Why I am LGBTQIA+ Affirming (as a Christian Theologian)

In this video, I explain why, as a Christian theologian, I am LGBTQIA+ affirming. I discuss liberation theology and how it informs my position, I discuss the Biblical texts often used against such a position, and finally, I give a personal account of what led to an affirming stance.
A transcript of this video can be downloaded via my website: www.sdmorrison....
Resources on liberation theology:
"James Cone in Plain English" (my book): amzn.to/3zbf97J
"A Gospel of Liberation" by Gustavo Gutiérrez: amzn.to/319vyNu
Papers and books on an affirming reading of Scripture:
“Seven Gay Texts” essay by Robert Gnuse: fccmoline.org/...
On “homosexuality” first appearing in the Bible in 1946: www.patheos.co...
On the Leviticus verses: www.affirmingt...
On Romans 1:26-7: www.affirmingt...
On 1 Corinthians and 1 Timothy: www.affirmingt...
On Sodom and Gomorrah: www.affirmingt...
"God and the Gay Christian" by Matthew Vines: amzn.to/3HdZpns
"Invisible People" (homeless interview) channel: / invisiblepeople
More on the epidemic of LGBTQIA+ homelessness: static1.square...
Enjoy my work? Buy me a coffee: www.buymeacoff...
Visit my website: www.SDMorrison.org
**Please note that all Amazon links are associate links, wherein I receive a percentage of your total purchase.

[@Koudoken]

As a gay person, I would just like to express my gratitude. Recently I had a friend, they were my best friend and I had known them for 4 or 5 years, they recently cut me off. They didn't even bother telling me they would or saying goodbye, they just up and abandon me. Thanks to a mutual friend, I learned that he did it because he believed God told him to. That.... really shook my faith. It made me question whether or not God existed, when people like that get away with such evil. But hearing someone like you be so accepting and speaking out against such hate, well it makes me thankful that God put people like you on this earth to share his word. In short, from the bottom of my heart, thank you.

[@Koudoken]

@@baptizedbychrist9976 There are two problems with your statement. No man can know what lies in the heart of another, only God knows. Also the Bible says pretty plainly "Judge not less ye be judged." It isn't our place as mere humans to judge one another. It is you who lack the holy spirit. Reflect on your actions and repent.

[@PropertyoftheGraveRobber]

@@KoudokenFinish reading. "For the judgement with you judge, you shall be judged." It means, and is followed up by, don't worry about the speck in your brothers eye while you have a log in your own. This verse does not negate the others that it is our duty to “Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter.” ‭‭(Proverbs‬ ‭24‬:‭11‬ ‭ESV‬‬) How do we do that? We do that by using the Ten Commandments as a mirror and showing someone they are dead in their sins. Then, we can point them to Christ, whose first public statement recorded in Matthew was ““Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”” (Matthew‬ ‭3‬:‭2‬ ‭ESV‬‬)

[@Koudoken]

@@PropertyoftheGraveRobber No man is without sin, how can you then say that not to worry about then spec in your brothers eye for the log in your own, it absence calls on us not to judge, to be compassionate and love each other. You don't do that by honing in on one of your brothers sins and judging them for it. That's not at all what Christ calls on us to do. People like you, unbeknownst to you or not, have a nasty habit of chasing people away from God. God says come as you are, but those who claim to be of him tell you you're imperfect and that you should change, when frankly that isn't any of their business. It's between me and God, is all I suppose I mean to say. Whatever hate you spout is not of him.

[@PropertyoftheGraveRobber]

@@Koudoken They ARE imperfect because they are stained with sin just like I was. Why would they ask for forgiveness when they don't know they need to be reconciled? Those who spread the good news first need to let the person know they are in trouble. A person wouldn't be PERSONALLY interested in the cure to cancer until they know they have it. God does say come as you are, BUT He then says that He will change your heart to seek righteousness instead of sin. Hate is not of Him (uppercase by the way), you're right. But your defintion of love and hate, if you're a Bible believing Christian, should run in alignment with biblical definitions.

[@HopefulessRomantic]

I am so sorry this happend to you, you don't deserve that. I believe that Jesus calls us to love everyone. And your best friends voice isn't God's voice. I will be sharing this story with friends. I love you and God loves you! God Bless U!

[@grace3675]

I'm a queer person, and am just weeping listening to this. I cannot express how it feels. It makes me have hope that there is a place in between celibacy and sleeping with a dozen people a month. It is that place in the middle that so many Christians have been pushing queer people out of. I appreciate your words more than I can say.

[@StephenDMorrison]

Hi Je A, I am so glad to know my video was encouraging to you! God bless you! And happy new year, too.

[@lonerface8257]

U r part of delusion. Ur DNA is not a queer

[@gracethroughfaithbloodofje4753]

GOD LOVES YOU ❤

[@LoftOfTheUniverse]

God wants what is best for his creation, and the activity of homosexuality is only negative on a human being. Don't listen to people who tell you what you want to hear but people who tell you hard truths AND want you to be closer to God

[@jimmylollar6064]

​@@LoftOfTheUniverseHi! Part of your response leads me to believe that you are in agreement with this message. The other part of your message indicates that you are in disagreement with this message. Should I have understood your response to be in support of a welcome and affirming church with the full inclusion of LGBTQIA persons? OR, should I understand that you ARE NOT in support of a welcoming and affirming church with the full inclusion of the LGBTQIA persons?

[@HopefulessRomantic]

I am Christian. I have friends in the LGBTQ+ community! I love them with my heart and support but others around me are always saying otherwise! I went through a faze of maybe I am doing the something wrong but I am not. Thank You so Much! This message needs to be spread! For all LGBTQIA people on this page you are beautiful, smart, amazing and deserve all the love in the world and God's love! Don't let anyone tell u otherwise. 🏳‍🌈🤗🥰

[@smooflarkin]

This is a topic I have been studying furiously for a month. The rates of depression, anxiety, self-harm, homelessness, poverty, etc in the unsupported LGBTQ+ community speaks for itself. The church's wholesale rejection and even conditional acceptance of these has bore rotten fruit. I can speak from experience. The wounds of "sound Biblical" exclusion and my own internalized homophobia have been immensely damaging. Thank you for taking a stand. Excellent video.

[@StephenDMorrison]

Thanks for watching, Anthony! Yes, it is a very sad problem indeed. The damage has been catastrophic for the Church's witness, I think.

[@marinka424]

You do realise that American Evangelicalism, is only a small unimportant branch of Christianity, don’t you? If that. Ever heard of the Anglican Communion? Unlike America, it is worldwide. America is not the whole world. I’m not even sure if the Anglican Church recognises the American Evangelical church. You should stop making these vast generalisations about ALL Christians and stop casting these aspersions about innocent Christians when you know nothing about Christianity and have no idea what Christians think about your sex life. I suggest you take the trouble to find out what the Anglican Church says about gays. Perhaps also take a look at what “other” religions say about being gay, as you may well finish up with them replacing Christianity after you’ve destroyed it. I have no idea what God thinks about your sex life, but I expect he will judge you on your judgementalism, and how you treated your enemies. . You need to realise you are being mislead about Christians by people who hate our values of forgiveness and loving our enemy, and turning the other cheek. Take a realistic look at who the “divider” is here.

[@donreeves4558]

Undoubtedly...this is the BEST discussion that I have ever heard on this subject. Thank you, Stephen. I agree 100% with your well-researched and intellectual comments. God Bless you and may your message...and the messages of others who share your perspective...help to truly make each of us a better (and more genuine) Christian ❤

[@Amy-pj1zl]

I am queer christian, living in a muslim majority country. I have struggled to change my sexual attraction for years with no success and more mental torment. It’s only when I embrace my sexual identity to be compatible to my spiritual identity in Christ, read through all the clobber passages and also knowing fully that we are wonderfully made that I started feeling better mentally and emotionally.

[@rainflare6015]

This touched my heart. My ears were metaphorically glued to my headphones for the entirety of the video. I've been studying the particular scriptures and interpretations for a while, and it has been a great burden upon my soul. At one point I thought I would have to disagree with the Bible in order to be affirming of my friends, family, and myself (which I was very prepared to do). Thank you for helping lift that worry off of my shoulders. I feel like I can breathe again. Thank you so much.

[@boydhayes3882]

@StephenDMorrison, Thank you so very much in what you shared here in Affirming the LGBTQIA+ Community. I am a gay man (72 yrs of age) who has had all FIVE of those scripture passages used against me by "well meaning Christian friends"; some of whom have been pastors of churches I've attended. I, myself, wanted to become a minister of the Gospel after graduating high school. But my parents couldn't afford my going to college. I have always believed in God and took Jesus as my savior at the age of 12. I have long believed that, as a gay person, I have every right to call Jesus my Savior. I strongly believe that it was Him who healed my 3rd degree burns from a house fire in 2016. He healed them in a matter of 6 wks!! Whereas my doctors all said that 3rd degree burns take a lot longer than 6 wks to heal. I have also believed that those "Well meaning friends & pastors" want to continue the oppression on me & others in the LGBTQIA+ Community, instead of lift us up & do what God has commanded them to do in liberating us from the oppression they continue to pack onto us. And stop judging us unfairly because we're homosexual. And stop trying to equate us with "their belief" of what they "THINK" we are. Thank you again for sharing this. And I am grateful there's a Share button here that I can share your video with one such pastor that has used those passages against me. God Bless you Stephen. Keep up the good work. I do hope we'll meet in person some day. Robb Hayes

[@StephenDMorrison]

Thank you for watching, Robb! I am glad to hear this video has blessed you. And thank you for sharing some of your story here. God bless!

[@williamkelly5567]

I'm a Christian also. It's my job to give it to you straight.God loves you.Jesus gave His life for you. I love you. Now. Where would you be if your mom and dad was gay and never met. The lake of fire is REAL. Love is not love. A person that loves killing people is not the same as love for one another. God Bless You sir you are in my prayers in Jesus Christ Name.

[@irontaylor9992]

@@williamkelly5567 what do u say about a christain who lies? and who is dishonest

[@williamkelly5567]

Jesus Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead.He sits at the right hand of the Father.our Heavenly Father. .sin is sin ! Ask yourself this. Does God lie .NO He does not. Go to God and ask Him to show you what you need to know about what it is in your life that needs to be changed. God Bless You and your Family.

[@JustaNobodyinChrist]

So at what point in your walk with Christ do you deny your “self”. What do you think it means to be born again, and why is it so important? If you were a thief, you need to stop stealing. If you are sexually immoral, (according to Gods standard of what sexual immorality is) then you must stop being sexually immoral. Most of the gay community stand behind the banner of “pride”. God despises the proud. We are all sinners and all fall short of the glory of God. There is not one good person on this earth in Gods eyes, so please understand that having pride in who you are and being lord of your own life is direct rebellion against God. Make no mistake, we are carnally minded. God is no respecter of persons, we are all fallen, it is in our nature. Please understand this is why you must be born again! Deny your self. surrender to Him. All these “theologians” trying to interpret the Bible with their carnal minds and not by His revealing Spirit are false teachers and will be held to a higher standard. I fear for them on that day! Yes God is love, and He loves us more than we could ever love Him but He is also Holy, Just and Righteous and because of this everyone will be judged accordingly. Love is not love. If that were true than everyone who acts on their carnal nature would be excused because “they are just doing what they love”. So that means Murderers, pedophiles, thieves, greedy people, all just doing what they want. It’s almost as if “do as though wilt” is the your thinking. Stop saying you were born this way, every thought that crosses your mind, every decision we make is a choice. God doesn’t care what you think is truth, He is truth and you must understand His truth! Or perish

[@wmccormack98]

Appreciate your insights and hope they are weaved into the bigger conversation. I am still finding my way on this church issue and have taken a "faith seeking understanding" tact. Your emphasis on love and liberation cannot be ignored. TY Stephen.

[@StephenDMorrison]

Thanks for watching, Bill!

[@marinka424]

Try researching Liberation Theology, also the Anglican Church on homosexuality. You might be shocked to discover the Anglican Church does not hate homosexuals.

[@BearinatorBear]

Too many people use The Bible as a stick to hit people with rather than an encouragement to love people unconditionally. There are many "sins" in The Bible that people will just completely ignore and then laser focus on "gay people are bad". I wished I wasn't gay for years because of the pressure many Christians put on that one single issue above all else. But upon further reading I agree with you that The Bible isn't as clear cut as what they might like to think.

[@daelinproudmore5068]

Loving people doesn't mean encouraging their sin. Pedophiles don't choose to be attracted to kids either, they just are. We are to conform to Christ and suppress our evil nature through power of the holy spirit. We don't give in to our emotions and carnal desires. The gay community is a community of death. It does not promote life, it does not uphold any standard set by the bible, it goes against God's plan for humanity, and it's a debasement of the self. Repent and follow Christ, only then you will be free.

[@juzeus9]

literally. he who spares the rod hates his child. they don't know that the rod was a tool with hooked end used in herding sheep. this rod was not used to beat the sheep

[@nessy3338]

Your all-knowing god created the world that allowed so many queer people to suffer at the hands of those sincerely reading the Bible and understanding it to be anti-lgbt. Your god is the beginning of it all. Creator of the concept of pain and evil. Start by asking yourself why

[@marinka424]

Come and live in England, our church isn’t like that.

[@caratacus6204]

1st century Jews being LGBT affirming is more difficult to believe than any miracle in the Bible. The whole Church was wrong about one of the most fundamental issues for 2000 years until coincidentally the US started to change their culture in the early 00s. How convenient...

[@Reed5016]

I’ve always been intrigued and depressed by how many people misinterpret the Bible, both now and historically. From slavery to the misogyny, people have consistently used the Bible to push messed up agendas that are against everything Christianity (and maybe other Abrahamic as well) stands for. I was raised in a specific branch of Christianity that made me reject the words of God for a while, and I thought if their message was the Christian message, I wanted nothing to do with it. But learning the doctrine of other branches of Christianity, and then watching this, I’ve come to be open once again to the concept of Christianity and my former faith. I’m still looking into the theology, but I can now say I’m getting past previous religious trauma.Thank you very much.

[@StephenDMorrison]

Thank you for your comment and for watching! I am very glad to hear this video was a help for you in healing that trauma. I know what that is like. God bless you!

[@voltekthecyborg7898]

It's like the difference between the KJV and the Torah. An example, KJV, "If a man sleeps in a bed with another man, may that man be stoned, and the man he slept with be stoned." Whereas the Torah says, "If a man sleeps in a bed with a boy, may that man be stoned" (I do feel I am missing something with the original Torah), but still.

[@PrincessCassandra]

It is not a misinterpretation when it is clear as day and evidence in Nature.

[@voltekthecyborg7898]

@@PrincessCassandra yeah

[@marinka424]

Theology is better than reading the Bible. I suppose if I lived in America I would be worried about the far right bible bashers, but as I live in England, I’m more worried about the “Christian’s with guns”, who pretend to follow the Beatitudes, but tend to be the most bigoted, judgemental group out there. Because they preach the beatitudes on the surface, whilst whipping up violence and hatred beneath the surface, people are often taken in by them. They are the new wolves in sheep’s clothing. Take care.

[@seekerhonest]

I wish to every homosexual, that he/she finds a loving same sex partner, marries and maybe raises kids in responsibility.

[@grahamglendinning2629]

Wonderful, bless you in all the work you do. Keep writing and producing your material. The world needs more love to be shared and justice for the oppressed.🙏

[@StephenDMorrison]

Thank you for the kind words, Graham!

[@StellarNomad42]

Wow, thank you for sharing this. As a gay man I struggle with my relationship to Christianity but your talk is crystal clear. It's all about liberation and love.

[@cricketier1011]

Thank you for this video. I have been so torn over religion after finding out that I was queer, so I really appreciate what you have said. It helps me find a little more comfort in something that was supposed to be accepting and loving in my life. Thank you❤️

[@gregory_bloomfield]

Thank you, Sir! I’m a gay Christian and came out 11 years ago. I had to leave my church, and have been churchless for the last eleven years. I miss my church. It was an Assembly of God. I youth pastored there and had a song ministry there as well. I had to leave because I wasn’t accepted there as the pastor was very much against and preached again homosexuality. He even preached that homosexuals should be executed. I couldn’t sit under that condemnation any longer. I had to leave.

[@Laury-tg5pm]

Have you sought out a new church? I'm in Canada but more and more churches in my town welcome all.

[@emmy-ct4ex]

Thank you. This was beautiful and I just wish more people viewed Christianity and the LGBTQ+ community this way. People like you give me hope❤️

[@shches8480]

Thank you for making this video! So many 2SLGBTQIA+ people have suffered (and many continue to experience) immense spiritual abuse in many Christian congregations. Speaking as you do on this topic with such compassion and sensitivity is such a gift and inspiration to many Christian LGBTQIA+ people such as myself. Thank you!

[@juzeus9]

now they are suffering immense spiritual abuse from doctors

[@juzeus9]

@@A.O.T.C you're talking about yourself

[@jizeruchan07]

I wish more queer people like myself would watch this video. You’re truly making a difference. God bless ❤

[@reeragan5707]

As a lesbian Christian, I agreed with you going into this video, but you've still given me a lot to think about. I might have to watch again after I've done a bit (or a lot) of processing. In the meantime, thank you for explaining things better than I ever could.

