Thoughtful Reflections on Faith and Life
When people see the title of this post, they might push back and say it is not hatred. It is simply a disagreement about a lifestyle. That may be true about some but for others, by any definition it is hatred. You will find Christians on social media calling for the imprisonment and even execution … Read More “Why Do Some Christians Hate 2SLGBTQIA+ People So Much?” »
One of the big items in the news lately has been the anti-homosexuality legislation that has been adopted in Uganda. Uganda has traditionally taken a hard stand against same-sex activity but this is the imposing of stricter sanctions. You can find the actual details of the law here. I noticed on social media that some … Read More “What’s Wrong With Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act?” »
I recently got into a discussion with someone on Twitter over a comment he made. He stated: “Contrary to popular belief, there is no such thing as a gay Christian.” This was part of a series of tweets expressing views designed to be provocative. I wanted to respond to this one because I have heard … Read More “Is There Such a Thing as a “Gay Christian”?” »
In the denomination that I belong to, there is some debate about who should be allowed into the membership of individual congregations. The group that is being targeted is the LGBTQ community. Some are arguing that LGBTQ people should be excluded from church membership. I am not going to discuss here whether or not homosexuality … Read More ““Acceptable” Sins in the Church” »
One of the divisive issues facing the church today is how we respond to the LGBTQ community. There are strong feelings on both sides. Is it even possible for someone to change their mind on this? Apparently it is possible. David Gushee is a prominent evangelical ethicist. For some time he held to the traditionalist … Read More “Changing Our Mind – Review” »
I recently did a Twitter poll concerning the openness of Christians toward people in committed same-sex relationships having full access to all levels of leadership in the church. Here are the results: I realize that the number of respondents severely limits the accuracy of the data. However, based on many of the conversations that I … Read More “The Biggest Challenge Currently Facing the Church” »
My teenage daughter approached me the other day because she had come across something called Operation Pridefall. I don’t know much about it other than it is a plan to disrupt Pride Month for the LGBTQ community. I don’t know who is behind it but it looks like it will be more bluster than action. … Read More “Christians and Pride Month” »
I believe that the most radical change I have seen in the past decade has been around attitudes toward homosexuality, both in society and the church. It was not long ago that being gay was a taboo subject and now it is seen in the same category as ethnic diversity. Churches are still struggling with … Read More “Generous Spaciousness – Review” »
My newsfeed has included a lot of posts about the recent arrest of David Lynn, a Christian evangelist. He had been preaching on the streets of a largely gay neighbourhood in Toronto during Pride Month. One article responding to this was titled, Yes, Canada Is Actually Arresting Christian Pastors And Banning Them From Preaching In Public. … Read More “Is Canada Arresting Christian Pastors and Banning Public Preaching?” »
I don’t think that there has been any view within our culture that has changed as much in recent decades as that toward homosexuality. When I think back to my youth, homosexuality was not accepted outside the church, much less within. Now not only is homosexuality accepted, I know pastors who have performed same-sex marriages … Read More “People to Be Loved – Review” »
Same-sex marriage is legal in the United States. Many people are happy. Many people are upset. Whatever the reaction, this is a major decision that will have a long lasting impact. I am not interested in discussing the pros or cons of same-sex marriages. I want to talk about things that the Church should consider … Read More “5 Things to Consider in Light of the SCOTUS Decision” »
The U.S. Supreme Court has now ruled that it is legal for all Americans to marry, including same-sex marriage. What does this mean for many evangelicals and other Christians who do not agree with same-sex marriage? Is this the end of religious freedom? I am not an expert in the American political and religious scene, nor … Read More “Same-Sex Marriage and Lessons From Canada” »
Homosexuality has been a controversial subject for as long as the Church has existed. Changes in the definitions of marriage have only exasperated that situation. The Church does have something to say about homosexuality but it has not always very productive in its articulation. Here are some things that may be helpful for Christians to … Read More “Evangelicals and Discussions About Homosexuality” »
