Can the Church Accept Gay Marriage? P13: Is this the hill we want to die on?

*note, this piece is part of an ongoing series. The conversation in this blog builds directly upon the conversation prior. If you’re just joining this korero, I would encourage you to start with part one, which you can find here As we round out, I want us to consider whether this is really the hill we …

Can the Church Accept Gay Marriage? P12: Love the Sinner, Hate the Sin. Is it time to put this phrase to bed?

*note, this piece is part of an ongoing series. The conversation in this blog builds directly upon the conversation prior. If you’re just joining this korero, I would encourage you to start with part one, which you can find here As we’re wrapping up, I just want to address one phrase that is often used in …

Can the Church Accept Gay Marriage? P11: We’ve formed relationships, what next?

*note, this piece is part of an ongoing series. The conversation in this blog builds directly upon the conversation prior. If you’re just joining this korero, I would encourage you to start with part one, which you can find here After, a period of listening, learning, and loving, the natural question which will arise is, what …

Can the Church Accept Gay Marriage? P10: Can we Love our neighbour if we don’t know them?

*note, this piece is part of an ongoing series. The conversation in this blog builds directly upon the conversation prior. If you’re just joining this korero, I would encourage you to start with part one, which you can find here The Law is Love Let us start by remembering the words of the One we have …

Can the Church Accept Gay Marriage? P9: Is it possible to have unity, within diversity?

*note, this piece is part of an ongoing series. The conversation in this blog builds directly upon the conversation prior. If you’re just joining this korero, I would encourage you to start with part one, which you can find here Unity within diversity As I’ve engaged in this korero one thing that has become explicitly clear to …

Can The Church Accept Gay Marriage? P8: If This is as Far as You Go… / A. J. Hendry

*note, this piece is part of an ongoing series. If you’re just joining this korero, I would encourage you to start with part one, which you can find here So, when we reflect upon our last couple of blogs, what does this mean when put into the context of our current korero (if you haven't already, …

Can The Church Accept Gay Marriage? P7: Is There Room for Silence? / A.J. Hendry

*note, this piece is part of an ongoing series. If you’re just joining this korero, I would encourage you to start with part one, which you can find here Progressive Patient Revelation As I’ve engaged in this korero, I often sense fear coming from my conservative Christian whanau. Not a fear based on hate, or homophobia, …

Can the Church Accept Gay Marriage? P6: Do We Need to Speak the Truth to Love? / A.J. Hendry

*note, this piece is the sixth piece in an ongoing series. If you're just joining this korero, I would encourage you to start with part one, which you can find here Introduction: Resetting the korero Over the last few blogs in this series we have considered both the way a traditional posture towards our rainbow …

Can The Church Accept Gay Marriage? P4: What about Repentance and the Gospel? / A.J. Hendry

In our last blog we discussed whether or not a gay person was putting their salvation at risk for being in a same-sex relationship. We concluded that despite the way this korero is normally framed, it is not in fact a salvation issue. For to say that someone is saved by what they do or …

Can The Church Accept Gay Marriage? P3: What about Hell? / A.J. Hendry

What about Hell? One of the fundamental concerns that exist for Traditionalists is that if we get this wrong, LGBTQ people will be in danger of Hell. We do an injustice to many sincere and loving Christians, if we paint them out to be simply hate filled, closed minded, bigots, for holding a traditional belief. …

Can The Church Accept Gay Marriage? P2: Is There Reason to Reexamine our Theology? / A.J. Hendry

In the last blog we briefly surveyed some examples of when the church - having been prompted by human experience, divine revelation, and scientific discovery - reformed, revised or competently changed their understanding of Traditional interpretations of scripture. At the end, we asked the question, when turning to the question of LGBTQ inclusion within the …

Even if Being Gay was a Sin, Would it Even Matter? / A.J. Hendry

When we say that Gay or Lesbian Christian's can't participate in the full life of the church because they "are actively rebelling against the will of God" what exactly are we saying?

LGBTQ Inclusion, Reading the Bible Theologically, and a Reflection on the work of Fowl / A.J. Hendry

A Christian has no reason to think they understand where God stands in regards to the LGBTQ community, until they welcome LGBTQ people to the table as equals, and sit and eat with them'

Flipping the Lens: What does it Really Means to be ‘Friends with the World?’

How often have you heard Pastors warn you to be “careful lest you make friends with the world”? Personally, I hear this a lot. Especially in discussions where I have advocated for full inclusion of our rainbow whanau into the church. The comment is normally followed up with the speaker pointing to the Epistle of …