“God and the Gay Christian” Today’s changes will redirect the anti gay talk in the Church

                                                                            

Would the title of this posting become true? I hope so. A few years ago I would have said no because there has been already books and many seminarians saying pretty much what this book says. 

Back in 2000 I sat with my ex-partners’ pastor on our dining room table and I argued every passage in the bible that homophobes and confused or just bias Christians have been using  as an excuse (while ignoring other materials there) to condemn same sex couples. At the end of that discussion and as he tried to explained and I rebutted him and vice versa he said to us, “I think you are right but Im not wrong” How can that be I asked. He said his congregation was not ready to accept homosexuals no matter what the bible said and he was paid to enforce the code of his church so he had to go by his congregation’s thoughts on this. He apologized because a few months ago my partner had been fired from the church with just a phone call from this pastor as soon as he heard he had come out gay. He asked if it was true and that’s all it took. I knew better and I knew he was entitled to a trial and I figured I had the credentials to defend him in his church but they did not want that. The phone call was all he got. 

I fired a letter to him calling him a coward for doing it this way and I invited him to come to us with any members of his church and talk it over coffee and the scriptures. To my surprised he showed by himself one day. So after all the talk and cordial argument it was left  to the church members being disgusted  against gays not on the bible but on what they thought they knew about it.

I’ve always known that hate, homophobia and bias against gays is not something that can honestly be defended by the bible. It’s always been the music that they give it to the scriptures that makes the dance, not the words. The bible condemns many things but for christians there is exception no matter what you are. If the bible tells you not to do something like eat shell fish, that’s too hard it’s easier to take it on gays. Being straight it’s an easy thing to be if you are straight.

What has change to make things happen?

What is change is the way americans and the world receive information. Anybody with enough time can find out what the truth is on most subjects. Anyone with a computer and know how can find truthful direct information with out the middle men involved. Not too long ago someone could and did get on the air of any TV or cable station and would say that gays are everything from thieves to child molesters. Cannot even be trusted to shoot a rifle to be a soldier. Anybody can also now compare with what ever crazy claims are being made being given attribution to the bible. Before to know if it was true you had to get the type of bible or edition this individual was supposed to have used to come up with the information and then, good luck in trying to find a particular set of words in the bible without having to spent hours searching to find out those quotes are made up.  Not so anymore. 

You google what ever you want and the only job is to verify that is not the Onion or similar made up information group putting out the results you get. Also with people finding out who gay people really are (their neighbors, cops, teachers and sons and daughters) you can’t just start slandering  this bunch of millions of people on public airwaves. Besides don’t be telling the parents of a son who already came out that he likes to molest little girls, boys, donkeys. You can’t get away with that stuff anymore, unless you are in Russia and then we know that Russia is always lived by the truth their leaders tell them even if they are lies.

Once the american people changed their mind with the help of a new generation of smart savvy young people, lies and useless, dangerous traditions are no longer popular. The remainder is the church and some eternal homophobes. With these changes in place, the church now might be able to listen to reason. It might be painful at first but it just has to happen for them to survive.  All religious denominations had to grow thru changes as the world change so their will. Like that pastor told my ex and myself, If the church believes in something I am being paid to help them and direct them on their believes. Nothing to do with the bible. Some orthodox jews will tell you, what they do it’s not written in any scriptures but in tradition. Passed through the generations. Traditions are habits in this case bad, unfair old habits, it’s time they learn new ones.
Adam Gonzalez, publisher
adamfoxie blog International

                                                                       

"The Bible never directly addresses, and it certainly does not condemn, loving, committed same-sex relationships. There is no biblical teaching about sexual orientation, nor is there any call to lifelong celibacy for gay people," Vines – now founder of The Reformation Project, which seeks to reform church teachings on sexual orientation – maintained.

God and the Gay Christian was released Tuesday. The publisher, Convergent Books,  says that the book will "radically change the conversation about being gay in the church."

In an article on Monday in The Wichita Eagle, Vines says that his message is not that change in the church is inevitable, but that it is possible.

"My message is that change is possible. I think it's only really possible with the right biblical approach to arguments. That's what the book is all about. But once you have that, it's going to take a tremendous amount of persistence and effort and determination and grit for years to make that happen. But I'm convinced that it's possible," the author states.

"I want the Christian church to be an effective, authentic witness of God's love to the world," he adds. "That's what most Christians want, too."

Several Southern Baptists have released reviews or critiques of the new book. The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President R. Albert Mohler Jr. and his colleagues released on Tuesday an e-book, titled God and the Gay Christian? A Response to Matthew Vines.

Mohler told Southern Seminary News that many people may believe Vines' "treatment of the Bible is legitimate."

"I think that it's very important that evangelicals be reminded that the church has not misunderstood Scripture for 2,000 years," he said.

While Mohler is offering a 100-page critique, Walker has provided a more brief review, summarizing Vines' arguments and his response in nine pages.

"If I was to condense the substance of Vines' book, here's what is happening: Vines has compiled liberal biblical scholarship and popularized it for a non-technical audience," Walker sums. "Let me be clear: Vines is not advancing new arguments. In fact, his work draws largely from existing gay-affirming scholarship. Vines is making liberal scholarship accessible for common audiences and then compounding its effect by bringing in the emotionally laden context of our times."

Aware that Vines may read his review, Walker says the first thing he would do is tell Vines that he loves him and that he deserves dignity and respect.

"I would apologize to him for what I can only assume are the countless insensitivities and insults he's experienced as a same-sex attracted person. I would also apologize to Matthew for the pat, unhelpful answers and rejection he's received from Christians who don't know how to speak about homosexuality."

He adds, however, that he would also tell Vines that he has been "deceived."

"He's believed the lie that homosexuality will prosper his life."

He says he would also "implore Matthew to repent of a book designed to cast a shadow of suspicion and doubt about the Scripture's teaching on sexuality;" and "exhort him to a path of discipleship with incalculable unknowns – unknown difficulties I will not experience and can only sympathize with. But I will commend him to set his desires before the cross, knowing that Jesus is better than any desire we think needs satisfied; that Jesus is better than marriage, than children, than sexual fulfillment itself.”

 STOYAN ZAIMOV
on
Andrew Walker’s new book