Matthew Vines

“For anyone who wants to know why some evangelicals find that the Bible does not condemn same-gender marriage, Matthew Vines’s book answers the question. Christians who oppose gay marriage should consider what he has to say.”
(Tony Campolo, professor emeritus, Eastern University; co-author of Red Letter Christians)

“Many people believe you can either hold a high view of Scripture or affirm gay relationships, but not both. Matthew Vines proves them wrong. Provocative and relentlessly Bible-focused, God and the Gay Christian offers hope and insight for Christians who have felt conflicted on matters of sexuality.”
(Justin Lee, author of Torn: Rescuing the Gospel from the Gays-vs.-Christians Debate)

“A must-read for all Christians, but especially parents. Matthew Vines brings great insight and wisdom to the conversation so urgently needed by today’s church. God and the Gay Christian has the information I was searching for when my son, Tyler Clementi, came out to me. This book will have a great impact on families, freeing parents of misunderstandings about their LGBT children while letting them hold securely to their faith.” (Jane Clementi, co-founder of The Tyler Clementi Foundation)

“Matthew Vines has accomplished a rare feat in this book, combining a detailed mastery of a wide range of material from the ancient world and the Christian tradition, a clear and articulate writing style, a deep commitment to his Christian faith, and an incisive judgment that can cut through complex arguments and mountains of data, and identify the core issues and their implications for human life. This book makes significant contributions, not only to ongoing scholarly conversations but also to the average person who wants to probe more deeply how to think about God and the gay Christian. It is the breadth of his reach and the integrated character of his vision that makes this book particularly worth reading.” (Dr. James Brownson, Reformed theologian and professor of New Testament; author of Bible, Gender, Sexuality)

“God and the Gay Christian is a game changer. Winsome, accessible, and carefully researched, every page is brought to life by the author’s clear love for Scripture and deep, persistent faith. With this book, Matthew Vines emerges as one of my generation’s most important Christian leaders, not only on matters of sexuality but also on what it means to follow Jesus with wisdom, humility, and grace. Prepare to be challenged and enlightened, provoked and inspired. Read with an open heart and mind, and you are bound to be changed.” (Rachel Held Evans, author of A Year of Biblical Womanhood and Faith Unraveled)

“Few things in today’s world divide churches and Christian communities more deeply than the issue of homosexuality. What lies at the very heart of the matter is the Bible and its interpretation. The very few biblical verses that touch upon same-sex-related matters say nothing about love and enduring relationships between people of same sex—on the contrary, these texts condemn harshly the activities they describe, such as attempted rape, debauchery, or depriving a person of his male honor. This has led theologically conservative Christians to condemn altogether what is today called ‘homosexuality.’ As the consequence of such an interpretation of the authoritative Scripture, hundreds of thousands of members of Christian communities have faced the difficulty, if not impossibility, to live out their non-heterosexual orientation while maintaining their Christian identity. Matthew Vines dedicates his book to ‘all those who have suffered in silence for so long.’ He reads the Bible and biblical scholarship as an evangelical gay Christian, giving a voice both to the biblical texts and its readers. He takes seriously the biblical text which for him represents the authoritative word of God; historical scholarship that reads the biblical text against what can be known of its historical context; and the experiences of Christians who read the Bible today. Importantly, his own personal voice is to be heard throughout the book, which only adds to its credibility. A careful scrutiny of the six biblical passages that somehow address same-sex behavior leads Vines to make a compelling argument against mandatory celibacy for gay Christians. More than that, he argues that Christians who affirm the full authority of Scripture can also affirm committed, monogamous same-sex relationships. Matthew Vines’s well-read and well-argued book deserves to be read by all those who have suffered in silence, but also by members and ministers of Christian communities struggling with the recognition and appreciation of their gay members.” (Martti Nissinen, professor of Old Testament Studies, University of Helsinki, author of Homoeroticism in the Biblical World: A Historical Perspective)

