This past weekend, I spoke to college students attending the “Give Me an Answer” conference on the campus of Southern Seminary. My topic was “The Gospel and Homosexuality,” and after my talk the students were eager to find resources to help them think more biblically about this issue. I told them that I would provide a short list here, and what follows is the fulfillment of that promise. This list is by no means exhaustive, but it will get you started. Four questions about the gospel and homosexuality are below, and each resource is listed under the question that it answers.
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Relationship in Marriage Is Not Ultimate
“By a profound paradox, a focus on relational quality as the primary aim of marriage destroys relationship.” –Christopher Ash, Marriage: Sex in the Service of God, p. 51
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Christians Ought To Be Theological
“Christians ought to be theological, not stopping with the work of exegesis but using exegesis to open up what is revealed to us of the consistent mind of God.” –Christopher Ash, Marriage: Sex in the Service of God, p. 21
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The President Is Not Telling the Truth
Yesterday, President Obama issued an “accommodation” to religious employers who object to that portion of Obamacare that forces them to pay for contraceptives, sterilizations, and abortions. In his statement (view it above), the President claims, Under the rule, women will still have access to free preventive care that includes contraceptive services -– no matter where they work. So that core principle remains. But if a woman’s employer is a charity or a hospital that has a religious objection to providing contraceptive services as part of their health plan, the insurance company -– not the hospital, not the charity -– will be required to reach out and offer the woman contraceptive…
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First They Came for the Catholics…
Sobering words from Chuck Colson and Timothy George at Christianity Today online about the new healthcare law requiring religious groups to pay for abortions: We do not exaggerate when we say that this is the greatest threat to religious freedom in our lifetime. We cannot help but think of the words attributed to German pastor Martin Niemoeller, reflecting on the Nazi terror: First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out — Because I was not a Socialist. Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out — Because I was not a Trade Unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I…
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Rick Warren Would Rather Go to Jail than Obey New Healthcare Law
Rick Warren delivered the invocation at President Obama’s inauguration, and he is also one of the most well-known pastors in the country. He does not, however, support the administration’s new healthcare law requiring religious organizations to pay for abortions. In his own words: I’m not a Catholic but I stand in 100% solidarity with my brothers & sisters to practice their belief against govt pressure […] I’d go to jail rather than cave in to a government mandate that violates what God commands us to do. Would you? Acts 5:29. By the way, anyone who thinks that this is just a Catholic issue is sadly mistaken. Protestants have universities and…
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Daniel Wallace Debates Bart Ehrman
Andreas Köstenberger attended last night’s debate between Daniel Wallace and Barth Ehrman at the University of North Carolina. Köstenberger writes an overview of how it went down, and he says that the audience feedback indicated that the debate had no clear winner. Köstenberger says that the technical stuff flew over everyone’s head. He also offers how he would have closed the debate had he been a participant. He writes: Friends, I think I’ve shown that for every skeptical argument Bart Ehrman advances, there is a reasonable response that shows the Bible to be more reliable than he makes it out to be. But in the end, how many of us…
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Justin Taylor Weighs-in on the Elephant Room
Now Justin Taylor has added his commentary, and he gives a history of the Elephant Room debacle from September 2011 to now. This is wise and helpful. I won’t attempt to excerpt it. You should read the whole thing anyway.
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Kevin DeYoung Weighs-in on the Elephant Room
I agree with everything Kevin DeYoung writes in his thoughtful reflections about The Elephant Room. On the central question of the Trinity, Kevin writes, I’m not at all convinced Jakes understands or affirms orthodox Trinitarianism. But even if he meant to do so at the Elephant Room, the issue was not pressed far enough. Saying yes to the right formulations is one thing, but on something as fundamental as the Trinity, we ought to be concerned that a pastor celebrates and promotes the doctrine with passion and joy. We want to know that these core doctrines animate, infuse, and inform our pastoral ministry. We want to see that brothers understand…
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Carl Trueman on Trinitarianism and the Race Card
Carl Trueman has a post defending the centrality of Nicene Trinitarianism. Apparently, he is responding to the video James MacDonald released yesterday defending The Elephant Room 2, which seemed to suggest that defending orthodoxy is a “white” thing. Trueman writes: