Can we be gay and be a christian
Can Someone Be Queer and Be a Christian?
Welcome friends in the room, friends in Fort Worth, Houston, El Paso, Cedar Park, Spring, wherever you are joining or listening from as we continue this series, Asking for a Friend. Hey, rapid PSA. Tonight's topic is mature content, so if you have children with you in the room, this would probably be a good time to head to Sonic or some other place, or if you're listening at a future go out, this would be a time for you to probably hit "pause" and listen to it yourself.
I'm going to start with a little bit of a story. Recently, I have been in preparation for a talk we may give at a future go out inside of this series or at least at some point in The Porch. In a number of unlike conversations, I've commended, as I lounge in a circle and have these conversations, a heightened sensitivity as I approach it. It's a conversation about race. Race is a huge issue inside of our culture right now, and just the conversation about, "How does the church play a role in bringing healing to an area where it seems like society is further getting divided, and how undertake we be a part of that?"
As I've sat in conversations in circles with people and we try to li
The Bible and same sex relationships: A review article
Tim Keller, 2015
Vines, Matthew, God and the Gay 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 artistic intention for humanity ... and therefore that queer practice goes against God’s express will for all human beings, especially those who trust 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
Is it REALLY ok to be LGBTQ? A look behind and beyond the “clobber passage”
There’s a name for what’s happening here: proof texting.
Theopodia defines proof texting as “the method 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 tell “the Bible says…” run in the other direction. The Bible says lots of things!
Here a rare things the Bible says:
That the Ground was covered in water when created until God formed land (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 give back in his hold lifetime (4:15-17).
So what does the Bible say?
The Bib
This may not be a huge surprise, but we receive A LOT of questions via email, social media, and in person on Tuesdays. What courteous of questions? Well, anything from, Should I acquire back together with my boyfriend or girlfriend? to What should I act next with my life? to How should I lovingly engage 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 best to share our biblically-informed opinion, but grasp that we may hold different convictions on the non-essentials (vs. the essentials).
Now, let’s dive into the question for this week emailed in from an online listener:
Can a Christian be gay?
“Hey David,
I am a Christian and acquire struggled with same sex attraction since childhood. I would not wish it on anyone. It’s very hard being alone and longing for someone to hold hands with. I want the chance to love and have someone love me back. I want to live a life for God but I also don’t yearn to live on this earth alone.
The Case Against Christians Attending a Gay Wedding
The case against Christians attending a gay wedding is relatively straightforward. We can lay out the case in three premises and a conclusion.
The Argument
Premise 1: Homosexual “marriage” is not marriage.
No matter what a government may sanction, the biblical definition of marriage (see Gen. 2:18–25, Mal. 2:13–15, Matt. 19:4–6; Eph. 5:22–33) involves a man and a woman. I won’t belabor the point, because I assume in this post that I’m speaking to those who concur with the Westminster Confession of Faith when it says, “Marriage is to be between one male and one woman” (WCF 24.1). Gay “marriage” is not only an offense to God—sanctioning a caring of sexual activity that the Bible condemns (Lev. 18:22; 20:13; Rom. 1:24–27; 1 Cor. 6:9–10; 1 Tim. 1:9–10)—gay “marriage” does not actually exist.
Premise 2: A gay wedding celebrates and solemnizes a lie.
Whether the service is done in a church or in a reception hall, whether it is meant to be a Christian service or a secular commitment ceremony, a same-sex attracted wedding declares what is false to be accurate and calls evil good.
Premise 3: Attendance at a gay wedding bears general witness to t