Free Republic

People can use the bible to justify any position they want when they take words out of context, or read into the text what is not there. On April 22, 2014, a new attack on the reliability and perspicuity of Scripture was released. “God and the Gay Christian” was a book that sought to teach readers that the Bible condones living a monogamous homosexual lifestyle. That attack continues today in the church. The author was Matthew Vines, openly homosexual man and a professing Christian. Being an openly practicing homosexual and claiming to be a Christian often means the person has...

Fifty hand-picked Christians were part of a seminal conference last week planned by Matthew Vines, a 23-year-old Christian who believes Scripture allows for monogamous homosexual activity, in an effort to spread the idea in the American church over the next decade.... ....Vines’s video has been convincing laypeople, even if he is “encountering resistance from Scriptural scholars,” because a rebuttal requires very specific knowledge about the texts involved, and the truth is, most of us haven’t looked into this issue closely enough to be ready with an answer.

Matthew Vines, the author of the recently released God and the Gay Christian, said that despite his ideological differences with Southern Baptist Theological Seminary president, he did not "feel like Al Mohler is my enemy." (Photo: Screenshot of Patheos Book Club Live)Deborah Area facilitates a discussion among progressive Christian writers Matthew Vines, Rachel Held Evans, Tony Jones & Jay Bakker about Vines' new book "God and the Gay Christian" during a web conference on May 14, 2014. "I see him as my brother. He may not see me as his brother yet, but I think one day he will and...

With the release of Matthew Vines' God and the Gay Christian: The Biblical Case in Support of Same-Sex Relationships, conservative Evangelicals are responding with warnings that the book should not cause confusion regarding Scripture's teaching on homosexuality. The book, Andrew Walker – director of Policy Studies for the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission – says, "is the first step in a larger effort to fundamentally recast long-held, universally acknowledged norms pertaining to sexual ethics." In his review, Walker notes that not only does Vines identify himself as a conservative evangelical and claim to uphold the authority of...

A Kansas man whose online lecture about the Bible and same-sex relationships gained considerable attention has gathered about 50 Christians from around the country to delve into his belief that the Scriptures do not condemn homosexuality as a sexual orientation. Matthew Vines, of Wichita, grew up attending a conservative evangelical Presbyterian church in the city and relies heavily on intensive study of the Bible for his presentations. He said liberal and moderate Christian churches have adopted more gay-friendly stances, but conservative churches remain steadfast in their opposition to homosexuality. The 23-year-old Vines wants to bring change with his message that...

Editor's Note: This is part two in a three-part series that will feature both sides of the debate on the Bible and homosexuality. The series launched with an interview with Matthew Vines. This second story features responses from evangelical theologians. Ending the series will be guest contributions from Christians who have chosen not to engage in homosexuality and those who don't believe a gay lifestyle conflicts with the Bible. "Being gay is not a sin" is the mantra that one young Harvard student is trying to promulgate. But while Matthew Vines has attracted a growing following with what some are...