From homosexuality to hermeneutics

The debate on homosexuality is polarised. The aim of this research is to discover why Protestants hold different views on homosexuality, whilst they all appeal to Scripture. Thus, homosexuality is a case study that brings to light the differing hermeneutical views of contemporary Protestant theologians. The research question of my research is: How do the hermeneutical decisions underlying the various contemporary Protestant views on homosexuality relate to a Reformed understanding of Scripture? This research question is addressed through three sub-questions: 1. What contemporary Protestant views on homosexuality can be identified? 2. How do the proponents of these different views come to their positions? 3. How do the hermeneutical decisions identified relate to a Reformed understanding of Scripture? In order to address the main and sub-questions outlined above, the research has been divided into three parts. Part A examines the different contemporary Protestant perspectives on homosexuality that can be identified. This study distinguishes between the assessment of homosexuality as such, its practice, and the place of homosexuals within the congregation. It appears that there are not two Protestant views on homosexuality, because many sub-views cannot be combined. On the basis of the literature examined, this study arrives at nine views. This argues against thinking in polarised terms about homosexuality – as if there were only two views – but rather for doing justice to the nuances of each author. Part B builds on the various views on homosexuality within contemporary Protestantism identified in Part A. The hermeneutics of Bert Loonstra, William J. Webb, Robert A.J. Gagnon and William Loader are discussed in succession. These four figures have been chosen because their hermeneutical thinking differs so markedly from one another that an analysis and comparison of their views also contributes to the hermeneutical debate. Furthermore, they represent different theological, social and cultural contexts, which can be enriching. For each author, the explicitly formulated hermeneutics is examined first. In doing so, the contribution of biblical texts (1), the contribution of biblical-theological themes (2), the contribution of culture (3), the contribution of contemporary scholarship (4) and the contribution of the Christian tradition (5) is examined according to the work of the author in question. Sometimes the factor of experience is added to this, namely when the author in question gives cause to do so. Subsequently, the study examines how the author in question applies his hermeneutical vision to the theme of homosexuality. Part C consists of an evaluation of the hermeneutical decisions of the four authors studied taken from a Reformed perspective. First, the hermeneutical decisions described in Part B are compared with one another, after which they are reflected upon from a Reformed perspective. The framework chosen for this evaluation is the view of Scripture as set out by Guido de Brès in Articles 3–7 of the Dutch Confession of Faith and the current reformed proposal by Henk van den Belt in his hermeneutical book Geestspraak. It is concluded that none of the hermeneutical approaches examined fully fit within the confessional and hermeneutical framework of De Brès and Van den Belt. At the same time, all four approaches contain elements that reflect a vision similar to that found in Van den Belt. Thus, while a Reformed approach critically examines the four hermeneutical approaches, the four authors examined, in turn, question Van den Belt’s Reformed approach.