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

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

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

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.
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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?

A Succinct Case for Traditional Marriage | Denny Burk

As arguments for traditional marriage fall on deaf ears in our culture, I believe that love requires us to make the case nevertheless (1 Cor. 13:6). To that end, we need to marshal all the arguments at our disposal—both biblical and natural law arguments. The natural law case has been made most effectively in the recent book What Is Marriage? This book makes the case without appealing to religious authority but with an exclusive appeal to a “publicly accessible” rationale for traditional marriage. MORE...
A Succinct Case for Traditional Marriage | Denny Burk

Frequently Asked Questions on R-74

Why should I vote to "Reject" R-74?

Same-sex couples ALREADY enjoy all the same rights and benefits as married couples in Washington under the domestic partnerships, “Everything But Marriage,” law from 2009. R-74 is an attempt to redefine marriage and remove the interests of children from the purpose of our marriage laws. We believe that children deserve the best opportunity to be raised by a mom and a dad, and that marriage is our best (and only) institution to encourage that result. Our opponents believe that marriage exists only to satisfy the demands of adults and that children have nothing to do with it. Furthermore, when marriage is redefined there are profound legal consequences to anyone—licensed practitioners, parents, children, and clergy—if they disagree. With over 247,000 signatures of Washington voters asking to bring the issue before the people, it is clear that Washingtonians want to preserve marriage from these activists who seek to radically redefine the institution of marriage.

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The Blasphemy of Barack Obama

It’s one thing to support gay marriage. It’s quite another for a professed Christian to bear false witness about Christ to make the point. That is why Joe Carter doesn’t mince words in an open letter to President Obama. Carter writes:
Implying that Jesus supports same-sex marriage—and there really is no other way to interpret your statement—is nothing short of blasphemous.
No, Mr. President, Jesus does not support same-sex marriage. Even a liberal Christian like you should not be able to make such an historically and theologically absurd claim with a straight face. The history of Christian thought on sexual ethics from the time of the stoning of Stephen to the Stonewall riots has been consistent that engaging in homosexual behavior is strictly and clearly prohibited by God’s Word…MORE

FAQ on Washington State Same-Sex Referendum 74

(Family Policy Institute)  

1. When will petitions be available?

Petitions will likely be available during the first week of March. The ballot title and short description that appear on the ballot will be proposed, revised, and possibly litigated if challenged by opponents of the Referendum. After that, the petitions have to be designed to meet legal guidelines and then printed. All of this will take 2-3 weeks. 

2. Where can I get petitions?

You can sign up to have a petition mailed to you at www.fpiw.org or at www.preservemarriagewashington.com. There will also be dozens of locations throughout Washington where the petitions will be available to be picked up in person. Those locations will be available on the FPIW and Preserve Marriage Washington websites once the petitions are available and the locations have been finalized.

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