[@JesusIsKingMyLord]

You cannot be lesbian and a Christian YOU have to be born Again! IT IS A SIN AND GOD MADE IT CLEAR REPENT OF THIS WICKENDNESS YOU CANNOT SERVE GOD and Satan !Revelations 21:8I will be his God and he shall be My son. 8But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” Leviticus 18:22 You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination. 1 Corinthians 6:9-10-11 9Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, 10nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. 11And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. Romans 1:18-32 God’s Wrath on Unrighteousness 18For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 20For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man-and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. 24Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, 25who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. 26For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. 27Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due. 28And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; 29being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, 30backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; 32who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them. James 4:4-6 4Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”? 6But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”

[@daelinproudmore5068]

Please repent of your sin and turn to Christ. You won't find freedom until then.

[@retro3188]

@@daelinproudmore5068 Being LGBTQ+ is nothing to repent for. You are not the judge of her life.

[@blocker1954]

My discovery and understanding of Liberation Theology completely revolutionised my hermeneutic and understanding of the Gospel. Thank you for your application of this to matters relating to the Queer community.

[@BrideofJesuChristo2]

Im cis and straight but I’ve known a lot of lgbtq+ and I cannot fathom how people don’t see the harm they’re doing. So I am affirming too. I strongly believe most Christians do not understand that you can’t choose to be gay- God wouldn’t cause us to sin without giving us a chance to escape the “temptation” or cause.

[@samwisegamgee8318]

As a Christian who believes differently, I agree that love comes before growth. Regarding the text, I would say that I need a lot more of a deep dive on Romans 1 to consider taking your stance. The verse below seems so clear to me, even with the best understood Greek interpretation, that I don’t see how it could only be referring to a 1st century cultural act as you suggested. Would love a response or discussion on this if anyone is interested. “For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged natural relations for that which is contrary to nature, and likewise the men, too, abandoned natural relations with women and burned in their desire toward one another, males with males committing shameful acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭1‬:‭26‬-‭27‬ ‭

[@StephenDMorrison]

Here is a good deep dive into that text: kzbin.info/www/bejne/p5y4qqegd72Li8k It is incredibly important to remember that reading the bible is a cross-cultural experience. It is not adequate to just read it with 21st century eyes, in English, via interpretive translations, with our cultural and social preconceptions, and give all of that baggage more weight in interpretation than the research by scholars that is done to actually understand what Paul would have understood by these terms. This is also a good video, though less directly related to Romans 1: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fIXMomOEjJajhLc.

[@dboulos7]

Good for you, don't buy into what your wisdom, senses and conscience counter-informs you of - SMorrison offered his opinion, and that's all it is worth, ...as is anyone else's. But, every wise Christian understands the extremely fine line that exists when it comes to physical relationships and what is morally correct. In other words, when in doubt, if so, remain on the side of conservatism and what your conscience reveals to you through Scripture. It would take an extremely verbose argument to try and deny the mental instability and hedonism that precipitates homosexuality, and all other sexual deviancies.

[@katrinasilcox1703]

​@@dboulos7Hedonistic behavior is not synonymous with being gay. How many lewd acts are conducted backstage with male rockstars and their female groupies and often times under the influence of alcohol or drugs? The natural state of desiring a partner in itself is not the problem. Straight or gay, we are called to treat our bodies as temples and seek the kingdom of Heaven first. As Paul wrote, our bodies were made for the Lord and the Lord for the body. The term "casanova" is inspired by an actual Italian man with the surname "Casanova" from the 18th century whose trysts with women were so notorious it made history, and yet we know that this is not the state of being heterosexual as a condition.

[@dboulos7]

@@katrinasilcox1703 Many who indulge in sexual activities in a lascivious manner, never become satisfied - they are obligated to continuously stretch the boundaries and experiment - they are uninhibited. Therefore, those who are extremely sexually active, you can almost guarantee that they are bi-sexual or have had homosexual relationships.

[@frankelliott244]

Tell me. If someone has boils, does that imply that they have enslaved the Jews as Pharaoh did. After all, you’re telling a twelve year old Christian boy that just because he finds other boys attractive, although ignorant of sex, he is cursed by God. That is stupid and evil and condemn by Christ himself because you’re leading that boy to believe he’s damned. Jesus wax very clear about this. He says that you’re worthy of death for leading a young one away from Him.

[@ivtch51]

It is great to see not all evangelicals speak with one voice. I appreciate your words about depersonalizing us of our God given dignity as persons. It must have taken some courage for you to make this video. Thank you. My present concerns are with the LGBT+ folk in Uganda where "homosexuality" has just been made punishable by execution/death or life imprisonment. These laws came about to a significant degree due to American evangelical missionary influence. I can well understand why many of my LGBT+ friends are hostile and angry towards Christianity.

[@StephenDMorrison]

Thanks for watching and for your comment! I am also concerned about the situation in Uganda and pray that decision will be overturned.

[@bobdylan1677]

He isn't an Evangelical. Evangelicals believe the Bible.

[@tysonvslewis12]

@@bobdylan1677keep your hatred to yourself

[@bobdylan1677]

@@tysonvslewis12 How can my view be defined as hatred?? It refers to the definition of evangelical theology?

[@tysonvslewis12]

@@bobdylan1677 your view of the Bible is gays are evil and deserve death. His view is acceptance and love while holding sinners accountable. Being gay is simply not a sin.

[@NC-vz6ui]

Hello. Thanks so much for sharing this! As a gay Christian, I appreciate your support and courage. I also love how you highlight the hypocrisy of the church in their attitude towards gay people. I never understood how the church could treat people so horribly, even if they disagreed. I could write a book about the double standards and “special” requirements or burdens placed upon LGBT people.

[@StephenDMorrison]

Thanks for watching! I’m sorry to hear of your experience with the church but glad I could show my support, however small. God bless!

[@veggiet2009]

I love how you casually separate "sexual looseness or perversion" from "homosexuality" Because I'm my discourse as a gay Christian with other Christians this is possibly the biggest hurdle, they simply assume that the two are one and the same.

[@StephenDMorrison]

Definitely. Their decision to link the two is rooted not in an argument or in reality but in bigotry, which is why Christian homophobia is still homophobia at its core, no matter what biblical justification is presented to support it.

[@juzeus9]

sodomy is one of the ugliest words in the english language, and absolutely nobody knows the real meaning of it. sodom+y = "like sodom". there were a few reason why sodom was destroyed (such as burning children in particular), homosexuality was not among them.

[@gabriellarose789]

YOU’RE AWESOME!! ☺🎉Thank you for sharing the truth from your heart with us on a very important issue in “the church” 💛✨ And for (a scripture my mother loves to quote) studying to show yourself approved a workman that need not be ashamed, rightfully dividing the word of truth (unfortunately she a KJV fan). God bless you precious brother!🙏🏼 My experience is quite similar to yours in becoming affirming (I’m a straight cis-female).

[@zircon7634]

This was an amazing defense of what I've been believing for a long time. I'm gay, I have married my same gender and adopted kids. They are my world and I want to be a guiding light of hope to those who are gay. Jesus has a future for you to produce good fruit. The non-affirming Churches have laid waste to entire families over this issue leaving them without their community. Families have ditched their kids worried about becoming a pariah. Bad fruit for a bad interpretation. If you are gay, don't live celibate and alone until death. Don't marry into a dishonest hetero relationship. God made you and knew you before you were born. Turn and love/forgive those that rejected you as He did. God bless anyone who reads this. ❤

[@PrincessCassandra]

God did not make anyone gay, it goes against God's natural order. Stop lying. Stop deceiving and stop leading people to hell.

[@juzeus9]

it's so hard to tell which i should report princesscassandra for - hate speech, child abuse, bullying, misinformation, spam? they all apply... in america a quarter million children have families because gays exist. that's why god made them. that's why the devil rewrote the bible.

[@addiemorgiewicz4973]

Stephen, thank you so much for making this video. I am a student at Houghton University writing my senior thesis about Jesus's ministry of reconciliation and how we as a church should see part of this ministry as affirming our lgbtq+ family. Thank you for such a thorough exploration! I am sure you have helped many people listening who are part of the LGBTQ community feel at home and encouraged by other church members like yourself.

[@StephenDMorrison]

Thank you for the kind words about my video! Your thesis sounds like an important project, and I hope it goes well for you. Thanks for watching, and God bless!

[@ianmoore9154]

I suppose you’ve by now finished your thesis. Yet, I was hoping to direct you to scripture about this. There’s a difference between “affirming” as queer or gay or others may have it and how Jesus loved and met people where they were at. In many places Jesus interacts with people around him but strongly encourages them to “go and sin no more”. In this way then, one’s lifestyle ought to be altered after “being born from above” or meeting Jesus. God’s reconciling us by and through Jesus leaves us - should anyways - on a newborn journey that means to have us discarding past hurts, habits or sinful ways. (Look at 1 Cor. 6; Jesus also sent on her way the woman caught in adultery saying “not to sin”)

[@bryanpinto7735]

Hi Steve. Thank you so much for expounding on your reasons for being an affirming LGBT ally in such a logical, clear manner. I have listened to your vlog 3 times so far and I am surprised it hasn't garnered many more views. I am particularly inspired, encouraged and liberated by your reminder that it is for freedom that Jesus came (John 8:36) and this was for ALL of humanity (not just straight Christians). The LGBT community in Africa is arguably the most "oppressed" minority group on the continent. This discrimination is most belligerently perpetrated by the church followed by political leaders in many African countries who ignorantly think it is a Western import and have decreed Homosexuality as illegal. I have gay friends who do not want to have anything to do with Christianity because of the rejection and vilification they have experienced at the hands of the churches they grew up in. As children of God, we are, like Him, challenged to have compassion on those around us who are less "privileged" so to speak (Ephesians 4:32, Zechariah 7:9-10) as indeed our Lord and be instruments of God in the liberation of the oppressed. Unfortunately, the African church is doing exactly the opposite...

