Notes

Chapter 2: Two-Faced

1. C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (New York: HarperCollins, 2001), 213.

2. Donald Miller, “The Campus Confession Booth,” Leadership Journal, Summer 2005, www.christianitytoday.com/le/2005/summer/4.62.html.

3. Kevin DeYoung, Taking God at His Word: Why the Bible is Knowable, Necessary, and Enough, and What That Means for You and Me (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2014), 120.

4. Dallas Willard, The Spirit of the Disciplines (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1990), 24.

5. C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, 167.

Chapter 3: Not the Same

1. “Sheer grace” is one of my favorite phrases in the Heidelberg Catechism. “The Heidelberg Catechism,” Q&A 21, Reformed Church in America, www.rca.org/heidelbergcatechism.

2. Some of the best recent writing on this can be found in John Piper and Justin Taylor, eds., Sex and the Supremacy of Christ (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2005).

3. Ben Patterson, “The Goodness of Sex and the Glory of God” in Piper and Taylor, eds., Sex and the Supremacy of Christ, 58.

4. C. S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (New York: HarperCollins, 2013), 25.

5. Beautiful examples of this are Christopher Yuan and Sam Allberry, who have written books about their experience and commitment. Christopher Yuan, Out of a Far Country and Sam Allberry, Is God Anti-Gay? See “For Further Learning.”

6. By no means am I saying that one can be in the throes of sexual darkness and expect his/her marriage to fix them. Instead, when one has purity, even though whispers of darkness remain, marriage can be a beautiful gift.

7. Piper and Taylor, eds., Sex and the Supremacy of Christ, 224.

8. Ibid., 231.

9. Here, I do not refer to those Christians who see themselves as gay and celibate for the sake of Christ. Instead, I am referring to those who believe active gay relationships are acceptable in a journey as a disciple of Jesus.

10. Piper and Taylor, eds., Sex and the Supremacy of Christ, 26.

11. We explore this more deeply in chapter 8, “Spots on the Leopard.”

12. It is helpful to note that anyone, heterosexual or homosexual, can easily make sex an idol, the difference being that homosexuality is innately idolatrous and heterosexuality is innately good.

Chapter 4: Jesus Is My Homeboy

1. David G. Myers, A Friendly Letter to Skeptics and Atheists (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass/Wiley, 2008), 76. Note: That’s like saying, out of the 30,000 nuclear bombs ever created by the U.S. Department of Defense, only two fell on Japan, so they must not be that significant. Technically accurate, but completely misleading!

2. Robert A. J. Gagnon, PhD, “Barack Obama’s Disturbing Misreading of the Sermon on the Mount as Support for Homosexual Sex,” Republicans for Family Values, October 23, 2008, http://republicansforfamilyvalues.com/2008/10/23/theology-expert-says-obama-grossly-distorts-scriptures-to-support-homosexual-cause/.

3. We want to emphasize that we in no way support people who would use these passages as a pretext for suggesting similar punishments be carried out today. We believe that this form of law, while founded on moral principles that continue, does not apply within the political structures that exist today. There was only one “Israel” that existed as a theocratic nation-state.

4. Revisionist interpreters call these the “clobber passages,” but we think this is an uncharitable description of these scriptural passages. We are not hoping to “clobber” anyone with the Bible. We simply want to understand how God’s Word outlines God’s pattern for human flourishing.

5. Three more examples: In Luke 24, we read about two disciples trudging down the road to Emmaus, hearts heavy with fear and grief. According to the latest reports, their Messiah has been crucified and laid in a borrowed tomb. They don’t recognize Jesus when he comes alongside them and joins in their conversation. As he begins to unfold Old Testament teaching and demonstrate that it all points to the Messiah’s death and resurrection, their hearts start to burn. When the trio sits down to eat, the disciples’ eyes are opened and they realize that the Son of God has been leading them through the Word of God the entire time—words he had inspired long before being rocked to sleep in a Bethlehem stable.

Later in the same chapter of Luke, the resurrected Christ appears to the disciples and says this:

Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.”

24:44–48

The phrase “the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms” is another way of saying “the entire Old Testament.” Here, Jesus tells the disciples that the entire Old Testament was about him!

In John 5:37–47, Jesus makes a critical point to the Pharisees, who are rejecting him and his ministry: If you really believed the Old Testament (specifically, the writings of Moses), then you would believe in me:

And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me. His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen, and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he has sent. You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. . . . There is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope. For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words? (emphasis added).

