OT (Open Theology): What do you consider to be the origin of Christian homophobia?

RH (Richard Holloway): Apart from the standard human fear/mistrust of the different, there is the specific mistrust of human sexuality that seems to be intrinsic to Christianity, a lot of which comes from Augustine and people like him who linked the sexual act with the transmission of the virus of Original Sin.  And, of course, there are a few negative mentions in scripture itself.  However, I think Christian homophobia is a particularized version of what is a common human prejudice.

OT: How can the institutional churches be cured of homophobia?  

RH: Not all of them will ever be, particularly the ones that are welded to a non-historical understanding of scripture.  Unless you have a dynamic interpretative approach to scripture, you inevitably run frequently into collisions with contemporary culture, since some of the best values of contemporary society contradict some of the basics of previous stages of human development, especially in sexual and gender relationships.  The route adopted to get round the issue of women’s ordination, which is rooted in a related understanding of scripture, was the idea of the canon within the canon, which is another way of saying sensible people pick and choose the values reflected in ancient documents.

OT: Can the idea of original sin and its connection to sexuality be redeemed? 

RH: Yes, but only if you sever it from an a-historical understanding of the Fall narrative in Genesis and see it not as an account of an historic event in the past, but as a mythological expression of an enduring human experience.  The human, because of its big brain, tends to inflation and abuse of basic human instincts, including sexuality, but not only sex: just think about the obesity epidemic.  What is needed is a new paedagogy on the art of living which would include the art of sex, as well as everything else.

OT: Is it possible to revise the Christian models of saints, super-heroes and virgins in order that Christian legacy may inspire a more inclusive ministry? 

RH: Not sure the saint idea is one I’m comfortable with.  I think we need to reclaim the idea of the importance of failure in learning, and the idea of the givenness in human nature as well as what we can aspire to.  We need to rethink the idea of the felix culpa…

OT: Which part of the Christian message do you find most helpful in understanding human sexuality? 

RH: Compassion: ‘He knoweth whereof we are made; he remembereth that we are but dust.’  (Psalm 103).

OT: Do the Christian Churches have any role to play in teaching children about sexuality?  

RH: Maybe, but only if they taught it as part of an art of living with skill and grace and not just within the idea of forbidden zones.

OT: Thank you very much for your comments.