The newest item to get Christians all riled up is the revelation by Christian musician Vicky Beeching that she is a lesbian. She is not the first Christian musician to come out of the closet (Ray Boltz, Jennifer Knapp) and she won’t be the last. I would like to share some random thoughts about Beeching … Read More “Vicky Beeching, Homosexuality and the Church” »
As you may know, some countries such as Uganda have established anti-gay laws, that is they have outlawed homosexuality. Homosexuality is punishable by imprisonment or death. I was shocked to discover (on John Loftus’ Facebook page) that atheists think that evangelicals encouraged, supported and approved of this law that will result in the death of … Read More “Are Western Evangelicals Responsible For the Anti-Gay Laws in Africa?” »
First of all, I need to say that I have never watched an episode of Duck Dynasty, nor do I intend to. However, the web is ablaze with the controversy over what Phil Robertson said in an interview in GQ. You can find CNN’s coverage of it here. Basically, Robertson made some critical comments about … Read More “What We Can Learn From Phil Robertson” »
In a recent CNN Belief Blog, popular author and speaker Rachel Held Evans wrote on Why Millennials Are Leaving the Church. This is an area that I am very much interested in and so I was eager to read what she said. She is right on. She observes that churches are trying to hold on … Read More “Rachel Held Evans is Right But I Still Disagree With Her” »
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYFNfW1-sM8?feature=player_embedded] This is a video put out by the United Nations bringing to our attention the danger that many homosexuals experience throughout the world. I must say that I agree with 90% of what is in this video. It is terrible that so many homosexuals are killed and tortured in countries around the world. … Read More “The Riddle: UN Anti-Homophobic Video” »
In Canada, as in many western countries, we take for granted our freedom of expression/speech. This freedom is one of the things that I am thankful for as a Canadian. However, that freedom is not without limits. I have an article in the most recent issue of Faith Today in which I explore the limits … Read More “Limits to Freedom of Expression” »
Apparently this Starbucks controversy has really struck a nerve. Before this week, the busiest day I had on this blog was 576 hits. Yesterday I had over 39,000 hits! I appreciate people’s willingness to read my thoughts, share the post and add their own comments. There have been many comments on the post and instead … Read More “Starbucks Controversy: Some Clarifications” »
Social media is ablaze with recent comments by Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz on those who support traditional marriage. The headline I have seen all over Facebook is “If You Support Marriage, We Don’t Want Your Business.” I found that strange, not because I doubted that Schultz supported same-sex marriage but I found it hard to … Read More “Starbucks, Same-Sex Marriage and Getting Facts Straight” »
Steve McSwain wrote an article in the Huffington Post titled 6 Things Christians Should Just Stop Saying. While I can think of plenty of things that Christians say that I disagree with or find annoying, I could ask: Why should Christians stop saying these things? Based on what authority? Even if I agreed with everything … Read More “Six Things Christians Say” »
From time to time, I hear Christians referring to homosexuals as Sodomites. I once suggested in public that this was not appropriate and I was challenged on it. After all, the Bible speaks about Sodomites, so why should we give up on the word just to be politically correct? It is true that the … Read More “Why Christians Should Not Use the Word Sodomite” »
Sometime ago, Starbucks took a stand for same-sex marriage. Many evangelical Christians were offended and called for a boycott of Starbucks. Advocates of same-sex marriage saw this as intolerant and as an overreaction. More recently, Chick-fil-A took a stand against same-sex marriage. Advocates of same-sex marriage were offended and have called for a boycott of … Read More “Chick-fil-A, Starbucks and Boycotting What We Disagree With” »
Michelle Bachmann has come under fire for questioning the Kinsey Report’s figure of 10% of the population being homosexual. You can watch the video here. Before I go any farther, I would like to make two things clear. First I have no agenda to defend Bachmann. I know almost nothing about her and have very … Read More “Michelle Bachmann and the Kinsey Myth” »
