As a 75-year-old, I’ve learnt that it is unwise to make assumptions about how one’s life is going to pan out. Now looking back, I can say that as youthful libido wains, and by the transforming power of the Holy Spirit, one’s same-sex attraction can sublimate into something useful. For me this has been an introduction to the practice of ‘father care’, free of sexual content, but fuelled by spare emotional capital.

Allow me to tell you my story:

God’s Beautiful Story is a suite of free online resources to help evangelical church leaders engage with the Bible and enable their congregations to have good conversations about human sexuality and the implications of changes in understanding or practice in their church grouping.

When Christians revise their understanding of the Bible’s teaching on homosexuality, it is often not driven by a stringent re-evaluation of the historical biblical texts. It would appear that there is a variety of stimuli that cause the relaxation of the orthodox viewpoints.

There is much debate between Christians about whether it’s right for a Christian with same-sex attractions to use a term like “gay”, “lesbian” or “trans”. Some argue that these words have become all-encompassing identity-forming words and so those who are “in Christ” are denying their God-given identity by labelling themselves in this way. Others argue that these terms are more meaningful in our culture than clumsy alternatives like same-sex attracted, and that they can be used in a merely descriptive way that is compatible with holding on to a primary identity received from God.

As I pondered the brief for this article, a wry smile came over my face as I reflected on the title. Simply by removing one word, this article would be widely celebrated in today’s woke culture. 

A number of years ago, the term “agree to disagree” came into popular parlance in relation to compromise over the biblical interpretation of same-sex practice. When encountering a difference in opinion, could we amicably “agree to disagree” with others and continue to fellowship with them? At the time, it was inconceivable that I would ever have to take a stand if faced with my minister changing stance from holding an orthodox, historical view of scripture on sexual relationships to allowing other views to have equal value. Well, that exact instance happened recently.

In many ways, the message of this book is perfectly summed up in the subtitle, “How to live for Jesus in a world that says you shouldn’t”. Yet, significantly, Stephen McAlpine has as much to say about “why” we should live for Jesus in this broken world, as “how”. The fundamental point of the book is that we, God’s people, the church, used to be the good guys. Then we became just one of the guys. Now, pretty much everyone outside ourselves views us as the bad guys.

I doubt any of us would be put off walking through a field of sheep grazing happily on the grass. A field of wolves might be a different matter. For as long as there have been sheep and wolves, there have also been false teachers in the life of the church. False teachers are described as those wearing sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ferocious wolves (Matthew 7:15). Take a moment to read through these passages to remind yourself of the presence of false teachers in the early church - 2 Peter 2:1-3, 1 John 4:1-3 and 2 Timothy 3:1-9.

Some revisionist theologians’ arguments have sticking power because they resonate with our cultural norms. Put another way, they are persuasive because they draw on modern Western values and assumptions. This brief article considers four “sticky” arguments and how to respond well from a biblical perspective.