Was Jesus gay? Questioning Jesus' Sexuality
By Ramon Johnson
April 9, 2010
Scholars and historians spend countless hours searching for answers to mysteries yet uncovered or resolved. One such quest is the sexual orientation of Jesus. Was Jesus Gay?
A highly debated 2005 article by Matt Johns titled "Was Jesus Gay?" sparked a considerable amount of controversy over Jesus' sexuality. Along with Johns, several books, such as Signs for a Messiah by Rollan McCleary and The Man Jesus Loved: Homoerotic Narratives From the New Testament from Rev. Theodore W. Jennings, have been written in exploration of gay spirituality and the sexuality of Jesus.
Gay advocate Peter Tatchell also claims "large chunks of Jesus' life are missing from the Biblical accounts" which as "fuelled speculation that the early Church sanitized the gospels, removing references to Christ's sexuality that were not in accord with the heterosexual morality that it wanted to promote.
"Perhaps not as empirical is Elton John's account of Jesus' sexual orientation in a February 2010 Parade interview:
"I think Jesus was a compassionate, super-intelligent gay man who understood human problems. On the cross, he forgave the people who crucified him. Jesus wanted us to be loving and forgiving. I don't know what makes people so cruel," John said.
Of course, John's comments were not met without contempt. "To call Jesus a homosexual is to label Him a sexual deviant," Catholic League president Bill Donohue replied.
Faith or Fact?
The New Testament does not explicitly state if Jesus engaged in sexual relationships, but some believe the "disciple whom Jesus loved" in the Gospel of John (John 13:23, 19:26, 21:7, 20) references Jesus' close relationship with John the Apostle—A relationship that some believe was beyond spiritual. King James I of England, for one, used the Jesus-John relationship to justify his affairs with the Duke of Buckingham.
"I wish to speak in my own behalf and not to have it thought to be a defect, for Jesus Christ did the same, and therefore I cannot be blamed. Christ had his son John, and I have my George," biographer Carrolly Erickson recounts in Royal Panoply, Brief Lives Of The English Monarchs (St. Martin's Press, 2006).
Whether wild fable or inference, Jesus' sexuality will remain as divisive a debate as the existence of the deity himself. And even among believers, Jesus' life remains open for interpretation. A recent stage production of Corpus Christi, by gay Christian Terrance McNally has been met with difficulty in Texas. The production depicts a Christ-like figure performing a marriage ceremony for two gay disciples. The Rose Marine Theater had originally agreed to host the play before opting out amid "violent" threats on its FaceBook page.
By Ramon Johnson
April 9, 2010
Scholars and historians spend countless hours searching for answers to mysteries yet uncovered or resolved. One such quest is the sexual orientation of Jesus. Was Jesus Gay?
A highly debated 2005 article by Matt Johns titled "Was Jesus Gay?" sparked a considerable amount of controversy over Jesus' sexuality. Along with Johns, several books, such as Signs for a Messiah by Rollan McCleary and The Man Jesus Loved: Homoerotic Narratives From the New Testament from Rev. Theodore W. Jennings, have been written in exploration of gay spirituality and the sexuality of Jesus.
Gay advocate Peter Tatchell also claims "large chunks of Jesus' life are missing from the Biblical accounts" which as "fuelled speculation that the early Church sanitized the gospels, removing references to Christ's sexuality that were not in accord with the heterosexual morality that it wanted to promote.
"Perhaps not as empirical is Elton John's account of Jesus' sexual orientation in a February 2010 Parade interview:
"I think Jesus was a compassionate, super-intelligent gay man who understood human problems. On the cross, he forgave the people who crucified him. Jesus wanted us to be loving and forgiving. I don't know what makes people so cruel," John said.
Of course, John's comments were not met without contempt. "To call Jesus a homosexual is to label Him a sexual deviant," Catholic League president Bill Donohue replied.
Faith or Fact?
The New Testament does not explicitly state if Jesus engaged in sexual relationships, but some believe the "disciple whom Jesus loved" in the Gospel of John (John 13:23, 19:26, 21:7, 20) references Jesus' close relationship with John the Apostle—A relationship that some believe was beyond spiritual. King James I of England, for one, used the Jesus-John relationship to justify his affairs with the Duke of Buckingham.
"I wish to speak in my own behalf and not to have it thought to be a defect, for Jesus Christ did the same, and therefore I cannot be blamed. Christ had his son John, and I have my George," biographer Carrolly Erickson recounts in Royal Panoply, Brief Lives Of The English Monarchs (St. Martin's Press, 2006).
Whether wild fable or inference, Jesus' sexuality will remain as divisive a debate as the existence of the deity himself. And even among believers, Jesus' life remains open for interpretation. A recent stage production of Corpus Christi, by gay Christian Terrance McNally has been met with difficulty in Texas. The production depicts a Christ-like figure performing a marriage ceremony for two gay disciples. The Rose Marine Theater had originally agreed to host the play before opting out amid "violent" threats on its FaceBook page.
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"Fear Eats the Soul"
"Fear Eats the Soul"
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