We Are the Light of the World
You are the salt of the earth. but if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by people. You are the light of the world. A
Category Archives: The Bible
Give Yourself a New Bible
The Bible is a dominant force in our culture today. It is a source of comfort and encouragement for millions and a source of abuse and pain for millions of others. As a former Southern Baptist pastor and university Bible professor and now since 1981,
Religious Legalism Meets Cross-Dressing
In my gender community debut at the Texas “T” Party in early 1996, I described my journey to become a complete person. As I spoke, the memories of the pain I had endured from repeated rejection came flooding back. I had seen the impact on
Meditating on Creation: A New Interpretation of Romans
Paul’s remarks on same-sex relations in his letter to the Romans is only an illustration of his main point. To understand the relation of this passage to our present-day lives, I don’t think it is necessary to go on and on about how the first
Leviticus and the Law
The notorious passages of the so-called Holiness Code in Chapters 18 and 20 of Leviticus have traditionally been used to justify the ill treatment of sexual minorities. On first reading, the text appears to be unequivocal in its condemnation of physical relations between members of
The Bible Is an Empty Closet
“The issues about Homosexuality are very complex and are not understood by most members of the Christian Church,” according to Bernard Ramm of The American Baptist Seminary of the West. This evangelical authority on biblical interpretation says that, “To them, it is a vile form
Being Made Clean: A Study of Acts
In the book of Acts, [10:10-16] Peter, an apostle of Jesus has a vision: And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth: Wherein were
Hats, Hair and Homosexuality
I am not a little bemused by the clamor surrounding gay people who want to follow Jesus in sincerity and truth – across the spectrum, churches from exclusive fundamentalist to liberalist mount their holy high horses to crusade against our inclusion in the ranks of
An Examination of Romans 14 as Applied to the Homosexuality Issue
Christians and “Disputable Matters” The conservative Christian Church is divided over the question of “Is homosexuality, within the confines of same-sex marriage, a sin?” Even though there have been notable exceptions, the majority of the fundamental churches judge homosexuality to be a sin and gay
Purifying Our Faith: A Commentary on James
I have heard it said that the book of James is for mature Christians. I think this is true. You cannot be a baby Christian and do what James says that we must do. James requires faith, humbleness, meekness, patience, ability to control our tongues,