Please keep this article up. I do realize that there are those who find some of the websites objectionable and that's understandable. However the resources posted here are valuable and reasonable in many different ways and it would be a shame to see them removed.
Except the "offering up our sexuality" looks VERY different for cis straight people than it does for the LGBTQ community. It's a bit rich for a married pastor to say "I get to have sex within my loving committed marriage but YOU don't!"'
Furthermore, I have yet to find a reasonable argument that answers the question why "God wants SSA people to deny their sexual desires" other than because it's what some people think it's what the Bible tells us. If you are going to tell people that they are at risk of burning in Hell for eternity because of their Same Sex Marriage, there better be a good ACTUAL reason that shows their marriages are causing harm or showing evidence of sin. I've read the HSR and this evidence of sin is seriously lacking.
Rosaria Butterfield, Becket Cook, Mary Lee Bouma are all names of SSA Christians I have listened to and read. Their voices are valuable, their experiences are important. I will never criticize their choices or the lives they feel called to lead. There are other people who make different choices based on their experiences and calling and those are just as valid. There are christian straight people who feel called to be single. There are christian gay people who feel called to be married. Why is nuance here out of the question?
I am not claiming, nor do I hear it claimed by many of the Christian LGBTQ voices that I listen to, that sexual orientation is the most important aspect of who we are. But it is an important, beautiful part of who we are. That goes for all of us.
OK. If a straight married couple tells you that their marriage facilitates their individual relationships with God and as a community you see their love blossom and be a blessing to those around them and while they are not perfect you see that they genuinely love each other and God; you would NEVER question the legitimacy of their claims about their spiritual life and marriage.
But a gay married couple demonstrates all of the same qualities and they tell you using their words and actions that they have a strong, healthy relationship with God, you reject that claim despite all the evidence? They are telling you their marriage does not damage their vertical relationship, but you discount it?
I am going to ignore your other example because it's a diversion. That is not what we are talking about. If there becomes a time in the CRC to discuss open marriages and relationships, we can talk about it then. But this is not the conversation the CRC is having right now.
Glad to engage Eric, but we are reaching the point of it no longer being beneficial for us to continue to go back and forth with one another.
Please correct me if I am misinterpreting you; you seem to be saying "Scripture saying what it does leaves us no option to re-evaluate based on any earthly evidence we have."
My response to that is simply "because of all the earthly evidence we have we are now obligated to re-evaluate scripture."
Like I said, maybe I am missing some other point you are making but I don't think I am.
Posted in: February Is Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month (TDVAM)
Please keep this article up. I do realize that there are those who find some of the websites objectionable and that's understandable. However the resources posted here are valuable and reasonable in many different ways and it would be a shame to see them removed.
Posted in: Talking About Human Sexuality With Love
Thank you so much for this thoughtful and kind post. I hope these words will be used to guide our discussions moving forward.
Posted in: Homosexuality and Our Missional Calling
Did Dr. Goheen specifically write this for the Network? If not I would be curious to find it in it's original context....
Posted in: The Three Minds and the Third Way
Except the "offering up our sexuality" looks VERY different for cis straight people than it does for the LGBTQ community. It's a bit rich for a married pastor to say "I get to have sex within my loving committed marriage but YOU don't!"'
Furthermore, I have yet to find a reasonable argument that answers the question why "God wants SSA people to deny their sexual desires" other than because it's what some people think it's what the Bible tells us. If you are going to tell people that they are at risk of burning in Hell for eternity because of their Same Sex Marriage, there better be a good ACTUAL reason that shows their marriages are causing harm or showing evidence of sin. I've read the HSR and this evidence of sin is seriously lacking.
Posted in: The Three Minds and the Third Way
Rosaria Butterfield, Becket Cook, Mary Lee Bouma are all names of SSA Christians I have listened to and read. Their voices are valuable, their experiences are important. I will never criticize their choices or the lives they feel called to lead. There are other people who make different choices based on their experiences and calling and those are just as valid. There are christian straight people who feel called to be single. There are christian gay people who feel called to be married. Why is nuance here out of the question?
I am not claiming, nor do I hear it claimed by many of the Christian LGBTQ voices that I listen to, that sexual orientation is the most important aspect of who we are. But it is an important, beautiful part of who we are. That goes for all of us.
Posted in: The Three Minds and the Third Way
Hey Eric,
OK. If a straight married couple tells you that their marriage facilitates their individual relationships with God and as a community you see their love blossom and be a blessing to those around them and while they are not perfect you see that they genuinely love each other and God; you would NEVER question the legitimacy of their claims about their spiritual life and marriage.
But a gay married couple demonstrates all of the same qualities and they tell you using their words and actions that they have a strong, healthy relationship with God, you reject that claim despite all the evidence? They are telling you their marriage does not damage their vertical relationship, but you discount it?
I am going to ignore your other example because it's a diversion. That is not what we are talking about. If there becomes a time in the CRC to discuss open marriages and relationships, we can talk about it then. But this is not the conversation the CRC is having right now.
Posted in: The Three Minds and the Third Way
Glad to engage Eric, but we are reaching the point of it no longer being beneficial for us to continue to go back and forth with one another.
Please correct me if I am misinterpreting you; you seem to be saying "Scripture saying what it does leaves us no option to re-evaluate based on any earthly evidence we have."
My response to that is simply "because of all the earthly evidence we have we are now obligated to re-evaluate scripture."
Like I said, maybe I am missing some other point you are making but I don't think I am.
Thanks for the conversation.