God and the Gay Christian: The Biblical Case in Support of Same-Sex Relationships (Revised and Expanded)

In his book, God and the Gay Christian: A Biblical Case in Support of Same-Sex Relationships, Matthew Vines brings us along his personal journey in pursuit of God's will for committed, faithful, homosexual Christians. As a young, smart, gay man who was raised in an evangelical Presbyterian home and church, Matthew is deeply committed to his Christian faith and Biblical teachings. He is neither pastor nor scholar, but he loves God and scripture. And since he reads neither Greek nor Hebrew, he, like most of us, relies on scholars and experts. As an honest and humble seeker of God's will, Vines does not trust his own wisdom, but asks his community, family, and God for guidance. He is not satisfied with the easy answers from either the left or the right. Vines understands the Christian Bible as God's inspired word, just as relevant today as in the early church, but he explains that we need to understand the historical, cultural, and literary context of scripture. We can not simply quote verses to prove our preconceptions. Also, we need to give serious consideration to the teachings of the universal church, because God's word is and always has been interpreted by the church. In this remarkable book, Vines opens our eyes to what the Bible could be saying to Christians, the Church, and to LGBT persons. He discusses each of the half dozen passages from the Old and New Testaments that seem to condemn gay people. He also discusses the more holistic teachings of the Bible that bear on human sexuality as well as LGBT inclinations and practice. He cites scholarship, witness, and tradition. His style is warm, informal, and intimate. You can tell he is sharing his soul. I found this book to be exactly what I needed. As a lifetime Christian and student of the Bible, I have only recently learned that the Bible's teachings on homosexual behaviors are not nearly as clear as I have previously assumed. But most affirmative Christian teachings on homosexuality are based on a liberal-critical reading of the text. And I, like Vines find such teachings greatly lacking. This book proposes a thoroughly Christian and conservatively Biblical message, that affirms our LGBT brothers and sisters as beloved children of God and does not force them to give up their sexuality in order to please God. God loves them as they are, and He calls them to relationship each other and God. At least that is what Vines teaches and I have come to believe. Whether you are a Christian who, like an increasing number of mainstream denominations, affirm homosexual relationships, or you are a Christian who wants to love the sinner, but hate the sin, I strongly encourage you to take a look at this book. It may encourage you to prayerfully reconsider your opinion. Praise God for Matthew Vines and his wonderful book. I highly recommend it.

