So what of same sex relationships in Scripture? King David, despite his many wives and concubines turned down the warming of a young girl on his death bed. The text almost gives us a reason why. His love for Jonathan exceeded his love for any woman. We are not asking what they got up to in private here (although the whole exchanging of armour story makes it pretty clear to me) as that is a secondary issue. Ruth and Naomi is more complicated. Ruth needed a husband, and is guided in seducing Boaz by Naomi. Uncovering 'feet' on the threshing floor is not about a pedicure, feet being a handy Hebrew euphemism for genitals. Gosh aren't biblical sexual ethics interesting?

Jesus deals directly with a same sex relationship. The Centurion and his servant who is 'very dear to him'. Again what they did together in private is irrelevant, as Gerd Theissen points out in the 'Shadow of the Galilean' observers may well have seen the healing as a blessing of a same sex relationship even if the relationship was not 'active'.

The Gospels do dead with serious sexual sin. The abuse of Salome (probably under-age and brought to dance for Herod's courts titillation). The Samaritan woman's multiple partners. The hypocrisy of judging others when we have all committed adultery in our hearts.

So we have two theological streams.

Firstly Sex should be part of the journey towards lifelong commitment. I do believe that a sexual relationship that does not lead to such a covenant relationship and ends requires repentance. Just as we should all repent of adultery of the heart. See I do believe in original sin and there are plenty of sins we commit that we have little control of.

Secondly there are scriptural examples of covenent loving relationships between same sex individuals. Although we cannot make clear conclusions about any physical aspect of those relationships.

Of those '6 texts' the Hebrew ones are the weakest. The shellfish texts shall we say. But Paul's thinking does raise questions.

It depends on how we read Paul.

If we see Paul as conservative then we are left with the position held by many evangelical same sex couples I know. They enjoy celibate covenant loving relationships.

If we see Paul as a liberal radical mystic we may begin to ask questions about how people born same sex orientated can be fully grafted in to the covenant of grace as those of us born gentiles are. Sexual intimacy of some sort is part of this.

As a 'pastor' this is how I approach the issue. My ultimate personal conclusion is that I have no issue with a same sex couple in an unique covenant relationship expressing that relationship in a physical way. That could be hugs, it could be kisses, it could be more. I don't tell wedding couples what they should do or not do in private in great detail. The same for same sex couples. I will give them resources to work with but the degree of celibacy or activity is something they need to ultimately reconcile for themselves.

And when I do work with folks who are of whatever orientation and choose to be promiscuous or polyamourous I remember that my eyes still wander in summer, that I don't do all I can to combat the sexualisation of the under-aged, and that I have failed relationships behind me. Because in my eyes a failed relationship with out full sexual intimacy (kissing girls/boys at bible camp when you were 17 still counts folks) still falls short of God's ideal for us.