The Hallmark Channel has a reputation for producing movies that social conservatives find wholesome. Not surprisingly, these movies get satirized by cynical Hollywood. Consider, for example, this 2017 satire courtesy of Saturday Night Live: (Yes, it is true that SNL is in New York while the Hallmark Channel is actually headquartered in, ahem, Studio City, California. […]
sexual ethics
Will there be sex in heaven?
I recently received an emailed question asking whether there will be sexual intercourse in the new heavens and new earth. While I have never undertaken a systematic study of the question, the standard response among theologians has been no. But why? So far as I can see, one can attribute this response to the following […]
Would Jesus want you to stay married to a psychopath?
This morning, I tweeted the following survey: Clinical psychopaths are manipulative anti-social narcissists who are incapable of experiencing love or empathy. The condition is untreatable. If you came to believe your friend was married to a non-violent psychopath, would you support your friend divorcing that individual? — Tentative Apologist (@RandalRauser) July 27, 2018 As of […]
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 […]
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 […]
Is marriage just for males and females?
This afternoon, Michael Brown posted the following tweet promoting a short (6-minute) video addressing the topic “Can You Be Gay and Christian?” It doesn't take a rocket scientist to recognize that males were designed for females and females for males. Our Creator knew exactly what He was doing. We illustrate it clearly here: https://t.co/aFa8LNL8nf — […]
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 […]
Let’s Talk About Sex … and Porn
The latest edition of Unbelievable delves into the topic “Is porn harmful to society?” The conversation featured pro-porn advocates Charlotte Rose, a “sexual freedom campaigner,” and Adam Scarborough from “the Campaign Against Censorship.” And speaking against porn we have my friend Matt Fradd, author of the new book The Porn Myth: Exposing the Reality Behind the Fantasy […]
Gender and Sexuality Any Damn Way You Please?
It looks like I’m back using tweets as a catalyst for discussion. This tweet appeared as a retweet in my feed the other day: Raise a glass to presenting gender and sexuality any damn way you please pic.twitter.com/114xx72j0w — aging quickly (@anyharder) December 26, 2016 Wow, this single tweet has more retweets and likes than […]
What does gay marriage have to do with packing Christmas boxes?
A growing number of Christian parachurch ministries are demanding that their paid employees and volunteers denounce homosexuality and gay marriage. For example, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship (IVCF) recently attracted international attention with its request that all its employees who do not affirm its traditional prohibition on same-sex relationships voluntarily resign from the ministry (Source). It seems […]
Which is a bigger threat to the church: homosexuality or greed?
In 1 Corinthians 6 Paul describes several habituated behaviors that he warns will keep people from God’s kingdom: 9 Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards […]
A Quick Review of the Gagnon-Kirk Debate on Homosexuality
I have followed the debates over homosexuality and the church for some time now. Frankly, it’s difficult not to given that the furor over homosexuality is turning churches against one another and rending denominations into pieces. While I strive to approach all matters with an air of detached objectivity, I must say that in the formal debates […]
Can you be Gay and Christian? A review (Part 4): Can you be remarried and Christian?
Michael L. Brown. Can You Be Gay and Christian? Responding with Love & Truth to Questions about Homosexuality. Lake Mary, FL: FrontLine, 2014, 286 pp. In this final installment of the review we’re going to turn to the title of Brown’s book, “Can you be Gay and Christian?” For many people, this is the most important […]
