About ten years ago, a friend from high school wrote the book God and the Gay Christian . I eagerly bought it, mainly to support him, but also because I was working on becoming a more affirming Christian, and I thought reading this book would help me along that path. Admittedly, I initially struggled to read it, not because of the subject matter, but because the book's tone didn't match the goofy guy I knew in high school. I resolved to read a chapter at a time until I finally finished it, but after I read the first few chapters, I didn't read it for a long time. Last fall, I finally picked it up again, found the mature tone much easier to read, and finished it in November. Since finishing the book, I've been thinking more about some of the things he brings up, especially the scriptures that are most often referenced when referring to God's view of homosexuality. The more I read those verses, the more I see that what is really being condemned isn't homosexualit
"He came out and went, as was his custom , to the Mount of Olives" ~ Luke 22:39, emphasis mine When we think of the power Christ had to prevent His crucifixion, we often think of the army of angels that he had at His command or the power over nature he held. Any one of the people who were responsible for His death could have been smote, scattered, or suddenly thrown into confusion with just one word from His mouth. When passersby mocked Him, they were right in knowing about His power to save others, but wrong in thinking He could not save Himself. A devotion I read Sunday morning caused me to think of another power He had that could have saved Him if He had chosen to use it: the power to choose a hidden spot to pray. The verse quoted above tells us that going to the Mount of Olives to pray was something he did often. According to the author of the devotion, "it was easy for the authorities to find Jesus to arrest him." Another verse says, "Now Judas, who betra