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Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Worth Reading Wednesday

In light of the vote in North Carolina and President Obama's announcement, I thought this week's "Worth Reading Wednesday" would highlight blog posts on the topic of same-sex marriage.  There are differing opinions presented in the posts below.


Agendas Aside:  a series by thinkchristian.net on homosexuality and the church.
Obama's Big Gamble and How Christians Should Respond by Morgan Guyton
"Conservative and progressive Christians alike must stop publicly denigrating each other. As one who falls slightly on the progressive side of the spectrum, I know that I have fallen into the trap of not even trying to understand the perspective of Christians who do not share my views. We must live and speak as if all Christians share the same fundamental goal of seeing God’s mercy reign over all the Earth, even if some of our brothers and sisters seem like they don’t. "

How to Win a Culture War and Lose a Generation by Rachel Held Evans
"Regardless of whether you identify most with Side A or Side B, (or with one of the many variations within those two broad categories), it should be clear that amendments like these needlessly offend gays and lesbians, damage the reputation of Christians, and further alienate young adults—both Christians and non-Christian—from the Church. 


So my question for those evangelicals leading the charge in the culture wars is this: Is it worth it? "


From Waging War to Washing Feet: How Do We Move Forward? by Rachel Held Evans
"The popularity of Wednesday’s post speaks to a growing desire, among both young and old*, for radical change in how we treat one another as Christians and as citizens. Ready or not, a movement is afoot—a movement toward reconciliation, healing, grace, and love.  People are ready to lay down their arms, and I am ready to join them."

My Dad Apologized by The Nephew
"Then he said it.  He said, "Matt, I am sorry that I voted for Amendment One."  He told me a story about how at his men's Bible study last night the men in the room were talking about how it was so great that the amendment passed.  He said they were homophobic and used many gay slurs.  One of them went as far to say that the "queers have a mental problem that is only curable by death".  That statement made him realize this wasn't about religious morals; this was about hate.  That's when he equated racism to the homophobia of this amendment.  He didn't really think of it before, but at that point, he realized that his anti-gay opinions were the same as his dad's racism."

"Now, I do not believe homosexuality is part of God’s intention for human beings...Having said that, I do not understand why this issue has been made the poster child for Christian morality when it affects so few people (1-2%) compared with other sins so common in society and the church."

What Are We Really Asking? by Dianna Anderson
"When we say, “it’s okay if they don’t act on it,” it sounds clever. It sounds like a nice way around the conundrum of identity and sexuality being intertwined and intermeshed. But, really, asking that a gay person – who did not choose to be gay – be celibate and alone simply because they like men instead of women or women instead of men is asking too much. It is placing upon our brother or our sister a burden we would never choose for ourselves."

A Christian Debate About Gay Marriage from Relevant Magazine
Two experts discuss why they do or don’t support gay marriage.  


How Evangelicals Have Shifted in Public Opinion on Same-Sex Marriage by Tobin Grant and Sarah Pulliam Bailey (Christianity Today Magazine)
"Polls show a significant difference in results depending on how they ask about same-sex marriage, especially when it's framed as a "right" compared to when it's framed as supporting marriage between a man and a woman. The difference in wording can create about a 12 percentage point difference."


Homosexuality and Where the Church Has Failed by Nicole Cottrell
"To be clear, I am not desiring to open up a debate on the issue of homosexuality in the church, so much as raise the issue regarding our quickness to join the debate versus our slowness to seek the Lord’s face in prayer."

2 comments:

Joy said...

Great links! Thanks for providing them. The blog "My Dad Apologized" made me sad, but hopeful.

Unknown said...

I've come across even more good ones today. I appreciate the civility in the articles whether or not I agree or disagree with the position. When people are civil, discussion and understanding can occur.