by Matthew Vines
Convergent Books
2014
213 pages
Spiritual
God and the Gay Christian is written by a young,
conservative Christian gay man. Within the framework of Biblical exegesis,
Vines takes on the scriptures that are traditionally used to speak against
homosexuality. He looks at the verses and shows how they are taken out of context,
or how they couldn't possibly have meant what the nit-picky Bible reader thinks
they mean, or how the values portrayed in isolated verses of the scripture
have no meaning for today's world. This is a young man on a search for his own
Christian faith, for his own values, and for his own understanding of who he is
as a gay man. Frankly, a PhD Biblical scholar could not have done a better job.
Vines explains the historical context of the scriptures and
offers an interpretation that helps the Christian form a new opinion about
their gay Christian brethren. He calls those who decry homosexuality in
Christ's name "non-affirming," but his primary attempt is to help his
own family come to an understanding of their son and brother as a child of God.
"While we are infinitely small in the grand scheme of things, we also have
intrinsic value. This belief is shared in some form by many cultures and
worldviews, and . . . it is deeply embedded in the Christian faith. The Bible
teaches that, as human beings, we are made in the image of God, a doctrine that
Christians have long understood to form the basis of our inherent value."
If that is the case, then we are ALL formed in God's image. This is
how we find our worth, and when we tell our homosexual brethren that there is
something wrong with them, we are denying them their infinite worth. He says,
"In the final analysis, it is not gay Christians who are sinning against
God by entering into monogamous, loving relationships. It is WE who are sinning against them by
rejecting their intimate relationships."
Much of what he discusses I learned long ago in seminary.
However, often what preachers learn in seminary is not what they preach, and
even if they learn the historical context of the scripture, they tend to take
the scripture at face value when they preach from the Bible. After I read a
positive review of the book on the Pathos
website, which appears to be a progressive website, I then turned to a more
conservative review, which of course, sought to downplay the book and threaten
that Vines had perverted the scripture for his own gain. It was hard to
concentrate on the negative review on The
Christian Post website because of the Claritin, Tampax and toothpaste ads
that blared loudly in the background. I had to wonder who was perverting the
scriptures—Vines or The Christian Post.
Vines writes like a Biblical scholar—actually he is a
self-trained Biblical scholar. His words are refreshing, and the time is right
for the message of Bible to be looked at through fresh eyes. I commend his work
to you. It could very well be that his book could turn the conversation around
among conservative Christians.
Recently, I went with several family members to a
presentation of the video Seventh-Gay Adventists. While the screening was at a
Quaker meeting house, most of the people in attendance were young Seventh Day
Adventists. We were invited by our friend Beth, a deeply devout Christian woman
who happens to be a Lesbian in a committed relationship. I was struck by the
power of the documentary and the conundrum that the three people profiled found
themselves in. They wanted to be part of the religious community, but the
shortsightedness of the church confounded them. Of course, as the mother of a
gay man, I just wanted to shake these people. "Can't you see?" my
mind yelled at the screen. "These are children of God that you are
rejecting because of your own stupidity." I would recommend this
documentary as a companion piece to the book God and the Gay Christian.
Here is a link to the documentary: https://www.youtube.com/user/sgamovie
For a summary of the
chapters read the review on the Pathos website: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/exploringourmatrix/2014/05/review-of-god-and-the-gay-christian.html
The review in the Christian Post: http://www.christianpost.com/news/evangelicals-review-matthew-vines-god-and-the-gay-christian-book-118386/
Matthew Vines website: www.matthewvines.com
No comments:
Post a Comment