God and the Gay Christian: The Biblical Case in Support of Same-Sex Relationships. By Matthew Vines. New York: Convergent Books, 2014. 224 pp. $22.99.
Vines is “the founder of the Reformation Project, a Bible-based nonprofit organization that seeks to reform church teaching on sexual orientation and gender identity” (dust jacket). He explains his goal for this book: “My core argument in this book is not simply that some Bible passages have been misinterpreted and others have been given undue weight. My larger argument is this: Christians who affirm the full authority of Scripture can also affirm committed, monogamous same-sex relationships” (p. 3, italics his). He continues, “Instead of accepting the divide between more progressive Christians who support marriage equality and conservative Christians who oppose it, this book envisions a future in which all Christians come to embrace and affirm their LGBT brothers and sisters—without undermining their commitment to the authority of the Bible” (ibid.).
The book begins with Vines’s story of his discovery of his sexual orientation and of his disclosure to his family. He returns to this narrative throughout the book, particularly to describe his parents’ process of coming to accept their son’s support of gay marriage.
Vines believes that the traditional interpretation of biblical texts needs to change. He introduces his discussion of the pivotal passages this way: “Six passages in the Bible—Genesis 19:5; Leviticus 18:22, Leviticus 20:13; Romans 1:26–27; 1 Corinthians 6:9; and 1 Timothy 1:10—have stood in the way of countless gay people who long for acceptance from their Christian parents, friends, and churches. I was blessed by my parents’ continued love, but absent a significant change for my dad in particular, we were likely to end up stuck in the same place: compassion, but no support for a future romantic relationship” (p. 11). For Vines, acceptance of gay people demands acceptance of homosexual practice and support of the option of gay marriage. He rejects the view many Christians hold, that Christians who experience same sex attraction must remain celibate. He explains the “fundamental difference between celibacy for Christians who cannot find a partner and mandatory celibacy for all gay Christians” this way: “For straight Christians, abstinence outside marriage affirms the goodness of both marriage and sex within marriage. But for gay Christians, mandatory celibacy affirms something different: the sinfulness of every possible expression of their sexuality” (p. 17). Later, he explains, “For gay Christians to be celibate in an attempt to expunge even their desires for romantic love requires them to live in permanent fear of sexual intimacy and love. That is a wholly different kind of self-denial than the chastening of lustful desires the church expects of all believers. It requires gay Christians to build walls around their emotional lives so high that many find it increasingly difficult to form meaningful human connection of all kinds” (p. 18).
The methodology Vines uses when he deals with the biblical texts is flawed. He starts with his story and then approaches the Scriptures in an attempt to discover the cause for the biblical condemnation of “same sex relationships. I couldn’t understand why they were supposed to be sinful, or why the Bible apparently condemned them. With most sins, it wasn’t hard to pinpoint the damage they cause. Adultery violates a commitment to your spouse. Lust objectifies others. Gossip degrades people. But committed same sex relationships didn’t fit this pattern. Not only were they not harmful to anyone, they were characterized by positive motives and traits instead, like faithfulness, commitment, mutual love, and self-sacrifice” (p. 12). Thus, not being able to conceive a reason for the condemnation of homosexual practice Vines concludes, “The church’s condemnation of same-sex relationships seemed to be harmful to the long-term well-being of most gay people. By condemning homosexuality, the church was shutting off a primary avenue for relational joy and companionship in gay people’s lives” (ibid.). Minimized in this approach is what the Scripture actually says. It is not unusual to fail to understand why God commands some things and forbids others. But that the Bible does speak against homosexuality and that the Bible does affirm marriage between a man and a woman should not be ignored. God does not hold his people responsible for what has not been revealed but for what he has made known (Deut. 29:29). God is under no obligation to explain why.
Vines does discuss those biblical texts that have traditionally been understood as condemning homosexuality. Not surprisingly, he interprets them differently. When he comes to Romans 1, he affirms: “There’s no question that Romans 1:26–27 is the most significant biblical passage in this debate. It’s the longest reference to same sex behavior in Scripture, and it appears in the New Testament” (p. 96). But it is a bit surprising to read this claim: “This passage is not of central importance to Paul’s message in Romans. In fact, he used it only as a brief example to drive home a point he was making about idolatry. But in two verses (Romans 1:26–27), he described lustful same-sex relations between men, likely between women as well, and his words were starkly negative” (ibid.). After discussing the language of the text, particularly what Paul meant by “natural” and “unnatural,” Vines concludes: “The key point to note … is that none of those reasons extends to the loving committed relationships of gay Christians today. The main argument for why Romans 1 should extend to gay Christians—anatomical complementarity—is not supported by the text itself” (p. 113, italics his). There is little interaction with commentaries on this biblical book or the articles by New Testament scholars, historians, or theologians who hold the traditional view.
Vines has an agenda in writing this book. His final sentences summarize it well: “As more believers are coming to realize, affirming our gay brothers and sisters isn’t simply one possible path Christians can take. It isn’t just a valid option. This kind of love and affirmation—regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity—is, in fact, a requirement of Christian faithfulness” (p. 178). For Vines, affirming gay Christians necessarily includes supporting homosexual practice and gay marriage.
He has not succeeded in proving his thesis. Many Christians throughout history have understood the Bible to condemn homosexual practice. Since marriage is the union of a man and a woman, they have called those who are not married to a life of faithfulness in celibacy. Surely, it is possible to love and encourage people while also calling them to forsake behavior that the Bible condemns.
Vines writes in a persuasive and accessible style. He believes strongly in his position, and he advocates for it. But he has tried to defend an indefensible view. The Bible does not support gay marriage. It also does not support homosexual practice. Rather, in Romans 1, Paul listed homosexuality along with a series of other vices and perversions as evidence of the unrighteousness of all humanity. Paul was making the case that every human without exception is guilty of sin (3:23) and in need of salvation. The good news is that “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (5:8, NIV). The love of God in Christ extends to all those listed in Romans 1:26–2:1, without partiality. And the love of God promises all sinners eternal life through faith in Christ Jesus our Lord (6:23).
Glenn R. Kreider[1]
[1] Kreider, Glenn R. “Review of God and the Gay Christian: The Biblical Case in Support of Same-Sex Relationships by Matthew Vines.” Ed. Matthew S. DeMoss. Bibliotheca Sacra 171.681–684 (2014): 112–114. Print.