Earlier today on the Facebook, a friend of mine
shared the following link to 40 Questions for those Christians now waving rainbow flags.
I decided that I would bite, and wrote out my 40 responses. Having shared them in the comment section on my FB friend’s wall, several folks said that it was inconvenient / difficult to read the questions and response on a tablet, or that they were unable, for whatever reason, to post a response.
To make it easier to read, and comment, I have copied the questions and my responses to this blog post.
I decided that I would bite, and wrote out my 40 responses. Having shared them in the comment section on my FB friend’s wall, several folks said that it was inconvenient / difficult to read the questions and response on a tablet, or that they were unable, for whatever reason, to post a response.
To make it easier to read, and comment, I have copied the questions and my responses to this blog post.
1. How long have you believed that gay marriage is
something to be celebrated?
About 10 years, give or take.
2. What Bible verses led you to change your mind?
3. How would you make a positive case from
Scripture that sexual activity between two persons of the same sex is a
blessing to be celebrated?
The same way I would for hetero activity.
The same way I would for hetero activity.
4. What verses would you use to show that a
marriage between two persons of the same sex can adequately depict Christ and
the church?
I'm not sure I understand this question. If I am part of the Church(as a male) , and the Church is married to Christ - doesn't that easily lend itself to an argument for same sex marriage?
I'm not sure I understand this question. If I am part of the Church(as a male) , and the Church is married to Christ - doesn't that easily lend itself to an argument for same sex marriage?
5. Do you think Jesus would have been okay with
homosexual behavior between consenting adults in a committed relationship?
I don’t know.
I don’t know.
6. If so, why did he reassert the Genesis
definition of marriage as being one man and one woman?
Again, I don't know. Why did he describe the mustard seed as the smallest of all the seeds when it demonstrably is not.?
7. When Jesus spoke against porneia what sins do you think he was forbidding?
Scholarly debate over the use of the word Porneia in Matthew 5:32 has not reached universal agreement as to what is meant. Probably it means adultery (and as such applies equally to hetero and homo-sexuals).
Scholarly debate over the use of the word Porneia in Matthew 5:32 has not reached universal agreement as to what is meant. Probably it means adultery (and as such applies equally to hetero and homo-sexuals).
8. If some homosexual behavior is acceptable, how
do you understand the sinful “exchange” Paul highlights in Romans 1?
This article does a fair job of explaining what I think of Romans 1.
9. Do you believe that passages like 1 Corinthians
6:9 and Revelation 21:8 teach that sexual immorality can keep you out of
heaven? 10. What sexual sins do you think they were referring to?
No one can say definitively what Paul meant with the use of the words malakoi (soft) and arsenokoitai (??) in 1 Cor. 6: 9 and there's no reason to limit pornoi (sexually immoral) in Revelation 21:8 to homosexuals.
11. As you think about the long history of the
church and the near universal disapproval of same-sex sexual activity, what do
you think you understand about the Bible that Augustine, Aquinas, Calvin, and
Luther failed to grasp?
I don't know. Do you believe that Augustine, Aquinas, Calvin, and Luther should be considered inerrant and infallible?
I don't know. Do you believe that Augustine, Aquinas, Calvin, and Luther should be considered inerrant and infallible?
12. What arguments would you use to explain to
Christians in Africa, Asia, and South America that their understanding of
homosexuality is biblically incorrect and your new understanding of
homosexuality is not culturally conditioned?
The same as I would use here in Iowa.
The same as I would use here in Iowa.
13. Do you think Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama
were motivated by personal animus and bigotry when they, for almost all of
their lives, defined marriage as a covenant relationship between one man and
one woman?
I don't know. I do not claim to speak for Barack Obama or Hilary Clinton.
I don't know. I do not claim to speak for Barack Obama or Hilary Clinton.
14. Do you think children do best with a mother
and a father?
Is
a negligent abusive family of a father and a mother somehow better and more
preferable than a loving same sex
family?
15. If not, what research would you point to in
support of that conclusion?
I haven't read "the research" but the anecdotal / experiential evidence available to me suggests that kids raised in loving homes (hetero or homosexual) do well, and kids raised in negligent and abusive homes (homo or heterosexual) don't.
I haven't read "the research" but the anecdotal / experiential evidence available to me suggests that kids raised in loving homes (hetero or homosexual) do well, and kids raised in negligent and abusive homes (homo or heterosexual) don't.
16. If yes, does the church or the state have any
role to play in promoting or privileging the arrangement that puts children
with a mom and a dad?
Skipping this one since I didn't answer yes to #14...
Skipping this one since I didn't answer yes to #14...
17. Does the end and purpose of marriage point to
something more than an adult’s emotional and sexual fulfillment?
Yes. It's about intimacy, connection, loving relationship. The implication that homosexuals marry only for sex is fairly offensive.
Yes. It's about intimacy, connection, loving relationship. The implication that homosexuals marry only for sex is fairly offensive.
18. How would you define marriage?
(sigh) A loving committed relationship / legal contract between individuals-combining two individuals into one new family unit, to start...
(sigh) A loving committed relationship / legal contract between individuals-combining two individuals into one new family unit, to start...
19. Do you think close family members should be
allowed to get married?
