Lesbian Lecturer Sacked By Australian Bible College

ARTICLE by Kevin Simington (His bio is below)

April 8, 2021

Last night, Australian ABC TV’s “7.30 Report” aired a story about a theological college lecturer who was sacked after she “came out” and admitted she was a practicing lesbian.

Karen Pack had worked at Morling Theological College, a Baptist college, for two years as an educator, training chaplains. In last night’s program she and her partner expressed profound hurt and surprise at her dismissal. Before I comment on Karen’s case, let me provide some contextual background information.

There is a whole branch of Christianity where Karen’s lesbianism would be completely acceptable. Liberal Christians do not interpret the Bible literally. They tend to regard some of its precepts as outdated and no longer applicable. This applies to theological tenets such as the miracles of Jesus and his resurrection, as well as moral and ethical teachings such as the Bible’s condemnation of homosexuality. In essence, whenever there is a conflict between what the Bible teaches and the current values and beliefs of society, liberal Christians tend to side with society and reinterpret the Bible to fit in. Accordingly, there are liberal churches and theological colleges which openly support homosexuality and lesbianism, and are happy to condone same sex marriage. The Uniting Church Theological College (UTC) is one such liberal college.

On the other hand, evangelical Christians (of whom I am one) interpret the Bible literally. We do not discard its teachings when they become inconvenient or unpalatable to our modern society. This is because of our view that the Bible is not merely the fallible teachings of flawed human beings, but it is the inspired Word of God. Hence, when we read in Romans chapter 1 that God has declared homosexuality to be “wicked …sinful … impure …degrading …shameful … unnatural” (yes, all of those words are used in that chapter), we believe it. And when we read in Genesis chapter 2 that marriage was designed by God to be only between a man and a woman, we believe it and teach it unashamedly. The rest of the world may disagree, but evangelical Christians will stand on God’s Word, even when its precepts are unpopular and out of vogue with society’s shifting values.

Now, let’s come back to the case of Karen Pack. What I find utterly flabbergasting is that Karen was surprised and shocked at her sacking. The college in question, Morling College, belongs to the evangelical tradition that I have just described. And Karen, who is not a theological dunce, knew this! In fact, in 2019, in the aftermath of the same-sex marriage debate, the College produced an official statement affirming the Bible’s teaching regarding sexuality and stating that marriage is only between a man and a woman. At that time, Karen had to sign a “Code of Conduct” affirming these truths. In last night’s interview, Karen stated that when she signed that document, she told the College:

“I am very happy to affirm that marriage is between a man and a woman … but that’s not the limit of what I affirm.”

Whether the College completely understood what Karen was saying at that time or perhaps chose to turn a blind eye to it is unclear. But when Karen finally “came out” as a lesbian in 2020, her employment with the College came to an abrupt end.

Karen’s shock and hurt at this development leaves me perplexed. What did she expect? If she wanted to be employed as a practicing lesbian in a theological college, she could have chosen any number of liberal colleges, such as UTC, where her sexuality would have been completely in alignment with their theological viewpoint. But she didn’t choose a liberal college. She chose a college whose theological viewpoint in regard to sexuality was directly antithetical to her own – and then she was “shocked and deeply hurt” when her employment was terminated. I don’t believe naivety was at play here: Karen seems far too intelligent for that. I think Karen knew exactly what she was doing. She was fully aware of the College’s views and could anticipate their response when she came fully “out of the closet”. Her dismissal creates a sensational story that paints her as a suffragette for the LGBTQI movement.

Karen and her partner have recently been married in the Uniting Church – where she really should have been all along.

A further point needs to be made regarding the right of religious organisations to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation. In last night’s “7.30 Report” program, the comment was made:

“It is unlawful to discriminate against someone on the basis of their colour, their age, their disability … but in relation to sexual orientation, different rules apply and religious institutions can do that.”

That comment is entirely accurate. Let me explain why religious organisations can do this.

Moral and ethical teachings are an integral component of the central tenets of any religion. They are where “the rubber hits the road”. For example, Christianity does not merely propose a set of ethereal theological concepts, but also provides very practical guidelines about how to live in a way that honours God. In particular, the moral teachings of evangelical Christianity are not optional extras, they are intrinsic to the evangelical view of the Bible as God’s inspired Word. Thus, it is entirely reasonable that an evangelical college should be allowed to employ only evangelical lecturers and reject those who do not hold an evangelical viewpoint. This is entirely appropriate discrimination.

This kind of discrimination is consistent with what happens in the rest of society. Businesses and organisations have the right to ensure that their employees adhere to the central ideologies of that organisation. For example, the liberal party has the right to reject membership applications from people who are raving communists. Similarly, an organisation that promotes gay rights has the right to reject prospective employees who disagree with the practice of homosexuality. This is only fair and reasonable.

