Dr. Jack Rogers

Progress Toward LGBT Equality in Other Denominations

One of the things I’m most pleased about with the new edition of Jesus, the Bible, and Homosexuality is the new appendix which maps the progress toward LGBT equality in 10 other denominations in the United States.  It’s really a fascinating story:  

Fifty years ago there were no out LGBT clergy or LGBT advocacy groups in any denomination.  Now many denominations have out clergy and all denominations have active LGBT advocacy groups.  This is really remarkable progress within a relatively short space of time.  

The Metropolitan Community Churches, the United Church of Christ, and the Unitarian Universalist Association have official policies of full LGBT equality (including marriage and ordination equality).  

Several other denominations are making good progress including the:

• Episcopal Church which has out clergy, a gay Bishop, and some priests perform same-sex weddings;
• Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) which passed a number of equality measures at their most recent General Assembly;
• Evangelical Lutheran Church in America which is very close to a breakthrough;
• Methodist Church which has majority support for LGBT equality here in the U.S. but is still lacking the support of their international brothers and sisters; and
• The American Baptist Churches USA where a tradition of congregational polity means that some congregations welcome out clergy as pastors while others do not.
  

Finally there are the denominations which are dug in or going backwards — such as the Roman Catholic Church and the Southern Baptist Convention — but even within those denominations there are active advocacy groups working for change.  

While the day-to-day struggle for LGBT equality can sometimes seem daunting, when one steps back and looks at the larger picture it appears clear that the arc of history is bending towards justice.

In connection with the release of the new edition I’ve also added a new feature to my website called “allies in other denominations” (look for it in the right hand sidebar).  There I provide links to 23 different advocacy groups working for LGBT in other denominations and religious traditions.  I hope this will be a helpful resource. 

The updated and expanded second edition Jesus, the Bible, and Homosexuality (including the new appendix!) is available through Amazon.com or Cokesbury.com. 

Excerpt, Chapter 8, “All Are One in Christ Jesus” from new edition of Jesus, the Bible, and Homosexuality

The debate in the church over homosexuality has often focused on 7 or 8 sentences in the Bible or even a single word from the Old Testament taken out of context.  That’s not the right way to read the Bible.  The proper way to read the Bible is to treat it as a whole and to read individual passages through the lens of Jesus’ redemptive life and ministry.  (Indeed reading the Bible through the lens of Jesus' redemptive life and ministry is the orthodox standard method of interpretation in the Presbyterian Church U.S.A. and many mainline Protestant denominations.)

So in the new edition of my book Jesus, the Bible, and Homosexuality I look at several passages which are not always included in our discussion about homosexuality.  Specifically I look at God’s extravagant welcome for all who have faith.  I hope this new chapter will contribute to the debate in the church and open new avenues of thought for most Christians.

Here’s the intro to the new chapter and below is a link to the book on Amazon.com:

I first started to read the Bible every day when I was in junior high.  I wanted to know God, and I knew that this book would show the way.  Now retired, I realize I’ve been reading the Bible daily for over sixty years.  What is so astonishing about that experience is that after all this time, there is still so much more to discover about God’s revelation in Scripture.

I’ve been specifically studying the biblical texts as they relate to homosexuality since 1993, yet I still feel that I have just scratched the surface in terms of understanding all that is there.  Through studying the increasingly rich scholarship in this field, I have come to believe that there are many biblical passages that are more helpful in understanding how Christians should relate to people who are LGBT than the verses that are commonly cited. 

Jesus understood the sacred texts and God’s intention for humanity. So when we read the Bible through the lens of Jesus’ redemptive life and ministry, we are better able to discern God’s revelation.  Jesus welcomed every kind of person into God’s community—especially the outcast, the alien, the marginalized, the forgotten, and the foreigner.   Reading the Bible through the lens of Jesus’ redemptive life and ministry we see over and over again, God’s radically inclusive grace that welcomes all who have faith. Let us examine three passages that show how Jesus’ teachings illuminate God’s extravagant welcome…  

--Jesus, the Bible, and Homosexuality: Explode the Myths, Heal the Church (updated and expanded second edition), p. 128.

The new edition of Jesus the Bible and Homosexuality can be purchased from Amazon.com and Cokebury.com.

 

Radio interview on "State of Belief"

This past weekend I was on Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy's program "State of Belief" on Air America radio.  Rev. Gaddy is the President of The Interfaith Alliance and he was interviewing me about the new edition of Jesus, the Bible, and Homosexuality.  The radio interview is now archived on the State of Belief website and you can listen anytime by clicking (here) or you can download a podcast of the show by clicking (here). 

