Hi friends, hope you’ve been enjoying the series on LGBT issues/stories & faith. Next week in this series I’ll be hosting Liz Mallory, a bisexual Christian who has written a comprehensive series on God and sexuality/LGBT issues on her blog, and the series will then conclude with me sharing another story.

I’m privileged to say I’m guest posting for Liz today, and my post goes live at about 8.30pm UK time today. You can check it out here.

But in the meantime, in this post I’m going to do something slightly different in relation to this issue & maybe help you on this journey in a different way.

Many of you have had lots of valid questions – about theology and also asking for resources to allow you to explore this issue further. So today I’m going to share a few of these. Now one thing I will say, is that this isn’t a definitive list – there’s a lot more resources out there than the ones listed. These are just the best ones I’ve seen out there.

Books

‘Torn: Rescuing The Gospel From the Gays vs Christians Debate’ – Justin Lee.

In this book Justin Lee, head of the Gay Christian Network, shares his own struggles with his sexuality. He shares the story of how he approached scripture to examine what it said on the issue, fully prepared to embrace celibacy if that was the answer he found there.

It presents not only a powerful story, but a thorough examination of the scriptures surrounding the issue from someone not pursuing a specific perspective or agenda, but desperate for God’s truth.

 

 

‘God & The Gay Christian: The Biblical Case In Support of Same Sex Marriage’ – Matthew Vines 

This book is a thorough examination of the theology of same-sex relationships, and same-sex marriage. Matthew Vines had grown up always wanting to build a home and have a family, but when he realised he was gay, this was thrown into doubt. He’d been brought up to believe same sex relationships a sin – so what did the Bible really say?

This excellent book asks tough questions, such as:

• Do biblical teachings on the marriage covenant preclude same-sex marriage or not?
• How should we apply the teachings of Jesus to the gay debate?
• What does the story of Sodom and Gomorrah really say about human relationships?
• Can celibacy be a calling when it is mandated, not chosen?
• What did Paul have in mind when he warned against same-sex relations?

Other Books I Can Recommend:

‘Does Jesus Really Love Me? A Gay Christian’s Pilgrimage In Search Of God In America’ – Jeff Chu

‘Changing Our Mind’ – David P. Gushee

‘Sex & The Single Saviour: Gender & Sexuality in Biblical Interpretation’ – Dale B. Martin

 

Websites/Links/Posts:

 

NALT – Taking God At His Word: On The Bible & Homosexuality

Evangelicals Concerned Inc – Clobber Passages

The Clobber Passages Re-examined

Bible Abuse Directed At Homosexuals

Torn – Back To The Bible (Rachel Held Evans)

Eliz Mallory’s series on the Bible & Sexuality

Vicky Beeching – ‘God Has Walked Me Through This, Hand In Hand’ (Christianity Today)

 

Hope this is enough to get you started. These resources have all been really helpful to me on my own journey & I hope they can be a benefit to you too.

If you’re interested in exploring this issue further, the guys at the Oasis trust are running a conference in London at rhe beginning of April 2015 called ‘Open Church’, where leaders & thinkers on both sides of the theological spectrum on this issue are coming together to find a healthy way forward for the church. You can find more information on this here.

And don’t forget my guest post for Liz Mallory, going live late Monday (23rd Feb). Check it out here.

So to finish, here’s a little video of Brandan Robertson – who recently had a contract for a book, not on this topic, taken away by an evangelical Christian publisher in the States because he was willing to take a stand on this issue – talking to prominent speaker and author Rob Bell about the LGBT “issue”.

What Rob says in this conversation should give us all pause for thought.

 

 

 Question for Reflection:

 How have you found this series so far – has it been helpful, or challenged you?

Let me know in the comments below

 

 

(Please note – any comments I deem prejudice, offensive or disrespectful  will be deleted. This is space for healthy discussion, not argumentative or heated debate of any kind. )

 

 

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(Picture Sources: WordPress/Amazon/Online Source)

(Video: Revangelical/YouTube)