Articles for tag: Homosexuality

November 1, 2023

Chris Moon

Why Some College Presidents Were Hesitant to Respond to Our Survey

This is a sidebar to the article, “Staying True? (A Christian Standard Report on Our Colleges)” _ _ _ By Chris Moon  To answer or not to answer.  That was a question 23 college presidents faced upon receiving a Christian Standard survey asking about their institution’s views on biblical inerrancy, human sexuality, and women in ministry. The survey was sent to presidents of colleges affiliated with the Restoration Movement.  In the end, 16 presidents responded. Seven did not.  Multiple presidents who responded to the survey said they grappled with the decision because such topics are controversial. Proclaiming one’s views about

April 25, 2019

Christian Standard

LIVING IN THE TENSION

How the Church Must Respond to Sexual Identity Issues in Both Truth and Grace By Caleb Kaltenbach Not long ago, I sat in an apartment crying with two African-American lesbians. They were married and were attending a church in Houston that I was working with. After being with the church awhile, they concluded God designed sexual intimacy for marriage between a man and woman. They asked the church staff about next steps, but the ministers were as confused as the ladies. Now I was in their living room processing their situation. They had been together for 10 years and married

February 9, 2017

Christian Standard

Letter from a Skeptic

Editor’s note: We present the following essay as an example to Christians, showing us how many skeptics think about the faith we hold dear. The thoughts and arguments here are not unique, and Christians do well to listen to them. In a separate post, Dick Alexander answers this anonymous writer. You’ll want to read his piece after you’ve read this one. By Anonymous When asked why he did not embrace Christianity, Mahatma Gandhi replied with this widely known remark: “I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” The sentiment resonates with

July 29, 2016

Christian Standard

Better Than a Lesbian Lifestyle

By Roger Worsham Michelle was raised in an abusive home by an extremely narcissistic mom. When she was 9 her mom married for the fifth time. This stepfather was abusive, like some of the others, and molested Michelle from age 9 to 13. When she told her mother about the molestation, her mother refused to believe her. She told Michelle, “You are too ugly for him to be interested in having sex with you.” Later Michelle”s mom remarried again. This marriage didn”t last. Michelle”s mom stole a check from her estranged sixth husband, and he sent another woman to collect

July 7, 2015

Mark A. Taylor

Still Painful

By Mark A. Taylor All the news about conservative churches and their response to those with same-sex attraction reminded me of a post I wrote three years ago. That week I challenged  the church to demonstrate both grace and truth as we discuss this difficult issue and reach out to those celebrating and seeking gay marriage. Follow the links in the below post to even older posts, and you’ll see a constant message urging us to find ways to show gays that Jesus loves them. More than once in recent years, CHRISTIAN STANDARD has advocated for compassion toward homosexuals. We

July 6, 2015

Christian Standard

All God”s Children: Loving Our LGBTQ Friends As We Love Ourselves

By Sean Palmer I love gay people. For many, it”s surprising to hear a Christian minister say that””especially an Evangelical minister from a fundamentalist background and with fundamentalist theological training””but I do love them. I really can”t help it. And I don”t love people because I”m a saint. I love them because I know so many by name. I know Jesus asks me to love everyone, but I must be honest; I have trouble loving people I don”t know. A plane crashes in Asia, and I”m saddened for the families of the dead, but I don”t grieve. I don”t love

June 30, 2015

Mark A. Taylor

The Time to Refine Our Focus

By Mark A. Taylor The Internet is buzzing with reactions to last week”s Supreme Court decision legalizing gay marriage. Advocates are adding the #LoveWins hashtag to every tweet, and Christian leaders are urging the church not to be discouraged in the face of what many view as a terrible loss. Amid all the chatter, Caleb Kaltenbach”s perspective offers a voice as refreshing as it is calm. “Some say this is the defining issue of the day,” he said when I interviewed him last week at the North American Christian Convention. “But I believe the church is getting it wrong.” We

June 29, 2015

Mark A. Taylor

A 2015 Conversation with Caleb Kaltenbach

Mark Taylor interviewed Caleb Kaltenbach at the 2015 NACC in Cincinnati. Hear Caleb talk about his new book, Messy Grace, and give his answers to “Will your church baptize a homosexual?” “Is the gay issue the biggest issue facing the church today?” and “How do we maintain our theological convictions while still loving the practicing homosexual?”  

