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Gay and Evangelical

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Someone Else Comes Out of the Closet

14 Wednesday Apr 2010

Posted by David L. Gill in Uncategorized

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Tags

culture, homosexuality, music, politics

Will, at the Sojourns with Jesus blog, writes about Christian singer Jennifer Knapp’s coming out as a lesbian. I’m looking forward to hearing the remainder of his comments.

My spiritual journey with God can best be described as wrestling. I am by nature a skeptic. It is hard for me to believe in a invisible being called God that is a Sovereign Lord. That belief goes against my nature and my culture. The virtue of our society is that we are our own lords and anything goes as long as its “consensual” and “no body gets hurt”. Sovereignty implies submission and the idea of submission goes against my very nature. I love music and it has been a great influence on my spiritual journey particularly in my late teens and early 20s. I really fell in love with the raw honesty of Jennifer Knapp’s music at a time I nearly walked away from the Church. She spoke in her music about struggles with a sovereign God. I’ve struggled too.

Click here to read the rest of Will’s post.

A letter to a friend

12 Monday Apr 2010

Posted by David L. Gill in Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

culture, Gospel, homosexuality, Scripture, theology

I’m friends with Aaron, who has a wonderful blog of his own.  I’d like to share the first piece of correspondence I exchanged with him.  The night that he and I began talking, he was tweeting quotes from Bill Maher’s Religulous. I had a total meltdown when he tweeted something to the effect that “doubt is humble.” So this email resulted.

Continue reading →

The Trouble With Attention

08 Thursday Apr 2010

Posted by David L. Gill in Uncategorized

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

experience, Gospel, homosexuality, insecurity, loneliness

I’m just about as insecure as the next guy. I mean, I hold my own in a discussion, I conduct choirs and orchestras with a minimum of challenges, I speak in front of groups about the Bible with no trouble at all, I can even handle a classroom full of junior high kids for 80 minutes at a time.

But I’ve never gotten past the idea I have about my being physically undesirable.  It’s terribly difficult to put myself in situations to ask out girls (which I’ve done three times in my life, being shot down very recently without even as much as a second hearing).  I just never think any girl alive (or even guy for that matter) would ever want me. I would categorize myself as clumsy and awkward, even though most people would probably label me as confident.

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Worship Worthy of God

08 Thursday Apr 2010

Posted by David L. Gill in Uncategorized

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Tags

hymns, music, psalms, Scripture, theology

In this blog article, the question is asked, “is your worship worthy of God?” The following quote from Calvin is offered:

Moreover, that which St. Augustine has said is true, that no one is able to sing things worthy of God except that which he has received from him. Therefore, when we have looked thoroughly and searched here and there, we shall not find better songs nor more fitting for the purpose, than the Psalms of David, which the Holy Spirit spoke and made through him. And, moreover, when we sing them, we are certain that God puts in our mouths these, as if he himself were singing in us to exalt his glory.

Quote by John Calvin taken from John Calvin: Pilgrim and Pastor by W. Robert Godfrey.

It seems that Calvin has a point to make and makes it well. It would, in response to Nathan’s question, seem to point out a serious deficit in worship which is exclusively hymn-driven (or even ‘blended,’ I’d argue). This is why, as a Reformed worship leader at a non-Reformed congregation, I strive to incorporate psalmnody whenever possible. We don’t chant them, but I am capable of doing so myself due to the fact that I was in a psalm-chanting Episcopalian congregation while in college.

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Come, Ye Christians Sing!

24 Wednesday Mar 2010

Posted by David L. Gill in Uncategorized

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

hymns, repentance, Scripture, theology, worship

A Hymn by Joseph Hart

Come, ye Christians, sing the praises of your condescending God;
Come and hymn the holy Jesus, who has washed us in His blood;
We are poor, and weak, and silly, and to every evil prone;
Yet our Jesus loves us freely, and receives us for His own.

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Churches and Gay Youth: A Response, part 3

18 Thursday Mar 2010

Posted by David L. Gill in Uncategorized

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

experience, homosexuality, politics, repentance, Scripture, theology

The following post is a continuation of Part 1 and  Part 2 of this series, which references this news story.

John & Charles Wesley wrote and translated many wonderful hymns.

But their theology stank.

The idea that “Christian perfection” or “the victorious Christian life” or “walking in the Spirit” could actually happen this side of heaven is nothing but garbage.  It doesn’t confront the reality that Paul speaks of his life at the time of his writing Romans 7, not in terms of his pre-Christ state.  Romans 7, therefore, is the picture of a Christian…not one who “has not yet surrendered his life to Christ.”

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Churches and Gay Youth: A Response, part 2

16 Tuesday Mar 2010

Posted by David L. Gill in Uncategorized

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

culture, experience, homosexuality, politics, repentance, Scripture, theology

The following post is a continuation of Part 1 of this series, which references this news story.

Quoting Lucky Severson:

Pastor Heidi Neumark says that condemnation has led to outright discrimination. She says too many churches have created an environment where it’s okay to bash gays or lesbians or bisexuals or transgenders, known collectively as LGBTs.

In this, I would say that Neumark has a legitimate complaint. The types of jokes I’ve heard at churches, the types of references to gay individuals said with a sneer, even from a pulpit!…these are real things I’ve experienced myself.  This doesn’t mean that everyone who makes a joke or a derisive comment is liable to drag a homosexual behind his/her pickup truck.  I’m not nearly that paranoid.

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Churches and Gay Youth: A Response

13 Saturday Mar 2010

Posted by David L. Gill in Uncategorized

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

culture, experience, homosexuality, politics, repentance, Scripture, theology

This news story was brought to my attention by someone who was curious as to my reaction to it, so here are some thoughts regarding it.  As always, I welcome comments on my opinions but I ask that anyone who comments to take the time to watch the story and/or read the transcript at the link already referenced so that any discussion can be useful and productive.

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Genetically Motivated Sins?

12 Friday Mar 2010

Posted by David L. Gill in Uncategorized

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Tags

homosexuality, repentance, science, Scripture, theology

Justin Taylor, over at his Between Two Worlds blog, answers the question, “Are we still responsible for sins for which we may be genetically predisposed?” I think it deserves a careful read.

Dangerous teaching from Beth Moore

11 Thursday Mar 2010

Posted by David L. Gill in Uncategorized

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

false teaching, Scripture, theology

Recently, Chris Rosebrough reviewed Beth Moore’s teaching on his program.  The review is important; please consider it and pass it along to others.

**Update** The Sola Sisters have also blogged about problems in Beth Moore’s teaching.  Please read and consider carefully what they say.

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