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A Conservative Argument Against Capital Punishment
First of all, let me be clear. This is not a political argument. What I mean by that is that I don’t intend to argue against capital punishment from a political standpoint. To me, this is a theological argument. As a person of faith, as a Christian, I think capital punishment is abhorrent. And as I…
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Vegetarians & Carnivores
I’ve been vocal on my view about homosexuality and the church. I haven’t been quite as vocal about our treatment of one another on both sides of this issue. Here, I take a biblical approach to criticism and forgiveness…
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More on the Bible & Homosexuality
I’ve been pretty clear previously on my stance around issues of homosexuality. See one of my earlier posts on the subject here. I continue to be outspoken. And I will not be silent. And I’m not alone. So why do I choose to continue to speak out? A 2009 book by Dr. Jack Rogers (Professor…
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Bible-Based Sermons
There seem to be two basic ways that preachers organize their sermons. One group is “topical,” taking a topic and using several scripture texts to support it. The other is “textual,” taking one scripture text and exploring how it applies to the world today. Do you prefer one to the other? I do…
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Being More Christian: Loving the LGBT Community
I’ve been a member of a church my whole life. My grandfather was a pastor, his brother was a pastor, and there were others before them. And now I’m a pastor. I serve a fairly large church in Grand Island, Nebraska. The good life. On a stick. I’m also a United Methodist. My grandfather &…
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Jesus Loves Gay Porn Stars
Yup. I said it. Jesus loves gay porn stars. And what’s more, I believe it! A friend, classmate, and author named Steven Luff gave me a T-shirt just the other day with that saying on it, and it made me think. Just how far does Jesus’ love go? Is it possible that Jesus could really…
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Sex: Sympathizing with the Damned
The more I think about it, the more I think sex divides us more than it brings us together. How’s that for counter-intuitive?! And yet it seems to be all we can talk about. Or more accurately, it’s all we can think about as long as we don’t talk about it except that we can…
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Sodom & Gomorrah
I recently finished a paper on the biblical story of Sodom & Gomorrah. I wanted to post it here because it’s been used recently and often as a way to marginalize the gay population, and I think it’s a bastardization of the text (at best!) and a completely inappropriate use of God’s word. I offer it…
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Separation
I’m struggling. It’s been over a month, and I still don’t understand how we as humans – we as Christians (and yes, there are many different “versions” of Christians) – could take a class of people and send a message of “less than equal.” You aren’t living your lives correctly, so you can’t have the…