Dr. Kim OReilly - We Love You, But Youre Going to Hell: Christians and Homosexuality: Agree, Disagree, Take a Look

W E L OVE Y OU , B UT
Y OU RE G OING TO H ELL

W E L OVE Y OU , B UT
Y OU RE G OING TO H ELL

Christians and Homosexuality
Agree, Disagree, Take a Look

Dr. Kim OReilly

2018 Dr. Kim OReilly

We Love You, But Youre Going to Hell

Christians and Homosexuality Agree, Disagree, Take a Look

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or otherexcept for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Elm Hill, an imprint of Thomas Nelson. Elm Hill and Thomas Nelson are registered trademarks of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc.

Elm Hill titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, fund-raising, or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail .

Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the King James Version. Public domain.

Scripture quotations marked GNT are from the Good News Translation in Todays English VersionSecond Edition. Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked NET are from the NET Bible. Copyright 19962006 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.Zondervan.com. The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.

Scripture quotations marked NKJV are from the New King James Version. 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NRSV are from New Revised Standard Version Bible. Copyright 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Library of Congress Control Number:2018951437

ISBN 978-1-595557803 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-595558046 (Hardbound)

ISBN 978-1-595557919 (eBook)

Information about External Hyperlinks in this ebook

Please note that footnotes in this ebook may contain hyperlinks to external websites as part of bibliographic citations. These hyperlinks have not been activated by the publisher, who cannot verify the accuracy of these links beyond the date of publication.

D EDICATION

To my dear friend,

Fannie Beynon

1926 2017

Your love, prayers, support, humor, and wisdom
have meant the world to me. I will miss you.

M ATTHEW 22:3640 (KJV)

Master, which is the great commandment in the law?

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God
with all thy heart, and with all thy soul,
and with all thy mind.

This is the first and great commandment.

And the second is like unto it,
Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

On these two commandments hang all the law

and the prophets.

C ONTENTS

P ROLOGUE

T here is a growing divide between individuals and groups who hold different and contrasting beliefs about homosexuality. Dialogue is too often rare, and getting more so. People have little contact with those who hold differing opinions. Real progress can be made if we sit across the table, in the Church, or public meeting places to talk through our differencesin safety and respect. This book is an attempt to launch that dialogue.

I have written this book out of love and compassion. It is something that has been stirring in me, something that had to be birthed. Not just for my sake, but for the sake of so many gays and lesbians who identify themselves as Christianor who would be drawn to Christianity if it were not for the condemnation they would receive. Homosexuals in the church have been given the option of ceasing to be gay, choosing to be heterosexual, remaining celibate, or going to Hell.

I am writing to those in the Church and asking you to consider that you may not have all of the information you need to draw the conclusion that your gay and lesbian church members, friends, or family are condemned to Hell by God. I would like to challenge you to read each of the chapters in my book; use it as a study guide in your Bible groups or adult Sunday school classes.

I am not condemning conservative Christians who believe and preach that homosexuality is an abomination. I understand the interpretation of the seven Scriptures used to condemn homosexuals, the history behind that condemnation, and the justification held by God-fearing, loving Christians. I invite those Christians to take the time to read my book. It is written in a fair-minded manner, without pointing fingers.

If you are convinced, as you pick up this book, that homosexuality is a sin and that homosexuals will go to Hell, it is worth your time to read it. Familiarize yourself with the Scriptures used to denounce homosexuality, look at what constitutes sexual orientation, learn how the Scriptures have wrongly been used to promote slavery and segregation, as well as to condemn homosexuals. Become aware of the inaccuracies behind the stereotypes of gays and lesbians, and discover how millions are adversely affected by the Churchs judgment and condemnation.

If you are sure of your criticism and denunciation of homosexuality, still read this book to argue with it, challenge it, maybe change your mind on something, or confirm what you already believed going in. If you are certain that you know everything about sexual orientation and are qualified to condemn others based on your own knowledge, still read this book. Its worth the time to acquaint yourself with the Scriptures, challenge yourself, change your mind, and/or confirm that you have a solid foundation for your beliefs.

If you have people in your life who are gay or struggling with their sexuality because of the condemnation, it is worth your time to consider what this book has to say. Instead of handedly passing judgment, or demanding people change their sexual orientation, consider a more compassionate approach. Read the Scriptures and learn about sexual orientation. Leave the judgment to God. We wont know for certain this side of Heaven. If you err, err on the side of compassion.

What Brought Me to Write This Book

This was initially a response to Phil Robertson and his comments that went public in December 2013. I am a university professor who is very familiar with the Robertson family and enjoyed watching Duck Dynasty! While this credentials me with conservatives, my liberal friends have a hard time understanding my affection for the Robertson clan. I am uniquely positioned to respond, and my first draft was written as a letter to Phil Robertson:

Dear Phil,

I read YOUR book Happy, Happy, Happy. Now I ask that you read mine. Let me introduce myself

I have since decided to reframe the book so that it speaks to conservatives in general, the Robertsons included, and, of course, moderates and liberals. Phil Robertson had every right to voice his opinions based on his biblical beliefs. Since he had a public forum to do so, many on the Left criticized him. He has since emphasized his love for homosexuals, not hate. Thats good, and hence the title for my book,