The other day, I posted a tweet critiquing Frank Turek. I thought the gist of the critique was rather obvious. Tom Gilson did not think so, apparently, and so he posted a perplexed response asking what I was trying to do and whether I was just being “sarcastic.” What are you arguing for here, Randal? Obviously […]
homosexuality
Let’s Talk about Christianity and Same-Sex Relationships
Yesterday, I posted two short videos on this topic. ?
I’m Writing a Book on Christianity and Gay Marriage. Could I be Damned for It?
I hope to have my next book out in the fall in which I seek to provide an overview of the debate over gay marriage and the church. The goal is to explain how Christians can end up with very different affirming and non-affirming views. Some Christians believe that writing a book like that, that […]
William Lane Craig’s Homophobia
In this article, I’m going to respond to an article by William Lane Craig titled “A Christian Perspective on Homosexuality.” The article uses a range of terms that are generally rejected in current discourse including “homosexual,” “practicing homosexual,” and “homosexual lifestyle.” Any good apologist should know that good apologetics begins by avoiding causing unnecessary offense […]
Would Jesus have endorsed gay marriage?
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 […]
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 […]
