God and the Gay Christian by Matthew Vines

Vines argues that we develop new viewpoints when we are given new information. They simply aimed to communicate effectively.' (p.

The biblical authors never intended to take a position on matters of astronomy, he said. Scripture used the same approach, Gallilleo argued, but that did not mean it contradicted his findings. 'The Bible used figurative language when describing the heavens so that the text would be 'accommodated to the understanding of every man.' From our perspective, the earth seems to stay still while the sun and stars seem to move.

It wasn't until Galileo proved otherwise with the invention of his telescope that they accepted the sun as the center of the universe. And how, based on the story of creation, early Christians believed that because humans were central to God's most important work, the earth must also be the center of the universe. He uses the example of how in Psalms, it reads that 'The world is firmly established it cannot be moved' (Psalm 93:1). Vines discusses how the Bible was written so that every man could understand its teachings. Instead of accepting the divide between more progressive Christians who support marriage equality and conservative Christians who oppose it, this book envisions a future in which all Christians come to embrace and affirm their LGBT brothers and sisters- without undermining their commitment to the authority of the Bible' (p. My larger argument is this: Christians who affirm the full authority of Scripture can also affirm committed, monogamous same-sex relationships. 'My core argument in this book is not simply that some Bible passages have been misinterpreted and others have been given undue weight. Seven bible verses are used at face value to condemn members of the LGBTQ community. In the argument about same-sex relationships and the Bible, there is often discussion centered around clobber verses. Then, letting the reader draw their own conclusions. Rather 'exploring what the Bible actually says - and doesn't say - about same-sex relationships' (back cover). Its sole purpose is not to change the mind of the reader.

Matthew Vines' God and the Gay Christian is a profoundly significant contribution to the conversation surrounding how the church feels about same-sex relationships.

God and the Gay Christian by Matthew Vines