Matthew Vines - God and the Gay Christian: The Biblical Case in Support of Same-Sex Relationships

For anyone who wants to know why some evangelicals find that the Bible does not condemn same-gender marriage, Matthew Viness book answers the question. Christians who oppose gay marriage should consider what he has to say.

T ONY C AMPOLO , professor emeritus, Eastern University; author of Red Letter Christians

Many people believe you can either hold a high view of Scripture or affirm gay relationships, but not both. Matthew Vines proves them wrong. Provocative and relentlessly Bible-focused, God and the Gay Christian offers hope and insight for Christians who have felt conflicted on matters of sexuality.

J USTIN L EE , author of Torn: Rescuing the Gospel from the Gays-vs.-Christians Debate

A must-read for all Christians, but especially parents. Matthew Vines brings great insight and wisdom to the conversation so urgently needed by todays church. God and the Gay Christian has the information I was searching for when my son, Tyler Clementi, came out to me. This book will have a great impact on families, freeing parents of misunderstandings about their LGBT children while letting them hold securely to their faith.

J ANE C LEMENTI , co-founder of The Tyler Clementi Foundation

Matthew Vines has accomplished a rare feat in this book, combining a detailed mastery of a wide range of material from the ancient world and the Christian tradition, a clear and articulate writing style, a deep commitment to his Christian faith, and an incisive judgment that can cut through complex arguments and mountains of data, and identify the core issues and their implications for human life. This book makes significant contributions, not only to ongoing scholarly conversations but also to the average person who wants to probe more deeply how to think about God and the gay Christian. It is the breadth of his reach and the integrated character of his vision that makes this book particularly worth reading.

J AMES B ROWNSON , James and Jean Cook Professor of New Testament, Western Theological Seminary; author of Bible, Gender, Sexuality

God and the Gay Christian is a game changer. Winsome, accessible, and carefully researched, every page is brought to life by the authors clear love for Scripture and deep, persistent faith. With this book, Matthew Vines emerges as one of my generations most important Christian leaders, not only on matters of sexuality but also on what it means to follow Jesus with wisdom, humility, and grace. Prepare to be challenged and enlightened, provoked and inspired. Read with an open heart and mind, and you are bound to be changed.

R ACHEL H ELD E VANS , author of A Year of Biblical Womanhood and Faith Unraveled

Few things in todays world divide churches and Christian communities more deeply than the issue of homosexuality. What lies at the very heart of the matter is the Bible and its interpretation. The very few biblical verses that touch upon same-sex-related matters say nothing about love and enduring relationships between people of the same sexon the contrary, these texts condemn harshly the activities they describe, such as attempted rape, debauchery, or depriving a person of his male honor. This has led theologically conservative Christians to condemn altogether what is today called homosexuality. As the consequence of such an interpretation of the authoritative Scripture, hundreds of thousands of members of Christian communities have faced the difficulty, if not impossibility, to live out their non-heterosexual orientation while maintaining their Christian identity. Matthew Vines dedicates his book to all those who have suffered in silence for so long. He reads the Bible and biblical scholarship as an evangelical gay Christian, giving a voice both to the biblical texts and its readers. He takes seriously the biblical text that for him represents the authoritative Word of God, historical scholarship that reads the biblical text against what can be known of its historical context, and the experiences of Christians who read the Bible today. Importantly, his own personal voice is to be heard throughout the book, which only adds to its credibility. A careful scrutiny of the six biblical passages that somehow address same-sex behavior leads Vines to make a compelling argument against mandatory celibacy for gay Christians. More than that, he argues that Christians who affirm the full authority of Scripture can also affirm committed, monogamous same-sex relationships. Matthew Viness well-read and well-argued book deserves to be read not only by all those who have suffered in silence, but also by members and ministers of Christian communities struggling with the recognition and appreciation of their gay members.

M ARTTI N ISSINEN , professor of Old Testament Studies, University of Helsinki; author of Homoeroticism in the Biblical World: A Historical Perspective

Matthew Vines lives at an intersection of identities: a committed, theologically conservative Christian, who also happens to be an out gay man. In offering both a scholarly and profoundly personal reconciliation of a duality often depicted as hopelessly at odds, he performs a public service that is valiant, hopeful, and long overdue. He points the way forward for all those still stranded at the intersection.

L EONARD P ITTS J R ., Pulitzer Prizewinning columnist; author of Freeman

Matthew Vines brings within reach of non-specialists the rich store of scholarly work on what Scripture does and does not say about same-sex relationships. Coupled with his poignant descriptions of the damage done by traditional exclusionary interpretations, his book is an essential resource for all who seek to find their bearings in the current debate over the Bibles teachings for gay people.

D R. M ARK A CHTEMEIER , Presbyterian theologian; author of The Bibles Yes to Same-Sex Marriage

G OD AND THE G AY C HRISTIAN
P UBLISHED BY C ONVERGENT B OOKS

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken 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. Scripture quotations marked ( CEB ) are taken from the Common English Bible. Copyright 2011 by Common English Bible. Scripture quotations marked ( ESV ) are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked ( KJV ) are taken from the King James Version. Scripture excerpts marked ( NAB ) are taken from the New American Bible with Revised New Testament and Psalms, copyright 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine Inc., Washington, DC. Used with permission. All rights reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced by any means without permission in writing from the copyright owner. Scripture quotations marked ( NASB ) are taken from the New American Standard Bible. Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org). Scripture quotations marked ( NJB ) are taken from The New Jerusalem Bible 1985 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd. and Doubleday & Company, Inc. Scripture quotations marked ( NLT ) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked ( NRSV ) are taken from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked (Phillips) are taken from The New Testament in Modern English, Revised Edition 1972 by J. B. Phillips. Copyright renewed 1986, 1988 by Vera M. Phillips. Scripture quotations marked (Smith and Goodspeed) are taken from The Complete Bible: An American Translation by Smith and Goodspeed. Copyright 1923, 1927, 1948 by The University of Chicago. Used by permission of The University of Chicago Press. Scripture quotations marked ( TEV ) are from the Todays English VersionSecond Edition. Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by permission.