Announcing the Publication of the Revised and Expanded Second Edition of Jesus, the Bible, and Homosexuality

I am delighted to announce the publication of the updated and expanded second edition of my book, Jesus, the Bible, and Homosexuality: Explode the Myths, Heal the Church!

Amazon.com is still listing the publication day as April 14 -- but we think they are just doing that so that folks will be pleasantly surprised when it arrives early!  We know that they are accepting pre-orders and that some people have already received the book.  You can pre-order the book on Amazon by clicking on the link below:

http://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Bible-Homosexuality-Revised-Expanded/dp/066423397X

The book is also in stock and available now from Cokesbury.com. 

The revised and expanded edition includes all of the material from the first edition plus:

• A new preface with "stories from the road" as a result of my two-year book tour in support of the first edition;
• Updates on recent developments within the Presbyterian Church ( U.S.A.);
• A new chapter that examines God's radical welcome for all who have faith as revealed in Scripture;
• A new appendix that maps the recent progress toward lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender equality in major U.S. denominations; and
• A study guide for group or personal reflection.

I hope the new edition will make a helpful contribution to the conversation about equal rights in church and society for people who are LGBT.

Many thanks to everyone who supported the first edition over the past two years including everyone at Westminster John Knox Press, the Human Rights Campaign, Covenant Network of Presbyterians, More Light Presbyterians, That All May Freely Serve, Witherspoon Society, GLAAD, PFLAG, Soulforce, allies in other denominations, and parents, pastors, co-workers, and members of congregations who shared this book with others.  Together we are building a church for all God's people.

Peace and strength,
Jack

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Praise for the Second Edition of Jesus, the Bible, and Homosexuality

"Rogers offers both a rigorous yet accessible theological study and a model of spiritual discernment that is essential reading for anyone struggling to reconcile their faith with the needs of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community."
—Harry Knox, Director, Religion and Faith Program, The Human Rights Campaign

"The compelling biblical and theological case Jack Rogers makes for the full acceptance of gay couples is simply impossible to ignore."
—William Stacy Johnson, Princeton Theological Seminary, author of A Time to Embrace: Same-gender Relationships in Religion, Law, and Politics.

"I'm overflowing with gratitude for this work. Jack Rogers continues 'to equip the saints for the work of ministry,' directing his gifts as prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher to building new understandings and relationships in the church."
—Rev. Deborah A. Block, Pastor, Immanuel Presbyterian Church, Milwaukee, WI

"Rogers's biblical scholarship, humane love, and openness to evidence helps us discern what Jesus would do, and what we, his people, should do."
—David G. Myers, Hope College, co-author, What God Has Joined Together: The Christian Case for Gay Marriage.

A Helpful New Resource from David Myers

I got a nice e-mail the other day from David G. Myers, author of What God Has Joined Together:  A Christian Case for Gay Marriage (co-authored with Letha Scanzoni).  He's out with a new book that I think will be of interest to a lot of people.  It's called, A Friendly Letter to Skeptics and Atheists: Musing on Why God is Good and Faith Isn't Evil.  It combines Dr. Myers usual blend of engaging writing along with skilled analysis of matters of importance in our church and society.

The preface and three of the chapters are available free on his website.  In chapter 13, "God and Gays" (also available for free) he speaks about the growing consensus between science and religion.  From the chapter:

• All humans have a deep "need to belong," to connect with others in close, intimate, enduring relationships. We are, as Aristotle recognized long ago, "the social animal." Solitary confinement, ostracism, and banishment from close relationships lead to genuine pain. Show social scientists a community where marriages are plentiful, and they will show you a community with mostly healthy and happy people, thriving kids, and low crime rates....

• There is a Christian case for gay marriage, which arises from the human need to belong, from the biblical mandate for justice, from the benefits of a culturewide norm of monogamy, and from a refutation of popular arguments against gay marriage...

Click (here) for the rest of the chapter or click (here) to find out more about Dr. Myers new book. 

Review of Religion Gone Bad: The Hidden Dangers of the Christian Right

Mel White's amazing new book, Religion Gone Bad:  The Hidden Dangers of the Christian Right has just been published.  Click (here) to order the book from Amazon.com.

Many years ago, Mel and I were faculty colleagues at Fuller Theological Seminary, the largest multi-denominational evangelical seminary in America.  In those days, Mel was a noted Christian filmmaker and also a ghostwriter, consultant, and confidant to such fundamentalist Christian leaders as Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson.  He was also struggling against his sexual orientation and trying very hard to repress the notion that he might be gay....