[@StephenDMorrison]

Thanks for watching, Bryan! I am glad to hear it was helpful to you. I will keep the LGBTQIA+ community in Africa in my prayers! That certainly seems like a difficult situation. Thanks again for watching and for your thoughtful response.

[@VoltaireMM]

Pinto is a portuguese name.

[@bryanpinto7735]

@@VoltaireMM Yes it is although I am not Portuguese 😊

[@VoltaireMM]

@@bryanpinto7735 , but I am, living in Lisbon. 🙂

[@bryanpinto7735]

@@VoltaireMM I've never been to Portugal but from what I have seen in documentaries and heard, it is a beautiful country. Where I am from, (Kenya) we have a small Goan community and amongst them, Pinto is a common name 🙂

[@tomheckmann9004]

Thank you the powerful ammunition your video contributes to the struggle. My brother-in-law and wife come out the Evangelical community, yet give them shelves to the struggle by fighting relentlessly in our state for the health and dignity of nonbinary persons. Your words help us to speak truth to our fellow evangelicals while looking them straight in the eye.

[@StephenDMorrison]

Thanks for watching, Tom! And I am happy to hear the video was helpful to you. God bless!

[@catgandini]

I'm already crying and I'm just halfway through. This is so powerful and so moving and I hear and see so much TRUTH in what you say. Thank you so very much for this video.

[@StephenDMorrison]

Cat, I am honored to hear the video has moved you. Thank you for watching, and God bless you!

[@trixjoyce]

I just found your video and is just a few minutes in, but I already appreciate your video. As a queer person questioning my faith all together because I've been so hated by God's people my entire life solely because of my identity and sexual orientation, I feel like your video is a sign from God. Maybe sounds silly but I have spent the entire year so far, to find LGBTQ+ affirming content for Christians online just to be shown hate. Then I found your video. You seem very intelligent what I hear right now and thank you for sharing this.

[@justinsummers1757]

43:15 Thank you Stephen for your wonderful editorial. It held deep meaning and expressed biblical truths that I have always found comes with understanding, kindness and respect for each individual that it serves.

[@marinka424]

Lovely to hear someone speak who is so devoted to Jesus Christ.

[@noodles2459]

In the Past ancient Trans Feminine people were not uncommon sex workers in their Temples. This was for Two Reasons. A. They were poor, it may have been a cultural practice? B. The Governments of their time said they had to STAY in their temple and could only venture out in their surrounding town. It was quite restricting. So if you love someone you get to KNOW them where you live. Theres much more minutia to this topic but I recommend Transgender History- We have always been here On youtube. We were seen as religious people, but we were also treated like crap by the State of Rome,etc. Sex Work is a suffering and curse that has been with my trans ancestors since our beginining. Be it due to a belief, or a monetary reason to afford food. Being Shunned by SOCIETY is a huge reason we often resort to drastic means of survival. Hopefully with Gods love and forgiveness. The Community He brings to us we can break free and heal. But it won't get better unless people affirm us as also worthy of Gods Grace.

[@voltekthecyborg7898]

Did you hear about what Nero did? So, Nero was a certified psychopath. He killed his family and wife, he bought people out to burn Rome to persecute the Christians, and even took a young, castrated him and made him dress as the wife he killed, in which the poor lad offed himself. He was also hailed as the best Jewish Convert. But, as a Christian, God's love is all encompassing, and yes, I do agree. But, the mainstream LGBTQ+ group is so full of lust, it makes me quite sick

[@juzeus9]

god creates gays to adopt orphans. But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it.

[@mrericrossify]

I agree whole heartedly with how this channel is talking about these things.

[@69Joba]

Sie haben Karl Barths "Kirchliche Dogmatik" im Bücherschrank (deshalb schreibe ich auf Deutsch) 👍 Sehr fundierter Standpunkt. Schön, dass es das auch in Amerika gibt.😇

[@StephenDMorrison]

Mein Deutsch ist nicht sehr gut, aber ich lerne es für mein Studium der Theologie Barths zu lesen. Ich bin ein Doktorand. Ich danke Ihnen für Ihren Kommentar.

[@alecfoster448]

Thank you for your thoughtful and good faith propositions. What of the witness of the historic church? Why wouldn’t this be more clear to the fathers of the church throughout time? It is very good that we love people at all times. I’m confused why sexual desire is being linked to the identity of the person, or even the humanity of the person. Do we not all have desires that God must prune from us before the end? We may believe that our desires make us, “us”. We may only see what we truly are at the end.

[@juzeus9]

theists can't argue against homosexuality if they accept they are born that way. that's why they try to downplay it as "identity" and "lifestyle". god makes gays to care for orphans.

[@brandonsheffield9873]

Thank you for this. We should all love Gods creation and not use the his words as a weapon (sword of truth) but rather use it show them Gods word with love and care.

[@cheri9168]

The clear fact is that Christians aren’t better than anybody else. We all belong to the same God. And one religion isn’t better than another. We are ALL worthy in all aspects of life. Jesus’s teachings are about being our best selves, bringing love to each other, sharing the love of heaven on earth as we learn and grow spiritually. Heaven is waiting for everyone. Judging one another stems from religion. But no one is in an elite club with God. We all have the same worth. 💕

[@ianmoore9154]

Jesus’s teachings are about being born again, not our best selves. Yes, those in Christ are encouraged and called to love others as He has loved us. Please look again at scripture. Jesus while loving us does not want us to remain in sin.

[@LifterwiII]

THANK YOU, Stephen!! I was raised in the evangelical church and I am gay. I have experienced some pretty horrible exclusion and loss of people who are beloved to me because of that. When I watched/listened to your teaching on Rene Girard and the scapegoat theory of atonement, and in light of what is going on in the Anglican Communion (I attend the Episcopal Church) with regard to marriage equality and the Church of England, I wondered what your view might be. Of course recently there has been a major split with the United Methodist Church, and in recent years a split within my own denomination. I very much appreciate your taking the time to research to (as St Benedict instructed) "listen with the ear of your heart", and to risk your own reputation by openly teaching what you have come to know.

[@StephenDMorrison]

I am sorry to hear about your experience, Will! It is terrible what the church has done. Unfortunately, I am not familiar enough with what is happening at the Anglican Church to comment. God bless you!

[@LifterwiII]

Thanks for responding to my comment, Stephen. Truth be told ... it is those things that we suffer which can draw us to the One who proves Himself strong on our behalf. What i have learned and live with is the amazing reality of NEVER having been left nor forsaken .... what incredible joy and loving provision. God bless you as well! I honor and love your committment to truth and our Lord Jesus Christ!!

[@dazatron1664]

Such a great and clear message of love to people and image bearers of God who have been abused, sidelined and excluded. My hope is this video will cause people who disagree with you to dig deeper into the texts and to be open to other perspectives. Thank you for having the courage to speak out. God bless you.

[@StephenDMorrison]

Thanks for watching, and God bless you, too!

[@samdoehart1333]

This was a wonderful video! As a Queer Christian raised in a evangelical, conservative family, I grew up hating myself for not being able to get rid of the "sinful" attraction I felt toward other boys and men. It's only been in the past 10 years where I've started meeting other Queer individuals and started looking closer at what the Bible ACTUALLY says about this topic. Every time I find someone who is looking at the real words used in the Bible taken together with the context they were written in, the conclusion is always the same: the Bible does NOT condem homosexuality. Thanks again for making this video!

