Homosexuality: A Pastoral Perspective

William Hulme

Article Type: Article

Publication Date: 4/1/1990

Issue: Sex, Intimacy, and Limits (Vol. 10, No 2, Spring, 1990)

We have a relatively new word in our vocabulary: gay. We used it before, but to mean happy and lighthearted. That meaning has been crowded out by its present meaning, namely, homosexual. But what the word gay now signifies is not new. Homosexuality is found among all peoples in all cultures and in all times of history. It is also found among specific animals, although rarely, and then only among males. I have studied, counseled, read, spoken, and listened to talks on this subject, and my experience has been similar to that of Gerald May, who said, “The truth is that the farther our knowledge of a thing expands, the more mysterious it becomes.” Another of my observations in this area is that the closer it comes to home, the less sure and dogmatic we become. Nevertheless, we have an obligation to take the subject of homosexuality seriously from a pastoral perspective. To do so we begin with Scripture.

Download Article PDF

Print

Download Article PDF