As controversy has swirled in the wake of the Supreme Court's decision upholding gay marriage I wondered if anyone had managed to write a rigorous, Biblically-grounded defense of gay marriage. The answer is: yes, this book is it, and boy is it a doozy. For author Matthew Vines, the issue is personal: he was raised in a loving, Christian, Bible-believing home, but realized when he was 19 that he was gay. What to do? After coming out to his dad, the two of them began an in-depth reexamination of scripture that would ultimately change both their minds on the subject. If you've studied what the Bible has to say on the topic of homosexuality at all you probably know two things: one, 'homosexuality' is not a word in either ancient Hebrew or Greek and indeed not something they had a cultural concept for (relevant Biblical passages tend to relate to specific acts); and two, there are six 'clobber passages' strewn across the Old and New Testament which have generally been used to show that the Bible comprehensively condemns gay sexuality. Vines of course digs into those six passages, but before he does so he spends several chapters laying some important conceptual groundwork. He examines the tools scripture gives us to judge whether a doctrine is good or bad, he delves into the history of the church changing its mind when presented with new information, and then he presents some new information: to wit, the church has only known about sexual orientations for about 200 years. What follows is one of the most fascinating parts of the book, an examination of the framework within which ancient peoples actually understood homosexual practices. It was a radically different one than we have today. In essence, virtually everyone believed that all men could be attracted to either men or women, but that interest in men generally arose when someone was no longer satisfied merely with women. Also, male-male sex usually occurred within the framework of pederasty, older men involved with young boys. The great taboo was not to be the 'effeminate' member within a relationship. It was an incredibly strange and rather icky cultural practice, but as they say, "The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there." Suffice it to say, concepts of fixed sexual orientation are quite modern and would not have crossed the minds of early Christians. Having explored this critical cultural context, Vines breaks down the relevant passages of scripture chapter by chapter: Sodom's sin, the 'abominations' of Leviticus, the list of sins in Romans 1, and so on. He dives deep into the text, wrestling with words whose meanings are often quite obscure (remember, the ancient Greeks and Hebrews didn't have a concept of 'homosexuality' let alone words for it, so if you see those crop up in your translation of the Bible, that is lazy translation). Honestly, most of the 'clobber passages' are quite easily dismissed (the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah was not homosexuality but being generally horrible people, something that is easily proved from other scripture and backed up by contemporary sources). The real sticking point, in my mind, has always been Romans 1, which is not easily hand-waved away. However, after we have a framework in mind for how people of Paul's time would have viewed 'gay behavior', especially the common gentile sexual and cultural customs of the day, Romans 1 appears in quite a different light, one that is certainly not a blanket condemnation of homosexuality. Whether you find Vines convincing on these passages will be up to you, but he does grapple directly with them as they are. He takes scripture seriously and does not attempt to simply dismiss passages that he finds inconvenient. In the final chapters of the book, Vines turns the tables on the reader and asks the question, "Is forbidding gay marriage un-Biblical?" It's a pretty gutsy move, but I think he is right to re-frame the debate on the people who have suffered the most at its hands: gay believers. He makes a compelling case that forced celibacy is in every way un-Biblical and not a scriptural answer to the question, "What do we do with gay believers?" Vines also reminds us that sexuality and sexual behavior cannot be divorced. Gay believers who attempt to deny their sexual impulses as sinful almost invariably suffer great psychological damage and engage in self-destructive behaviors. Sexuality is a part of the God-created human identity: to say it is not good is to say that the whole created person is not good. Our gay brothers and sisters are created in God's image too, as the author rightly reminds us. I can't over-state how important this book is right now for Bible-believing Christians. The story that a Bible-believing Christian can only properly have one valid opinion on gay marriage is flat out wrong. There isa scripture-based argument in favor of gay marriage, and I doubt you will ever find it more compellingly stated than in this book. Of course at the end of the day, it is just that, an argument. It is possible to read God and the Gay Christian and be ultimately unconvinced by it. But it is also possible to read arguments for or against predestination, clerical celibacy, or infant baptism and be unconvinced. Most Christians don't think that people who believe differently than they do on those topics are heathens or heretics. If nothing else, I think that reading this book will show that gay marriage is something that genuine believers might find Biblical support for, whether you think they are right or wrong. If you are a Christian wrestling with this topic, I strongly urge you to read this book. Too often the Christian response to the topic of gay marriage has been to quote some out-of-context verses at each other and end the discussion. This book goes much, much deeper into what the Bible actually says about a very complex topic, while still maintaining a Godly perspective about the fact that yes, we are all created in God's image and loved by God. On a final note, it is possible that someone may wish to debate points of this review in the comments. Please refrain unless you have read the book. I have given Matthew Vines' arguments a pretty thin gloss here. Debate the book, not the book review.

Il tentativo di affrontare un tema spinoso da un punto di vista dottrinale è veramente lodevole. Tuttavia il libro diventa un po' pedante per il troppo frequente arzigogolare attorno alle paole e alle frasi. Pur essendo i ragionamenti ben costruiti, non credo che riescano a convincere chi è di opinione diversa. Apprezzo comunque lo sforzo e il coraggio di outing di chi lo ha scritto.

This book was easy to read, whimsical, probably because I've watched some of his videos. Some in-depth analysis of the bible, cultures of the times of Leviticus, and Paul's time and locations.

Muy recomendado, no solo para la persona que se identifica con el libro, sino también para la familia y amistades. El autor hace muy buen trabajo en hacer que la lectura no sea tediosa.

Author's hard work and research reflects in this book.Perfect book for someone looking to come interm with his\her orientation and faith.Loved it.

I have friends who have homosexuals in their extended family. Initially, this news was extremely hard for them, although that has ameliorated somewhat as they grow accustomed to what has transpired. This book is a great addition to the conversation. Written by a homosexual, and a Christian, with the assistance of his pastor father, it is readable, informative, helpful and reorienting (at least it was for me). The work is impeccable and hard to gain-say. It's a book that should be read and digested by every Christian, and others. The theology is careful and powerful. Highly recommended.