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briannadasilva 's review for:
This is the best book I've read so far on this topic. Intelligently written, well-researched, and immensely profound in its implications, it's no surprise that this book has, in many ways, become the defining argument in support of same-sex marriage in the church.
Many of the holes that left me unsatisfied after reading Unclobber were addressed fully in this book. I recommend this one far more, especially since it relies on a firm, conservative stance that upholds the utter authority of Scripture, while Unclobber veers in a somewhat liberal direction that makes it hard to swallow for many evangelical Christians.
God and the Gay Christian, however, makes no compromises in the authenticity of Scripture, the gravity of sin, and the importance of sexual purity.
All it asks is that we remove our modern, western lens and look at Scripture as it was originally meant to be read, considering the cultural and historical context, and realize with wide-open eyes that we have been poorly - and inaccurately - applying it to the very modern issue of sexual orientation.
We - the church - have made mistakes like this before. We've inaccurately used the Bible to defend slavery, segregation, oppression of women, and misguided science (i.e. the sun revolving around the earth).
But it is the inherent principles of the Bible, not the cultures in which it was written, that have led us to abolish slavery and treat all people with equal dignity.
It is these same inherent Biblical principles that - I believe - will in time lead Christians to accept LGBTQI+ individuals in the church, and to affirm gay marriages as equally valid and blessed by God.
Now, I will say this book isn't perfect. Some of Vines' arguments are, arguably, a stretch (though better arguments do exist where his fall short). Also, his entire stance falls apart if you happen to disagree with his definitions of gender, marriage, and celibacy.
But if you, like me, reject many of the traditional beliefs about the roles and functions of gender, you will find an insightful and eye-opening stance in Vines' book.
Either way, if you are at all looking for a new perspective on this topic, this is a good place to start.
Many of the holes that left me unsatisfied after reading Unclobber were addressed fully in this book. I recommend this one far more, especially since it relies on a firm, conservative stance that upholds the utter authority of Scripture, while Unclobber veers in a somewhat liberal direction that makes it hard to swallow for many evangelical Christians.
God and the Gay Christian, however, makes no compromises in the authenticity of Scripture, the gravity of sin, and the importance of sexual purity.
All it asks is that we remove our modern, western lens and look at Scripture as it was originally meant to be read, considering the cultural and historical context, and realize with wide-open eyes that we have been poorly - and inaccurately - applying it to the very modern issue of sexual orientation.
We - the church - have made mistakes like this before. We've inaccurately used the Bible to defend slavery, segregation, oppression of women, and misguided science (i.e. the sun revolving around the earth).
But it is the inherent principles of the Bible, not the cultures in which it was written, that have led us to abolish slavery and treat all people with equal dignity.
It is these same inherent Biblical principles that - I believe - will in time lead Christians to accept LGBTQI+ individuals in the church, and to affirm gay marriages as equally valid and blessed by God.
Now, I will say this book isn't perfect. Some of Vines' arguments are, arguably, a stretch (though better arguments do exist where his fall short). Also, his entire stance falls apart if you happen to disagree with his definitions of gender, marriage, and celibacy.
But if you, like me, reject many of the traditional beliefs about the roles and functions of gender, you will find an insightful and eye-opening stance in Vines' book.
Either way, if you are at all looking for a new perspective on this topic, this is a good place to start.