Can gays be christian
Is it REALLY ok to be LGBTQ? A stare behind and beyond the “clobber passage”
There’s a specify for what’s happening here: proof texting.
Theopodia defines proof texting as “the way by which a person appeals to a biblical text to prove or justify a theological position without regard for the context of the passage they are citing.”
If you hear someone say “the Bible says…” run in the other direction. The Bible says lots of things!
Here a not many things the Bible says:
That the Earth was covered in water when created until God formed country (Genesis 1:9) but also that the Earth was completely dry until God brought streams up and watered the planet (Genesis 2:5-6).
That God created animals first and then humans (Genesis 1) but also that God created Adam first, then animals, then Eve (Genesis 2).
That’s right, the Bible contradicts itself in the first two chapters!
“The Bible says” in Exodus and Deuteronomy that if a woman is raped her rapist must either marry her or pay her father (because he’s “damaged” the father’s “property”).
Paul says in 1 Thessalonians that Jesus will return in his retain lifetime (4:15-17).
So what does the Bible say?
The Bib
This may not be a huge surprise, but we obtain A LOT of questions via email, social media, and in person on Tuesdays. What caring of questions? Good, anything from, Should I get advocate together with my boyfriend or girlfriend? to What should I do next with my life? to How should I lovingly occupy those in the LGBTQ community?
In this blog series “Ask The Porch,” we’re answering real-life questions that we’ve received from you. Disclaimer: our highest priority is always to first respond with biblical counsel from God’s Word. The hardest questions to answer are those in the “grey” areas. So we’ll do our foremost to share our biblically-informed opinion, but know that we may have other convictions on the non-essentials (vs. the essentials).
Now, let’s dive into the ask for this week emailed in from an online listener:
Can a Christian be gay?
“Hey David,
I am a Christian and have struggled with same sex attraction since childhood. I would not long for it on anyone. It’s very tough being alone and longing for someone to hold hands with. I need the chance to love and hold someone love me back. I crave to live a life for God but I also don’t want to live on this earth alone.
The Bible and same sex relationships: A review article
Tim Keller, 2015
Vines, Matthew, God and the Male lover Christian: The Biblical Case in Support of Same Sex Relationships, Convergent Books, 2014
Wilson, Ken,A Letter to My Congregation, David Crum Media, 2014.
The relationship of homosexuality to Christianity is one of the main topics of discussion in our culture today. In the fall of last year I wrote a review of books by Wesley Hill and Sam Allberry that take the historic Christian view, in Hill’s words: “that homosexuality was not God’s original creative intention for humanity ... and therefore that homosexual practice goes against God’s express will for all human beings, especially those who faith in Christ.”
There are a number of other books that take the opposite view, namely that the Bible either allows for or supports same sex relationships. Over the last year or so I (and other pastors at Redeemer) have been regularly asked for responses to their arguments. The two most read volumes taking this position seem to be those by Matthew Vines and Ken Wilson. The review of these two books will be longer than usual because the topic is so contested today and, wh
Can Christians Be Gay?
This question is a powder keg—an extremely sensitive issue. If you have queer or bisexual tendencies, this is not just a theological debate, but speaks to the core of how you see yourself and how God views you.
The homosexual conversation impacts not just those who distinguish themselves as LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Pansexual, Transgender), but all of us. Regardless of whether you can relate with this struggle, you will have to sort through your own views on the topic. If you do not already, you will have a great friend or family member who is gay. You will have to create decisions about whether to go to a same-sex wedding, whether to include your daughter and her partner over for dinner, and whether to appear a church with a gay pastor.
Within the last decade, the Christian perspective on homosexuality has gone through a drastic turnaround. There has been no new scientific or theological discovery; many people have changed their minds about what they believe.
In today’s changing society, stating that homosexuality is anything but an acceptable lifestyle, approved by God, is seen as unloving, judgmental, hateful, and in some places, criminal. One of the most wonderful