Meet the Young, Evangelil, Pro-Gay Movement

Contents:

• DO PRO-GAY CHRISTIAN GROUPS REALLY BELONG AT PRI?
• WHY HAVE SO MANY CHRISTIANS AND CHURCH BEE PRO-GAY?
• FAH & RELIGN: HOW TO UNTER ANTI-GAY RELIG ARGUMENTS
• PRO-GAY THEOLOGY OVERVIEW
• MEET THE YOUNG, EVANGELIL, PRO-GAY MOVEMENTFORWARDA GAY 24-YEAR-OLD EVANGELIL CHRISTIAN IS LEADG THE CHARGE TOWARD TOLERANCE AMONG NSERVATIVE BIBLE BELT CHRISTIANS. GENE ROBSONUPDATED APR. 14, 2017 2:51PM EDT / PUBLISHED SEP. 21, 2014 6:45AM EDT COURTY MATTHEW VSOMETHG EXTRAORDARY IS HAPPENG AT THE TERSECTN OF RELIGN AND LGBT PEOPLE. YOU MAY NOT HAVE NOTICED , BEE YOU THOUGHT WAS IMPOSSIBLE, AND SO YOU WEREN’T WATCHG FOR . BUT MAKE NO MISTAKE, THERE IS SOMETHG WONRFUL HAPPENG TO/FOR NSERVATIVE CHRISTIANS WHO HAVE TRADNALLY NMNED SAME-SEX RELATNSHIPS: A YOUTH-LED MOVEMENT THAT ULD CHANGE EVANGELIL PERCEPTNS OF LGBT PEOPLE FOREVER.FOR MANY YEARS, THE LGBT MOVEMENT HAS BEEN PICKG THE “LOW U” OF RELIG PEOPLE WHO HAVE FELT THAT THE HISTORIL AND RELIG TREATMENT OF GAY PEOPLE WAS WRONG. MOST OFTEN, THE RELIG PEOPLE, WHO HAD BEEN TGHT BY THEIR RELIGN TO NMN LGBT PEOPLE, ME TO KNOW SOMEONE GAY, AND REALIZED THAT ALL THE BAD THGS SAID ABOUT THEM SIMPLY WERE NOT TE. AND SO THEY ME TO BELIEVE THAT THEIR RELIGN—AND THE BIBLE ON WHICH IS BASED—IS SIMPLY WRONG ON THIS ISSUE, OUTDATED, AND LOCKED THE PAST. THEY FELT UNFORTABLE WH THOSE FEW PASSAG OF SCRIPTURE THAT SEEMED TO NMN SAME SEX BEHAVR, AND DISMISSED THEM AS A PRODUCT OF THEIR TIM, AND APPROPRIATELY APPLIED TO WHAT WE KNOW TODAY ABOUT SEXUAL ORIENTATN.LGBT PEOPLE HAVE REAPED ENORMO REWARDS BEE OF THIS WISPREAD CHANGE OF OPN. RECENT YEARS HAVE SEEN THE FALL OF DON’T ASK DON’T TELL AND THE SO-LLED DEFENSE OF MARRIAGE ACT, AND THE SPREADG OF MARRIAGE EQUALY TO 19 STAT AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. MUCH OF THE EAST AND WT ASTS OFFER A SAFE BUBBLE WHICH LGBT PEOPLE N LIVE THEIR LIV RELATIVE SAFETY AND REGNN OF THEIR RELATNSHIPS.BUT THERE IS MUCH OF THE RT OF THE UNTRY WHICH THIS NEW REALY OF ACCEPTANCE HAS NOT TAKEN HOLD, AND RELIGN IS AT THE CENTER OF WHY. MANY THE LGBT MUNY HAVE LARGELY WRTEN OFF NSERVATIVE RELIG PEOPLE AS SIMPLY BIGOTED. BUT THE FACT REMAS THAT MANY RELIG PEOPLE HAVE VERY REAL RELIG AND BIBLIL BELIEFS THAT HOLD THEM BACK OM ACCEPTANCE OF GAY PEOPLE AND GAY RELATNSHIPS. MERELY LLG THE RELIG NSERVATIV “BIGOTS” SEEMS TO ME NOT TO BE VERY LOVG, BEE FAILS TO ACKNOWLEDGE AND HONOR THE BELIEFS THE PEOPLE HOLD AR. AND THE SER WORK OF MEETG THE NSERVATIVE EVANGELILS ON THEIR OWN TERMS, WH THE ACPANYG DIFFICULT TASK OF EXPLAG THOSE OFFENDG PASSAG OF SCRIPTURE, HAS NOT BEEN DONE. UNTIL NOW. A NEW BREED OF YOUNG AND SMART EVANGELILS IS DOG THAT WORK. AND IS PROBABLY WORK THAT ONLY THOSE WHO ARE NSERVATIVE EVANGELILS N DO. IT’S NOT MERELY A SE OF PEOPLE G LANGUAGE AND APPROACH POPULAR AMONG EVANGELILS. RATHER, THIS WORK IS BEG DONE BY THOSE WHO HOLD THE SCRIPTUR AS HIGH A REGARD AS THOSE WHOSE MDS THEY ARE TRYG TO CHANGE ON THIS ISSUE. IT MEANS TREATG THE NSERVATIVE CHRISTIANS AS PEOPLE WHOSE BELIEFS ABOUT SCRIPTURE ARE HONORABLE AND WORTHY, EVEN IF ILL-RMED