Do christians hate gays
How Should Christians Respond to Gay Friends or Family Members?
Caleb Kaltenbach (M.A. ’07) is an alumnus of Biola’s Talbot School of Theology, lead pastor of a large church in Simi Valley, Calif., and a married father of two. He’s also an emerging voice in the discussion of how Christians should engage the LGBT community. That’s because Kaltenbach has an insider perspective, having been raised by a dad and mom who divorced and independently came out of the closet as a gay guy and a womxn loving womxn. Raised in the midst of LGBT parties and celebration parades, Kaltenbach became a Christian and a pastor as a young individual. Today, he manages the tension of holding to the traditional biblical education on sexuality while loving his queer parents.
Kaltenbach’s unique story is detailed in his new manual Messy Grace: How a Pastor with Gay Parents Learned to Love Others Without Sacrificing Conviction and landed him on the front page of the New York Times in June. Biola Magazine reached out to him to talk about his book and his perspective on how Christians can enhanced navigate the complexities of this issue with truth and grace.
In your novel you say that it’s time for Christians to control the iss Vines, Matthew, God and the Homosexual Christian: The Biblical Case in Support of Same Sex Relationships, Convergent Books, 2014 Wilson, Ken,A Letter to My Congregation, David Crum Media, 2014. The relationship of homosexuality to Christianity is one of the main topics of discussion in our culture today. In the fall of last year I wrote a review of books by Wesley Hill and Sam Allberry that take the historic Christian view, in Hill’s words: “that homosexuality was not God’s original creative intention for humanity ... and therefore that homosexual practice goes against God’s express will for all human beings, especially those who reliance in Christ.” There are a number of other books that take the opposite view, namely that the Bible either allows for or supports same sex relationships. Over the last year or so I (and other pastors at Redeemer) have been regularly asked for responses to their arguments. The two most read volumes taking this position seem to be those by Matthew Vines and Ken Wilson. The review of these two books will be longer than usual because the topic is so contested today and, wh Pope Francis was recently asked about his views on homosexuality. He reportedly replied: This (laws around the society criminalising LGBTI people) is not right. Persons with homosexual tendencies are children of God. God loves them. God accompanies them … condemning a person like this is a sin. Criminalising people with homosexual tendencies is an injustice. This isn’t the first time Pope Francis has shown himself to be a progressive leader when it comes to, among other things, gay Catholics. It’s a stance that has drawn the ire of some high-ranking bishops and ordinary Catholics, both on the African continent and elsewhere in the world. Read more: Pope Francis' visit to Africa comes at a defining moment for the Catholic church Some of these Catholics may argue that Pope Francis’s approach to LGBTI matters is a misinterpretation of Scripture (or the Bible). But is it? Scripture is particularly essential for Christians. When church leaders refer to “the Bible” or “the Scriptures”, they usually mean “the Bible as we perceive it through our theological doctrines”. The Bible is always interpreted by our churches through their particular theological lense As Democrats in the Senate yesterday sought to pass the Equality Act (which would remove some key current protections for religious organizations), Denny Burk highlighted an important indicate in our culture’s current clash between Christians and those pushing the LGBTQ agenda. Burk pointed to the continued fulfillment of a statement from Robert George six years ago. There is, in my opinion, no chance—no chance—of persuading champions of sexual liberation (and it should be plain by now that this is the cause they serve), that they should respect, or allow the law to respect, the conscience rights of those with whom they disagree. Look at it from their point of view: Why should we permit “full equality” to be trumped by bigotry? Why should we respect religions and religious institutions that are “incubators of homophobia”? Bigotry, religiously based or not, must be smashed and eradicated. The commandment should certainly not give it recognition or lend it any standing or dignity. Christians are often accused of bigotry in this area. They are said to be hateful, fearful, and prejudiced against LGBTQ persons. Why? I ponder there are at l
The Bible and same sex relationships: A review article
Tim Keller, 2015
Why Many Believe Christians Hate LGBTQ Individuals