Here Jesus makes a stunning connection between the Old Testament and himself, demonstrating that true belief in the Old Testament will be demonstrated by belief in him, and that true understanding of him is made possible as we grasp the Old Testament revelation about him.

6. In some instances, we believe the Bible does allow for divorce.

7. Robert A. J. Gagnon, The Bible and Homosexual Practice: Texts and Hermeneutics (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2001), 228.

8. We use the term sacramental here in its broadest possible sense—as a visible symbol of a spiritual grace. In a narrower sense, the Bible defines only two sacraments: baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Though many things in creation point us to God’s amazing grace, it is important to recognize baptism and Communion are uniquely ordained by God to communicate the grace of the good news to believers.

9. For a close study of the theme of meals and Jesus’ ministry, see Craig L. Blomberg, Contagious Holiness: Jesus’ Meals With Sinners (Wheaton, IL: InterVarsity Press Academic, 2005). Check out pp. 103–111 for more on the miracles of multiplying food.

10. New Testament scholar Craig Blomberg makes this point in his book Contagious Holiness: “The unifying theme that emerges . . . is one that may be called ‘contagious holiness’. Jesus regularly associates with the various sorts of sinners on whom the most pious in his culture frowned, but his association is never an end in itself. Implicitly or explicitly, he is calling people to change their ways and follow him as their master. But unlike so many in his world (and unlike so many cultures throughout the history of the world), he does not assume that he will be defiled by associating with corrupt people. Rather, his purity can rub off on them and change them for the better. Cleanliness, he believes, is even more ‘catching’ than uncleanness; morality more influential than immorality” (128).

11. Jesus also makes clear the consequences for those who refuse to make him King: They will be rejected on judgment day. We might not like to hear this, but the clearest teachings about hell in all of Scripture come in the words Jesus spoke while he was here on earth. Jesus did more than invite people to get a taste of life in his kingdom; he clearly outlined the realities for those who did not enter into it. For a small sample, check out Matthew 5:27–30; 25:41–46; Mark 9:42–49; John 5:19–29.

Chapter 5: Ban All Shrimp

1. Lisa Miller, “Religious Case for Gay Marriage,” Newsweek, December 15, 2008, 30.

2. “You shall not wear cloth of wool and linen mixed together” (Deuteronomy 22:11); “You shall not eat . . . the pig” (Leviticus 11:4, 7); “Tell them to make tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations” (Numbers 15:38); “Everything in the waters that does not have fins and scales is detestable to you” (Leviticus 11:12).

3. An exception could be Leviticus 18:19, “You shall not approach a woman to uncover her nakedness while she is in her menstrual uncleanness.” This prohibition is not referenced in the New Testament and appears to be directly connected to the concept of ceremonial uncleanness. Presumably, a man would contract the ceremonial uncleanness of a woman through sexual intimacy during her period. With these conditions in mind, many conservatives would contend that this prohibition is related to Jewish ceremonial law and no longer applicable.

4. Gagnon, The Bible and Homosexual Practice, 113. Gagnon’s treatment of this subject is, hands down, the most important available. We rely on his scholarship in this section.

5. For example, see Galatians 2:15–16: “We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.”

6. For example, see 1 Timothy 1:8–11: “Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.”

7. Well before Jesus was born, Jewish scholars had translated the Old Testament from Hebrew into Greek. Most of the New Testament authors, who wrote in Greek, made frequent use of this translation, called the Septuagint. We are often able to make important connections between the Old and New Testaments by seeing how the New Testament authors quoted and alluded to words and phrases from the Septuagint.

8. Gagnon, The Bible and Homosexual Practice, 312ff.

9. While it goes well beyond the scope of this book to develop this point, it is important to note that the New Testament clearly distinguishes church and state authority. For example, see Jesus’ comments in Matthew 22:21 and Paul’s in Romans 13:1–7.

10. Martti Nissinen, Homoeroticism in the Biblical World (Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress, 1998), 109–112, quoted in Robert Gagnon, “How Bad Is Homosexual Practice According to Scripture and Does Scripture’s Indictment Apply to Committed Homosexual Unions?” www.robgagnon.net/articles/HomosexHowBadIsIt.pdf.

11. Louis Crompton, Homosexuality and Civilization (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2003), 114, quoted in Robert Gagnon, “How Bad is Homosexual Practice According to Scripture and Does Scripture’s Indictment Apply to Committed Homosexual Unions?” www.robgagnon.net/articles/HomosexHowBadIsIt.pdf.

