Reformation or Revolution? A Review of God and the Gay Christian | Canon and Culture

Imagine a book with a thesis that calls into question 2,000 years of established Christian theology and biblical exegesis. It recasts basic principles of biblical anthropology and human embodiment. It also puts two millennia of faithful obedience to divine revelation on the side of injustice and ignorance. Now, Christians are accustomed to either non-Christians or liberal Christians making claims of this nature, but not from individuals supposedly nestled confidently within the evangelical camp.

This week a book making such claims is hitting bookshelves written by a young author named Matthew Vines.

Reformation or Revolution? A Review of God and the Gay Christian | Canon and Culture

God, the Gospel, and the Gay Challenge — A Response to Matthew Vines – AlbertMohler.com

Evangelical Christians in the United States now face an inevitable moment of decision. While Christians in other movements and in other nations face similar questions, the question of homosexuality now presents evangelicals in the United States with a decision that cannot be avoided. Within a very short time, we will know where everyone stands on this question. There will be no place to hide, and there will be no way to remain silent. To be silent will answer the question.

The question is whether evangelicals will remain true to the teachings of Scripture and the unbroken teaching of the Christian church for over two thousand years on the morality of same-sex acts and the institution of marriage.

The world is pressing this question upon us, but so are a number of voices from within the larger evangelical circle —  MORE:

God, the Gospel, and the Gay Challenge — A Response to Matthew Vines – AlbertMohler.com

The Fault Lines Before the Evangelical Earthquake – Trevin Wax

The recent controversy surrounding World Vision USA’s decision to open employment to same-sex couples and the organization’s subsequent reversal reveals the fault lines in evangelicalism today.

For the evangelicals distraught by World Vision’s initial decision, the controversy was never about the legitimacy or worthiness of people with differing views of marriage doing good work around the world. We should applaud good deeds of relief and compassion wherever we see them and wherever they come from. No, this particular controversy was about the meaning of evangelical.

Can an institution with an historic evangelical identity be divided on an issue as central as marriage and family and still be evangelical? Related to this discussion are questions about the authority and interpretation of Scripture, cultural engagement, and institutional power. All sides of the debate recognize that the definition of evangelical is at stake, which is why some are now publicly casting off the term altogether.

More:

The Fault Lines Before the Evangelical Earthquake – Trevin Wax

World Vision Reverses Decision To Hire Christians... | Christianity Today

Only two days after announcing it would hire Christians in same-sex marriages, World Vision U.S. has reversed its ground-breaking decision after weathering intense criticism from evangelical leaders.

"The last couple of days have been painful," president Richard Stearns told reporters this evening. "We feel pain and a broken heart for the confusion we caused for many friends who saw this policy change as a strong reversal of World Vision's commitment to biblical authority, which it was not intended to be."

MORE: World Vision Reverses Decision To Hire Christians... | Christianity Today

Refusing to Photograph a Gay Wedding Isn't Hateful | Denny BurkDenny Burk

Conor Friedersdorf does not agree with Christian views on sexuality. He doesn’t think homosexuality or premarital sex is a sin. He supports legal gay marriage. Nevertheless, he believes it is wrong to accuse Christian business owners of being bigots for refusing to participate in gay weddings. He also defends Ross Douthat against such ugly accusations. Writing for The Atlantic, Friedersdorf argues that “Refusing to Photograph a Gay Wedding Isn’t Hateful.”


This is the kind of fair-mindedness that I hope we see more of from the other side of this debate. It seems that voices like his are becoming fewer and fewer. In the excerpt below, notice once again that the Christian photographer was happy to photograph gay people. She just didn’t want to participate in a same-sex wedding ceremony. Friedersdorf writes:

 MORE: Refusing to Photograph a Gay Wedding Isn't Hateful | Denny BurkDenny Burk

What will be the terms of our surrender? | Denny BurkDenny Burk

Ross Douthat has penned what I believe to be the most insightful analysis of what has happened in our country over the last week. He correctly observes that the debate over gay marriage in our country is all but over. Despite some regional holdouts, majority public opinion has moved in favor of recognizing gay marriage. And it’s only a matter of time before a majority of the holdouts—primarily in the South—move that way as well. The Supreme Court’s Windsor decision last summer ensures that legal gay marriage in all fifty states is a fait accompli at this point. MORE:

What will be the terms of our surrender? | Denny BurkDenny Burk

SSM round-up | the Cripplegate

Yesterday I wrote about three obvious questions from the recent scrap about gay marriage. Today’s post is for those that have been sleeping for the past week and missed the controversy all together. If you suffer from gay-marriage-controversy overload, you may have missed the newest twists and turns, which is a shame because you missed some really good writing. Today I want to give a round-up of what others have written, and direct you to some of the better posts on this issue.

