Gay theologian: ‘The Church never changes until it does’

The recently released video “Building A Bridge”, featuring Fr. James Martin, SJ, and based off his book with the same title, subtly brings to the forefront another aspect of the Catholic Church which many have not spoken about or acknowledged. In the video, Jason Steidl identifies himself as a gay Catholic theologian. The question arises what does it mean to be a gay Catholic theologian and is it possible?

The simple, short answer of it is yes one can certainly be a gay Catholic theologian just as same as one can be a gay Catholic doctor, nurse, truck driver, or teacher. The title of “theologian” is often misunderstood and misinterpreted as to mean someone who has all the answers or, somehow or another, could be smarter or have more authority than laity. The reality is that a theologian is nothing more than someone who studies the nature of God, religion, and religious beliefs. Let us not mistakenly interpret everything a theologian says as gospel because we must remember each theologian is also a human. A person with individual beliefs, opinions, feelings, and agendas.

Let’s also look at the definition of “Catholic”. For many Catholics, the title of Catholic should come as a description of a specific lifestyle, belief, faith, and obedience. It should represent something more than just a club membership. Sadly, however, many with their own personal or political agendas have watered it down to nothing more than a membership club for which they have jumped through all the hoops of membership and received their membership card. They have been baptized and confirmed; therefore, they are Catholic. Essentially, at its basic definition, that is true. They are certainly a member of the Catholic Church if they have been baptized and confirmed.

So, having defined these two terms on their very basic levels, one can certainly admit it is possible to be a gay Catholic theologian. It would be the same as being an adulterous Catholic theologian, drunk Catholic theologian, or thief and Catholic theologian. The difference, however, is most straight people do not identify themselves as “straight Catholics” because there is no need to do so. We also, likewise, do not identify ourselves as adulterous Catholics, lying Catholics, alcoholic Catholics, or whatever the sin is with which we struggle.

Why is it such a big deal to identify as “gay” followed by whatever title a person really want to be known as in life? I suspect it is because of the ultimate movement to normalize homosexuality and LGBTQ lifestyle as just that…an acceptable lifestyle and not sin. There has never been a movement so strong as to normalize alcoholism, drug addiction, adultery, or even theft in the Church as there has been the advocacy to make LGBTQ acceptable. Steidl does not hold back in “Building A Bridge” and says, “I like to say the Church never changes until it does.” He even goes as far as to compare the Church defending slavery in the past as the same as the Church condemning homosexuality today. Imagine that! A theologian trying to defend homosexuality by comparing it to slavery. Fitting isn’t it? The LGBTQ lifestyle may not be a physical slavery, as referenced by Steidl, but it certainly is a spiritual slavery from the depths of hell.

“Therefore, God handed them over to impurity through the lusts of their hearts for the mutual degradation of their bodies. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and revered and worshiped the creature rather than the creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. Therefore, God handed them over to degrading passions. Their females exchanged natural relations for unnatural, and the males likewise gave up natural relations with females and burned with lust for one another. Males did shameful things with males and thus received in their own persons the due penalty for their perversity.” (Romans 1:24-27)

I do not want to suggest that we should prevent those in the LGBTQ from coming to Mass. In fact, I agree they should be welcomed like all the rest of us who are sinners. We are all sinners. We are all in need of salvation and we should love one another. That does not mean, on the other hand, that we should approve or validate the sin. Love does not mean approval. We do not need the Catechism, theologians, or even the pope to tell us homosexuality is a sin. We have Sacred Scripture.