Information Is Power Read Gay Christian 101

Independent Baptist minister Rick Brentlinger persuasively argues in, Gay Christian 101 that on the issue of homosexuality, the church has it wrong.

In crisp, readable language, Brentlinger lays out the case from culture, history, linguistics and scripture, for full acceptance in church and society, of gay and lesbian people.

Gay Christian 101 presents fascinating historical proof that our ancient Jewish and Christian ancestors did not view the Biblical texts as universal indictments of homosexuality.

Many who were once cast out - women, people of color, divorced and remarried people - are leaders in the modern church.

Gay Christian 101 argues that the trajectory of Biblical truth also supports full inclusion of GLBT believers in the spiritual life of the church.

Brentlinger makes his case by quoting BC references to Sodom, by paying careful attention to the context of the clobber passages and by noting how ancient Jewish believers understood those passages and giving the quotes. In the chapter dealing with the Levitical Holiness Code, eighteen variant interpretations are offered.

A particularly interesting, ground-breaking section is the Gay Analogy chapter. Taking up a challenge from anti-gay author Dr. Robert Gagnon, that any Biblical analogy for homosexual relationships must closely correspond in particular details (including life-long sexual activity), Brentlinger presents five new, scriptural, gay analogies which strongly support full inclusion of gay and lesbian Christians in the modern church.

In the New Testament section of Gay Christian 101, a strong historical case is made that eunuchs in ancient times included gay men and lesbians and that Jesus pointed out this fact to His disciples when He specifically excluded eunuchs from participating in Adam and Eve style marriage in Matthew 19:3-12.

In another chapter, particular attention is paid to the story of the gay Centurion, his meeting with Jesus and Jesus' declaration that the faith of the Centurion exceeds any faith Jesus observed in Israel.

The arguments for a limited interpretation of Romans 1:26-27 vs. the traditional view that this passage condemns all homosexual practice, are compelling.

Besides listing 15 variant interpretations of the Romans passage, Brentlinger demonstrates from history and scripture, that the traditional view of Romans is simply wrong.

Many modern scholars are absolutely convinced that I Cor 6:9 and I Tim 1:10, use the Greek word arsenokoites to condemn all homosexual practice. They frequently use Greek lexicons to support that viewpoint.

Brentlinger goes beyond Greek lexicons to the ancient sources cited in the lexicons and lists the first 56 historical uses of arsenokoites to prove that no ancient use of arsenokoites condemns all homosexual practice.

In fact, no ancient use of arsenokoites ever referred to two men or two women in a committed, faithful, non-cultic relationship.

What many traditionalists find irritating about this book is that Brentlinger cites the written opinions of conservative, evangelical heterosexual scholars to support the points he makes throughout Gay Christian 101.

Gay Christian 101 is a fascinating conversation about history, theology and God's truth about gay people. If you are gay or lesbian or have a loved one who is, this book will help you reconcile the gospel truth that one can be both gay and a Bible believing Christian.

Gay Christian 101 is essential reading for everyone concerned with the future of a church torn by the homosexual debate.

Read more...

The time-worn "gay couples can't produce children" argument

This morning I received a friendly email from a non-gay conservative preacher kindly pointing out that since gay couples cannot have children, their unions are barren, against nature and always outside the will of God because they are not part of "God's created order."

He understands God's created order to be one man with one woman. All other marriage iterations are wrong, sinful and never affirmed by God.

Here is an edited version of my response to this sincere (and sincerely wrong) Christian gentleman.

Plato, the Greek philosopher, 428-348 BC

---

"Thank you for writing to me. I do understand (but disagree with) your position on homosexuality being against God's created order.

Your position is known as Complementarianism and is as old as Plato (428-348 BC). In fact, the current "Christian" Complementarian position traces its roots to Plato, the unsaved Greek philosopher.

The problem isn't that I think women and men are not complementary (certainly they are in many respects just as two men or two women are complementary in many respects)...

But viewing male-female complementarity as the only option God will accept reads into scripture a private opinion that scripture never states.

You wrote that

"the union of a Holy-Spirit-filled man and woman together in marriage reflects the image of God on Earth."

Implicit in your argument is the idea that Adam by himself or Eve by herself, did not bear the image of God. This viewpoint has been argued by theologians for almost two thousand years. As with your Complementarian/created order argument, you are drawing a conclusion based on scripture not saying something (like, 'God blesses polygamous relationships' or 'God blesses gay relationships') and forming your doctrinal belief based on what scripture does not say.

If your created order argument is true (a Holy-Spirit-filled man and woman together in marriage), then polygamy cannot be blessed or affirmed by God. Yet only 44 verses from Genesis 2:24, in Genesis 4:19, scripture records the first polygamous marriage. And in Deuteronomy 21:15-17, God makes provision in the law for inheritance in polygamous marriages.

You will recall that the nation of Israel was formed from the children of a polygamous marriage where Jacob married two sisters plus the handmaids of each of the sisters. God affirmed this polygamous marriage by choosing children from each of the four wives to comprise the twelve tribes of the nation of Israel.

I make no argument for modern polygamy. I merely point out that scripture does not teach the exclusivism for 'one man with one woman' which you believe is the only kind of marriage relationship God will bless.

If we accept your exclusivist viewpoint, that

"A heterosexual union produces life. Children, the continuing of the generations, are the result. This is the created order at work. That created order reflects the nature of who God is"

then what do we do with an elderly widow and widower who want to marry each other?

They cannot have children. Their union is barren, exactly as you described the homosexual union.

"A homosexual union is barren. No life springs from it... For this reason, it cannot and does not reflect the nature of God or his character."