“Matthew Vines lives at an intersection of identities: a committed, theologically conservative Christian who also happens to be an out gay man. In offering both a scholarly and profoundly personal reconciliation of a duality often depicted as hopelessly at odds, he performs a public service that is valiant, hopeful and long overdue. He points the way forward for all those still stranded at the intersection.” (Leonard Pitts, Jr., Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist; author of Freeman)

“Matthew Vines brings within reach of non-specialists the rich store of scholarly work on what Scripture does and does not say about same-sex relationships. Coupled with his poignant descriptions of the damage done by traditional exclusionary interpretations, his book is an essential resource for all who seek to find their bearings in the current debate over the Bible’s teachings for gay people.”
(Dr. Mark Achtemeier, Presbyterian theologian; author of The Bible’s Yes to Same-Sex Marriage)… (més)

In God and The Gay Christian Vines makes the case that it's possible to be gay and a Bible affirming Christian. Although he is clearly making a case that he believes in, Vines makes clear as the book starts that his main goal is to foster conversation.

Vines approaches the question of gays in the church in several ways. The first is by looking at the effects of current teachings about gays by non-affirming churches and individuals. These teachings have caused and continue to cause a lot of harm. This, Vines says, should make non-affirming Christians question whether or not they are going about things the right way. Next, Vines discusses whether or not forced celibacy is consistent with Biblical teachings and concludes that it is not.

The third area Vines covers is looking at Biblical verses that are used to condemn gays. This is a large part of the book. What Vines presents here is not a watertight case that these verses should not be read as condemning homosexual orientation as we understand it today. Rather, what he shows is that because of the historical context and the difficulties of translation, there is a lot more ambiguity than many of the common English translations allow. The "clear" Biblical case about homosexuality is, at best, murky.

The final angle Vines examines is whether or not gay marriage can reflect the Christian covenant of marriage. In same ways, this is the weakest part of the book because it first requires accepting at least some degree of egalitarianism. That is, to come to the conclusion that gay marriage can reflect Jesus's relationship with the church, you have to accept that the key part of that relationship is the mutual sacrificial nature of it, not the strict hierarchy of one partner over the other. However, if you accept that, then Vines makes a strong argument that gay marriage can fulfill God's vision for marriage.

Overall, this book provides a good overview for a popular audience on how the debate about gay marriage for Christians can be expanded beyond overly simplistic readings of questionable translations of a half dozen Bible verses. Although I haven't read it, Vines frequently cites [b: Bible, Gender, Sexuality: Reframing the Church's Debate on Same-Sex Relationships|15937028|Bible, Gender, Sexuality Reframing the Church's Debate on Same-Sex Relationships|James V. Brownson|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1367777944s/15937028.jpg|21687901], which sounds like a good resource if you want a more in depth discussion.

Finally, for a more detailed overview of this book, check out Rachel Held Evans's multi-part discussion.… (més)

On sale now at the Kindle store!

This book is geared more for evangelicals and other sola scriptura folks than for Catholics, but it looks like it will answer the first question I had when I became aware of the need to advocate for full inclusion of LGBT Christians in the church: namely, how do I respond to people who want any change in church teaching to be fully justified (ahem) on the basis of scripture, and ask what to do about the texts that have traditionally been used to condemn homosexuality.

The author takes a high view of scripture and scriptural authority, similar to that held by most conservative Christians, and engages those texts specifically.

I'm not sure when I'll get to it, but it looks like a very valuable and accessible contribution to the conversation.… (més)

This is an intelligent, thoughtful, relatable, and articulate book written with open-minded Christian Conservatives in mind. If you are open to persuasion or sincerely believe that orientation is not a "choice," then you will find rich insights here. If you still believe that orientation is a "choice" and that every word of the English Bible should be followed literally to its interpretation without understanding history and context, then you will likely do nothing but find faults with Vines' argument.… (més)