This is the fourth and final post in a series arguing for the legitimacy of LGBTQ relationships from a Christian perspective. It relies on the positive case established in the previous three posts. If you have not read them yet, please do so before reading this one. Christians who claim that LGBTQ relationships are inherently sinful usually do so on the basis of a handful of texts in scripture, often referred to as the “clobber passages”: Genesis 1:27, 2:24, 5:2,... Read more
More than two centuries ago, the founding fathers of the United States signed a document known as the “Declaration of Independence,” making official the American colonies’ break from Great Britain. The colonists believed they were justified in this action—along with the bloody conflict itself—due to an increase in taxes without sufficient representation. In fact, many of them were convinced that God was on their side in the war for independence from their oppressors. Let the revolution begin! A similar situation... Read more
This is the third post in a series arguing for the legitimacy of LGBTQ relationships from a Christian perspective. The previous posts lay the foundation for having this conversation and consider the overall view of marriage in the Bible. If you have not read them yet, please do so before reading this one. As Christians, we do not live under long lists of rules and obligations. We have only two laws: love God with all your heart and soul and... Read more
This is the second post in a series arguing for the legitimacy of LGBTQ relationships from a Christian perspective. The previous post lays the foundation for having this conversation. If you have not read it yet, please do so before reading this one. In the second chapter of Genesis, God observes the first problem in his creation, “It is not good for the man to be alone;” and he provides a solution, “I shall make a partner suited to him”... Read more
My wife and I recently celebrated our fourth anniversary. These past four and a half years (including our time together before the wedding) have been the most incredible of my existence. She and I have enriched each other’s lives in ways we never knew possible. And it only gets better every day. I can’t imagine denying anyone the right to pursue such a relationship. But let me back up. I’m about to venture into a topic about which I am... Read more
For several years now, I’ve been straddling the fence in response to you, my LGBTQ sisters and brothers. I’ve tried my best to love you. To treat you with dignity and respect. To support you in opposition to those who would seek your harm. But I’ve not yet gotten around to actually affirming you. I have dozens of excuses, but it mostly boils down to fear. For some reason, I’m still afraid about what some of my friends and followers... Read more
We all recognize that there is supposed to be more to this Christianity thing than singing songs, saying prayers, and talking about God. We see in the Gospels a Jesus who calls his disciples to radically changed lives. Yet our teachers, preachers, and spiritual guides tend to fall into one of two extremes. They either downplay the wild side of Jesus—merely adding Christian theology to our comfortable lives—or they embrace the wild Jesus so wholeheartedly that few there be who... Read more
I’ve long enjoyed discussions and debates with my friend Jeremy Myers on his blog and on Facebook. He’s played a big part in my own journey, and I’m thrilled to share his latest book with you now. In The Atonement of God, Jeremy examines what it means that Jesus died for our sins. Many different theories attempt to explain how Jesus’ death secured our salvation, but as Jeremy shows, they can mostly be divided into either violent or non-violent views... Read more
The Africa Study Bible is a project being completed in partnership with Tyndale House and Oasis International. The idea is to support Africans in making their own study Bible, containing notes written entirely by Africans, designed specifically for their cultural context. It promises a fair amount of diversity, with male and female contributors making up “350 writers and editors from 40 African countries and representing 50 denominations.” I love their vision, and I pray that this study Bible will indeed... Read more
If I had a nickel for every time I’ve witnessed an inerrantist accuse someone of Marcionism for denying inerrancy… This is an absurd claim based on a gross distortion of history, but somehow the claim persists. So it’s time to set the record straight. To that end, I’ve compiled a list of Marcion’s major teachings—for which he was condemned as a heretic—and I’ve contrasted them with what “we” believe. By “we” I mean myself, along any number of other perfectly... Read more
Hippie Heretic
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