A new book is out titled, God and the Gay Christian: The Biblical Case in Support of Same-Sex Relationships, by Matthew Vines. Yes (with grief), you read the title correctly. Vines is actually arguing that upholding the authority of Scripture and remaining in a committed, monogamous same-sex relationship are compatible.

As you can imagine, the recent publication is taking the liberal media by firestorm. Vines has now provided enough of an argument to confuse the public on what the Bible actually teaches regarding human sexuality, including thousands of professing Christians who are even now weakening their stance against same-sex relationships in the life of the church.

But the question the church must answer is this: “Does Vines’s interpretation of passages like Genesis 1-2, Genesis 19:5, Leviticus 18:22, Romans 1:26-27, 1 Corinthians 6:9, and 1 Timothy 1:10 accurately represent what God says about human sexuality?” Several leaders in the evangelical church have already served us well by giving extensive interaction with Vines’s book. The answer to the above question remains No. Vines fails to interpret Scripture accurately and his arguments do not overturn the 2,000-year-old stance of the historic evangelical position on homosexuality. That is, to engage in homosexual behavior is rebellion against God’s creative design for human sexuality; and those who repent of this rebellion may find forgiveness, new life, and contentment in Jesus Christ who far surpasses what same-sex sin offers.

Below are links to some helpful responses to Vines’s new work. I also included links to a few books as recommended reading. All of these will help you minister to friends and family who are openly gay without repentance, or even to brothers and sisters in Christ who still wrestle against same-sex attraction with repentance and faith. The hope is that these resources will only equip you further to love all people with the truth of the gospel and when actively engaging the public square with true sexual morality.

The tidal wave of rebellion isn’t going away and we must stand firmly against it even if it means at great cost to our lives. The souls of men and women are at stake when people like Vines write books that affirm a lifestyle leading people to eternal punishment instead of pointing them toward eternal life in Christ. May we learn to turn away from doing the same with our silence or from doing the same with our loveless attitudes toward those on the path of destruction.

Evangelical Responses to Vines

“God, the Gospel, and the Gay Challenge—A Response to Matthew Vines,” by Albert Mohler, President of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

“Reformation or Revolution? A Review of God and the Gay Christian," by Andrew Walker, Managing Editor of Canon & Culture, A Project of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission

God and the Gay Christian? A Response to Matthew Vines, free eBook by Albert Mohler, James Hamilton, Denny Burk, Owen Strachen, Heath Lambert

Evangelical Books on the Bible & Homosexuality

Is God Anti-Gay? And Other Questions about Homosexuality, The Bible, and Same-Sex Attraction, by Sam Allberry

The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert: An English Professor’s Journey into Christian Faith, by Rosaria Butterfield

What Does the Bible Really Teach about Homosexuality? by Kevin DeYoung

Homosexuality: Speaking the Truth in Love, by Edward T. Welch