Preston Sprinkle and Jeff Cook: A Debate about Homosexuality

Pastor Jeff Cook and I hosted a debate (or discussion) about homosexuality a month ago on my blog, and I’ve had several people ask for a “one stop” link for all the blogs. Therefore, I’ve included all the links to our discussion below, with a short description of what each post is about.

The overall purpose of this discussion was to model a better way for Christians to dialogue about homosexuality. Jeff and I are friends and we both love and honor each other. We also wanted to lay out two different views regarding homosexuality from an Evangelical perspective, so that the reader could wrestle with this important topic on their own.

So here are the 8 blogs we wrote on the topic:

Discussing Homosexuality: A Better Way
This joint-post articulates Preston and Jeff’s motives and goals for the dialogue.

The New Testament and Gay Sex
This is Jeff’s opening post. In it, he articulates through the lens of virtue ethics why he affirms consensual same-sex marriages.

Don’t Push the Ladder: A Response to Jeff Cook about Gay Sex
This is Preston’s response to Jeff’s opening post. Here, Preston questions whether deontological and virtue ethics should be mutually exclusive.

The Target and the Rules
Jeff responds to Preston’s response. Jeff argues that deontological and virtue ethics are actually at odds and that the New Testament embraces a virtue ethic over and against a deontological ethic.

The Sin “of” Homosexuality
Preston gives his opening post regarding why he embraces a non-affirming position. Preston also challenges the non-affirming camp to love LGBTQ people much more aggressively.

Gay Sex: What is Paul Cranked up About?
Jeff argues again that the goal of the moral life is to live out the virtues that God prescribes, and therefore consensual, monogamous, faithful gay relations cannot be condemned by the New Testament.

Did Moses Get it Wrong?
Preston pushes back regarding Jeff’s statement that Moses was wrong in his prohibitions regarding same-sex relations in Lev 18:22 and 20:13

The New Testament and Same-Sex Relations
Both Jeff and Preston conclude with a joint post summarizing where they agree and they challenge the church to do a better job in how it discusses issues related to the Bible and homosexuality.