But first a little history: in the past few months gay “marriage” has been legalized in 17 states. Most of these saw marriage legalized by judges, and a few saw the turn at the ballot box. Since then there has been a tidal wave of additional lawsuits in the remaining 33 states that ban it. Every indicator is that those bans will fall as well.  MORE.... SSM round-up | the Cripplegate

Caesar, Coercion, and the Christian Conscience: A Dangerous Confusion – AlbertMohler.com

Several states are now considering legislation that would provide explicit protections to citizens whose consciences will not allow an endorsement of same-sex marriage. The bills vary by state, as do the prospects for legislative passage, but the key issues remain constant. Millions of American citizens are facing a direct collision between their moral convictions and the demands of their government. MORE:

Caesar, Coercion, and the Christian Conscience: A Dangerous Confusion – AlbertMohler.com

Baptist Press -Moore: Gay marriage issue dominating - News with a Christian Perspective

NASHVILLE (BP) -- Same-sex marriage's dominance is growing rapidly even in surprising places, so much so that churches that refuse to endorse such unions soon will be considered bigoted, Russell D. Moore has told Baptist state leaders.

Moore, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), addressed gay marriage and other cultural issues in a Feb. 12 question-and-answer session with Baptist state executive directors and editors. The joint session took place during the annual meetings of the Fellowship of State Executive Directors and the Association of State Baptist Publications in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. Moore, who answered questions via Skype, was scheduled to be at the meeting but was unable to attend because weather problems resulted in cancellation of his flight.

Same-sex marriage commanded much of the attention during the session.

Baptist Press -Moore: Gay marriage issue dominating - News with a Christian Perspective

ENDA and the Christian Response | Denny Burk

Editor’s Note: This week the Senate is poised to take up the Employment Non-Discrimination of Act of 2013 (ENDA). The law would prohibit some religious business owners from the freedom to hire individuals who share the values of their business. President Obama blogged at The Huffington Post over the weekend in favor of ENDA. This law has wide-ranging implications that directly affect religious liberty. Andrew Walker, Director of Policy Studies with the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, has graciously provided an interview to help readers think through this controversial law. Read it below.
Q: What is ENDA?

This week, the Senate is poised to vote on S. 815, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 2013, an act that makes it illegal for employers to refuse to hire, fire, or otherwise discriminate if a person identifies as homosexual, heterosexual, bisexual, or transgender. It specifically relies on the categories of “gender identity” and “sexual orientation” (SOGI).

MORE - ENDA and the Christian Response | Denny Burk

A Clear and Present Danger: Religious Liberty, Marriage, and the Family in the Late Modern Age — An Address at Brigham Young University – AlbertMohler.com

I deeply appreciate your invitation to speak at Brigham Young University and to address the faculty at this greatly respected center of learning. I am so glad to be on this campus, filled with so many gracious people, such admirable students, and so many committed scholars on the faculty. To many people, shaped in their worldview by the modern age and its constant mandate to accommodate, it will seem very odd that a Baptist theologian and seminary president would be invited to speak at the central institution of intellectual life among the Latter-Day Saints.

A Clear and Present Danger: Religious Liberty, Marriage, and the Family in the Late Modern Age — An Address at Brigham Young University – AlbertMohler.com

Baptist Press - FIRST-PERSON: The far-reaching consequences of sin - News with a Christian Perspective

ALEXANDRIA, La. (BP) -- The reality of sin is fundamental in the Christian understanding of human nature. Falling short of God's standards is one of the ways the Bible describes sin's operation in a person's life.

The ways sin manifests itself in a life are manifold. An individual's sin produces everything from religious self-righteousness to senseless evil and all sorts of perversions in between.

It is no secret that modernity rejects the idea of sin as described in the Bible. "There is no sin except stupidity," said the Irish writer Oscar Wilde.

"Everything that used to be sin," observed comedian Bill Maher, "is now a disease." American modern dancer and choreographer Martha Graham said, "The only sin is mediocrity."
MORE: Baptist Press - FIRST-PERSON: The far-reaching consequences of sin - News with a Christian Perspective

Who Am I to Judge? The Pope, the Press, and the Predicament – AlbertMohler.com

Pope Francis pulled a surprise on reporters when he walked back to the press section of his Alitalia papal flight from Brazil and entered into an open press conference that lasted more than an hour. The Pope gave the press what Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton offered as presidents—a casual question and answer session that was on the record.
The biggest headline from the Pope’s remarks was not what he had to say about the scandals at the Vatican Bank, but what he said about homosexuality and, in particular, homosexuals in the priesthood. The key sentence in the Pope’s remarks is this: “If a person is gay and seeks the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge that person?”
MORE: Who Am I to Judge? The Pope, the Press, and the Predicament – AlbertMohler.com

Moore to the Point – How Should You Explain the Same-Sex Marriage Debate to Your Children?