Chapter 6: Perception and Reality

1. David Kinnaman, unChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks about Christianity . . . and Why It Matters (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2012), 92–93.

2. Ibid., 93.

3. Leon Morris, The Gospel According to St. Luke (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1974), 189.

4. “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Health,” Center for Disease Control and Prevention, www.cdc.gov/lgbthealth/youth.htm.

5. John Calvin, Golden Booklet of the True Christian Life, trans. Henry Van Andel (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1952), 37.

Chapter 7: Here’s the Church, Here’s the Steeple

1. “Historic Earthquakes: 1964 Great Alaska Earthquake,” U.S. Geological Survey, http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/states/events/1964_03_28.php.

2. We recommend picking up Allberry’s book Is God Anti-Gay?

3. You can learn more about the GSA Network here: www.gsanetwork.org.

Chapter 8: Spots on the Leopard

1. Restored Hope Network, “Mission Statement,” www.restoredhopenetwork.com.

2. See the following article from Aaron Blake: “Christie signs bill that bans gay conversion therapy,” Washington Post, August 19, 2013, www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2013/08/19/christie-will-sign-bill-that-bans-gay-conversion-therapy. We should expect that such stories will multiply in the years to come.

3. Mark Yarhouse, Homosexuality and the Christian (Minneapolis: Bethany House, 2010), 41.

4. Ibid.

5. Ibid., 42.

6. C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (New York: HarperCollins, 2001), 215.

7. Augustine, The Confessions, trans. Maria Boulding (New York: New City Press, 1997), Book IX, 177–178. Augustine famously confessed his own desire to postpone discipleship so he could continue indulging his lusts.

8. Sam Storms, One Thing (Scotland: Christian Focus Publications, 2004), 18.

9. John Calvin, Golden Booklet of the True Christian Life, trans. Henry Van Andel (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1952), 27.

10. Ibid., 29.

11. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together: The Classic Exploration of Faith in Community (New York: HarperCollins, 1954), 118–119.

12. For more information about either ministry, visit www.desertstream.org or www.celebraterecovery.com.

Chapter 9: When Push Comes to Shove

1. For a great response from Pastor John Piper, check out this audio: “Would You Attend a Gay Wedding?” Desiring God Foundation, October 10, 2013, www.desiringgod.org/interviews/would-you-attend-a-gay-wedding.

2. Charlotte Elliott, “Just As I Am,” 1835, public domain.

3. See Luke 19:1–10 and 24:44–49.

Chapter 10: Don’t Panic

1. Imagine ministering in a world where a man would shack up with his stepmom. Prostitution, drunkenness, and orgies were central to the worship of many cultures. An entire line of pottery in the ancient world was built around grown men giving gifts to boys they were molesting (kalos pottery).

2. Some dispute the claim that this book provided a “blueprint” for all factions in the gay rights movement, but it is impossible to deny that it certainly laid out a game plan that seemed to be executed with precision over the next two decades.

3. Sterling Beard, “NM Supreme Court Finds Refusing to Photograph Gay Wedding Illegal,” National Review, August 22, 2013, www.nationalreview.com/corner/356498/nm-supreme-court-finds-refusing-photograph-gay-wedding-illegal-sterling-beard; Liz Fields, “Judge Orders Colorado Bakery to Cater for Same-Sex Weddings,” ABC News, December 7, 2013, http://abcnews.go.com/US/judge-orders-colorado-bakery-cater-sex-weddings/story?id=21136505.

4. Ian Lovett, “Law Banning ‘Gay Cure’ Is Upheld in California” New York Times, August 29, 2013, www.nytimes.com/2013/08/30/us/law-banning-gay-cure-is-upheld-in-california.html?_r=0.

5. InterVarsity outlines the legal challenges it has faced on its website here: “Campus Challenges,” Intervarsity, www.intervarsity.org/page/campus-challenges.

Appendix: The Watershed

1. Belgic Confession, Articles 3 and 5, www.crcna.org/welcome/beliefs/confessions/belgic-confession.

2. Justin Martyr (2nd century), Dialogue with Trypho, quoted in John Woodbridge, Biblical Authority: A Critique of the Rogers/McKim Proposal (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1982), 32.

3. Augustine (4th century), letter to Jerome, quoted in Woodbridge, Biblical Authority, 37.