What is not at all reasonable is that a practising lesbian should seek employment in an evangelical theological college and then express surprise when her employment is terminated following her ‘coming out’. There was clearly another agenda there from the very beginning.

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Kevin Simington (B.Th. Dip. Min.) is a theologian, apologist and social commentator. He is the author of 12 books, and his latest, “7 Reasons to Believe”, is now available. Connect with Kevin on Facebook or his SmartFaith Blog.

If I could speak with Troye Sivan

Troye Sivan Mellet is a major player in the music industry whose roots are significant for us in Oz. He describes them in this way in an interview with Adrianna Chaviva Freedman of the Forward newspaper which follows his interview in the New Yorker earlier this month.

He's 24, and Jewish, and gay, and an Australian! He grew up in Perth, in an Orthodox Jewish home and attended the only Jewish school there. For years he had a YouTube following much like a garage band back in the 60s, simple, beautiful sounds. He played "the shul circuit" and then burst much further since he came out 9 years ago. He now lives in Hollywood with his partner of 3 years.

He's a fascinating and complex young man with high energy, great creativity and depth.

Troye was born in Johannesburg, but moved to Perth when he was only two. He has three siblings, and his major musical influence was Amy Winehouse, another Jewish pop star, with whom I would have liked to have had a conversation. Troye co-wrote the song, "Seventeen" with Leland, and they spent months working on an episode and its followon with an older gay man. “I went out looking for love when I was seventeen / Maybe a little too young, but it was real to me.”

When the New Yorker asked him about his status as an icon, he downplayed his role. “I get really overwhelmed when I try to zoom out and get perspective on where I fit,” he said. “So my only response to that fear is to just ask myself, ‘Is this real? Is this genuine?’ And so, if that entails writing a love song or a sex song or a party song or a sad song, as long as it’s coming from a genuine place I try not to really question myself.” 

But zooming out and getting perspective is exactly what I would speak about with Troye. It has to do with mission, and reading the articles about him, it seems to be one of the things an older person, maybe even as old as me, could bring along to him. 

He seems to be a pensive, a deep thinker. Maybe that's from his training, or just the man God has made him to be. But I would hope he does "try to question" himself. Changes happen; life happens; what awaits us is what matters almost as much as what already happened. And we can control so much. Not the results of life, for life is out of our control, but many things we control based on our own decisions.  

After all, Troye gave permission to the two gay Jewish guys who had a proposal moment during his show in October last year. It didn't just happen; he allowed it. 

When 15-year-old Troye and his dad talked about changes in Judaism that might be significant, and his dad talked about homosexuality, that released Troye into 'coming out.' And that decision led to others, of course. Each decision's consequences are a result of that choice. Making good choices are required to make a good life. 

So with all that, what would I talk about with Troye?

1) When you say, "it was real to me," can you tell me more about your version or your perspective on reality? I would try to talk about what makes something real, and how reality is not only shaped by our impressions of it, but also by its own substance. Things are, even if I don't accept their ultimate existence. Things can be real even if I don't believe in them. 

2) He has a mad love for Nutella and a disdain for tomatoes. And hey, who doesn't like hazelnut? But I'd recommend he gets a taste for grilled tomatoes. Why? Tomatoes are the major dietary source of the antioxidant lycopene, which has been linked to many health benefits, including reduced risk of heart disease and cancer. They are also a great source of vitamin C, potassium, folate, and vitamin K. Check out this link for more. And what young man wants to ponder getting prostate cancer? Nobody, and if taking a few more bits of a South American tomato will lower that risk, so be it, eh?

3) Your YouTube from 2011 was early on, and you may not even believe this any longer, but you said you believed in the coming of Messiah, and though he tarried, you would wait for him. Do you still wait for him? Do you personally believe in the coming of Messiah? I do, and I did when I was your age, and your age when you made that video, too. But as a young Jewish man, I was very surprised to learn that Yeshua claimed to be that Messiah, and that he fulfilled the requirements to be that One. Maybe you will search this out as well?   

4) In fact, the changes you went through from Orthodox Jew to vanguard of pansexuality and Demi-icon in the rock and roll world would have raised eyebrows among your old mates in WA. That scandal you might have caused was worth it, don't you reckon? I wonder if you are ready to raise more eyebrows and come out as a Jew who is considering (I didn't say 'believing') if Jesus really is the Saviour? I mean, there are tens of thousands of us worldwide, even there in LA, and here in Sydney, and Israel and New York, who believe this, and who continue to live out our dreams and fill in with our own flair of life. I think you would do well with this. The #1 problem for most Jewish people in considering the possibility that Jesus might be our Messiah is the social ostracism, the rejection of our community. You well know how to handle that rejection and pain. 

Troye, if we could get a few minutes to speak, I'd be up for it. What about you?