. . . Two days ago Dr. Michael Brown gave an outstanding talk about his book, Can you Be Gay and Christian?: Responding with Love and Truth to Questions about Homosexuality. He arrived late at the FRC venue because of airline difficulties. Consequently the video begins at 13:45 . Highly recommended.
Michael Brown is the author of 25 books. He hosts the nationally syndicated talk radio show, the Line of Fire. He holds a Ph.D. in Near Eastern Languages and Literatures from New York University and serves as a visiting or adjunct professor at a number of seminaries. AskDrBrown.org is his website. His latest article notes the necessary divide on homosexuality between those holding to Scriptural authority and those who don't. This is an excellent article. An excerpt follows:
This past Wednesday, May 14, I gave a lecture at the Family Research Council in Washington, D.C., from noon to 1 p.m. It was also aired via live webcast, and the talk focused on issues related to my latest book, Can You Be Gay and Christian?
Shortly before the lecture, I was informed that at the exact same time and also live online, there would be a panel discussing Matthew Vines' new book, God and the Gay Christian, with participation from Rachel Held Evans, Tony Jones and Jay Bakker, all of whom highly praised the book.
What excellent timing, and what an excellent opportunity to compare and contrast these two very different views. (For the record, my book is not a response to Matthew's book, and the fact they came out at roughly the same time is providential rather than planned.)
One view says that while God deeply loves all people and offers them redemption in Jesus, under no circumstances would He ever bless or approve of two men (or two women) having sex together.
The other views says that under the right circumstances, God would bless and approve of two men (or two women) having sex. (For those who think that sex is not the issue, bear in mind that one of the major arguments made by same-sex "marriage" advocates like Matthew Vines is that it's better for gays to be able to "marry" than to burn with lust, based on a serious misapplication of 1 Corinthians 7.)
Without a doubt, this issue will become a great dividing line in the church, and I, for one, welcome it, since it points to a much deeper divide in our approach to God, His Word and the people He wants to redeem. Ultimately, it will separate those who put God first and ask, "How can I fulfill His desires?" from those who put themselves first and ask, "How can He fulfill my desires?" (Although some will take extreme offense to this statement, if you analyze the major "gay Christian" arguments, they often boil down to this perspective.)
I do believe that many professing Christians who advocate same-sex relationships do so because they know homosexual couples who care deeply about each other, who are fine people in many respects, and who have wrestled mightily with reconciling their faith with their sexuality. And so these Christians go back to the Scriptures and ask themselves if, perhaps, the Bible does allow for committed, same-sex relationships. "How," they wonder aloud, "does the law of love, which does no harm to its neighbor, address this question?"
But that is the problem in a nutshell, and it is reminiscent of what happened with Balaam, whom Balak sought to hire to curse Israel. [more...]