Chirstians raised by gay parents desiring god
Is the gospel good news for gay people? This is Part 1 of a two-part post about what Equip believes, why we hold those opinions, and what the Church should do differently.
Many churches seem to teach that the God of the Bible is not for gay people (or even hates gay people). At best, churches are silent about gay people. Those with a more revisionist sexual ethic argue that the Bible—or at least how we’ve read the Bible for the past 2,000 years—is bad news for gay people. Our churches and communities would lead us to consider that God’s teachings are bad news for sexual minorities. Is the gospel actually good news for gay people?
In the most extensive study of LGBT+ people and the Church, Andrew Marin’s book Us Versus Us reveals that of the 22.4 million LGBT+ people in the US, 19.3 million (86%) grew up in church. Of those, 10.4 million LGBT+ people have left the faith—that’s 54% of LGBT+ people who grew up in the Church.
Gay teens are 5 times more likely to seek suicide than their peers. LGBT+ youth who speak religion is important to them are 38% more likely to be suicidal than their non-religious LGBT+ peers, suggesting that homophobic religious beliefs increase teens’ vul
Did Jesus Desire to NOT do Something His Father Commanded in the Garden of Gethsemane?
A Response to Matthew Lee Anderson and Revoice
Introduction
Matthew Lee Anderson recently received his PhD from Oxford University in Christian Ethics and is on the Advisory Council of Revoice. Revoice’s mission utterance is, “To support and encourage gay, lesbian, bisexual, and other same-sex attracted Christians—as good as those who devote them—so that all in the Church might be empowered to live in gospel cohesion while observing the historic Christian doctrine of marriage and sexuality.”[1] One of the main arguments that Revoice makes is that actualized same-sex sexual attraction is sin and actualized same-sex attraction is not sin. “Being Gay is good” according to Revoice leaders, if one turns his same-sex attraction to holiness and does not commit “actual sin.” In order to make such arguments, Revoice contends, hostile to the Reformers, their confessions, and theological descendants (see my dissertation), that inner temptation is not sin. Anderson uses this argument when he writes that Jesus, in the Garden of Gethsemane, “seems to desire to not do something his Father commands.”[2]
A Reformed Theological Case for Same-Sex Marriage
Today marks one decade since I came out publicly for the first time.
It has been a long journey with many emotional moments—from crying in my car with next to friends on my university campus to growing to approve who I am today. But it’s also been a journey into greater knowledge of Scripture—growing a deeper appreciation for who God is and how Reformed theology shapes our view of our world.
This essay marks a milestone in that journey. Too often the debate over lgbtq+ marriage is reduced to trying to sidestep a not many tangential passages or throwing everything against the wall to see what sticks. Instead, we require a comprehensive Reformed theology of marriage that honors the full arc of Scripture from creation to eschaton.
I will be the first to admit that I do not have formal theological training. However, the Christian Reformed Church has been derelict in its duty to engage the modern arguments on same-sex marriage in good faith. Pastors and office-bearers who have questions about the merits of our position are now banned from asking them. And LGBTQ individuals appreciate myself have been abandoned to sort through the patchwork of mo
Thomas and Matt met at work, and two years later commemorated their pledge with a wedding. They had a son through surrogacy (Matt was the biological father), and lovingly co-parented. Then, a spiritual earthquake. The Holy Soul interrupted Matt’s years of denying what he knew in his heart: this same-sex marriage wasn’t okay with God. He awakened afresh to childhood faith about God’s love and holiness and painfully realized that this relationship was outside of God’s design; it was sinful. Thomas raged and cried when Matt shared his invigorated faith and the require to radically change their relationship.
Chris and Anne related deeply while serving in ministry together. After Anne’s divorce, the two became lovers. For twenty years, they shared all of life: a home, finances, and active involvement in the local LGBTQ community—their family since their retain had rejected them. However, throughout the years, Chris knew her decisions weren’t right in God’s sight. Like Matt, she shoved those angsty thoughts down. Then, one morning, “The Spirit jolted me: ‘It’s time to get out!’” And get out, she did. Detaching from her former life led her down a two-year drawn-out path of repentance