ON THIS SUBJECT. IT MEANS MEETG THE “BIBLE-BELIEVG” CHRISTIANS ON THEIR OWN TERMS.ONE OF THIS NEW BREED OF EVANGELILS IS MATTHEW V, AN TENSE 24-YEAR-OLD OM KANSAS WHO BEME AN TER SENSATN WH HIS HOUR-LONG VIO ON WHY BIBLE-BELIEVG CHRISTIANS N AND SHOULD BEE AFFIRMG OF LGBT PEOPLE. DPE S LENGTH AND OCSNAL TEDNS, THAT VIO HAS BEEN WATCHED (AND RE-WATCHED) BY NEARLY 800,000 VIEWERS. MATTHEW, WHO IS HIMSELF GAY AND A BIBLE-BELIEVG CHRISTIAN OM A NSERVATIVE CHRISTIAN FAY, TOOK TWO YEARS OFF OM HIS STUDI AT HARVARD TO REARCH THE BIBLIL JUNCTNS AGAST SAME SEX BEHAVR. THE RULT WAS NOT ONLY THIS VIO, BUT ALSO A NEW BOOK, GOD AND THE GAY CHRISTIAN, WHICH SCRIB HIS JOURNEY WH HIS PARENTS AND NSERVATIVE CHRISTIAN FELLOW CHURCH PEOPLE DISVERG WHAT THE BIBLE REALLY SAYS ABOUT SAME SEX BEHAVR. IT ANSWERS THE QUTN WHICH SEEMS THE MOST RELEVANT TO THOSE NSERVATIVE CHRISTIANS, THE QUTN WHICH IS AT THE CENTER OF CHANGG ONE’S MD ON THE SUBJECT: IS THE BIBLE TALKG ABOUT THE SAME THG AS WE ARE TALKG ABOUT TODAY WHEN WE DISCS HOMOSEXUALY? (SPOILER ALERT: THE ANSWER IS “NO.”)IN ADDN TO HAVG A FE, METICULO MD, MATTHEW ALSO HAS AN ENTREPRENRIAL GIFT, AND HE HAS LNCHED THE REFORMATN PROJECT, WHICH MAY VERY WELL CHANGE EVANGELIL CHRISTIANY’S UNRSTANDG OF THIS ISSUE. THE REFORMATN PROJECT SEEMS TO HAVE TWO GOALS: TO ENGAGE NSERVATIVE CHRISTIANS RIGORO STUDY OF THE SCRIPTURE THAT HAS BEEN ED TO NMN HOMOSEXUALY AND S EXPRSN, AND TO EQUIP THOSE WHOSE MDS HAVE BEEN CHANGED WH THE TOOLS TO ENGAGE OTHER NSERVATIVE RELIG PEOPLE THIS ENAVOR.IT IS NOT EASY WORK, BUT LLS THE BLUFF OF THOSE WHO WOULD SAY “WE HAVE TO TAKE SCRIPTURE SERLY.” IT UNTERS WH “OKAY, LET’S REALLY TAKE THE SCRIPTUR SERLY—SERLY ENOUGH TO STUDY THEM AND SEE WHAT THEY ARE REALLY SAYG THEIR OWN NTEXT, AND LET’S BE BOLD ENOUGH TO ENTERTA THE NOTN THAT WE MAY HAVE GOTTEN WRONG.” AS MATTHEW V HIMSELF SAYS, “LGBT PEOPLE AND THEIR ALLI HAVE TO BE ABLE TO DISCS SCRIPTURE A WAY THAT IS BOTH HIGHLY RPECTFUL AND REFULLY REASONED OM AN EVANGELIL THEOLOGIL AMEWORK.”TO THIS END, THE REFORMATN PROJECT IS LNCHG A SERI OF NFERENC TO LAY OUT THE SER DISCSN OF THE BIBLIL PASSAG AND TO EQUIP PARTICIPANTS WH THE TOOLS TO HAVE THOSE DISCSNS THEIR NSERVATIVE CHURCH AND MUNI. THE NEXT NFERENCE WILL BE HELD WASHGTON, DC—NOT EXACTLY A PLACE KNOWN FOR S ADHERENCE TO THE BIBLE—ON NOVEMBER 6-8, 2014.IT WOULD BE EASY TO OVERLOOK THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS SHIFT THKG AND APPROACH, GURATED BY YOUNG GAY EVANGELILS AND OTHER EVANGELILS WHO THEMSELV HAVE LGBT IENDS AND FAY. LONG AFTER MARRIAGE EQUALY IS THE LAW OF THE LAND, THERE WILL STILL BE HEARTS AND MDS TO BE WON TO THE NOTN OF NOT MERELY TOLERATG, BUT AFFIRMG LGBT PEOPLE AND THEIR RELATNSHIPS. FOR EVANGELILS, THE WAY FORWARD IS NOT AROUND SCRIPTURE, BUT DIRECTLY THROUGH . THE REFORMATN PROJECT OFFERS THE WAY. AND THAT’S GOOD NEWS FOR LGBT PEOPLE EVERYWHERE.THE RT. REV. V. GENE ROBSON IS A SENR FELLOW AT THE CENTER FOR AMERIN PROGRS, WASHGTON, DC, AND THE IX EPISPAL BISHOP OF NEW HAMPSHIRE. FOLLOW HIM ON TWTER @BISHOPGROBSON GENE ROBSON
• PRO-GAY RELIG GROUPS P SCRIPTUR FIGHT FOR MARRIAGE

