Thank you for publishing David P. Gushee’s “Tackling the Hard Questions” (January 2015). It was wonderful to read an admission that for centuries Christians have been judgmental and hurtful to people with same-sex attraction, creating a “human suffering problem within the very heart of the church,” and that it’s time for radical change in views and practices. He also strongly questioned the assumption that anything in the Bible—even what Gushee calls “the Big Kahuna” of Romans 1:26-27—really condemns homosexuality.
For people who believe everything written in the Bible is a guide for how to live, and yet see faithful love lived out between gay people, I’d guess these verses have been boulders to a view change. So it’s great that Gushee takes apart Paul’s language and the context to show that these verses may have a very different meaning. I’m especially glad Gushee wrote about the strength and faithfulness of LGBT Christians—and the richness of having their relationships in our communities.
Naomi Thiers
Arlington, Virginia
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