June 7, 2015

Christian Standard

A Book to Push Us Deeper

By Matt Johnson Is your church liberal or conservative? The question is a land mine, often meant to act as a test of fellowship. Christians who wish to honor God with their hearts as well as their minds see this question as a false choice. For this audience, Adam Hamilton has written Seeing Gray in a World of Black and White: Thoughts on Religion, Morality, and Politics (Abington Press, 2008). Radical Center Hamilton divides his book into three parts. First he lays a foundation for what he calls the “radical center.” His goal is not to arrive at tepid, middle-of-the-road

February 12, 2015

Christian Standard

Solving Sexuality

By Jason Yeatts We, as a society and a church, have unconsciously adopted an understanding of sexuality that does more harm than good. I”m not talking about our culture”s growing acceptance of homosexuality, but our acceptance of the idea of homosexuality. The two are quite different. We have picked up a language about sex that both perpetuates a wrong view of human identity and hinders the path of Christian discipleship. To understand how this has happened, we must first look at the human heart. When Scriptures declare, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10) and

February 7, 2015

Christian Standard

Your Church and Homosexuals: Rethinking Our Pat Answers

By Brian Jones On an episode of The Daily Show, Jon Stewart defined “the gay agenda” as . . .  “Gay marriage, civil rights protection, Fleet Week expanded to Fleet Year, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) assistance for when it”s raining men, Kathy Griffin to host everything, and a nationwide ban on pleated pants.” I would add one more: to simply be treated with respect by Christians. Last year I did a series of blog posts on the topic of homosexuality. It was the most read, discussed, and shared topic I”ve blogged about in recent memory. What surprised me, however,

February 6, 2015

Christian Standard

Pondering the Future of Marriage

By Jon Weatherly “The Gospel, Homosexuality, and the Future of Marriage” was the title of the conference convened by the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) of the Southern Baptist Convention, October 27″“29, 2014, in Nashville, Tennessee. Around 1,300 people attended, hearing speakers and panels from the SBC and beyond discuss the church”s response to contentious issues raised by the widespread legalization and popular approval of same-sex marriage. I attended all sessions of the conference. My aim was to listen as someone outside the Southern Baptist Convention, learn what I could from an event organized by a leading Christian organization

February 5, 2015

Christian Standard

The Struggles of Henri

By J.K. Jones I admit I am no authority on Henri Nouwen, though I’ve read his writings extensively and prayerfully. The one aspect I want to talk about in this article is Nouwen’s struggle with same-sex attraction. I believe he offers help and hope for anyone struggling with their sexual identity. A brief biographical sketch is a good starting place. Henri Jozef Machiel Nouwen was born January 24, 1932, in Nijkerk, Netherlands. The oldest of four children, his earliest memories were those of wanting to become a Catholic priest. His educational journey included the study of theology and psychology. He

February 2, 2015

Christian Standard

The Beauty of Sex

By Paul E. Boatman For me and most people I know, sex has always been a bit perplexing. Forming a solidly Christian perspective on sexuality seems an elusive goal.   “Sex is dirty. Save it for marriage.” This was how David Seamands once summarized the sex education he received in his Christian family. I recall a vivid moment as a 9-year-old sitting in church with some peers. Randomly skimming the Old Testament, I paused at the Song of Solomon. What I read went beyond stirring my preadolescent curiosity. Right there in the Bible I was reading about a distinctly “sexy” interaction

October 21, 2014

Christian Standard

Diverse, Dynamic, and Difficult to Summarize

By Mark A. Taylor Suppose you were asked to summarize the current condition of Christian churches and churches of Christ to an interested but largely uninformed audience. That was my assignment at the Sunday-evening worship service sponsored by the Stone-Campbell Dialogue in Austin, Texas, October 5. As I reported in this space last week, I was one of three speakers, each with a similar assignment; the others spoke, respectively, about the a cappella churches of Christ and the Christian Church/Disciples of Christ. Realizing that no one in our group can represent the whole group and no one can know everything

October 16, 2014

Christian Standard

Right and Righteous

By T.R. Robertson The reaction of Christians to a prominent athlete”s admission of homosexuality can provide one clue to how the church is relating to culture. On February 9, Michael Sam, a senior defensive end for the Missouri Tigers football team, publicly “came out” in an ESPN interview. The news went viral nationally. In traditional and social media, Sam was heavily praised for his courage in announcing he is gay. In May, he was drafted by the St. Louis Rams and the celebratory kiss with his boyfriend on national TV was replayed many times during the following days. This news

August 1, 2014

Christian Standard

Real Issues, Real Talk

By Jennifer Johnson After Real Life Christian Church (Clermont, FL) began broadcasting its weekend services on a local TV station, it started brainstorming ideas for a second show. “So much Christian TV is so lame, and we didn”t want to create something like that,” says Marc Naugler, creative video director, and Chris Gingrasso, communications pastor at Real Life. “Our church name reflects who we are””real people talking about real issues in a real way and helping people find real faith. Real Talk extends those values in a new format to a new audience.” Justin Miller, Real Life”s lead pastor, hosts

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