How close are we talking? Brother and sister like Cain? Brother and ½ sister like Abraham and Sarah? ( No)
How close are we talking? Brother and sister like Cain? Brother and ½ sister like Abraham and Sarah? ( No)
20. Should marriage be limited to only two people?
What? Like Abraham / Jacob / Moses (maybe) / David / Solomon/ etc.... (Yes)
What? Like Abraham / Jacob / Moses (maybe) / David / Solomon/ etc.... (Yes)
21. On what basis, if any, would you prevent
consenting adults of any relation and of any number from getting married?
I don't know - but if we're trying to work up a biblical definition of marriage, we're going to have difficulty implementing some of those restrictions.
I don't know - but if we're trying to work up a biblical definition of marriage, we're going to have difficulty implementing some of those restrictions.
22. Should there be an age requirement in this
country for obtaining a marriage license?
What? Like in the bible, getting married as young as 12?
What? Like in the bible, getting married as young as 12?
I'm just going to skip these two. Call me lazy, call it avoiding the question, but i don't feel compelled to create a response to every conceivable scenario.
25. Should your brothers and sisters in Christ who
disagree with homosexual practice be allowed to exercise their religious
beliefs without fear of punishment, retribution, or coercion?
Yes.
Yes.
26. Will you speak up for your fellow Christians
when their jobs, their accreditation, their reputation, and their freedoms are
threatened because of this issue?
Yes.
Yes.
27. Will you speak out against shaming and
bullying of all kinds, whether against gays and lesbians or against
Evangelicals and Catholics?
Yes.
28. Since the evangelical church has often failed
to take unbiblical divorces and other sexual sins seriously, what steps will
you take to ensure that gay marriages are healthy and accord with Scriptural
principles?
The same steps I would for hetero marriages.
The same steps I would for hetero marriages.
29. Should gay couples in open relationships be
subject to church discipline?
If they're members of the church, yes.
If they're members of the church, yes.
30. Is it a sin for LGBT persons to engage in
sexual activity outside of marriage?
Yes.
Yes.
31. What will open and affirming churches do to
speak prophetically against divorce, fornication, pornography, and adultery
wherever they are found?
I can't /won't speak for all churches. I can only speak for myself. And this question is already answered in questions #28 - 30
I can't /won't speak for all churches. I can only speak for myself. And this question is already answered in questions #28 - 30
32. If “love wins,” How would you define love?
Really? You want me to define love? You want me to answer the single largest question of the human experience? What is love, indeed!
Really? You want me to define love? You want me to answer the single largest question of the human experience? What is love, indeed!
33. What verses would you use to establish that
definition?
John 15:13
John 15:13
34. How should obedience to God’s commands shape
our understanding of love?
Does this question somehow have a different relevance for "the gays"?
Does this question somehow have a different relevance for "the gays"?
35. Do you believe it is possible to love someone
and disagree with important decisions they make
Yes.
Yes.
36. If supporting gay marriage is a change for
you, has anything else changed in your understanding of faith?
Yes. Many things. A static, unchanging faith that has "arrived" is probably a dead, inert faith.
Yes. Many things. A static, unchanging faith that has "arrived" is probably a dead, inert faith.
37. As an evangelical, how has your support for
gay marriage helped you become more passionate about traditional evangelical
distinctives like a focus on being born again, the substitutionary sacrifice of
Christ on the cross, the total trustworthiness of the Bible, and the urgent
need to evangelize the lost?
I’m not sure that I understand this question. Is it “Am I now more or less enthusiastic about the good news of Jesus Christ?” Is that REALLY what you're asking?
I’m not sure that I understand this question. Is it “Am I now more or less enthusiastic about the good news of Jesus Christ?” Is that REALLY what you're asking?
38. What open and affirming churches would you
point to where people are being converted to orthodox Christianity, sinners are
being warned of judgment and called to repentance, and missionaries are being
sent out to plant churches among unreached peoples?
There are several in my community. I'm quite proud of the work they're doing.
There are several in my community. I'm quite proud of the work they're doing.
39. Do you hope to be more committed to the
church, more committed to Christ, and more committed to the Scriptures in the
years ahead?
uh... really? I have to prove my loyalty?
uh... really? I have to prove my loyalty?
40. When Paul at the end of Romans 1 rebukes
“those who practice such things” and those who “give approval to those who
practice them,” what sins do you think he has in mind?
Didn't we answer this in question #8?
EDIT - It was suggested, in the comments section below, that I should take a screen shot of the original post, in case it should be taken down at some point in the future. I thought this to be a sensible piece of advice and have done so. Thank you.
Didn't we answer this in question #8?
EDIT - It was suggested, in the comments section below, that I should take a screen shot of the original post, in case it should be taken down at some point in the future. I thought this to be a sensible piece of advice and have done so. Thank you.
I’m thinking of compiling a list of the answers people are giving to these questions and publishing them over the weekend. Do you have any objections to me linking to yours or copy/pasting them into my document with applicable references?
ReplyDeleteThat would be fine with me. Please go ahead and do so. - Jeff
DeleteIn the end as there were so many great responses on other blogs, I went with the link option but if you want to see what was posted on a google doc page I created to get answers, they are at https://christianonthefrontline.wordpress.com/2015/07/03/not-my-answers-to-kevin-deyoung/
DeleteThank you.
DeleteBTW, I would suggest you take a screen shot of the original 40 questions. Just in case they decide to pull down that page.
ReplyDelete