Review: Is God anti-gay? by Sam Allberry

Is God Anti-gay? And Other Questions About Homosexuality, the Bible and Same-sex Attraction.

Sam Allberry

The Good Book Company: UK

2013, 2014

As a Christian, how am I supposed to think about the issue of homosexuality? How am I supposed to interact--in the workplace, in the family, or in the church--with those who have "come out" and identified as being homosexual? What do I say when an advocate for homosexuality accuses me of picking and choosing which Bible verses apply and which do not?  And what do I do if a Christian tells me that they are attracted to the same sex?

These are some of the issues that Christians are struggling with in this brave, new world in which we live. We want to remain faithful to the Bible, but the current pull of society is a strong one, and many are struggling with how to integrate their faith with the real-world issues of same-sex attraction (here after SSA).

If these questions and struggles resonate with you, then this little book is just what you have been looking for. It is not written to those who are struggling with SSA so much as it is written to those who are struggling with unanswered questions related to the issue of SSA, and specifically, how we as Christians can be faithful to Scripture and still be vessels of God's love to those who identify as having same-sex attraction.

This is a quick read (only 85 pages of text), but it is rich and deep and unlike some other books on the subject, it is extremely readable. After an autobiographical introduction, Sam organizes his material into five brief chapters, concluding with some helpful insights into the question, "What should I do if a Christian comes out to me?" The remainder of this review will focus on summarizing the main ideas of the book.

Chapter one addresses what the Bible says about sex and marriage, because Sam believes that before we ask what the Bible says about homosexuality, we must begin with what it says in general about sex and marriage (p.13). Only when we understand God's mind on these subjects will we be equipped to understand what He says about homosexuality and SSA.

Having established the biblical idea of marriage, chapter two addresses the specific texts of the Scriptures that speak directly to the issue of homosexuality, including responses to common objections to the traditional interpretations of these texts. As has been pointed out by Christians and non-Christians alike, there are not many texts that address this subject, but as Sam points out, infrequent references do not mean that the matter is not important. What it does tell us is that the Bible is not so much "fixated" on homosexuality as it is on placing the issue in the broader context of what the Bible is primarily about--"the announcement of what God has done for us in Christ, and the need for repentance and faith" (pp.25-26). The chapter concludes by helpfully addressing the common view that it is permissible to be in a committed same-sex relationship.

Chapter three begins with the provocative statement, "We should expect a number of Christians to experience forms of same-sex attraction" (p.43). This may seem shocking, but Sam reveals his reasoning for believing this. He roots it directly in the doctrines of the Fall and depravity. He writes, "Christians succumb to the ravages of this fallen order as much as anyone" (ibid). He continues:

Being Christian makes us no less likely to fall ill, face tragedy, or experience insecurity. It is not un-christian to experience same-sex attraction any more than it is un-christian to get sick. What marks us out as Christian is not that we never experience such things, but how we respond to them when we do" (ibid, emphasis mine).

When viewed from this perspective, SSA is no longer just some particularly deplorable sin, but a consequence of the depravity shared by all of us, just like anger, jealousy, heterosexual lust, etc. This idea needs to be carefully fleshed out, but I think Sam is on the right track. The bulk of the chapter is then made up of some pastoral encouragements on how a Christian struggling with SSA should respond, including an excellent discussion on the sensitive subject of singleness.

How should the church handle the issue of homosexuality? What should be the response if a homosexual couple begins to attend a church that believes that the practice is sinful? These and other related questions are helpfully addressed in chapter four. There is absolutely no suggestion that the issue can be just overlooked or ignored, but rather Sam encourages an appropriate timing for the conversation, and exhorts churches to ground that conversation in the gospel, rather then the sexual issue (p.65). Sam also has some valuable suggestions for how a local church can support Christians who are facing with SSA (pp.66-71).

