Gottaleah
One night in a church meeting that I had been asked to speak at, I stood before the people and spoke soberly to them that I had a fairly common condition but one that is not often spoken about in our circles. I told them
Category Archives: The Bible
The Battle Between GLBT and the Church
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:1) Well, that seems plain enough. It’s particularly true when you tie it to our main focus passage: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son,
I Was Wrong: Rethinking Anti-Gay Scripture
Many years ago I was asked to speak to a church’s congregation and community members about why gays should not be ordained to the clergy. At that time, reading such Scripture verses as Romans 1:20-32 and 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, as well as verses in the
What Has Jesus Done?
Karl Barth, the premier theologian of this century for Germany, and the major contributor to the document that freed the German Church from Hitler’s influence, said that all Christian theology must begin and end with the person of Jesus Christ, or it is not Christian
Forgiveness: The Visible Outpouring of Unconditional Love
The journey toward our healing starts with unconditional love and forgiveness – unconditional love and forgiveness we offer first to ourselves. These two are so closely interwoven that it is impossible to conceive of unconditional love without forgiveness and vice versa. As God loves utterly
Paul’s Greek: First Aid for Mistranslation
A friend recently wrote, “I recognize that there is one passage in 1 Corinthians that speaks specifically about ‘homosexuals.’ I’m still working through that one.” I responded, to his surprise, “I don’t believe this verse does speak specifically about homosexuals.” Even when English translations of
Sodom, Sodomy, Sodomite, Sodomize
Homophobic attacks on language abound in our culture. The use of the words sodomy, sodomite, and sodomize in news stories falls into the same category as the use of demeaning slang expressions based on race, gender, and religion. Recent news accounts of the brutal beating
Scriptural Abuse
I have some cousins who are Christian fundamentalists. One of them subscribes to a publication that is dedicated to proving that the earth is only a few thousand years old, as the Bible implies. (Gen. 1:1-2:4a) I looked at one of the articles in this
Love and Truth
(Love) rejoices in the truth. (1 Corinthians 13:6 NRSV) Truth and morning become light with time. (Ethiopian proverb) Like age, taxes, and death, the truth always seems to catch up to us. It doesn’t matter how long it takes, whether it’s only till the morning’s
Outrageous Love: Following the Example of Mary of Bethany
The house was filled with the fragrance of the ointment. (John 12:3b) Outrageous that such a waste of resources should be allowed, let alone encouraged. Outrageous that a household member, a woman from a respectable family, should pour out ointment over the feet of a