GAY TRUTH

In modern cultures, every Christian is faced with the problem of homosexuality. Churches are pulled into the tension, too, because “there is no demilitarized zone in the homosexual debate.” Shrugging isn’t an option. The implications are all around us, in schools, in politics, in denominational tensions, and — maybe most importantly — in determining how the Church lives out her faithful witness to a culture in desperate need of Christ. With the marriage amendment on the Minnesota ballot, and with a growing list of personal questions in my Moleskine notebook , I contacted Dr. Robert Gagnon, a professor of New Testament at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and a man who has for many years bravely addressed homosexuality from a biblical and theological perspective. In 2002 he published the 500-page book The Bible and Homosexual Practice: Texts and Hermeneutics . A decade later his work remains the most thoroughly exegetical and hermeneutical book on homosexuality and the Bible ( John P...

Matthew Vines, a Harvard-educated gay man claiming to be a Christian has sparked a great deal of controversy in the church community with his incorrect fault analysis on why the Bible does not condemn homosexuality. He has launched a new leadership training conference aimed at teaching Christians how to lead LGBT-friendly churches and communities. In a video announcing the project, Vines says The Reformation Project will "train, connect and empower gay Christians and their allies to reform church teaching on homosexuality from the ground up." Vines gained a wide recognition and stirred controversy last year with his hour-long YouTube video , which has gained over half a million views, where he presented a detailed argument on why he believes the Bible does not condemn gay people. The young Christian also did an exclusive interview with The Christian Post where he detailed how he arrived at his argument, which caused a great deal of discussion and debate in the Christian com...

Exodus International president Alan Chambers has, explained the Orlando-based ministry's recent U-turn on reparative therapy. And while the organization's stance remains acceptable to most evangelicals, some scholars fear that Chambers's theological convictions—sprinkled throughout those interviews—have not. "It's not that he is simply not saying the warnings [against homosexual activity] in Scripture. I could live with that," Pittsburgh Theological Seminary professor Robert Gagnon said of Chambers's recent comments. "It's that he is saying the exact opposite of what Scripture clearly teaches … . He's preaching an anti-gospel." The theological heresy in question is antinomianism. The term was coined by Martin Luther to refer to those who believe that since faith is sufficient for salvation, Christians are not obligated to keep God's moral law. Gagnon, author of The Bible and Homosexual Practice and a plenary speaker at Exodus...

Exodus International (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) In recent weeks the leadership at Exodus International , an international Christian ministry that reaches out to those struggling with same-sex attraction , has distanced itself from so-called reparative or "conversion" therapy. Now, a Christian theologian is calling for the removal of Alan Chambers , the president of Exodus. Professor Robert Gagnon, an associate professor at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary , recently said Chambers is offering false hope to gays and lesbians by stating that their salvation is assured. Gagnon cites a 2011 interview with journalist Lisa Ling where Chambers said "people living an active gay Christian life will be in heaven with me if they have a relationship with Jesus Christ ." Gagnon added that Chambers made similar remarks when he spoke with the Gay Christian Network Conference in January 2012. In a 35-page article on Chambers, Gagnon said, "Alan's approach of provid...

Exodus International president Alan Chambers has, in the past week, explained the Orlando-based ministry's recent U-turn on reparative therapy to everyone from  The New York Times  to  NPR  to MSNBC 's  Hardball . And while the organization's stance remains acceptable to most evangelicals, some scholars fear that Chambers's theological convictions—sprinkled throughout those interviews—have not. "It's not that he is simply not saying the warnings [against homosexual activity] in Scripture. I could live with that," Pittsburgh Theological Seminary professor Robert Gagnon said of Chambers's recent comments. "It's that he is saying the exact opposite of what Scripture clearly teaches … . He's preaching an anti-gospel." The theological heresy in question is antinomianism. The term was coined by Martin Luther to refer to those who believe that since faith is sufficient for salvation, Christians are not obligated to keep God's ...

Image via Wikipedia “What stance should Christians and Christian churches take regarding homosexuality?” That question begins an incredible and most useful conversation between two New Testament scholars, one supporting the normalization of homosexuality, and the other defending the historic Christian understanding of sexuality and sexual sin. In the space of roughly one hundred pages, these two scholars set out the basic issues of debate. “What stance should Christians and Christian churches take regarding homosexuality?” That question begins an incredible and most useful conversation between two New Testament scholars, one supporting the normalization of homosexuality, and the other defending the historic Christian understanding of sexuality and sexual sin. In the space of roughly one hundred pages, these two scholars set out the basic issues of debate. In Homosexuality and the Bible : Two Views, professors Dan O. Via and Robert A. J. Gagnon present opposing arguments with full f...