christians] could account for their own relationship—as allegedly pneumatic Christians—to those they consider the psychic majority [Jewish, and later, Orthodox Christains]. Irenaeus [an Orthodox Church Father] describes their dilemma: why, they [Gnostic Christians] ask, do psychic Christians accuse us of malice, lies, arrogance, and heresy? Why do they attempt to exclude us from common worship, and their [Orthodox] Bishops urge others to shun us as “offspring of Satan”—when we ourselves confess the same creed and hold the same doctrines they do?”371 (See GP 54, 1Cor1:10-12)
“Paul’s letters—pneumatically interpreted—could offer them great insight onto the situation. By means of allegorical exegesis, they read in Romans 1 how the psychics, misled by error (plane, 1:27), having rejected the truth of God (1:25-26), have become blinded to the truth (1:20-25), and now worship the demiurge instead of the Father (1:25). In the process they have forced an unnatural separation between psychics and pneumatics (females/males; 1:26-27) within the [Christian] community.”372
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