#thereformationproject

[queerinfaith]

You are good. You are holy. You were created for great things. Amen. • • #trp #thereformationproject #faith #reclaimingmytime

[boyssittinginatree]

A must-see lecture on gender complementarity by James Brownson, author of "Bible, Gender, Sexuality".

[boyssittinginatree]

I don't want anything more Than to see your face when you open the door You'll make me beans on toast and a nice cup of tea And we'll get a Chinese and watch TV Tomorrow we'll take the dog for a walk And in the afternoon then maybe we'll talk I'll be exhausted so I'll probably sleep And we'll get a Chinese and watch TV

[boyssittinginatree]

Why Even Non-Affirming Christians Should Support Gay Marriage

1. The Bible says "love covers a multitude of sins" (1 Peter 4:8). You can whine all day about there being no such thing as "gay love", but the truth will still be at odds with you. As C.S. Lewis beautifully put it, "I believe that the most lawless and inordinate loves are less contrary to God's will than a self-invited and self-protective lovelessness".

2. The culture of promiscuity that exists in the LGBT community is a consequence of homophobia. Our culture finds it unacceptable that gay people so much as hold hands with the person they love. As a result, gay people are often deprived of love and affection. In these abounding cases, finding another gay person becomes exhilarating, as opposed to conventional, and risky behavior ensues.

3. It cannot possibly be morally right to force a straight individual to marry a gay person. How many people want to marry someone who is incapable of desiring them? If marriage is a symbol of Christ and His Church, then that union should represent both mutual love and desire. If you claim that it should simply represent love and not desire, then stop having sex with your spouse immediately!

4. It cannot possibly be morally right to force LGBT people to remain single for the rest of their lives. According to 1 Corinthians 7:9, if someone "cannot exercise self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion". Guess what, if a gay person marries a straight individual, they will still burn with passion, and it won't be directed toward their spouse!

5. God does not stick to formula. Many Christians fought against the abolition of slavery, and yet we see the Lord's hand in history, changing that unfortunate piece of reality into freedom. Likewise, had the Pharisees complained less about Jesus' disregard for the Sabbath and His relationships with sinners, then perhaps they would have seen Him for whom He was: The Son of God.

6. God uses everything for good (Romans 8:28). Before you despair, remember that out of the Holocaust came the State of Israel. Now, I am in no way implying that gay marriage somehow equates to the Holocaust, but with so many conservatives warning about the impending collapse of our "stable society", some people clearly do see things that way!

7. Ultimately, everything is in His hands. Isn't God more powerful than one's sexual orientation? Can't God make gay people straight? Yes, God can change someone's sexual orientation, but He can also make the blind see and the lame walk, and how often do we witness such happenings? "But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, 'Why have you made me like this?'" (Romans 9:20). Perhaps God has a purpose in allowing gay people to exist. If He does, as His sovereign nature demands that He does, then I suspect it has something to do with teaching unrelentingly judgmental people the meaning of unconditional love and acceptance.

[shutthemeashup]

It’s amazing how this guy found the same truths in scripture that Ashley and I had to discover in our journey together. It took some wrestling with modern translations, tradition-based misconceptions, and our own morals built on the understandings we’ve adopted along the way. But we ultimately came to these same conclusions. We can still be in favor with God (even in regards to these specific scriptures), we can still call ourselves Christians, even while being in a committed and loving same-sex relationship. And we are doing our best to exist in and embrace these two worlds, two spaces that society has placed in opposition for too long. They can exist together. We hope to be proof. I am so excited to find more gay christians every day!