Chapter five is loaded with suggestions and encouragements for how to have a conversation about homosexuality out in the marketplace. Just as with any lost person, the center of our message is the gospel. The gospel message is a difficult one for people to hear, and that is particularly true when it comes to the issue of homosexuality in our highly-charged current atmosphere. But it remains the only message that offers any hope. Here Sam's wisdom is invaluable as he guides the reader through some recommendations on how to share Christ with someone who is gay.

Finally, Sam concludes by addressing a fear that most Christians have: what do I do if a Christian comes out to me? (pp.84-85). What do I say? Sam's encouragement is twofold: 1) Thank them for trusting you with this disclosure. And 2), listen, pray with them, and encourage them:

"The Christian actively wrestling with these feelings, striving to flee from temptation, wanting to honor Christ and walk faithfully with him--they'll need encouragement, prayers and people to talk to from time to time" (p.85).

Paul's encouragement to the Galatians is surely an encouragement to us as well when we find ourselves with the responsibility of encouraging a fellow believer struggling with SSA:

"Bear one another's burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ" (Gal.6:1 NASB). 

I have been looking for a book like this one for some time. It is timely, sensitive, and rich in wisdom for such a time as this. I commend it to you!

http://www.amazon.com/God-anti-gay-Questions-Christians-Ask/dp/1908762314

http://www.christianbook.com/is-god-anti-gay/sam-allberry/9781908762313/pd/762313

A Review of Heaven Is for Real

  

This week, the movie Heaven is for Real will be released in theaters across the country. The movie is based on the NY Times bestselling book of the same title, which claims to be an account of a young boy’s near-death experience and the visions he has of heaven. This book has flown out of bookstores and been downloaded thousands of times, which tells us something: for all the skepticism of the supernatural that we so often hear about, Americans are still very, very interested in knowing what lies behind the curtain of death. This book claims to pull that curtain back and give the reader a peek of what heaven is like. And it’s not just non-Christians who are reading this book. Christians also are proclaiming their love for the book, seeing it as a confirmation of what they believe and distributing it to their unsaved friends, neighbors and family members as proof of the Christian faith.
   
The popularity of Heaven Is for Real among Christians is easy to understand—people are desperate to have their faith validated in some way. However, my argument is that it does exactly the opposite and actually undermines our confidence in the source that we do have and can be confident in—the Bible. Most of us who have spent any time in a Bible-believing church are familiar with the concepts that the Bible is inspired (it comes from God) and inerrant (it contains no errors). But when it comes to how we handle the claims made in a book like this, it is critical that we also remember a third thing that Christians over the centuries have affirmed with respect to the Bible: it is sufficient. This means that everything that we need to know in order to be saved and live as followers of Christ is contained in His Word. We do not need anything else. Other, man-produced works (such as biblical commentaries, devotionals, etc.) can be and often are beneficial in helping us to understand the Scriptures and practice our faith, but it is the Bible alone that is entirely sufficient for every believer, in every place, and in every time. The Scriptures are the means by which we evaluate everything else. When we give something other than the Scripture the place of sufficiency for truth and practice, we open ourselves to much error. And that is exactly what Heaven Is for Real encourages its readers to do.

One of the more problematic (and annoying) issues with this book is that it is based on an argument from experience. This always presents a difficulty for evaluating claims like the ones made in Heaven Is for Real because it is very, very difficult to disprove an experience. One can argue with objective things like concrete evidences and facts, but experiences are subjective and eventually always distill down to a “Who are you to tell me that my experience is not real?” kind of plea. It is virtually impossible to disprove an experience.

What is needed for good evaluation of a claim is objective, disprovable evidence that corroborates the subjective experiences. For example, the resurrection of Christ was experienced by the women at the tomb and the disciples, but there was also objective evidence that corroborated their testimony. All anyone had to do was produce the body of Jesus and the claims would have been disproven. In this example, the experience of meeting with the resurrected Christ, an experience shared by numerous people, by the way, is also validated by the concrete evidence of the empty tomb. Such is not the case with the claims of this book. No one can produce any contrary evidence that directly disproves this little boy’s claim to having visited heaven. This very fact should remind us to proceed with extreme caution.