[@Arizon4000]

Leviticus 18:22 Leviticus 20:13 1 Corinthians 6:9 Romans 1:27 1 Kings 15:12

[@samdoehart1333]

​@@Arizon4000 I was wondering if someone would bring these verses up. While I understand why you did, I also believed for may years that they were rejections of homosexuality, when you look at the original texts that these verses have been translated from it becomes very clear that what they are talking about is not "homosexuality" as we know it. The Leviticus verses are talking about not treating men as women during a time when women were considered property. The term translated in the 1 Corinthians verse as "male prostitutes" is actually the term malakos in Greek, which were pre-pubesent boys kept in temples for the sake of performing sexual acts with as a part of worship. It is this that Paul is condemning (extremely rightly so), not the modern idea of a consenting sexual relationship between two adults of the same gender. While I haven't looked deeply into the 1 Kings original text, from the translations I'm seeing I'd guess this is a similar situation. (Edit: After additional research, 1 Kings 15:12 seems to be translated in a very large variety of ways. Some translations have it as "sodomites" some as "male prostitutes", while others have it as "male and female prostitutes" and others as simply "perverts". Typically this sort of inconsistency is indicative of language that isn't fully understood, so using it as a point to codem and opress an entire subsection of the population seems grossly irresponsible to me.) As for the Romans verse, isolating that single verse takes it entirely out of context and completely changes the meaning. In context with the verses that preceded it. Sadly, KZbin isn't a very good place to put an entire thesis, so instead I'd encourage you to look at the following article. It goes into extreme depth examining this topic and covers all the verses you provided except the 1 Kings verse, as well as some others. www.gaychurch.org/homosexuality-and-the-bible/the-bible-christianity-and-homosexuality/

[@voltekthecyborg7898]

What is a queer person? Asking as I'm a Bisexual Christian not associated with the LGBTQ+ community

[@Arizon4000]

@@samdoehart1333 Jude 1:7

[@Arizon4000]

@@samdoehart1333 Jude 1:7, Mark 10:6-9 Genesis 2:24 1 Timothy 1:8-11 1 Corinthians 7:2 2 Corinthians 5:17 Romans 1:18-32

[@kbelle9569]

I do not struggle with my orientation nor sexuality. I struggled with the hate and judgement, and ignorance of others towards people different than them. God loves you. He is not shocked that you're Queer. He loved you before you were born and still wants to be in your life. Ignore those who'll say love the sinner, hate the sin. It's not a sin to consensually love another person. Youre not hurting God. So dont hurt yourself believing the lies of churches that act like the Pharisees. Remember that those who crucified Christ were keepers of the laws yet they knew not the love of Christ.

[@goldenknightsfanatic]

if you say so

[@juzeus9]

they threw rocks at jesus, then they called themselves christians, now they're still throwing rocks.

[@TimyaJohnson-jh3ig]

As Female identifying transgender I agree and to add on God has the power to know who you are before you was born so wont you think if God hates LGBTQIA+ Community would stop the parents making people of the LGBTQIA+ people in the first place and there be no reason to put in the Bible that God hates it if that's the case people will actually believe that God is purposely setting people up for destruction because he would know if they will make it or not in which if you as ask me sounds like traits of the Devil to me

[@craigmorris8979]

Thank you for being such a good alli, and the organized video that is researched, and very clear. I am Christian, but stopped going in the late 80s when so many Christians were claiming HIV/AIDS as God's Wrath, rather than "I was sick and you cared for me." When churches were having debates about whether queer people should be allowed to be in church membership, if they are let in at all, such a sign of arrogance, I chose to quit church, but not God. The worst was in the 80s, being told by supposed Christians that I was hated by God, that he thought I was an abomination, disgusting simply because I exist, and the US prevents my execution, which is God's will, so I should kill myself. I heard this at least a dozen times, and am diagnosed with depression, and under stressful conditions, become suicidal already, so, to say something like that to anyone, let alone someone confused at the time about sexual orientation and the Bible with depression that gave way to bouts of suicide attempts, is such a gross transgression against me and others that it has taken me a very long time to heal and forgive. But I had given up on Christianity, and your video gives me hope, shows me that there are those who actually live their neighbor despite the flack you will surely get. So. I may return to the church again, one that affirms me, and acknowledges that I am worthy of love.

[@StephenDMorrison]

Thank you for sharing some of your story. It is heartbreaking to read about how the Church/Christianity has failed you. And I am sorry to hear such violent and abusive things were said to you. It is terrible what Christians will do in the name of God. I hope you are doing better today. God bless you, wherever you end up-outside or inside the church. There are churches that affirm you, and I hope you can find a community that welcomes you in the way you deserve to be welcomed.

[@emilym2705]

Thank you for this video. Now if I could only get my non affirming fellow Christians to watch it…

[@DonFaris]

Stephen I appreciate your well intended effort to be just and loving. I am particularly pleased that you are arguing for some sort of Christian Socialism. I am in my late eighties and have held that position since high school. Here in Canada I worked and struggled for universal Medicare in the 1950's. As a Bonhoeffer, Barth and Torrance scholar since the 1970's I am delighted to see their thought being recognized. However I must part ways with you on your thinking about sexual ethics. You seem to me to have reduced the liberation found only in Jesus Christ to an ideology. And while I can understand your focus on American Evangelicalism the centuries long reading of Scripture as consistently condemning same-sex practice and adultery is found in traditional Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, third world Anglicanism and Methodism etc. etc. The modern invention of "homosexual identity" goes back to Freud. I suggest you read Christopher Yuan, Rosario Butterfield and Becket Cook and listen to their experience. They found liberation in Christ...not in ideology! While I appreciate your admission that you are not a biblical scholar you seem to ignore the fact that most scholars do not agree with those you quote. You may want to wrestle with Robert Gagnon's, THE BIBLE AND HOMOSEXUAL PRACTICE. In regard to the interesting findings of science you might find NE and BK Whitehead, MY GENES MADE ME DO IT! helpful. And I personally appreciate what N.T. Wright says about chastity in AFTER YOU BELIEVE (p250 ff). If the vast majority of Christians through all the centuries and around the world are wrong about sexual ethics that is very sad! But what if the liberal sexual liberation ideology is wrong? It is dividing and destroying denominations and congregations around the world. And what if it is cheap grace? Grace without repentance. Grace without discipleship. Grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate!(Bonhoeffer)

[@StephenDMorrison]

Hi Don, thank you for your comment and kind words! I must disagree that this is purely an ideological claim. The same could be said of the non-affirming position, really. And I do not think you are correct that most modern scholars uphold non-affirming interpretations. I have found it is quite the opposite.

[@DonFaris]

@@StephenDMorrison Hi Stephen, my fear is that is that the old divide between a personal gospel and a social gospel is being exploited by liberal theologians. This is a false dichotomy. It lies behind the cheap grace denounced by Bonhoeffer and the false gods arising out of natural theology denounced by Barth. I am concerned that all of your arguments, and particularly your final argument is not based on scripture but on your personal "experience". I have friends who I have "experienced" as nice people but who defend their gay, adulterous or Capitalist(Greedy) behavior. I believe gay, adulterous and greedy behavior are all equally condemned by Scripture. I believe that it is both unloving and unjust to withhold this information from others...because our loving Lord can and does liberate us from the power of the world, the flesh and the devil. These behaviors are both personally and socially destructive. We need both personal and social transformation! Early Methodism saw this clearly. Early Methodists whose personal lives had been transformed by Jesus set out to transform the world. They set up temperance hotels to combat alcoholism, womens group to fight for the vote, co-op stores to battle company stores, trade unions to fight for workers rights, the British Labour party to bring in Medicare. And in the early days of the Socialist International they joined parades with their European fellow Social Democrats. The Europeans who carried banners with Marxists slogans such as "Workers of the world Unite" were surprised to see the British Labour delegates marching under a banner announcing "The Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of Man". As for biblical studies have you read Gagnon? Or N.T.Wright on this issue? Or gay 'scholars" such as Countryman who take the gay ideology to its absurd logical conclusions? The dying liberal denominations who embrace this sexual liberation ideology would have done well to apply Barmen to this issue. And if you want to describe the consistent condemation of all same sex behavior as an ideology I wonder what other aspects of the Biblical witness you would also dismiss. And if you do move on to write about Bultmann you are clearly moving away from Torrance . I attended his lectures on Bultmann and you can read some of his thoughts in Torrance, Incarnation (eg pp 274 ff).