The elderly couple can nurture children or young parents. They can teach Sunday School, babysit for children or perform some other nurturing function for children. But of course, a gay male couple or lesbian female couple can also nurture and raise children.

There are many grandparents raising children today because the biological parents are drug addicts or in jail or prison. Does not life spring from their loving nurturing of children regardless they are not the biological parents of the children they nurture?

Do you recall the biblical story of Samuel (found beginning in 1 Samuel chapter 1 in the Bible)? When Samuel was about three years old, he was given by his biological parents to an elderly man, Eli, who raised him as his own son.

Did life spring from Eli's nurturing of Samuel? Eli, a man who made a mess of raising his own biological children, managed by God's grace, to raise an extraordinary foster son, Samuel, who became a great prophet of God and who also wrote part of the Old Testament.

And isn't God's grace really the point?

Life and nurturing depend on God's grace more than on meeting some formula derived from your 'created order' argument.

I have no doubt you will view your argument as perfectly valid against gay male couples and lesbian female couples but that you will allow an exception for elderly opposite sex couples who cannot have children. In your view opposite sex couples who cannot produce children may still marry in spite of the fact that they cannot have children and therefore their physical union is barren.

Yet if your argument permits exceptions at the two points listed above, (1) polygamy and (2) elderly couples beyond child-bearing, by what logic do you allow those exceptions yet still contend there cannot be a similar exception for gay couples?

Although you feel your beliefs are based on the Bible, it is clear to many of us that your beliefs are never affirmed in scripture as God's truth. Instead, you have formed your beliefs based on things scripture does not say and now teach what scripture does not say as absolute truth."

Rick Brentlinger

Read more...

Brothel Houses + false religion

Did you ever read Ezekiel 16? Its a very interesting chapter because it explains what the sin of Sodom really was.

Oddly enough, according to the Bible, the sin of Sodom was not homosexuality.

Ezekiel16:24

"You have built also for yourself a vaulted chamber (brothel) and have made a high place [of idol worship] in every street." - Ezekiel 16:24, - The Amplified Version

"That thou didst also build thee a common stew, and madest thee a brothel house in every street." - Douay-Rheims

"That thou didst build thee a brothel, - and didst make thee a height in every broadway:" - Rotherham's Emphasized Bible

"that thou didst also build unto thee a place of debauchery, and didst make thee a high place in every street:" - Darby Translation

"thou hast buylded thy stewes and brodel houses in euery place: yee at the heade of euery strete" - Miles Coverdale Bible, 1535

"And thou bildidist to thee a bordel hous, and madist to thee a place of hordom in alle stretis." - Wycliffe Bible, 1395

Ezekiel 16:24, 31, 39 - the Hebrew word, gab, carries the meaning of "brothel house," a place where harlots prostituted themselves, according to Gesenius's Lexicon.

God's prophet Ezekiel, under inspiration, links the brothel house to worship of false gods.

This is important because of controversy over the meaning of Genesis 19 and Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13.

Some Christians believe Genesis 19 and Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13 proclaim God's wrath against all homosexuals.

In my opinion, the more thoughtful and scriptural view is that Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13 only prohibit male same sex activity in worship of the Canaanite fertility goddess rather than being a universal prohibition of gay and lesbian partnerships.

Ezekiel sheds light on the issue by pointing out that Israelites who forsook worship of the true God combined their false worship with sexual activity in brothel houses.

That fits with the historical understanding that Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13 refer to ancient shrine prostitution, not homosexual partnerships which are committed, faithful, non-cultic.

Read more...

Exodus supports forced ex-gay therapy and life sentences for gays and lesbians

It is time for Christians everywhere to confront Exodus International and their hateful campaign against gays and lesbians. Their collusion with holocaust revisionists and violent human rights abusers is anything but Christian.

Open letter to the
Exodus International
Board of Directors:

"We, the undersigned organizations, have monitored the ex-gay industry for more than a decade. To our great horror, prominent members of the ex-gay organization Exodus International participated last week in a conference in Uganda that promoted shocking abuses of basic human rights.

This included draconian measures against gay and lesbian people such as forced ex-gay therapy, life imprisonment for people convicted of homosexuality and the formation of an organization designed to “wipe out” gay practices in Uganda.

The conference also featured Scott Lively, a holocaust revisionist who at the event also blamed the 1994 Rwandan genocide on gay people.

The facts incontrovertibly show that Alan Chambers, President of Exodus International, was aware of the list of speakers and abhorrent content prior to the conference.

Exodus board member Don Schmierer, who spoke in Uganda, made no objections to the radical and dangerous platform offered. Instead, these mortal threats to the lives of gay and lesbian people were met with a deafening silence. Exodus, in effect, gave this insidious conference its tacit approval.

Today, we take the unprecedented step of joining together to demand that Exodus International’s Board of Directors take immediate action to hold accountable those who used the Exodus brand to promote an atmosphere conducive to serious human rights abuses..."

Read the entire article at:
Box Turtle Bulletin... you may have to scroll down their page to find the article.

Read more...

So I Started A Website

A Christian guy can only take so much. The constant invective from anti-gay Christians, with their sloppy exposition, their scripture-twisting, their refusal to factor in historical context finally got to me.

I decided someone had to do something. Someone who loves God and the Bible had to take a stand for Truth. So I started a website.

On GayChristian101.com I carefully examine what the Bible really says about homosexuality.

I factor in cultural and historical and linguistic context.

I provide photographs and sometimes videos to illustrate what I'm talking about and what the Bible is talking about.

Its an interesting gay Christian website and I think you'll enjoy it.

Even if you disagree, you'll find it helpful and spiritually uplifting.

Check it out and let me know what you think.

Read more...