GAY TRUTH

Eugene H. Peterson , a retired Presbyterian minister and award-winning author, backtracked Thursday after his  public affirmation of same-sex marriage  generated a bitter backlash from some Christian supporters. The 84-year old, recognized most for his contemporary translation of the Bible, " The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language ,” clarified his comments regarding same-sex marriage, upholding a traditional Christian view on marriage. "To clarify, I affirm a biblical view of marriage: one man to one woman," Peterson said in a  lengthy statement to The Washington Post . "I affirm a biblical view of everything." Peterson's retraction follows an  interview with Religion News Service  in which he was asked whether he would perform a same-sex wedding had he still been a pastor, which Peterson responded to with a terse, "Yes." In his latest statement, Peterson laments his response, explaining that he was "put on the spot...

Should gay people be accepted as members in the community of faith or ordained to church leadership? The Revisionist Answer The liberating ethic of love demands that a local church accept gays and allow them to participate fully in membership, including leadership. The Bible does not concern itself with the modern idea of mutually committed relationships of people who have been gay from birth. The Bible does not condemn such. It is obvious, then, that churches should ordain gay people for ministry. The Biblical Answer Ample evidence exists that the ancients knew and sometimes practiced gay relationships and mutuality. Paul’s discussion in Romans 1 , 1 Corinthians 6:9 –11, and 1 Timothy 1:8–10 must include this understanding of homosexual relationships .  In addition, Paul’s vice list—including “homosexuals” (arsenokoitai)—occurs in a broader context of those who “shall not inherit the kingdom of God” ( 1 Cor. 6:9–11) and who should, like the person involved in se...

Nearly a dozen ministers within the Church of England are expected to reveal in a letter that they are gay and have married their same-sex partners despite the Church's biblical opposition to gay marriage. The Guardian reported on Sunday that the letter from the clergy to the Church will ask for permission to carry out blessings for people entering gay marriages. "Our marriages are legal, celebrated and widely accepted in society," said Andrew Foreshew-Cain, one of the first priests to defy the CofE's ban on gay marriage. "Yet the Church of England behaves as if they are somehow dirty and imposes penalties on clergy and refuses to acknowledge the marriages of those who wish to make lifelong faithful commitments." The 80-million strong Anglican Communion took a stand in support of traditional marriage between one man and one woman back in January, when a major meeting of Anglican primates hosted by the Archbishop of Canterbury decided to suspend the Episc...

At its quadrennial meeting last month, the United Methodist Church decided not to take up contentious LGBT issues. But that’s not stopping its regional conferences from making decisions on their own. Two U.S. jurisdictions will consider three openly gay candidates for bishop next month. The Rev. Karen Oliveto, the Rev. Frank Wulf and the Rev. David Meredith have been nominated for election at the meetings of the denomination’s Western and North Central jurisdictions July 13-16, according to the Reconciling Ministries Network. It’s not the first time an openly gay candidate has been nominated — Wulf has been nominated before, according to Reconciling Ministries Executive Director Matt Berryman — but there’s “no question” there is momentum this time after last month’s United Methodist Church General Conference in Portland, Ore. “I feel like there’s a kind of a groundswell of movement,” Berryman said. “Many, many annual conferences are refusing to comply with the Book of Discipline...