Did god make gay people
How Should Christians Respond to Gay Friends or Family Members?
Caleb Kaltenbach (M.A. ’07) is an alumnus of Biola’s Talbot School of Theology, lead pastor of a large church in Simi Valley, Calif., and a married father of two. He’s also an emerging voice in the discussion of how Christians should engage the LGBT community. That’s because Kaltenbach has an insider perspective, having been raised by a dad and mom who divorced and independently came out of the closet as a gay dude and a womxn loving womxn. Raised in the midst of LGBT parties and identity festival parades, Kaltenbach became a Christian and a pastor as a young elder. Today, he manages the tension of holding to the traditional biblical instruction on sexuality while loving his lgbtq+ parents.
Kaltenbach’s unique story is detailed in his new publication Messy Grace: How a Pastor with Gay Parents Learned to Love Others Without Sacrificing Conviction and landed him on the front page of the New York Times in June. Biola Magazine reached out to him to talk about his book and his perspective on how Christians can improved navigate the complexities of this
The Bible and same sex relationships: A review article
Tim Keller,
Vines, Matthew, God and the Gay Christian: The Biblical Case in Support of Same Sex Relationships, Convergent Books,
Wilson, Ken,A Letter to My Congregation, David Crum Media,
The relationship of homosexuality to Christianity is one of the main topics of discussion in our culture today. In the fall of last year I wrote a review of books by Wesley Hill and Sam Allberry that take the historic Christian view, in Hill’s words: “that homosexuality was not God’s original artistic intention for humanity and therefore that homosexual apply goes against God’s convey will for all human beings, especially those who trust in Christ.”
There are a number of other books that seize the opposite view, namely that the Bible either allows for or supports same sex relationships. Over the last year or so I (and other pastors at Redeemer) possess been regularly asked for responses to their arguments. The two most study volumes taking this position seem to be those by Matthew Vines and Ken Wilson. The review of these
What does the New Testament state about homosexuality?
Answer
The Bible is consistent through both Old and Modern Testaments in confirming that homosexuality is sin (Genesis –13; Leviticus ; ; Romans –27; 1 Corinthians ; 1 Timothy ; Jude ). In this matter, the New Testament reinforces what the Old Testament had declared since the Law was given to Moses (Leviticus ). The difference between the Old and New Testaments is that the New Testament offers hope and restoration to those caught up in the sin of homosexualitythrough the redeeming power of Jesus. It is the same long for that is offered to anyone who chooses to accept it (John ; –18).
God’s standards of holiness did not change with the coming of Jesus, because God does not change (Malachi ; Hebrews ). The Fresh Testament is a continuing discovery of God’s interaction with humanity. God hated idolatry in the Old Testament (Deuteronomy ), and He still hates it in the New (1 John ). What was immoral in the Old Testament is still immoral in the New.
The New Testament says that homosexuality is a “shameful lust” (Rom
&#;God Made Me Gay&#;
Some Christians respond to this argument with what seems to be the only alternative: by saying that those who identify as lgbtq+ choose to be same-sex attracted. This response is usually met with so much derision—“With all the homophobia in the world, who would choose to be gay??”. . . “Did you choose to be straight??&#;—that it’s seldom helpful.
In one sense, of course, it’s true. If by gay you mean “a person who engages in homosexual behavior,” then God doesn’t make someone queer any more than he makes someone an adulterer, a fornicator, or a man who has relations with just his wife. God doesn’t make people engage in any sexual behaviors. We freely prefer all our moral actions—that’s why we can be held accountable for them.
But when most people tell, “God made me gay,” they’re talking about attractions (which they consider part of a God-given identity) rather than behaviors. Although, this implies that they’re also talking about whether it’s okay to act upon those desires, since it seems self-evident to most people that we can act according to how we’re made.