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178
Homosexuality, Marriage} and the Church
either guilt or shame. He decides to resist the temptation since to fall
even deeper into sin—by abusing his power to do as he pleases with
the women of his kingdom—is not an alternative. He goes before the
Lord. He owns his shame, the original unity is restored, and once again
he is clothed by God in the other man—the new man (see Ezek. 16:63;
36:32). This victory, insists Bonhoeffer, is found only in the enduring
of an act of final shaming before God, the knowledge of one’s fallen
self being fully manifest before Him. The shaming can be overcome
through the forgiveness of sin, that is to say, through the restoration of
fellowship with God and men. It is accomplished in confession before
God and before other men.7And, as Jesus insists, innocence is restored
in the warm embrace of the Father (see Luke 15:11-24).
SHAMELESS ACTS
Shamelessness
is defined as “absence of shame, modesty, or de
cency.” At its most intense stage, it is a brazen and impudent attitude
and conduct.8 In describing the sexual behavior of both women and
men of his time, the apostle Paul uses strong and stark terms. “There
fore God gave them up in the
lusts o f their hearts
to
impurity
, to the
dishonoring o f their bodies among them-
Innocence
IS
selves
__Their women exchanged natural
YestOYed ifl the
relations for those that are contrary to na-
warm etnbvuce
ture; and the men likewise gave up natural
o f
the Fathev.
relations with women and were
consumed
with passion for one another
, men com
mitting
shameless acts
with men and receiving in themselves the due
penalty for their error” (Rom. 1:24, 26-27,
e s v ,
emphasis added).
Paul is not angry, disgusted, or self-righteous as he writes these lines.
He is forthright, clear, and honest, as all diagnoses must be.9Without
frankness at this level of diagnosis, there cannot be proper therapy. No
tice also how carefully Paul names the abominable acts and sorry condi
tions of these Roman men and women, rather than calling their persons
abominable names. Furthermore, God is not portrayed as a capricious