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Christentum und Homosexualität: Einige Perspektiven der Siebenten-Tags-Adventisten
Christentum und Homosexualität: Einige Perspektiven der Siebenten-Tags-Adventisten
The Bible & LGBTQ Adventists by Alicia Johnston
This book is a theological conversation about same-sex marriage, gender, and identity. It challenges the prevailing Adventist beliefs.
Written specifically for Seventh-day Adventists, this book is a theological exploration. How does the denomination explain its theology? What are the reasons for questioning that theology from an affirming perspective?
Does the Bible have anything to say to us about all of this? As an Adventist community, we turn first to scriptures for wisdom and guidance. But maybe you’ve heard the standard answers and you still have questions. As was true of me for many years, maybe you are unsettled in the back of your mind, you intend to get around to sorting it out, but years go by and you still haven’t.
Maybe you, like me, are not satisfied with the institutional church’s approach to this question. Maybe you, like me, long for a better conversation. We don’t want to fall prey to the pressure to avoid the conversation, but we also don’t want an all-out brawl. Many of us recognize that the institution of the church is struggling with this conversation.
Topics covered…
Is the Bible Clear?
Is the Bible so crystal clear on this subject that we shouldn’t entertain any other perspective? Many had said as much. This chapter explores the reasons why Seventh-day Adventists in particular should keep an open mind. It’s our heritage as Adventists.
God’s Law
Don’t those who affirm same-sex marriage want to throw out the Torah? Don’t they also throw out the dietary laws and the Sabbath? These chapters explore the meaning of those levitical prohibitions by comparing scripture with scripture. The Bible is its own interpreter when we look closely and carefully.
“Homosexuals” in the Bible
Twice Paul says explicitly that “homosexual practice” is a sin, so shouldn’t Christians oppose it? The word “homosexual” never appeared in any Bible until 1946. This chapter explores why that is. What are the translation issues behind these two texts?
Marriage, Sabbath, & Creation
Didn’t God create marriage in Eden? Wasn’t it created for a man and a woman? If marriage can be changed, what about the Sabbath? This chapter looks carefully at the structure of Genesis 1-2, the meaning of marriage, and the meaning of the Sabbath.
God-Given Gender
Didn’t God create gender “male and female”? Aren’t we playing with fire when we seak to redefine ourselves according to our own impulses? This chapter looks at the meaning of gender in the Bible, especially in Genesis 1. It also helps us learn more about who intersex and transgender people are.
Unnatural Exchange
Wasn’t homosexuality accepted in Rome? Didn’t Paul speak plainly against this? These chapters explore Paul’s words. What did he say and why? What were Paul’s moral concerns? Can we understand these texts the way the original audience did?
Did Jesus Define Marriage?
Since Jesus said marriage was “male and female,” doesn’t this exclude same-sex couples? Isn’t this a definition? This chapter explores the meaning and context of Jesus’ words. Was Jesus’ intention to define marriage to exclude same-sex couples?
The Biblical Model
Opposite-sex marriage is modeled in the Bible and in nearly all known cultures, so how can same-sex marriage be justified? This chapter looks at the meaning of marriage in the Bible and in society. How have definitions both changed and stayed the same? What about biblical gender roles?
Biblical Inclusion
It’s often been said that LGBTQ people can be accepted even if their behavior is not. Is this true? Are there times when rejection of a behavior amounts to rejection of a person? This chapter explores a biblical example in which the answer was ‘yes.’
UnClobber by Colby Martin
The book UnClobber: Rethinking Our Misuse of the Bible on Homosexuality, written by Colby Martin, tells his story of being an evangelical pastor dealing with LGBTQIA+ people from a biblical and compassionate framework. This book is both accessible and scripturally based, goes through each of the six "clobber texts," and shows how Christians can welcome LGBTQIA+ people fully into God's family.This book is a meaningful resource for Kinship members, leadership, and allies. Seventh-day Adventist Kinship is starting an outreach project to promote and distribute this book within Adventist communities. Kinship will send this book to thousands of pastors, church leaders, and church members. We believe that this book will enhance the conversation about LGBTQIA+ people in the church, help to open hearts and minds and result in more loving churches that show God's love to all people, especially people in the LGBTQIA+ community.
What happens next?
- If you have already received the book, go to UnClobber 101 to see how you can stay connected.
- Join our Monthly Q & A every second Saturday
- Watch the YouTube replay of Colby Martin at the Adventist Today Sabbath Seminar. Hear what led him to write UnClobber and to hear stories from members of the LGBTQIA+ community and their experience in and around the Adventist community.
Here's what some people are already saying:
"This book has really challenged me. The exegeses are mind-opening. This is a welcome breath of fresh air." —Adventist Pastor
"Wow. Though I'm not a biblical scholar I found this book gripped my attention so much I read it in three nights. I am still wrestling. Thank you." —Sabbath School Leader
"I'm now sending this book out. We need to open more conversations." —Adventist Pastor
"I'm 20 pages into the book. It's what my heart and soul needed! Thank you for thinking of me." —Anonymous Reader