With the recent Supreme Court decisions all over the news, some Christian parents wonder how they ought to explain all of this to their small children. I’ve faced the same question as my children have asked, “What is the Supreme Court doing that’s keeping you so busy?” So how does one teach the controversy, without exposing one’s children to more than they can handle?
First of all, you should, I think, talk to your children about this. No matter how you shelter your family, keeping your children from knowing about the contested questions about marriage would take a “Truman Show”-level choreography of their lives. That’s not realistic, nor is it particularly Christian.
The Bible isn’t nearly as antiseptic as Christians sometimes pretend to be, and it certainly doesn’t shirk back from addressing all the complexities of human life. If we are discipling our children, let’s apply the Scriptures to all of life. If we refuse to talk to our children about some issue that is clearly before them, our children will assume we are unequipped to speak to it, and they’ll eventually search out a worldview that will.
MORE:
Moore to the Point – How Should You Explain the Same-Sex Marriage Debate to Your Children?

Moore to the Point – How Should Same-Sex Marriage Change the Church’s Witness?

The Supreme Court has now ruled on two monumental marriage cases, and the legal and cultural landscape has changed in this country. The court voted to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act and remand the decision of the Ninth Circuit in the Proposition 8 case, holding that California’s Proposition 8 defenders didn’t have standing. The Defense of Marriage Act decision used rather sweeping language about equal protection and human dignity as they apply to the recognition of same-sex unions. But what has changed for us, for our churches, and our witness to the gospel?
In one sense, nothing. Jesus of Nazareth is still alive. He is calling the cosmos toward his kingdom, and he will ultimately be Lord indeed. Regardless of what happens with marriage, the gospel doesn’t need “family values” to flourish. In fact, it often thrives when it is in sharp contrast to the cultures around it. That’s why the gospel rocketed out of the first-century from places such as Ephesus and Philippi and Corinth and Rome, which were hardly Mayberry. MORE:
Moore to the Point – How Should Same-Sex Marriage Change the Church’s Witness?

Time to Reverse a Trend#landingzone

recent report shows that marriage rates are at their lowest point in more than 100 years.
The study, conducted by Demographic Intelligence of Charlottesville, Virginia, found that between 2007 and 2013—that’s six years—the marriage rate fell from 7.3 per 1,000 people to 6.8. While that may not sound like a lot, it represents a more than 5 percent decline from a rate that was already low by historical standards. Since 1970, the marriage rate has declined by more than one-third.
Just as troubling as the overall numbers is the breakdown of who is and who is not getting married. The study found that “marriage numbers are stagnant or declining among those with a high school education or less, younger Americans, and the less affluent.” In other words, the kind of folks who can benefit most from the stability that marriage and family life can provide are getting married in fewer numbers.
In contrast, marriage rates are rising among “the college-educated and the affluent.” Again, given the personal, social, and economic benefits of marriage, the growing difference in marriage rates between the “haves” and “have nots” can only contribute to economic and social inequality.  MORE:
Time to Reverse a Trend#landingzone

Why Gay Marriage is Good (and Bad) for the Church – Trevin Wax

The Supreme Court’s decision to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act serves as a boost to ongoing efforts to legalize same-sex marriage across the nation.
Christians believe marriage is defined by God and recognized by government. But many today believe marriage is defined by government and must be recognized by all.
For this reason, I’m not optimistic about the trends concerning marriage and family in the United States. Neither am I sure of what all this means for those who, in good conscience, stand against the tide. MORE: Why Gay Marriage is Good (and Bad) for the Church – Trevin Wax

Moore to the Point – Is Your Church Ready for the Marriage Revolution?

The Supreme Court of the United States is set to hand down a set of decisions this summer that could advance a cultural and political shift in the way marriage is defined in this country. Is your church ready for this?
By that, I don’t mean whether your church has a position on the definition of marriage, or whether your people are ready to express their opinions or vent their outrage on social media or talk radio. All that’s easy. The question is whether our churches are ready to create marriage cultures that matter, regardless of the cultural moment. MORE:
Moore to the Point – Is Your Church Ready for the Marriage Revolution?

WORLD | Full court press on Chris Broussard over comments on homosexuality | Leigh Jones | April 30, 2013

ESPN analyst and sportswriter Chris Broussard is feeling the heat today after calling homosexuality a sin during a televised discussion Monday.

Broussard, a well-known and committed Christian who has written about his beliefs before, was asked to comment on NBA player Jason Collins’ announcement that he is gay. In an article for Sports Illustrated published online Monday, Collins talked about his sexuality and his belief in God.

MORE: WORLD | Full court press on Chris Broussard over comments on homosexuality | Leigh Jones | April 30, 2013

Should We Boycott Starbucks? | the Cripplegate

I was asked that question last week, as a result of some controversial statements made last month by the coffee company’s CEO in which he publicly supported gay marriage.
If I were a coffee snob, I probably would have answered that we should boycott Starbucks because they burn their beans. But I’m not a coffee snob. And I knew that wasn’t really the heart behind the question.
My actual response went something like this:

Should We Boycott Starbucks? | the Cripplegate