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Books Ethics Pastoral Theology

Relating to people who identify as LGBT+, with grace and truth

There are not many issues confronting Christian churches, in western post-Christian cultures these days, which are more troubling and difficult than how the church should relate to people who identify as LGBT+. The sexual revolution has gotten more diverse in recent decades, and it has become a political force which frequently threatens both freedom of […]

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Anthropology (theological) Ethics

A female soul in a male body?: a theological proposal

The Vanity Fair article on Bruce Jenner’s gender transition into Caitlyn Jenner has created a lot of buzz. Given the dominant perspective on sexual diversity in North American culture, much of the public response has been enthusiastically affirmative. Meanwhile, Christians are trying to figure out what to make of the stories of people with gender […]

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Ethics

A perspective on mixed-orientation marriages

Recently, I attended a city Christian Prayer Breakfast which is an annual event bringing together a large group of evangelicals. The guest speaker talked about the ministry of Christians in the community, and he mentioned how good and important it is for churches to be communities that welcome diversity. Among the kinds of diversity that […]

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Anthropology (theological) Ethics Hamartiology

Is orientation sinful or can only behavior be deemed sin?

“Same-sex acts are sinful, but same-sex orientation is not.” I have often read or heard that sentiment, and it began to make sense to me, particularly in cases where the orientation was not brought about by choices made by the individual. A very helpful article by Denny Burk (“Is homosexual orientation sinful?”) has challenged me […]