[@WendyFilice-p9i]

So good. Thank you 👏🙏❤️

[@Dingledongle123]

I love you mate. God bless you at last the truth as I believed it was. 🙏

[@navythrill2]

As a Christian with SSA and someone who is not affirming in the sense that I believe it is sin, but also in support of the people group's liberation, I was drawn to watch your video to learn more about the arguments I used to hold, and to revisit them. I had a few things come to mind as I was watching, and I wanted to leave some questions here whether for you or other viewers to look at in the hopes of opening some good discussion. If part of Christ's gospel was being known by our love, but also being known by abiding in His word, is it not possible to have both? To have good theology and a loving heart for those who are lost? I don't think that we ought to lose one in favor of the other, even if just for a short while, since the gospels are clear that to be a mature christian, we ought to balance both. Within the queer community it's often a point to be made in their activism that "Gay people have been around since the beginning of time," with this being said, also next to the doctrine that all scripture is God breathed, what does that say for the idea that author's are simply criticizing cultural context and not Homosexuality as a whole? Wouldn't an all knowing God have the knowledge of such relationships? In regards to the text in Leviticus, my question pertains to where the text lies in relation to other texts in chapter 18. With incest being strongly condemned, and us still holding this same view of its sinfulness, would that view not apply as well to homosexuality- given the textual context? I've seen much debate on whether or not the text pertains to grooming/ pederasty, but if that is the case, many scholars both in differing schools of thought, as well as in the psych field have acknowledged that exposure to such things as sexual abuse at young age, have impacted people's sexual identity. Therefore potentially drawing to the notion that, since this was prevalent in culture, God had condemned the act in an effort to stunt the spread of homosexuality. Often times too, I want to add that people may refutes arguments such as mine with my eating habits. Questions like "do you eat pork, or shellfish...etc.." All good bible readers will recall Jesus' saying that all food was made clean, since it does not enter our hearts, but our stomachs and exits our bodies ( Mrk 7:18-19) Again, I want to reiterate my respect for you and others in the comments with a differing view than me, and I am just looking for open honest discussion with my fellow believers in Christ! God bless you all :)

[@notreal-duh]

i don’t think it’s possible to be known by your love AND to completely abide by your bibles word because your bible is consistently bad. it’s shit that a god would condemn effeminate men specifically or make any sort of i’ll remark towards same sex relationships. there’s no way for someone to come across as loving while they’re simultaneously saying our relationships and the families we form are lesser and an affront to god the only other point i really want to touch on is that sexual abuse turns people gay. it doesn’t. abuse can lead to sexual dysfunction, if you’re bi/pan it can i fluency who you’re willing to have relationships with, but it does nothing to change the underlying attraction. just saying, if abuse actually impacted sexuality, we’d see a lot more lesbians than we do now. instead we see about equal rates of lesbian and gay men, even though women are clearly assaulted significantly more.

[@peterwallis4288]

​@@notreal-duh just because you think something hs hateful doesnt mean it is. In fact, its completely irrelevant. What matters is what the Bible actually says.

[@notreal-duh]

@@peterwallis4288 what you really mean is “i don’t care about the impact of my words, it doesn’t matter how my words or actions impact you because the only thing that matters is that i felt it was loving” at least that’s what i hear. christians like you are trained to be dismissive and condescending. y’all don’t care if what you do hurts others at all, you only care if your god think you did it with his “love”. i don’t care about what your bible says. your gods told fathers they could sell their daughters and slaves should listen to their masters. i don’t think your book has any real moral standing. i didn’t being that up originally but why be respectful when you’re just here to be dismissive and condescending

[@jademcdra9437]

This is beautiful ❤ thank you for making this!

[@vamingxiong4376]

Wow! this is a new way of looking at the Bible. Would you be open to a public debate defending your views? I'm interested in what the opposition will say.

[@richardsimpson8466]

If you're interested in the alternative view and where Stephen goes astray I think you will find my comments and our exchange helpful above. Ask the Lord to help you. I pray he will as I pray fur Stephen too. God has exegeted himself in Jesus. (Literally John 1:18) There's no other way to receive from him. ❤️

[@blue62show]

As l said in response to another of your videos, and as you seem to agree here, love is just and justice saves...all. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

[@BrideofJesuChristo2]

Condemning same-sex relationships and transgender people bears bad fruit in the lives of LGBTQ people.❤

[@SalmonMidori]

I'm a bisexual person leaning onto females more than men. I am confused if what im doing is a sin... I'm scared I'll go to hell.. so im forcing myself to become straight for Him... even though I feel sad... I feel... like forced... idk... but I trust in Jesus. He knows what is good for me... but then HEEEEEEELP!!!!!

[@Schampu4000]

Jesus doesn't want you to pretend to be someone you're not. You can be true to yourself, God will accept you either way. You don't need to hide or to twist your true self. God has made you bi.

[@addiemorgiewicz4973]

Dear beloved person of God, it is okay that you are bisexual. As mentioned in the video, whenever the bible talks about homosexuality the writers actually are referring to other inappropriate relations between men and boys or male masters and their slaves. It is very unlikely that homosexual behavior as we understand it now in modern times is condemned as a sin. Regardless, friend, the Gospel is one of inclusivity. Jesus desires all to be with Him and in His living ministry He is considered "radical" for His time by breaking social laws to heal others, to encourage others and to share with them the Gospel. Jesus has already walked through hell for our sakes. If you receive this good news of salvation/liberation/deliverance you are saved. God is not going to let you go just because you are bisexual. He loves you no matter your orientation. Your orientation is NOT a sin. God desires for you, treasured human, to be with Him and to join with Him in His kingdom work. God's kingdom here now and coming soon calls us to love as God loves us, to help the oppressed and stand alongside the broken and hurt, like the widows, like others like you who have been hurt by the Church. So, to conclude: friend, you are welcome in God's kingdom as you are now - once again your sexuality is not a sin. It is a part of what makes you a unique human who is loved by God. I will be praying for you that you would sense God's deep love for you.

[@TheFitCosplayer]

Change comes from The Holy Spirit. Love God and He will draw you to him. The goal isn't to be straight. God will change your desires to His, if you let him.

[@benzle93]

The Methodist Church is splitting over this issue now. It's sad to watch. I think both sides would generally agree with most of what you have said but I'm not sure that I hear a strong theological argument. Yes, Christ has liberated us from sin & death. Good news for all! Yes, we are all created in his image & have tremendous value & worth. Yes, we should reach out to the marginalized & welcome them as our brothers & sisters. The question is, should the church change It's historical position concerning marriage? Thomas Aquinas defined love as willing the good of the other. Is same sex "good"? Does it lead to human flourishing? Was it the intent of the creator? Are our bodies designed for it? I think the church has traditionally said no to same sex marriages, not because they don't love queer people, but because they do love queer people. In my experience, the people who truly loved me, said no to me quite a bit. These are the types of questions I wrestle with when thinking about this issue. It's a difficult one. I may be thinking about it incorrectly. So, I will continue to struggle with it. Thanks for addressing it!

[@StephenDMorrison]

Thanks for watching and for your comment, Ben. As far as love goes, I think there is a big difference between saying no to someone's *actions* for their own good and rejecting who someone *is* because of prejudice against their identity itself. The former can indeed be love but not the latter. The point in discussing the liberation of Christ and preference for love is to establish a hermeneutic for reading the difficult texts in the Bible, which I get to later in the video. Those texts have been the only real argument from the Church against an affirming position, so I was trying to frame a Gospel mindset that would aid in how to read those texts differently, in a Christocentric and thus liberating way, as opposed to a law-centric and repressive reading. The argument of this video, then, is biblical. And no, both sides of the Methodist divide would not agree with that argument over those texts.

[@benzle93]

@StephenDMorrison Thanks for the reply! I appreciate the help thinking this through. I agree with you that there are a lot of folks acting out of prejudice and rejecting people based upon their sexuality. But, I would push back a bit & say the church's desire isn't to reject someone for who they are. Rather, it is attempting to hold to God's original intent for our sexual lives & our flourishing. Our identity doesn't come from our sexual orientation. We are all loved and created in God's image & it's in him that we receive our identity. I think that the church wants to hold to the highest virtue & good, in spite of the fact that we can't live up to it. I see what you're saying about establishing the hermeneutic. I Agee that love should take precedence over moral law. In fact, if our theology some how causes us to have an unloving perspective, then our theology is wrong. The question may be, how can we be gracious, accepting, & loving, in spite of our fallen natures

[@StephenDMorrison]

​@@benzle93 Thanks for the comment. I would ask, by what rubric has the church determined God's original intent? How could it know that? Is it not probable that their definition of original intent has more to do with prejudice than God's will for creation? I addressed the common proof texts used to justify this claim to original intent, but none of them condemn LGBTQIA+ in the way this term has been used. Original intent is a dangerous claim to make because it risks situating ourselves in place of God, thinking we get to define what is and is not God's intent for human sexuality. Of course, identity is not only sexual orientation. No one is trying to reduce it to that. But when a person is rejected because of their sexual orientation, then it is actually an affront against the divine image in them. Besides, if it is true that sexual orientation is not essential to identity, then what is the problem with non-heteronormative identities? Yes, we love in spite of our fallen nature, but the issue is that there is no Biblical justification for calling LGBTQIA+ identities sinful.

[@benzle93]

@@StephenDMorrison Excellent points! I went back and watched the second half of your video again and I appreciate the points you made concerning the meaning of the "proof texts". That's interesting and I will read up on it. I'm glad you listed the references. I may be wrong on this but I think the intent argument comes from Aquinas. It basically says that we can determine God's intent by studying nature and using our reason. For example, we can see how an acorn planted in the ground grows into an oak tree. We can then determine that God's intent for an acorn is for it to become a tree. Likewise, we can see that we are created male and female and that our bodies are designed in such a way as to be compatible and produce offspring. We then can reason that this was God's intent. I agree that this could be taken too far or misconstrued. I especially liked your closing. It's easy to let the issue turn into theoretical debate over doctrine or isolated scripture and forget it's about people who are loved by God. Love takes precedence over everything else.

[@StephenDMorrison]

​@@benzle93 Thanks for engaging, Ben! That does sound like something Aquinas might say. Blessings!

[@mcmbslipknotmcr]

0:00 - Intro & Some Clarifications 3:18 - Liberation Theology 20:26 - Addressing Clobber Passages 38:01 - Personal Story This was a fantastically presented video essay. Thank you for sharing!

[@StephenDMorrison]

Thanks for watching!

[@mcmbslipknotmcr]

@@StephenDMorrison Hi! I've had some time to reflect a little more on your video and I have a question. I think you presented the case for Affirming Queer Sexualities very well, however, I'm curious about Queer Identities (persons who don't identify with their assigned birth gender or don't fit into binary gender norms). Do you have any resources to suggest for further reading or possibly some kind of addendum to this video?

[@StephenDMorrison]

@@mcmbslipknotmcr thanks! I must confess I am not as well-read on that specific question, but I can suggest looking into queer theology, which is now it’s own field of study. Particularly Marcella Althaus-Reid’s work, which has been recommended to me with high praise, especially her “Indecent Theology.” Hope that’s helpful!

[@seandonnelly4051]

As I lay in hospital after a heart attack, this is the answer, strength and wisdom I have recently asked God for when I feel my heart cannot take any more. The same monastic order that built me up, knocked me down because of who I love. The good people of this religion chipped away at my hope, joy utter the words 'There is no God'. Yet God HAS not gave up on us. Thank you Stephen for your determination and efforts to bring about understanding for so many of your brothers and sisters. Respect and love to you, Sir.

[@caraboska]

PPPS I must, however, take exception to the idea that Christians are not bound by Mosaic law in matters of sexual immorality. The New Testament mentions four areas where we are expected to abide by Mosaic law (unless Jesus' standard is even higher, about which more in a moment). Three of the prohibitions mentioned in Acts 15 have to do with food: 1) meat sacrificed to idols, 2) blood, and 3) the flesh of animals that have been strangled (presumably because the blood won't have been drained from them). The fourth prohibition concerns sexual immorality. It appears from the context that we are expected to take Mosaic law as a point of departure. That said, we know that Jesus' standard is much higher than even merely not sleeping with forbidden categories of people. For one thing, we are not permitted even to look at anyone lustfully. Even lust is considered an act of adultery. For another thing, divorce is permitted in the Old Testament (as Jesus puts it, because of human hardness of heart), but in the New Testament, apart from some very narrow exceptions, it is not permitted. But Jesus is rather encouraging people to refrain from divorce more as a positive testimony of God having joined the two together, saying, "What therefore God has joined together, let no one put asunder." Likewise, polygyny was permitted in the Old Testament. It appears that in the New Testament, it is not permitted to take a second wife even after divorcing the first one, let alone before doing so :P Indeed, it appears that it is the act of leaving one's spouse (whether in an externally visible manner or just in one's heart) that in and of itself constitutes adultery, as Jesus characterizes divorcing one's wife as "making her an adulteress" - and this, before she has ever even been with anyone else.

[@imageportal]

We need more Christian theologian LGBTQIA+ spreading this Message! Thank you!

[@caraboska]

PPS You bring up a good point concerning the prohibition on both males and females engaging in bestiality vs. the lack of an analogous prohibition addressed to females concerning their contacts with other females. There is a theory in Orthodox Jewish circles that the problem with male homosexuality is penetrative sex (in which it is - absent what I shall delicately term "assistive technologies" - not possible for two cis women to engage). So, it is no accident that female homosexuality is not really condemned at all, so that Orthodox Jewish lesbians may well make love in the same way that other lesbians do. Orthodox Jewish men, on the other hand, may abstain from penetrative sex and find other ways to be intimate.

[@philipabraham4613]

You might check out Rabbi Steven Greenberg's book : Wrestling with God and Men : Homosexuality in the Jewish Tradition

[@SunIsLost]

I look forward and am hopeful for the Roman Catholic Synode pf Synodality that it would bring reforms and change in doctrine towards LGBT people (as well as female pastors, pastors being allowed to be married, etc.)

[@samueltaylor2757]

Stephen. I like your reasoning but I am stuck because the Bible seems to value marriage as sacred but only ever describes it between male and female. How would you navigate that with queer couples? it then brings us to the difficult question as to whether sexual relations are permissible outside of marriage. Is lifetime celibacy the only option if you affirm that sex outside of marriage is sinful?

[@dboulos7]

Stephen is allowing his emotions to dictate his exegesis - he's lacking a great deal of wisdom on this issue. There is an extremely fine line as to what is morally correct, and what is hedonistic and depraved - ultra conservatism should permeate all discussions and principles on this matter. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

[@cgkkjggh9290]

The Bible was written thousands of years ago when people were ignorant some of the Bible should be taken with a grain of salt.

[@juzeus9]

gay marriage ✅

[@hoiinka8884]

​@@cgkkjggh9290 atheist mindset. Church tradition nor the bible support this.

[@YourLordAnon]

Any other same sex Christians not really feel relief from these arguments? I've always looked for a biblical support for LGBT relationships but it always seems to come down to "God said love your neighbor, therefore accept them as they are regardless of what other biblical texts say".

[@StephenDMorrison]

Except that's not my argument. I am arguing that the text is ambiguous *at best* (though I argue that there are valid textual reasons for doubting that the Bible has any concept of sexual orientation or gender identity as we know of it today-and therefore that the Bible cannot be said to condemn LGBTQIA+ persons without imposing that belief into the text). Only then do I argue that a liberative hermeneutic requires rejecting a dehumanizing theology, which only further supports the argument that an anti-queer theology is a misuse of the Bible.

[@juzeus9]

regardless of what version of biblical texts? the older the translation, the less homophobic it is. it's even different between king james and the new ones - "so we may know them" doesn't sound like sex to me, it sounds like they were going to beat the shit out of the angels until they told them what they were doing there. it's the same as if someone wanted to rape you and you offered them money not to

[@edenrayne]

I am not a LGBTQ+ of any kind, I am just a asexual celibate , It's very easy for me to not have sexual desire and I enjoy living a celibate life, I feel very blessed to be born someone that does not struggle with any fear of loneliness or sexual desires of any kind but I find so horrible the amount of judgement LGBTQ+ people seem to receive from the religious people. I am Christian myself and I did not know my position on this matter so I tend to listen other Christians, but recently I started to question it, since the events at olympic games, with the Drag queens portraying the painting of Jesus and every Christian becoming furious about it, calling it blashemy and so on...I started to question: Really what's wrong about it? why would Jesus reject and not love LGBTQ+ people? what's outrageous about it? Then I came to the conclusion that Jesus loves LGBTQ+ people too so I am not here to judge . and if we are unable to look at this kind of image without becoming furious about it , it tells more about how sinner we are ourselves rather than what the LGBTQ+ are doing. Really it sucks people are not able to live with each others and stop judging. I decided I don't want to be this kind of person.

[@neurodivergentdad]

Thank you for your perspective. I think I understand the first point: the Gospel is Good News that liberates the oppressed. It seems that the argument is that “the oppressed” is defined as any group(s) of people who are marginalized by society. Are there boundaries around which groups are considered marginalized/oppressed?

[@StephenDMorrison]

That designation leans on a social-critical analysis of material conditions. Liberation theologians treat sociology and economic analysis as a necessary conversation partner with theology because of the conviction that the gospel liberates the oppressed. So if we do not know the conditions of the oppressed, we cannot proclaim the gospel rightly. There are a variety of criteria depending on who you ask for deciding the oppress / oppressor divide. I'm typically one that uses an intersectional analysis that looks at multiple identities and conditions. LGBTQIA+ is just one axis of oppression, though certainly not the only one. There is also the material class divide of rich and poor, the gender divide, etc. James Cone's short essay on Marxism and the Church discusses this some in regards to marxism as a tool for social analysis. Thanks for watching! Here's a link to the PDF of Cone's essay: ia801300.us.archive.org/4/items/TheBlackChurchAndMarxismWhatDoTheyHaveToSayToEachOther/BCM.pdf

[@neurodivergentdad]

@@StephenDMorrison if it’s the same guy, I read his The Cross and the Lynching Tree and absolutely loved it. I’ll check out this article. I truly appreciate it 😊

[@StephenDMorrison]

​@@neurodivergentdad Yep, that's him. Cone is great! I think that essay makes a good case for engaging in social analysis, if I remember it correctly. But either way, it's a good essay.

