The last passage in the Bible that is commonly used in the discussions of homosexuality is Romans 1:26-27, which reads:

“For this reason God gave them up to degrading passions. Their women exchanged natural intercourse for unnatural, and in the same way also the men, giving up natural intercourse with women, were consumed with passion for one another. Men committed shameless acts with men and received in their own persons the due penalty for their error.” (New Revised Standard Version)

There is not much disagreement over the translation of this passage, though there is disagreement about its interpretation. Evangelical and Fundamentalist Protestants and Conservative Catholics tend to say it is a condemnation of same gender sexual contact. Mainline Protestants and Liberal Catholics are more likely to see it as a criticism of hedonism and irresponsible sexual behavior which has no bearing on committed gay and lesbian relationships.

What is agreed on by Christians across the spectrum is that this chapter is about the way so many people’s lives have gone wrong.

Paul’s understanding of life is that it is either lived in harmony with God, or out of harmony with anything. When God is at the center, he says, our lives naturally the values of peace, joy, love, justice, compassion, etc. When a human-made substitute replaces God as the center of our spirituality, our values become skewed and destructive. Integrity is replaced by expediency, compassion is replaced by selfishness, and honesty is replaced by clever rationalizations. This understanding of values gone bad is the context for Paul’s statements about sexuality.

The Message version of the Bible captures this sense of moral chaos very well…

“…Refusing to know God, they soon didn't know how to be human either—women didn't know how to be women, men didn't know how to be men. Sexually confused, they abused and defiled one another, women with women, men with men—all lust, no love. And then they paid for it, oh, how they paid for it—emptied of God and love, godless and loveless wretches.”

For Paul, life is all about relationships. First and foremost is our relationship to God. When this is intact, every other relationship is healthy and loving. When the relationship with God is twisted or broken, human relationships become bitter, abusive, and dehumanized.

What he is describing in Romans is very much like what he what he was describing in 1 Corinthians and 1 Timothy. People have taken the humanity out of the most intimate of human acts. For these people sex has become a way to use another person for your own gratification. Sexual partners are treated like commodities. You can see variations of this kind of dehumanized sexuality in prostitution, in pornography, and in the serial anonymous sexual encounters some people fall into.

I agree with Paul, dehumanized sexuality is a problem, but it’s a human problem rather than a gay problem. Any couple, straight or gay, who find they have “…abused and defiled one another” have fallen into this way of living. Any person, gay or straight, who chases after encounters that are “all lust, no love” is living in a way which hurts others and cheapens his or her own life.

Though Paul doesn’t say it, the unspoken flip side of this is that any person, gay or straight, who lives in a way that reflects the values of God is doing pretty well. That’s an idea that is articulated Galatians 6:19-23...

“It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on. This isn't the first time I have warned you, you know. If you use your freedom this way, you will not inherit God's kingdom.

But what happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.”

That's the Message version's rendering of the passage usually referred to as "the fruit of the Spirit." It's not quoted much in this sort of discussion, but I think it applies at least as well as the Romans passage. In fact, I think the two are essentially saying the same thing.

If you live a life filled with the hateful habits the passages mention, if you are the sort of person who causes division and oppression, if your relationships are manipulative and leave a trail of the wounded then you can't claim to be following God. On the other hand, if you are a person whose life is filled with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, etc. then, gay or straight, you're doing pretty well.

At least, that’s how I read the Bible.