DO PRO-GAY CHRISTIAN GROUPS REALLY BELONG AT PRI?

For some, their relig upbrgg also clud “nversn therapy” — the discreded practice of attemptg to change someone’s sexual orientatn, genr inty or genr a 2020 study, the Williams Instute at the UCLA School of Law found that 7% of lbian, gay and bisexual adults the U.

WHY HAVE SO MANY CHRISTIANS AND CHURCH BEE PRO-GAY?

He noted, “As someone who liv at the tersectn of many inti — Black, gay, Christian, pastor— [and] as someone who left the Baptist church bee I’m gay and not knowg that I uld be gay and a Christian, let alone a mister, I need to see affirmg and welg ngregatns at Pri events.

FAH & RELIGN: HOW TO UNTER ANTI-GAY RELIG ARGUMENTS

His current scholarship teas out the terplay of relign, sexualy, and palism artifacts of popular and queer culture, and his earlier scholarly work examed the activist histori of gay and lbian Catholics durg the early years of the AIDS epimic.

” When Christians ignore or flat-out reject the unmistakably clear biblil statements nmng homosexual relatnships, they are playg to the enemy’s temptatn to jtify disobedience by makg feelgs and perceptns more important than God’s sign and standards. The scriptur which tradnal Christiany unrstands to nmn homosexualy [such as Levic 18:22 and 20:13; Romans 1:26-27; 1 Corthians 6:9-10; 1 Timothy 1:9-10] have eher been mistranslated, yanked out of ntext or were only appropriate to the culture of that time. The imag might clu: the Ku Klux Klan mandg that gays be burned alive or strated; bigoted southern misters droolg wh hysteril hatred to a gree that looks both il and ranged; menacg punks, thugs, and nvicts speakg olly about the ‘fags’ they have killed or would like to kill; a tour of Nazi ncentratn mps where homosexuals were tortured and gassed.

