Is a Traditional Theology of Marriage Intrinsically Harmful Toward LGBTQ People? Part 2
By Preston Sprinkle, President of the Center for Faith, Sexuality, and Gender. In the previous post, I wrestled with the question: Is a traditional theology of marriage intrinsically harmful toward LGBTQ people? I raised some logical concerns about this line of reasoning, especially when the argument is used to weaponize a particular ideology. It […]
Is the Traditional Definition of Marriage Harmful to LGBTQ People?
By Preston Sprinkle, President of the Center for Faith, Sexuality, and Gender. This question is dear to my heart, because many of my friends, who identify as LGBTQ, are so dear to my heart. And many of them have been harmed by the church. Drew Harper, a gay man raised in the church, captures […]
Shame Watching a Football Game
The following blog is written by Pieter Valk. Pieter is a part of The Center’s collaborative team and the director of EQUIP, which is a Nashville-based organization that helps churches become places where gay people can thrive according to a traditional sexual ethic. I was watching a college football game with my family over Christmas break. […]
Three Concerns with LGBTQ Terminology
The following blog is written by Rachel Gilson and is part 5 of our series, “Gay” vs. ‘”Same Sex Attraction:” A Dialogue. Rachel is the director of theological development for Cru Northeast. You can find more of her writing at rachelgilson.com. In my first post, I explained how I have come to use language of “same-sex attraction” […]
Responding to Concerns with the Term “Same-Sex Attracted”
The following blog is written by Rachel Gilson and is part 4 of our series, “Gay” vs. ‘”Same Sex Attraction:” A Dialogue. Rachel is the director of theological development for Cru Northeast. You can find more of her writing at rachelgilson.com. The concerns of my brother Greg are stated with charity and gentleness but are ultimately unpersuasive […]
Three Concerns with the Term “Same-Sex Attracted”
The following blog is written by Greg Coles and is part 3 of our series, “Gay” vs. ‘”Same Sex Attraction:” A Dialogue. Greg is part of The Center’s collaborative team and is the author of the book Single, Gay, Christian. I don’t invest much effort trying to proselytize Christians who call themselves “same-sex attracted” (or “SSA”) into using the […]
Four Truths I Wish I’d Known as a Gay Teen
The following blog is written by Greg Coles. Greg is part of The Center’s collaborative team and is the author of the book Single, Gay, Christian. I heard a lot of garbage when I was a teenager about what being gay and following Jesus had to do with each other. Some of the lies […]
What Pronouns Should Christians Use For Transgender People?
Gregory Coles is on the Collaborative Team for The Center. His academic research on rhetorics of marginality (how language works in society for disadvantaged groups) has appeared in or is forthcoming from College English, Rhetorica, and Cambridge University Press. You can read his whole bio by clicking here. As Christians, what pronouns should we use when we […]
What is Marriage?
By Preston Sprinkle When Christians dialogue or debate the ethics of same-sex relationships, they typically start by talking about the so-called “prohibition passages” like Leviticus 18:22 or Romans 1:26-27. The discussion usually focuses on whether these passages apply to modern day, consensual, adult marriages. Or some people argue that the biblical writers didn’t know about […]
Is There Really Such Thing as a “Biblical Marriage?”
In my previous blog, I argued that the debate about same-sex marriage is not a secondary issue. To be clear, I didn’t thereby say that it’s necessarily a “gospel issue” (the phrase can be sloppy) or even a “primary issue,” since I don’t think primary and secondary categories are very helpful and I would rather […]