Gay & Christian: No Contradiction

Tonight I went to Brandan Robertson’s talk/discussion, “Gay & Christian: No Contradiction.” He pastors the church I attend. I read his latest book, so I was familiar with the things he spoke about tonight, but was reminded again how great a speaker he is and how passionate he is about the topic. It was uplifting and enriching.

A central premise of the talk is that the ethical arc of the Bible is towards more inclusion and liberation of the marginalized. The culture of the Old Testament was very patriarchal, yet by the time Jesus comes around, he is uplifting women. In the Old Testament we have “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth,” but Jesus tells us to turn the other cheek and to love our enemies.

He also talked about how the Holy Spirit was promised as a companion to teach us on an ongoing basis. We continue to have revelation and move towards liberation for more people. Slavery used to be defended within Christianity, but we have moved towards liberation. Women used to be limited in their roles in the church; we are finally starting to move towards liberation (there is definitely still work to be done there, but it is improving).

I highly recommend his book and hearing him speak if you get a chance. If there is a video of the talk, I will update and include it here.