PRO-GAY THEOLOGY OVERVIEW

” Matthew addrs the great number of Jewish laws and prophetic teachgs — cludg those that many nsir to nmn homosexualy — by makg clear that the overarchg mand of a fahful life is love: love of God, and love of neighbor.

Views about homosexualy18-2930-4950-6465+Sample sizeShould be accepted22%34%28%17%13, 119Should be disuraged13%31%31%26%9, 416Neher/both equally13%36%31%20%1, 089Don't know10%34%27%29%896Sample siz and margs of error vary om subgroup to subgroup, om year to year and om state to state.

MEET THE YOUNG, EVANGELIL, PRO-GAY MOVEMENTFORWARDA GAY 24-YEAR-OLD EVANGELIL CHRISTIAN IS LEADG THE CHARGE TOWARD TOLERANCE AMONG NSERVATIVE BIBLE BELT CHRISTIANS. GENE ROBSONUPDATED APR. 14, 2017 2:51PM EDT / PUBLISHED SEP. 21, 2014 6:45AM EDT COURTY MATTHEW VSOMETHG EXTRAORDARY IS HAPPENG AT THE TERSECTN OF RELIGN AND LGBT PEOPLE. YOU MAY NOT HAVE NOTICED , BEE YOU THOUGHT WAS IMPOSSIBLE, AND SO YOU WEREN’T WATCHG FOR . BUT MAKE NO MISTAKE, THERE IS SOMETHG WONRFUL HAPPENG TO/FOR NSERVATIVE CHRISTIANS WHO HAVE TRADNALLY NMNED SAME-SEX RELATNSHIPS: A YOUTH-LED MOVEMENT THAT ULD CHANGE EVANGELIL PERCEPTNS OF LGBT PEOPLE FOREVER.FOR MANY YEARS, THE LGBT MOVEMENT HAS BEEN PICKG THE “LOW U” OF RELIG PEOPLE WHO HAVE FELT THAT THE HISTORIL AND RELIG TREATMENT OF GAY PEOPLE WAS WRONG. MOST OFTEN, THE RELIG PEOPLE, WHO HAD BEEN TGHT BY THEIR RELIGN TO NMN LGBT PEOPLE, ME TO KNOW SOMEONE GAY, AND REALIZED THAT ALL THE BAD THGS SAID ABOUT THEM SIMPLY WERE NOT TE. AND SO THEY ME TO BELIEVE THAT THEIR RELIGN—AND THE BIBLE ON WHICH IS BASED—IS SIMPLY WRONG ON THIS ISSUE, OUTDATED, AND LOCKED THE PAST. THEY FELT UNFORTABLE WH THOSE FEW PASSAG OF SCRIPTURE THAT SEEMED TO NMN SAME SEX BEHAVR, AND DISMISSED THEM AS A PRODUCT OF THEIR TIM, AND APPROPRIATELY APPLIED TO WHAT WE KNOW TODAY ABOUT SEXUAL ORIENTATN.LGBT PEOPLE HAVE REAPED ENORMO REWARDS BEE OF THIS WISPREAD CHANGE OF OPN. RECENT YEARS HAVE SEEN THE FALL OF DON’T ASK DON’T TELL AND THE SO-LLED DEFENSE OF MARRIAGE ACT, AND THE SPREADG OF MARRIAGE EQUALY TO 19 STAT AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. MUCH OF THE EAST AND WT ASTS OFFER A SAFE BUBBLE WHICH LGBT PEOPLE N LIVE THEIR LIV RELATIVE SAFETY AND REGNN OF THEIR RELATNSHIPS.BUT THERE IS MUCH OF THE RT OF THE UNTRY WHICH THIS NEW REALY OF ACCEPTANCE HAS NOT TAKEN HOLD, AND RELIGN IS AT THE CENTER OF WHY. MANY THE LGBT MUNY HAVE LARGELY WRTEN OFF NSERVATIVE RELIG PEOPLE AS SIMPLY BIGOTED. BUT THE