So what does the Bible say about heaven, and do any of the claims made in this book contradict the Scriptures? First of all, the Bible gives us no indication that the claims made in this book is the way God works. Quite the contrary, Hebrews 9:27 makes it quite clear that humans are destined to die once and then face judgment. There are very specific occasions in Scripture in which someone is said to have seen heaven (or Paradise) and then return. For example, in 2 Cor. 12:2-4 a man (possibly Paul himself) is said to have experienced seeing and hearing things in Paradise, but it is significant that the text specifically says that this man was forbidden to tell anything about it. No books. No movies. No fireside stories, period. Another example is the Apostle John, who was permitted to see and record what he witnessed of heaven. How do we know that we can trust the experiences and visions of these writers? Because they are recorded in Scripture. Scripture itself validates their claims. The same cannot be said for the claims made in this book and others like it.

Second, many of the descriptions made in the book are related to the New Earth, not the intermediate state that the Bible says is the temporary location of those who have died in Christ prior to His Second Coming. This is an important distinction. Visions of streets of gold, gates that are made out of pearls, and other things described refer to a place that, according to the Bible, will not exist until the future (Rev.20:1-3) and reflect the theology of campfire songs about “heaven,” rather then what the Bible says about what believers will experience when they die. Other descriptions such as everyone having wings, the angel Gabriel sitting to the left of God the Father, halos, Jesus’ rainbow-colored horse, etc., simply have no support in Scripture. These warm, comforting pictures may make us feel good inside and seem to bolster our confidence in what we have believed in, but in reality they are eroding our confidence in the biblical portrait--the one thing we can be confident is accurate.

Third, we do know from Scripture some things about what will be experienced immediately after death. We know that when we leave these bodies, we will be with Christ (2 Cor.5:6; Luke. 23:43). We know that being with Christ will be better than anything we have experienced during our earthly lives (2 Cor.5:8). While not occurring immediately after death, we are comforted in the revelation that a reunion of sorts will occur at the Rapture (1 Thess.4:13-18). And we know that one day our spirits will be rejoined with our bodies (1 Cor.15:52-53), fitted with bodies perfectly equipped for eternity. The Bible has much to say about life after death, and what it says and does not say is the only source of comfort, joy, hope and confidence. Claims of new revelation that enhance what the Bible says are a temptation in that they seem for a moment to give a sense of confidence, comfort and hope, but like a drug addict who must use more and more drug in order to reach the same high, Christians who seek confirmation of their faith, comfort and hope outside the sufficiency of Scripture will find themselves looking more and more often outside its pages for their next fix.

So are the little boy and his father lying? I prefer to say that what is being said does not present an accurate portrayal of what the Bible has to say on the subject. There is much about the human mind and consciousness that is unknown, and sometimes it can conjure up amazing images that do not always have a basis in reality (e.g.., dreams and nightmares). At the same time, I am the father of a little boy of about the same age as the boy whose experiences are recorded here, and I can say with absolute confidence that little boys have very active imaginations, and are happy to embellish when encouraged to do so or when they are saying what they think someone else wants to hear. Beyond that I will leave to the Lord to judge the motives.

In closing this review I want to return to that word I have used several times—sufficiency. A very real and present danger for Christians is that they begin to seek to find their comfort in the images and visions contained in this book and movie rather than in Scripture. The question of what we will experience after we die is a tantalizing one, and it is normal to wonder about it, especially in times of grief. However, it is vital that we guard ourselves from capitulating to the temptation to validate our faith or find comfort outside of the safety of God's perfect Word, ministered to us by the Comforter, the Holy Spirit. A purposeful return to the doctrine of the sufficiency of Scripture will guard us from making the mistake of seeking to validate our faith through experience, whether our own or another's, and will ensure that we find our source of hope and comfort in the living Christ.

I cannot encourage believers to read this book or view the movie. In fact, I would encourage you to avoid it.