Gene Robinson, the first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church is accusing conservative elements within the worldwide Anglican faith of twisting his words to imply he said Jesus was gay.

Robinson took part in a February 13 forum on sexual issues at Christ Church in South Hamilton, Massachusetts. In his remarks Robinson said that Jesus was an unmarried, "non-traditional man", "traveled with a bunch of men" and enjoyed an especially close relationship with one of his disciples.

The forum and Robinson's remarks went generally unnoticed until Sunday when the conservative British paper The Independent accused the bishop of "suggesting that Jesus might have been homosexual."

The article was published in the aftermath of the death of Pope John Paul II and was seized upon up by conservatives within the Anglican Church who are waging a war against Robinson and gays in the Church.

"It is appalling deconstructionism from the liberal lobby which will spin even the remotest thing to turn it into a hint that Biblical figures are gay," fumed David Virtue, a conservative Anglican commentator.

"It is so utterly preposterous to imply that Jesus' relationship with John was homoerotic, but twisting the truth is the only way these people can get scriptural justification for their lifestyles. Can you imagine Calvin, Luther or Erasmus saying something like this? It is a wonder that thunder and lightning bolts don't strike Bishop Robinson down."

Robinson Tuesday denied that his remarks were meant to be interpreted as suggesting that Jesus might be gay and says that he is receiving a flood of hate messages.

“I can assure you with absolute certainty that was not my implication, and certainly not anything I ever said,” Bishop V. Gene Robinson told the New Hampshire Union Leader. “I am furious for my remarks to be interpreted in a way as to mean something I never said.”

In a recording of the speech, Robinson told the audience, “Interestingly enough, in this day of traditional family values and so on,” Robinson said in a recording from the forum, “this man that we follow ... was single as far as we know; who traveled with a bunch of men, although there were lots of women around; who had a disciple who was known as ‘the one whom Jesus loved’; who said my family is not my mother and father, my family are those who do the will of God — none of us like those harsh words. That’s who Jesus is, that’s who he was, at least in his earthly life.”

Later in the speech, Robinson said: “Those who would posit the nuclear family as the be-all and end-all of God’s creation probably don’t find that much in the Gospels to support that. On the other hand, I happen to think the traditional family is a wonderful thing. I’m a product of it. I dearly love my family, and I love my own family, with my own two kids. It just looks a little non-traditional. But this Jesus, when you ask who is Jesus, he was not terribly mainstream, was he?”

Robinson tells the Union Leader that pointing out that Jesus was not married with children “is a long way from saying Jesus is gay, or saying that he had sex with anyone, male or female.”

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 05, 2005 at 9:57 AM. Want to discuss? Leave a comment below.