FACT REMAS THAT MANY RELIG PEOPLE HAVE VERY REAL RELIG AND BIBLIL BELIEFS THAT HOLD THEM BACK OM ACCEPTANCE OF GAY PEOPLE AND GAY RELATNSHIPS. MERELY LLG THE RELIG NSERVATIV “BIGOTS” SEEMS TO ME NOT TO BE VERY LOVG, BEE FAILS TO ACKNOWLEDGE AND HONOR THE BELIEFS THE PEOPLE HOLD AR. AND THE SER WORK OF MEETG THE NSERVATIVE EVANGELILS ON THEIR OWN TERMS, WH THE ACPANYG DIFFICULT TASK OF EXPLAG THOSE OFFENDG PASSAG OF SCRIPTURE, HAS NOT BEEN DONE. UNTIL NOW. A NEW BREED OF YOUNG AND SMART EVANGELILS IS DOG THAT WORK. AND IS PROBABLY WORK THAT ONLY THOSE WHO ARE NSERVATIVE EVANGELILS N DO. IT’S NOT MERELY A SE OF PEOPLE G LANGUAGE AND APPROACH POPULAR AMONG EVANGELILS. RATHER, THIS WORK IS BEG DONE BY THOSE WHO HOLD THE SCRIPTUR AS HIGH A REGARD AS THOSE WHOSE MDS THEY ARE TRYG TO CHANGE ON THIS ISSUE. IT MEANS TREATG THE NSERVATIVE CHRISTIANS AS PEOPLE WHOSE BELIEFS ABOUT SCRIPTURE ARE HONORABLE AND WORTHY, EVEN IF ILL-RMED ON THIS SUBJECT. IT MEANS MEETG THE “BIBLE-BELIEVG” CHRISTIANS ON THEIR OWN TERMS.ONE OF THIS NEW BREED OF EVANGELILS IS MATTHEW V, AN TENSE 24-YEAR-OLD OM KANSAS WHO BEME AN TER SENSATN WH HIS HOUR-LONG VIO ON WHY BIBLE-BELIEVG CHRISTIANS N AND SHOULD BEE AFFIRMG OF LGBT PEOPLE. DPE S LENGTH AND OCSNAL TEDNS, THAT VIO HAS BEEN WATCHED (AND RE-WATCHED) BY NEARLY 800,000 VIEWERS. MATTHEW, WHO IS HIMSELF GAY AND A BIBLE-BELIEVG CHRISTIAN OM A NSERVATIVE CHRISTIAN FAY, TOOK TWO YEARS OFF OM HIS STUDI AT HARVARD TO REARCH THE BIBLIL JUNCTNS AGAST SAME SEX BEHAVR. THE RULT WAS NOT ONLY THIS VIO, BUT ALSO A NEW BOOK, GOD AND THE GAY CHRISTIAN, WHICH SCRIB HIS JOURNEY WH HIS PARENTS AND NSERVATIVE CHRISTIAN FELLOW CHURCH PEOPLE DISVERG WHAT THE BIBLE REALLY SAYS ABOUT SAME SEX BEHAVR. IT ANSWERS THE QUTN WHICH SEEMS THE MOST RELEVANT TO THOSE NSERVATIVE CHRISTIANS, THE QUTN WHICH IS AT THE CENTER OF CHANGG ONE’S MD ON THE SUBJECT: IS THE BIBLE TALKG ABOUT THE SAME THG AS WE ARE TALKG ABOUT TODAY WHEN WE DISCS HOMOSEXUALY? (SPOILER ALERT: THE ANSWER IS “NO.”)IN ADDN TO HAVG A FE, METICULO MD, MATTHEW ALSO HAS AN ENTREPRENRIAL GIFT, AND HE HAS LNCHED THE REFORMATN PROJECT, WHICH MAY VERY WELL CHANGE EVANGELIL CHRISTIANY’S UNRSTANDG OF THIS ISSUE. THE REFORMATN PROJECT SEEMS TO HAVE TWO GOALS: TO ENGAGE NSERVATIVE CHRISTIANS RIGORO STUDY OF THE SCRIPTURE THAT HAS BEEN ED TO NMN HOMOSEXUALY AND S EXPRSN, AND TO EQUIP THOSE WHOSE MDS HAVE BEEN CHANGED WH THE TOOLS TO ENGAGE OTHER NSERVATIVE RELIG PEOPLE THIS ENAVOR.IT IS NOT EASY