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by Ingrid Schlueter and Rev. Wayne Sedlak
Excerpts from Renegade Prophet? A Look at the Teachings of Tony Campolo
Tony Campolo has tried to straddle the fence for years on the issue of homosexuality. In his 1988 book, 20 Hot Potatoes Christians Are Afraid to Touch, he tries to assure alarmed readers that he isn't saying homosexuality is okay.
"I am not asking that Christian people gloss over biblical teachings or ignore their conviction that homosexual acts are sin. I am not asking that we make a case to justify homosexual behavior. I am simply reminding Christian people that we are supposed to love people--even those who offend us. I am calling on Christians to reach out and show kindness and affection toward their homosexual neighbors...If we Christians cannot love these neighbors as we love ourselves, then we are violating the command of Jesus (Matt. 19:19) and ought to cease calling ourselves His followers. Loving people is a commitment to treating people as Jesus would treat them if He were in our places."1 He repeats these words on page 67 of his 1994 book Carpe Diem.
Few Christians would argue with the need to treat our neighbors as Christ would. But few would find a Scriptural basis for "gay covenants" or the legalization of same-sex marriages. Tony believes in both. Tony Campolo and his wife Peggy gave the keynote address at the first ever convention of the Welcoming and Affirming Baptists (disfellowshipped American Baptist Churches). The following is a quote from the Voice of the Turtle Newsletter, Fall, 1996 edition. (Voice of the Turtle is the publication of the American Baptists Concerned for Sexual Minorities.)
"The Friday night gathering was highlighted by Peggy and Tony Campolo. The Campolos are longtime American Baptists who are involved in social ministry, and who hold divergent opinions on the question of homosexuality and faith in one area. They agree that homosexuality is not a choice; that homosexuals should not be excluded from churches, and that the lies perpetuated against the gay community make both of them angry. Where they differ is in their understanding of Romans 1: 24-32. Tony staunchly holds the position that the same gender marriages are against God's order. On the other hand, he believes that since same gender marriages are becoming more and more a reality, then they should be legalized by the state."2 (emphasis added)
In 20 Hot Potatoes, Campolo elaborates on his views on the subject of homosexuality.
"Actually, Jesus never alludes to homosexuality in his teachings. The fact that homosexuality has become such an overriding concern for many contemporary preachers may be more a reflection of homophobia in the church than it is the result of the emphasis of Scripture."3
He continues by giving his apparent endorsement of "homosexual covenants" which he believes are an option for "evangelicals."
"Recently two homosexual men who live in Chicago solved their problem of loneliness by establishing a covenant wherein they promised to live with each other 'til death do them part' even though they simultaneously pledged to remain celibate. They chose to live together as lifelong partners 'in all love and tenderness' but without any sexual intercourse going on between them. These two men claimed to be enjoying the humanizing benefits of a genuine love relationship that has provided them with mutual blessings but did not violate biblical admonitions to refrain from homosexual intercourse. Over the past year I have learned of a number of other homosexual couples who are evangelicals and have adopted a similar arrangement.
"I chose to call this a homosexual 'covenant' rather than a homosexual 'marriage' because I refrain from using the word marriage because I think that implies a sexually consummated relationship. On the other hand, the word covenant connotes a lifelong commitment of mutual obligation which does not necessitate sexual intercourse.
"There are Christians who will disapprove of this arrangement claiming that the Bible implies a condemnation of even romantic feelings between members of the same sex. However, these critics are hard-pressed to build a biblical case for their complaints."4
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