God and the Gay Christian

Posted on 27 April 2017 by Matthew Vines

As a young Christian man, Matthew Vines harbored the same basic hopes of most young people to some day share his life with someone, to build a family of his own, to give and receive love But when he realized he was gay, those hopes were called into question The Bible, he d been taught, condemned gay relationships Feeling the tension between his understanding of the Bible and the reality of his same sex orientation, Vines devoted years of intensive research into what the Bible says about homosexuality With care and precision, Vines asked questions such as Do biblical teachings on the marriage covenant preclude same sex marriage or not How should we apply the teachings of Jesus to the gay debate What does the story of Sodom and Gomorrah really say about human relationships Can celibacy be a calling when it is mandated, not chosen What did Paul have in mind when he warned against same sex relations Unique in its affirmation of both an orthodox faith and sexual diversity, God and the Gay Christian is likely to spark heated debate, sincere soul search ing, even widespread cultural change Not only is it a compelling interpretation of key biblical texts about same sex relations, it is also the story of a young man navigating relationships with his family, his hometown church, and the Christian church at large as he expresses what it means to be a faithful gay Christian. Read God and the Gay Christian – kino-fada.fr Firstly and as usual I received this book free in exchange for a review Also as usual I give my absolutely candid opinions about it below To start, it should be noted that I m not a Christian nor even remotely religious I will review this book from an entirely secular viewpoint This will, I suspect, be a fairly unique approach to this preeminently controversial book.As a secularist, I can t really say much about this book aside from noting how well it seems to argue its point In that regard Firstly and as usual I received this book free in exchange for a review Also as usual I give my absolutely candid opinions about it below To start, it should be noted that I m not a Christian nor even remotely religious I will review this book from an entirely secular viewpoint This will, I suspect, be a fairly unique approach to this preeminently controversial book.As a secularist, I can t really say much about this book aside fr...Imagine someone claiming that, while he is committed to a high view of Scripture, the Bible doesn t really condemn adultery or polygamy When, in the New Testament, Jesus affirms the Old Testament institution of marriage between one man and one woman, what he is talking about is commitment to that one person whenever you are with that person But there is nothing that prohibits you from sharing that love, including sexual love, with someone else when you are with that other person Yes, Paul s Imagine someone claiming that, while he is committed to a high view of Scripture, the Bible doesn t really condemn adultery or polygamy When, in the New Testament, Jesus affirms the Old Testament inst...Much has already been written about the Vines book Here is a quick assessment The book is winsomely written and claims to be guided by evangelical sensibilities That is, the author claims to respect the authority of Scripture But claims to respecting the authority of Scripture are proven in the exegesis, not in their mere assertion The proof, as they say, is in the pudding.Vines strategy is to argue that the proof of genuineness and faithfulness is in the fruit of the truth claim citing J Much has already been written about the Vines book Here is a quick assessment The book is winsomely written and claims to be guided by evangelical sensibilities That is, the author claims to respect the authority of Scripture But claims to respecting the authority of Scripture are proven in the exegesis, not in their mere assertion The proof, as they say, is in the pudding.Vines strategy is to argue that the proof of genuineness and faithfulness is in the fruit of the truth claim citing Jesus admonition to recognize a false teacher by his fruits He then argues that gay Christians have been tormented by the truth claims of non affirming Christians i.e., those Christians who do not affirm of homosexual marriage He uses stories of depression and suicide to make his case This is an effective way to argue in our culture, but it is really just an appeal to emotion F...This book offers a theologically conservative and biblically rigorous basis for a Christian faith that arrives at the following conclusion Christians who affirm the full authority of Scripture can also affirm committed, monogamous same sex relationships p.3 It is apparent that the author of this book identifies with a Christian theology that most people would classify as sincerely conservative but arrives at a position on same sex relationships that is generally considered to be progressive This book offers a theologically conservative and biblically rigorous basis for a Christian faith that arrives at the following conclusion Christians who affirm the full authority of Scripture can also affirm committed, monogamous same sex relationships p.3 It is apparent that the author of t...Where do I start Matthew Vines, as a gay Conservative Christian man, carefully and courageously invites The Reader into a daring journey seeing Scripture in a new light He refrains from condescension, passive aggression and straight up insults which sadly have become a hallmark in such debates He is reverent of Scripture, thoughtful of The Reader, and passionately in love with Jesus Christ In terms of readability, I would feel safe giving copies of Vines book to Grade 11 or 12 students His Where do I start Matthew Vines, as a gay Conservative Christian man, carefully and courageously invites The Reader into a daring journey seeing Scripture in a new light He refrains from condescension, passive aggression and straight up insults which sadly have become a hallmark in such debates He is reverent of Scripture, thoughtful of The Reader, and passionately in love with Jesus Christ In t...I was initially unsure whether I needed this book as I already have Justin Lee s Torn, which approaches the questions from the same basic theological framework After reading God and the Gay Christian, I am glad I made the purchase Vines summaries of the Greco Roman sex ethic and patriarchal structure of the ancient world are the best I ve seen outside academic writing The chapters directly addressing the pertinent biblical passages are very well argued, and I have yet to see anything from th I was initially unsure whether I needed this book as I already have Justin Lee s Torn, which approaches the questions from the same basic theological framework After reading God and the Gay Christian, I am glad I made the purchase Vines summaries of the Greco Roman sex ethic and patr...Matthew Vines hermeneutic hasholes than swiss cheese This is a great book if you are looking for a reason to validate homosexual practices and you don t really care about careful exegesis.3.5 out of 5 starsThe good Matthew Vines is a passionate Bible believing Evangelical Christian my words perception , and he used his passion for scripture and God s calling on his life to pursue true freedom and peace not only for himself, but other LGBTQ people in and out of the church How he views scripture at least at the time of publication is, his words, with a high view So I guess I would put the overall stance toward scripture in this book as inerrancy literalist, but it is defin 3.5 out of 5 starsThe good Matthew Vines is a passionate Bible believing Evangelical Christian my words perception , and he used his passion for scripture and God s calling on his life to pursue true freedom and peace not only for himself, but other LGBTQ people in and out of the church How he views scripture at least at the time of publication is,...Last month I read another book of the same topic but with a differing view I couldn t get both books read in one month so I continued the exploration of this controversial topic this month For my thoughts on last month s read of this same topic search for Same Sex Marriage by Sean McDowell and John Stonestreet.While Vines doesn t make any claims that his book is a thoughtful approach to same sex relationships, it i...Based on the reviews I ve read, this book has been polarizing My own assessment is that it s a very worthwhile book for the average Christian to read No, Vines does not really make any new scholarly arguments in favor of homosexuality on the basis of the Bible He doesn t claim to He is interested in relating some of the many arguments he has come across in his studies, and he s a gifted communicator I read some of the scholarly source material for Vines book while in grad school, and I can Based on the reviews I ve read, this book has been polarizing My own assessment is ...

English
27 April 2017

Matthew Vines