An Introduction

Same-sex relationships are a divisive issue. Rather than presenting a simple question, they present a number of questions about the authority of Scripture, the interpretation of Scripture, the translation of Scripture and its place in history, the nature of love, the use and abuse of sex, the place of diversity within the Church, what it means to be ‘happy’, what it means to be ‘faithful’, and what it means to be Christ-like.

Everybody approaches those questions with their own experiences and feelings, and even if two people agree on one of the questions above they may disagree on another. This is one of the things that makes the issue so divisive!

These pages are an introduction to same-sex relationships in a Christadelphian environment; they are deliberately short. They are designed to be read over a matter of hours or days, not weeks or months. There are many questions that are glossed over, particularly regarding the subtle nuances of the historical use of some Greek terms. Nonetheless, I hope that these pages stimulate prayerful and Christlike thought.

The first page looks at what a Christadelphian should believe about homosexuality. The second gives some explanation of how to understand gay Christadelphians and the issues we face. On the third page, I write about what it was like for me to grow up as a gay Christadelphian. On the fourth page I briefly look at some of the passages of scripture that are frequently used to oppose same-sex relationships. On the final page, I ask one simple question: would you fellowship me?

Contents

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