LIBERAL THEOLOGY: LOSING ITS MIND

By R. Albert Mohler Jr.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP) -- In this strange postmodern age, heretics find themselves in a very strange predicament. Various skeptics, revisionists, liberal theorists and atheists have been undermining the faith for more than a century. By this time, virtually every heresy has been expounded by numerous proponents. The creative heretic of the contemporary age has to come up with some new angle or bizarre new theory to promote.

Nevertheless, never discount the diabolical ingenuity of those who intend to subvert biblical truth and the Christian faith. The latest evidence of the heretical imagination comes from Professor Theodore W. Jennings Jr. of Chicago Theological Seminary. Just when you think you've encountered just about every possible heresy, along comes something so shocking that it demands painful attention.

In "The Man Jesus Loved: Homoerotic Narratives From the New Testament," Ted Jennings argues not only that Jesus approved of same-sex relationships -- but that He was involved in one. Jennings explains that his book is "an attempt to carefully and patiently explore texts from the Gospels that suggest something about Jesus' own erotic attachments and the attitude toward same-sex relationships that may be fairly extrapolated from the traditions about Jesus." He admits that his argument "departs from what has been the norm of discussion." That qualifies as a disingenuous understatement.

What Jennings proposes is a radical re-reading of the New Testament material in order to claim Jesus not only as a proponent of the homosexual movement but as a man involved in homoerotic relationships. He intends to appropriate the Bible for a "gay-positive perspective."

Of course, the Bible contains explicit statements condemning homosexual activity in all forms. Jennings explains that the biblical material dealing with homosexuality can be reduced to five texts -- two verses from Leviticus and three from the New Testament. What Jennings proposes is to ignore those specific texts and to jump over the entire argument by appealing to an absurd reading of the entire New Testament for evidence justifying homoerotic relationships and attraction.

Jennings, a United Methodist, argues that his approach is "pro-gay" rather than defensive in dealing with the biblical texts. Reading the Old Testament, he finds parallels in the relationship between Jonathan and David or Ruth and Naomi.

Those unfamiliar with the bizarre science of liberal theology and modern biblical studies may be unfamiliar with the way the post-Christian scholars approach the text. Rather than dealing with the text as it is given and clearly intended to be understood, they look for hidden "strategies" by which the text can be read to mean the opposite of what it clearly states.

Anyone reading the Bible in an honest and straightforward manner will come face to face with the reality that the Bible communicates an unequivocal and clear message concerning homosexuality. The Bible not only condemns same-sex attraction and acts but also explains that the whole complex of homosexuality is a form of direct rebellion against God's Word and God's design in creation.

Jennings teaches at Chicago Theological Seminary in the field of biblical and constructive theology. He is also credited with being a founder of their gay and lesbian studies program.

But even in this company Jennings presents a radical argument. The concept of a homosexual Jesus has been promoted by peripheral figures such as playwright Terrence McNally in his infamous 1998 play "Corpus Christi" and Robert Williams, the late Episcopal priest ordained by Bishop John Shelby Spong. Jennings is the first to argue for Jesus' participation in homoerotic relationships from within the mainstream academy.

In order to make his case, Jennings turns especially to the Gospel of John and to its author, described as the disciple "whom Jesus loved." He works through various New Testament texts in order to find parallels, arguing that the youth in the garden (Mark 14:50-52) was a homosexual prostitute and that the centurion's servant healed by Jesus (Matthew 8:5-13 and Luke 7:1-10) was his homosexual lover.

Clearly, Jennings' obscene theory is the monstrosity. His book is not only an assault upon traditional Christian sexual ethics, but upon the person of Jesus Christ. In all its ugliness, it is a desperate ploy to undermine the Christian faith in order to support sexual practices and lifestyles condemned in the Scripture.

We should note that the publication of this book tells us as much about the world of liberal theological education as it does about Professor Jennings and his demented agenda. Chicago Theological Seminary is affiliated with the United Church of Christ, a denomination that grew out of American Congregationalism and has been on a steady march leftward over the last half century or more.

Professor Jennings and his horribly offensive new book are prime exhibits of the anti-Christian ideologies accepted by the theological left and its fellow travelers. Determined to undermine Christianity at every turn, liberal theology is losing its mind.

R. Albert Mohler Jr. is president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky.