Download or read book Science Scripture and Same Sex Love written by Michael B. Regele and published by Abingdon Press. This book was released on 2014-10-31 with total page 382 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Some church leaders assert that same-sex practices are incompatible with Christian teaching. The issues threaten to divide our churches and our nation. Michael B. Regele explores current scientific findings in biological brain research, psychology, and sociology, which he compares with scriptural teaching from the Bible, to show that a faithful reading of the Scriptures is consistent with Christian teaching that affirms same-sex love leading to same-sex marriage and full participation of LGBT people in church leadership. Regele offers compelling research and well-supported answers to common-place questions such as: Is sexual orientation a choice that individuals make? Is same sex attraction sinful in itself? Is it true that lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, and transgender (LGBT) people are more promiscuous than heterosexual people? Is it true that same-sex relationships do not last as long as hetero-sex relationships? Is abstinence for life the only choice for a Christian LGBT person? Or can they enter into intimate and sexual relationships and still be active participants in a Christian community? Is same-gender marriage acceptable from a Christian standpoint?
Download or read book Scripture Ethics and the Possibility of Same Sex Relationships written by Karen R. Keen and published by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. This book was released on 2018-10-11 with total page 161 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: WHEN IT COMES TO SAME-SEX RELATIONSHIPS, this book by Karen Keen contains the most thoughtful, balanced, biblically grounded discussion you’re likely to encounter anywhere. With pastoral sensitivity and respect for biblical authority, Keen breaks through current stalemates in the debate surrounding faith and sexual identity. The fresh, evenhanded reevaluation of Scripture, Christian tradition, theology, and science in Keen’s Scripture, Ethics, and the Possibility of Same-Sex Relationships will appeal to both traditionalist and progressive church leaders and parishioners, students of ethics and biblical studies, and gay and lesbian people who often feel painfully torn between faith and sexuality.
Download or read book Homosexuality Science and the Plain Sense of Scripture written by David L. Balch and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2007-07-01 with total page 331 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Elucidates the pros and cons of current Christian discussion on the question of homosexuality. Challenges partisan views and provides a balanced discussion.
Download or read book Science Scripture and Homosexuality written by Alice Ogden Bellis and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2011-01-01 with total page 129 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The collaborative work of a biblical scholar and a biology professor, Science, Scripture, and Homosexuality addresses scripture passages relating to homosexuality and explains the foundation of genetics and the growing evidence suggesting an organic basis for sexual orientation. The authors argue that the role of the homosexual, as well as the heterosexual, within the Church should be based upon common criteria for all. Written in a highly accessible manner, the book is ideal for congregational discussion.
Download or read book Homosexuality Science and the plain Sense of Scripture written by David L. Balch and published by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. This book was released on 2000 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Homosexuality is arguably the most hotly contested topic in the church today. Taking up the issue from both poles of the discussion, this volume by eleven biblical scholars, psychologists, and theologians canvasses the debate over the meaning of the scriptural passages on homosexuality -- from Genesis, Leviticus, Romans, and 1 Corinthians -- in light of contemporary scientific and exegetical evidence. Contributors: David L. Balch Phyllis A. Bird Nancy J. Duff David E. Fredrickson Kathryn Green- McCreight Christine E. Gudorf Robert Jewett Stanton L. Jones William R. Schoedel Christopher Seitz Mark G. Toulouse Mark A. Yarhouse
Download or read book God Believes in Love written by Gene Robinson and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2013-06-04 with total page 210 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the IX Bishop of the Diocese of New Hampshire in the Episcopal Church, the first openly gay person elected to the episcopate and the world’s leading religious spokesperson for gay rights and gay marriage—a groundbreaking book that persuasively makes the case for same-sex marriage using a commonsense, reasoned, religious argument. Robinson holds the religious text of the Bible to be holy and sacred and the ensuing two millennia of church history to be relevant to the discussion. He is equally familiar with the secular and political debate about gay marriage going on in America today, and is someone for whom same-sex marriage is a personal issue; Robinson was married to a woman for fourteen years and is a father of two children and has been married to a man for the last four years of a twenty-five-year relationship. Robinson has a knack for taking complex and controversial issues and addressing them in plain direct language, without using polemics or ideology, putting forth his argument for gay marriage, and bringing together sacred and secular points of view.
Download or read book Gay Girl Good God written by Jackie Hill Perry and published by B&H Publishing Group. This book was released on 2018-09-03 with total page 138 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “I used to be a lesbian.” In Gay Girl, Good God, author Jackie Hill Perry shares her own story, offering practical tools that helped her in the process of finding wholeness. Jackie grew up fatherless and experienced gender confusion. She embraced masculinity and homosexuality with every fiber of her being. She knew that Christians had a lot to say about all of the above. But was she supposed to change herself? How was she supposed to stop loving women, when homosexuality felt more natural to her than heterosexuality ever could? At age nineteen, Jackie came face-to-face with what it meant to be made new. And not in a church, or through contact with Christians. God broke in and turned her heart toward Him right in her own bedroom in light of His gospel. Read in order to understand. Read in order to hope. Or read in order, like Jackie, to be made new.
Download or read book Love Means Love written by DAVID RUNCORN and published by SPCK. This book was released on 2020-06-18 with total page 129 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Does the Bible really condemn same-sex relationships? Many Christians wrestle with this question. Here, in his compassionate, cogent book, David Runcorn outlines how someone can support same-sex relationships on the basis of the Bible, not in spite of it. The Church, in every time and place, finds itself working out the shock and surprise of God’s unfolding ways – often scandalized by where holiness, goodness and the life of God are to be found. Runcorn’s insightful and moving reflections show how speaking in gospel friendship will help to dispel the anxiety and division that have tended to mark the Church’s response to homosexuality. Covering sexual abstinence and celibacy, sexuality and the sacred, he leads us to one powerful conclusion: love means love. ‘Brim-full of gentle and clear wisdom. Highly recommended!’ PAUL BAYES, Bishop of Liverpool ‘Joyful, truthful, scandalously inclusive . . . This book will literally save lives. It opens the door of grace and beckons you in.’ NICK BUNDOCK, Rector of St James and Emmanuel, Didsbury ‘Liberates us to read our beloved Bible with faithfulness, both to the text and to the fruit of Christ we often see in LGBT+ lives. For a good number of us, it will be met with a cry of “at last!”’. JODY STOWELL, Vicar of St Michael’s Harrow and Chair of London Clergy
Download or read book Holy Love written by Steve Harper and published by Abingdon Press. This book was released on 2019-04-24 with total page 79 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Do conservatives or progressives “own” the teachings about what the Bible says about human sexuality and marriage? For some—perhaps a vocal minority—the question is no longer up for debate or discussion: conservatives win. For others, the issues are not that simple. A fresh, rigorous, but yet concise, theological examination of the Bible’s teachings is required. There are other ways to interpret scripture faithfully with respect to sexuality other than the conservative interpretation. In Holy Love, Steve Harper strives to articulate the truth about the teachings of the Bible and Wesleyan tradition on human sexuality. This very accessible book is intended for church leaders, small groups, and those interested in understanding the Bible’s teaching on this fundamental component of human life, experience and relationships. The book will help church leaders and small groups make the constructive case that biblical, Christian teaching is compatible with faithful, covenantal love and intimacy amidst all sexual orientations.
Download or read book Can You Be Gay and Christian written by Michael L. Brown and published by Charisma Media. This book was released on 2014 with total page 305 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How do we respond to gay people who tell us how much they love the Lord and experience God's power? What do we do with the argument that the Old Testament laws no longer apply? Brown provides solid biblical answers, clearly written and based on sound scholarship, in a compassionate way that causes the reader to wrestle with the issues and discover the biblical truth. He also provides practical guidelines for ministry, and shows readers how they can resist the gay agenda while reaching out to their gay friends and family.
Download or read book God and the Gay Christian written by Matthew Vines and published by Convergent. This book was released on 2014 with total page 226 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Reinterpretations of key Bible texts related to sexual orientation, written by a Harvard student, present an accessible case for a modern Christian conservative acceptance of sexual diversity.
Download or read book A Pastor s Highways on the Way to the New Jerusalem written by Arthur Jarrell Tankersley and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2021-10-29 with total page 371 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: David Brooks wrote in The Second Mountain, “A pilgrimage is a journey undertaken in response to a story.” My life story has been lived in response to God’s story revealed in the Bible. This book is about the highways I have traveled in obedience to the Voice of the Holy breaking into my successes and failures, desires and doubts, and leading me by the power of grace in ever merciful and transforming ways. If you are drawn to my story, it is because the same Voice is calling you to share the adventure of a lifetime in following Jesus as he set his face to go up to Jerusalem. Through my story may you hear Aslan’s (Christ’s) invitation, “Come further in! Come further up!” This story travels by way of the “highways to Zion” (Ps 84:5–7). Those highways become deeply paved in the hearts and minds of those who work for the healing of the world and who bring the blessings of the reign of God to barren, dry, and thirsty lands.
Download or read book A Place at His Table written by Joel Hollier and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2019-08-19 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Across the world, navigating the terrain of sexuality is becoming increasingly difficult. People on all sides of the discussion agree that so much is at stake, but how do we move forward? Into a confusing and often painful debate, A Place at His Table offers clarity, insight, and warmth. Holding firmly to the Bible, Joel Hollier leads us in a journey where we can re-examine traditional understandings, ask fresh questions, and enter a place of welcome for all people in God’s church. Whether you are a leader, pastor, or congregation member who is seeking to love well, this timely book will equip you to enter the discussion in faithful, informed, and nuanced ways.
Download or read book Our Strangely Warmed Hearts written by Karen P. Oliveto and published by Abingdon Press. This book was released on 2018-03-26 with total page 97 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As John Wesley discovered his true spiritual identity, he experienced a strangely warmed heart. Through poignant stories and well-reasoned principles, Karen Oliveto discloses why and how spiritual renewal and a personal call to ministry emerge in the strangely warmed hearts of lesbian and gay Christians. In The United Methodist Church (and other Christian denominations), it is difficult or impossible for lesbian, gay, transsexual, and bisexual clergy or laity to become a visible and outward channel for God’s saving grace. This book traces the history of the church’s struggle with homosexuality, highlighting critical incidents in the culture and church polity which shape the church’s response. The issues are deeply rooted in the way God’s people understand scriptures, which are interpreted as a means of grace for some and as a rule-book for others. This book includes first-person narratives of LGBTQ persons faithfully serving in a denomination that denies their calls and—in some cases—their presence. These stories will show how the coming out process is deeply spiritual as one grows into an authentic, God-created and graced self. “You are the one who created my innermost parts; you knit me together while I was still in my mother’s womb. I give thanks to you that I was marvelously set apart. Your works are wonderful—I know that very well.” Psalm 139:13-14 (CEB) “Our Strangely Warmed Hearts is a breath of fresh air in the study of the United Methodist struggle and intense debate regarding human sexuality. Karen Oliveto lives in faithful witness and serves people with the heart of Christian leadership."—Bishop Hee-Soo Jung, Wisconsin Conference of the United Methodist Church. “Karen Oliveto offers a compelling window into the steadfast faith and the resilience of the LGBTQ Christian movement in the United States. After offering an extraordinary history of the LGBTQ equality movement in our society and in The United Methodist Church, she rightly asks, 'Is there any other group that we would marginalize in this way?' I wholeheartedly recommend Karen Oliveto's new book to everyone who is affected by the debate over the sacred worth and place of LGBTQ people in our lives and churches. This book inspires hope.” —Michael J. Adee, Ph.D., Director, Global Faith and Justice Project, San Francisco Theological Seminary, San Anselmo, CA “Bishop Oliveto's story mirrors the experience of many LGBTQ ministers who are serving the Body of Christ openly, and not in the shadows. The integrity, courage, and deep faith of God’s LGBTQ people who are called into ministry have enriched the church and encouraged the outsiders who were always welcome at Jesus' table.”–Andy Lang, Executive Director, Open and Affirming Coalition, United Church of Christ “I loved it! It drew me in immediately and kept me strapped in on what I knew would be a roller coaster of painful history, sprinkled triumphs, and then stories that broke my heart, gave me cheer, and brought tears to my eyes. Bishop Oliveto takes readers on a fascinating trip through LGBTQ history, and into the often contentious collision with mainstream religion…and then brings it all together through the personal stories that make our past and present come alive! I applaud Bishop Oliveto’s book and will highly recommend it to the faithful and faith curious of all religions.”–The Reverend Marian Edmonds-Allen, Executive Director, Parity "[Bishop Karen Oliveto] is sharing the love of Jesus, and meeting people where they are, no matter who they are, and no matter what they think about her. She loves them." —Kent Ingram, senior pastor of First United Methodist Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Download or read book A Change of Affection written by Becket Cook and published by Thomas Nelson. This book was released on 2019-07-30 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The powerful, dramatic story of how a successful Hollywood set designer whose identity was deeply rooted in his homosexuality came to be suddenly and utterly transformed by the power of the gospel. When Becket Cook moved from Dallas to Los Angeles after college, he discovered a socially progressive, liberal town that embraced not only his creative side but also his homosexuality. He devoted his time to growing his career as a successful set designer and to finding "the one" man who would fill his heart. As a gay man in the entertainment industry, Cook centered his life around celebrity-filled Hollywood parties and traveled to society hot-spots around the world--until a chance encounter with a pastor at an LA coffee shop one morning changed everything. In A Change of Affection, Becket Cook shares his testimony as someone who was transformed by the power of the gospel. Cook's dramatic conversion to Christianity and subsequent seminary training inform his views on homosexuality--personally, biblically, theologically, and culturally--and in his new book he educates Christians on how to better understand this complex and controversial issue while revealing how to lovingly engage with those who disagree. A Change of Affection is a timely and indispensable resource for anyone who desires to understand more fully one of the most common and difficult stumbling blocks to faithfully following Christ today.
Download or read book Religious Trauma Queer Identities written by Joel Hollier and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2023-04-06 with total page 238 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In a polarised milieu that too often posits “queer” and “Christian” as competing realms, this book explores the complexities of identity development, religious traumatisation, and the task of creating safe faith spaces in which LGBTQA+ people can find healing, particularly in the Evangelical context. First, Joel Hollier examines the historical path of Evangelicalism, providing context for the current terrain of the “culture war” we find ourselves in. He then parses out experiences of gender/sexuality and religious/spiritual identity development, grounding them in an evolving theoretical base. Finally, Hollier offers a rounded critique of Evangelical church structures and mechanisms of trauma that hinder the healing process, along with potential sources of healing. Central to this work are the voices of LGBTQA+ people whose stories weave together a deeper understanding of the harms the Church has perpetrated, and the path forward.
Download or read book God vs Gay written by Jay Michaelson and published by Beacon Press. This book was released on 2012-05-08 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A passionate argument for LGBTQ equality within religious communities—“a book for our times and a book for the ages” (EDGE) The myth that the Bible forbids homosexuality—the myth of “God versus Gay”—is behind some of the most divisive and painful conflicts of our day. In this provocative and game-changing book, scholar and activist Jay Michaelson shows that the Bible does not prohibit same-sex intimacy but does quite the opposite. In fact, the vast majority of the Bible’s teachings support the full equality and dignity of LGBTQ people, from the first flaw it finds in creation (“It is not good for a person to be alone”) to the way religious communities grow through reflection and conscience. Michaelson argues passionately for equality—not despite religion, but because of it. With close readings of the Hebrew Bible and New Testament, the latest data on the science of sexual orientation, and a sympathetic, accessible, and ecumenical approach to religious faith, Michaelson makes the case that sexual diversity is part of the beauty of nature. The recognition of same-sex families will strengthen, not threaten, the values religious people hold dear. Whatever your views on religion and sexual diversity, God vs. Gay is a plea for a more compassionate, informed conversation—and a first step toward creating one.