WORK, BUT LLS THE BLUFF OF THOSE WHO WOULD SAY “WE HAVE TO TAKE SCRIPTURE SERLY.” IT UNTERS WH “OKAY, LET’S REALLY TAKE THE SCRIPTUR SERLY—SERLY ENOUGH TO STUDY THEM AND SEE WHAT THEY ARE REALLY SAYG THEIR OWN NTEXT, AND LET’S BE BOLD ENOUGH TO ENTERTA THE NOTN THAT WE MAY HAVE GOTTEN WRONG.” AS MATTHEW V HIMSELF SAYS, “LGBT PEOPLE AND THEIR ALLI HAVE TO BE ABLE TO DISCS SCRIPTURE A WAY THAT IS BOTH HIGHLY RPECTFUL AND REFULLY REASONED OM AN EVANGELIL THEOLOGIL AMEWORK.”TO THIS END, THE REFORMATN PROJECT IS LNCHG A SERI OF NFERENC TO LAY OUT THE SER DISCSN OF THE BIBLIL PASSAG AND TO EQUIP PARTICIPANTS WH THE TOOLS TO HAVE THOSE DISCSNS THEIR NSERVATIVE CHURCH AND MUNI. THE NEXT NFERENCE WILL BE HELD WASHGTON, DC—NOT EXACTLY A PLACE KNOWN FOR S ADHERENCE TO THE BIBLE—ON NOVEMBER 6-8, 2014.IT WOULD BE EASY TO OVERLOOK THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS SHIFT THKG AND APPROACH, GURATED BY YOUNG GAY EVANGELILS AND OTHER EVANGELILS WHO THEMSELV HAVE LGBT IENDS AND FAY. LONG AFTER MARRIAGE EQUALY IS THE LAW OF THE LAND, THERE WILL STILL BE HEARTS AND MDS TO BE WON TO THE NOTN OF NOT MERELY TOLERATG, BUT AFFIRMG LGBT PEOPLE AND THEIR RELATNSHIPS. FOR EVANGELILS, THE WAY FORWARD IS NOT AROUND SCRIPTURE, BUT DIRECTLY THROUGH . THE REFORMATN PROJECT OFFERS THE WAY. AND THAT’S GOOD NEWS FOR LGBT PEOPLE EVERYWHERE.THE RT. REV. V. GENE ROBSON IS A SENR FELLOW AT THE CENTER FOR AMERIN PROGRS, WASHGTON, DC, AND THE IX EPISPAL BISHOP OF NEW HAMPSHIRE. FOLLOW HIM ON TWTER @BISHOPGROBSON GENE ROBSON

Views about homosexualyYounger MillennialOlr MillennialGeneratn XBaby BoomerSilentGreattSample sizeShould be accepted14%14%28%33%11%1%13, 119Should be disuraged8%10%26%37%18%2%9, 416Neher/both equally7%11%31%37%13%1%1, 089Don't know6%10%29%33%20%3%896Sample siz and margs of error vary om subgroup to subgroup, om year to year and om state to state. Views about homosexualyMenWomenSample sizeShould be accepted40%60%13, 312Should be disuraged52%48%9, 649Neher/both equally49%51%1, 130Don't know41%59%957Sample siz and margs of error vary om subgroup to subgroup, om year to year and om state to state.

PRO-GAY RELIG GROUPS P SCRIPTUR FIGHT FOR MARRIAGE

Views about homosexualyWheBlackAsianLatoOther/MixedSample sizeShould be accepted64%12%2%19%3%13, 202Should be disuraged69%14%2%12%3%9, 520Neher/both equally63%14%1%17%4%1, 103Don't know63%13%2%17%5%912Sample siz and margs of error vary om subgroup to subgroup, om year to year and om state to state.