For reasons too complex to detail here, I have lately been thinking about the twin phenomena of evangelical homosexuality and egalitarianism. For the uninitiated, these doctrines wish to maintain the essentials of the Christian faith, such as salvation through Christ alone and Biblical authority, while at the same time denying historic teachings of the Church. The former says homosexuality is not a sin, and the latter calls male headship in the home and Church a sin.
I call these movements “twins” because they tend to use Scripture in similar ways. Again and again in the literature advocating one or the other position, I read something like the following: “Yes, this passage appears to teach male headship/the sinfulness of homosexuality. But if you look at the Hebrew/Greek, you will see that this word ‘x’ really means ‘y.’ Also, in Ephesian/Canaanite society, cultic male prostitution/male chauvinism was common. This passage deals with that specific situation and must not be applied arbitrarily to our modern culture, which is quite different. The real application of this passage is that Christians should be nice to each other/not sleep around.” In other words, the text in the original language, interpreted in its cultural/historical context, teaches something quite different from what one might conclude when reading one’s English translation. The layman must depend upon the expert and cannot interact critically with his/her conclusions.
To my ears, this type of teaching sounds eerily familiar. In fact, I imagine anyone who has sat under evangelical preaching recognizes it. We regularly hear seminary-trained pastors say from the pulpit, “The Greek word for ‘love’ Paul uses here is ‘agape,’ which means more than just ‘love.’ It means a completely selfless, totally committed covenantal love! That really spoke to the people in Corinth, a center of commerce where the culture was greedy and selfish.” Over the years, believers learn much more is going on in a text than they could ever get from studying their English Bibles. For many Christians, it’s not a good sermon unless the preacher tells them something they never would have gotten on their own.
Now, I happen to be a seminary-trained pastor. Not only that, I translate from the original language every text I preach, and wrestle as much as any with the difficulty of making complex texts understandable to my congregation. With the rest of my presbyterian tradition, I value the necessity of an educated clergy. But as a Presbyterian elder, I am sworn to uphold the Westminster Confession of Faith, which teaches in chapter 1, “All things in Scripture are not alike plain in themselves, nor alike clear unto all: yet those things which are necessary to be known, believed, and observed for salvation are so clearly propounded, and opened in some place of Scripture or other, that not only the learned, but the unlearned, in a due use of the ordinary means, may obtain unto a sufficient understanding of them.”
Preaching does more than proclaim the truths of Scripture; it models how those truths are discovered. When pastors throw around Greek and Hebrew week after week, their congregations learn they cannot “obtain to a sufficient understanding” of even the most basic things of Scripture unless they’ve studied dead languages and ancient history. “Lovingkindness” makes perfect sense to even the smallest child, but we’ve got to say “chesed.” This tendency to speak in dead tongues, found all too frequently in Presbyterian and Reformed pulpits, tells “the unlearned” the Word of God is not clear to them, and so undermines their trust in the Bibles in their hands.
If this happens with such a simple and essential Biblical concept as love, we can hardly have good hopes for other teachings of the faith. Male headship and the sinfulness of homosexuality are hardly obscure points of doctrine; they’re both right in Genesis 1! But when scholars explain 1 Corinthians 11 doesn’t mean what it says, the average Christian is unequipped to provide a response. He may scratch his head and say, “I can’t see that in the passage,” but he’s learned that must mean it’s true! By telling listeners to believe the text teaches a doctrine without equipping them to find it there for themselves, standard evangelical preaching sets up the sheep to embrace heresy. We should not be surprised many evangelical Christians accept egalitarianism as a matter of course. Will homosexuality soon follow?
We Presbyterians properly ground ourselves in the Protestant Reformation and have for a slogan, “Reformed and always reforming.” Biblical reformation begins with the heart, and even pastors must search theirs. Speaking now to fellow ministers, we must remember that, like all other believers, we are a prideful lot. We easily fall prey to the temptation to show off, to impress those under our care, to be served by their admiration instead of serving by bringing them into the riches of God’s Word. Brothers, I own a couple lexicons myself, and “love” means… well, it means “love.” As with every other word in any language, its use in a particular phrase is conditioned as much by context as etymology. Teach your people how to read that context, and they’ll be able to understand the words of Scripture even when you’re not around.
Of course, most Church members have a pride which mirrors their pastor’s. Many come to services each Sunday not to worship, but to hear “the real deal,” the latest doctrine which is different from what all those second-class Christians in their not-as-reformed-as-us congregations believe. They want to hear those meaningless Greek and Hebrew syllables which give them imaginary insight into the text. Accordingly, they are puffed up instead of being driven down to their knees in adoration of the God who speaks to them so plainly and convictingly in the Bible.
The original languages have a place in the regular life of the congregation, as do theological and confessional jargon. It’s during Bible studies, where there’s opportunity to use exegetical tools thoughtfully and carefully, where people have a chance to respond, ask questions, and make sure they themselves can explain what the study leader is teaching. From the pulpit we must plainly declare God’s Word, and we should do so in a way which honors our spiritual fathers of the Protestant Reformation who died to bring the people Bibles in their own languages.
We will do just about anything to hold onto our idols. I’ve known more than one Christian ensnared by egalitarianism or “evangelical” homosexuality. It’s easy to buy into these movements because they remove the necessity of repentance, submitting oneself entirely to God’s will, and changing one’s heart. Pastors and Bible teachers often fail in precisely this regard by describing their boasting as a “teaching ministry.” We all must turn anew to God’s Word. We all must submit ourselves to the Bible and find ourselves renewed, in heart and life, by the Spirit of Christ who speaks through it.
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