Scripture, Ethics, and the Possibility of Same-Sex Relationships

by Karen R. Keen

Scripture itself teaches us that biblical mandates, including creation ordinances, cannot be applied without a deliberative process. To flatly apply law across the board without discernment for individual cases is a misuse of Scripture. Traditionalists have generally viewed the deliberative process as a general one: Are same-sex relationships collectively right or wrong? But the biblical authors demonstrate that even laws that prohibit something cannot be blindly applied. Discernment is still required on a case-by-case basis. Among key criteria for the deliberative process is attention to human need. Jesus and the biblical authors applied humanitarian exceptions to the rule.