Jesus never talks about same-sex relationships, but he does talk about marriage (e.g. Matthew 19:1-10, Mark 10:1-12). And when he describes marriage, he always does so within the context of an indissoluble male/female covenantal bond. His understanding of the indissolubility aspect is an important topic in the conversation, But here I want to focus on […]
homosexuality
The Sin of Empathy and Sexual Ethics
I was recently asked to respond to a new teaching popular in some Reformed circles according to which empathy is a sin. The article that provides the basis for my understanding of this teaching is titled “Have you heard the one about empathy being a sin?” The author, Mark Wingfield, is attempting to summarize the […]
Ravi Zacharias on Homosexuality: A Critical Response
In this video, I consider Ravi Zacharias’ response to a question about homosexuality. In my response, I argue that Mr. Zacharias offered a non-answer to the specific question that was asked. I also argue that he framed the issue poorly and I offer an interpretation of the question that I believe is more sympathetic to […]
If Hypocrisy were an Olympic Sport, Evangelicals would get the Gold
Like most folks, I am sick unto death of pointing out the morally vapid hypocrisy of American evangelicals when it comes to Donald Trump, but I can’t resist responding to this tweet from Michael Brown: Call me a homophobic bigot, but I'll say it anyway. Choosing an out & proud "married" gay man to run […]
Is Franklin Graham a bigot or a victim?
Franklin Graham is scrambling to reschedule venues for his upcoming evangelistic tour of Britain. All the venues he had booked have since canceled because of his stance LGBT people and his view that gay marriage is an abomination. From the perspective of LGBT advocates, Graham’s stance is no different than a person who calls interracial […]
Some Thoughts on the Bennett/Lee Dialogue on Gay Christianity
These brief ruminations are offered in response to the latest episode of Unbelievable featuring a dialogue between David Bennett and Justin Lee. Bennett and Lee are both gay, but Bennett insists that celibacy is the only morally acceptable option for the gay Christian while Lee insists that the gay Christian can pursue monogamous samesex relationships. […]
A Review of Blue Babies Pink: A Southern Coming Out Story
There is an idea, popular among evangelicals, that Christian theology is simply a matter of counting Bible verses. While that simple notion has had a major impact on evangelicalism — for example, it’s the basic method of Wayne Grudem’s bewilderingly popular and very bad textbook Systematic Theology — it is based on a myth. Theology and doctrine […]
Catholics are now trying to link the problem of child-molesting priests to same-sex attraction. Don’t let them.
The Pennsylvania Grand Jury Report is an 800-page study of the systemic rape and molestation of children on an industrial scale by hundreds of Catholic priests over decades in the state of Pennsylvania. The horrors include beating and raping children, making child pornography, hitting children with whips, forcing children to commit sexual acts on priests, and […]
Are Gay People More Likely to be Pedophiles?
Christians have long associated homosexuality with pedophilia. In an article titled “Facts About Homosexuality and Child Molestation,” Gregory Herek (Professor of Psychology at UC, Davis) observes that this kind of association is part of a common pattern of marginalizing outgroups: “Members of disliked minority groups are often stereotyped as representing a danger to the majority’s most […]
Does the Bible condemn same-sex relationships? A Response to Michael Brown (Part 3)
In this article, I continue my response to Michael Brown’s response to my review of his book Can You Be Gay and Christian? For starters, here is the link to the third part of my review of Brown’s book. In this section of my review, I explore the position that I call, for lack of a […]
Are same-sex relations and menstrual intercourse moral abominations? A Response to Michael Brown (Part 2)
In this article, I continue my response to Michael Brown’s response to my review of Brown’s book Can You Be Gay and Christian? The topic in this installment is Brown’s response to the second part of my review. (You can read that part of my review here.) Let me begin with a quick summary of the claim […]
Gay-Affirming Christians and Charismatics: A response to Michael Brown (Part 1a)
I didn’t quite get through my response to the first part of Michael Brown’s rejoinder in my previous article, hence the continuation of part 1 in this article. In my original review, I noted that Brown attempts to argue that gay-affirming Christians errantly allow their experience to shape their reading of the Bible and understanding […]
Is gay culture necessarily promiscuous? A response to Michael Brown (Part 1)
A few years ago, I posted a four-part review of Dr. Michael Brown’s book Can You Be Gay and Christian? A couple of weeks ago, on June 11th, Brown responded to my review on his nationally-syndicated radio show The Line of Fire. He later stipulated to me that he intends to offer a fuller response to my review in […]
Should evangelicals be denied the right to adopt?
Today the courts in Alberta reversed a decision that denied an evangelical Christian couple the right to adopt a child based on their views of gender and sexuality. Initially, it all seemed very promising. Government workers had provisionally concluded that the couple would provide a stable and loving home for a child. (Notably, the couple […]