[@jjjoniec]

God bless you, brother… fantastic work🙏

[@StephenDMorrison]

Thanks, James! Blessing to you as well

[@KarasM393]

Thank you so much brother❤ I'm a new Christian and g and t pf rainbow flag😅you are full of light and comfort and kindness

[@robinst-laurent5268]

Hi Stephen I realy enjoied your video, I think you presented very well your point of view, it was clear. I have some questions : 1. The message of the gospel is indeed a message of liberation, but from what do we need to be freed from? I see it more about a liberation from sin (in us and in the world) than from social opression.That's why the gospel is about repentance (Mat 3.2, Mc 1.15), it is from our sin that we first need to be freed, by repenting and following Jesus by faith.I see repentance central to the gospel, and I am wondering, what is the place of repentance in the liberation theology? 2. What about the idea that the Bible present a clear binary systeme (male and female) and an heterosexual marriage rooted in the creation? I think you are right in saying that so many christians (including me) have a brain bigger than their heart. I haven't watch a lot of your material, but if you have links to ressources (from you or others) it would be nice.

[@StephenDMorrison]

Hi Robin, thanks for watching and for your comment. Liberation is from sin, but what is sin? It is not enough to say it is purely a moral or spiritual issue. Sin is also a social reality, a system of oppression. It is more than just an individual failure. The Jewish jubilee year from debt was a liberation from social bondage, which Jesus referred to in Luke 4 and used to describe his liberating work: liberty to the captives, release to those in bondage, and good news to the poor. Repentance means a change of mind. It is not purely moralistic either. The Bible does not present a clear binary system-that has been imposed upon it by interpreters. And the Bible also was not written to be a medical or psychological textbook analyzing the complexities of human sexuality; it is a theological and religious book. I link a number of sources in the description of this video. thanks again!

[@theanswerisa3758]

I've always believed God loves me no matter what. What scares me is the amount of people who think God doesn't. Thank you so much for this video.

[@peterwallis4288]

Yes, he does, all of us. But that doesn't mean everything we feel or think or do is fine

[@theanswerisa3758]

@@peterwallis4288 yes, you’re right, such as pointing out the speck in your siblings eye when you’ve got a huge honkin log sticking out of your own

[@aabb2028]

Could you please define "oppressed". I think it's important to understand the issue.

[@juzeus9]

burdened with cruel or unjust impositions or restraints; subjected to a burdensome or harsh exercise of authority or power.

[@ChrisMagoro]

I’m gay, and due to a series of strange “coincidences” in my life recently, I began reading the Bible. At first, I struggled with a big dilemma. Many, particularly within the Catholic community, tend to view gay people solely through the lens of sex, which I find ridiculous. But then I came to an important realization. Hear me out. The Bible lists many sins-Pride (Proverbs 16:18, James 4:6), Greed (Luke 12:15, Colossians 3:5), Envy (Galatians 5:19-21, James 3:16), Anger and Hatred (Matthew 5:22, Ephesians 4:31), Lying (Proverbs 12:22, Ephesians 4:25), Gossip (Proverbs 16:28, Romans 1:29), Sexual Immorality (including fornication, homosexuality, etc.) (1 Corinthians 6:9-10, Galatians 5:19-21), Witchcraft/Occult practices (Galatians 5:20, Deuteronomy 18:10-12), and the list goes on. When I realized that all people are sinners-regardless of sexual orientation-and that we are all the same in the context of sin, I began to ask: what’s the real issue here? Heterosexual people often condemn homosexuals for the sin of having sex, while they themselves have likely sinned in many other ways-through pride, greed, envy, lying, gossiping, and more. Yet we don’t typically say to someone who lies or gossips, “You’re such a sinner, you’ll burn in hell, I don’t want to know you, you’re disgusting,” do we? No. But that person has sinned just the same. Sin comes in many forms, and it’s all sin. So why are gay people often judged as if sex is the only thing they do 24/7, and as if it’s somehow the ultimate sin? This brings me to the topic of repentance, which seems to be the bigger issue. If I repent, shouldn’t everything be made right with God? And here’s the question for everyone: regardless of gender or orientation, have you always sincerely repented for your own sins? Have you? My conclusion is this: we are all sinners, no matter who we are. We all need to repent if we want to draw closer to God. And we shouldn’t judge or exclude others based on their sins, because we are all equal in that regard.

[@MikeMitchell-o1f]

Well said. Thank you!

[@DavidSmith-eg5le]

I have noticed that a lot of the American version of Christianity has some connections and I dare say to the Nazis and white supremacists and I am glad you talked about God says we should not oppress the poor and those that are different I happen to be autistic and I went to a church back in 2008 someone told me that God is not going to bless me bless me because I live on other people's money I'm an autistic man on disability

[@juzeus9]

operation paperclip

[@Tommy-hq1yz]

Thank you for posting this.

[@markwaters5779]

Excellent video. Thank you!

[@allydidier791]

Thank you for this video Stephen!

[@StephenDMorrison]

Thanks for watching! :)

[@anthonycarbonaro7890]

Liberation theology primarily focuses on social, economic, and political liberation, especially for oppressed or marginalized groups. While some interpretations may include aspects of sexual liberation, the LGBT movement isn't explicitly part of traditional liberation theology. However, individuals may draw connections between the liberation of queer marginalized people and the broader themes of justice and liberation found in certain interpretations of the Old and New Testaments, such as Jesus' teachings on love, compassion, and inclusion.

[@simongoodwin926]

Beautiful and clear message, and much appreciated.

[@simongoodwin926]

Yes, so is being ignorant and judgemental, but here we are.

[@BaridiZabbi]

This was soooo useful

[@The_Original_Antichrist]

Jesus and God love LGBTQIA

[@SuperGreatSphinx]

THE FLAMES OF HELL

[@juzeus9]

Jesus and God love LGBQIA. god doesn't love mutilation.

[@TimyaJohnson-jh3ig]

​@@SuperGreatSphinx Yes the Flames of Hell is the future of people of Hate as he explains in the video that people who hate and judge will go to hell because the divine God hates hate he is love and the LGBTQIA+ recognizes this gospel and all we do is love not hate and God sees that

[@mbarany1]

I have enjoyed listening to your comments, and listen throughout. It is clear that you are a very sympathetic and loving person. However, how do you square Isaiah 5:20 with your position. I have found it helpful to let the Bible speak plainly for itself, and I shrink from taking the plain words of Jesus and interpreting them in a manner he did not infer. Have you looked at other work of yours, I can see you were influenced by the German school. That’s not a spiritual god who appears to supernaturally in fact reflect supernatural capabilities? I will pray for you. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

[@StephenDMorrison]

Isaiah 5:20 is only a problem if you are assuming LGBTQIA+ persons are "evil." So it's a false presupposition. I am not sure what you mean by the German school. I tend to agree with various German and Swiss theologians such as Barth, Bonhoeffer, Moltmann, etc. But typically the German school refers to form criticism and maybe Bultmann? Is that what you mean? I am not sure what you mean by the supernatural comment. Thanks for watching!

[@xxAlexsandersxx]

Love is love. God and Jesus loves everyone. But it is very important to know when you have sin in your life to be saved. (Johannes 3:16 & Lucas 15:11) There are people who have doubts. Is sex before marriage a sin, is homosexuality a sin? If you change the Bible scripture by interpreting it differently, you don't know anymore when you have a sin in your life, or you think you have no sin in your life, but you do, because you have rejected the truth. If you don't know when you have a sin in your life about sexuality, you will no longer confess this sin, and you are in danger. Everyone wants to know when they are in danger, don't blind yourself by changing the Bible scriptures. It's wise to stand in the truth of the Bible scriptures, it's your salvation. We are not destined for this earthly life, this world is a temporary residence for humanity. After the fall into sin, we humans were left out of the heavenly paradise. In this life we ​​get another chance from God to return to the heavenly paradise. It is important to make the right choice to be saved. It is a choice between eternal life and death. Be willing to give up your life to receive eternal life. (Lucas 9:23-24) Stay strong love you all. 🌈 ✝️ 🙏

[@SunIsLost]

This is the Christian we need! /)

[@irontaylor9992]

Hello i am a christain but attracted to men i have always been told it i a sin to be gay i hope we can talk my namei is Ronnie

[@juzeus9]

god made gays to save orphans. passages against homosexuality are false translations.

[@joepugh678]

Romans 1 says homosexuality is the direct result of worshipping idols. Any gay person can tell you that is not true of us. Either the homosexuality of today has no relation to that of biblical times, or else the Bible is (gasp!) not infallible.

[@peterwallis4288]

It does not say that is the only reason. Also, I would just point out we can be affected by the sins of ancestors.

[@BramptonAnglican]

Thanks for this great video.

[@siegfriedkircheis9484]

I can appreciate that this is not a full dive into the issues but to treat liberation theology as the sole perspective which puts faith into action (8:45) is misleading. I also do not think it is fair to say liberation theology means beginning with the default position of supporting the outcasts (11:50). To argue from absurdity, it is good that the church and wider society does not affirm pedophiles. I also find that you're talking past the mainstream articulation of the "right" or "evangelical" perspective, which is to love and welcome the queer person exactly as they are while not affirming what traditional biblical exegesis must determine to be sinful. See the presbyterian "fellowship community" or UCC "faithful and welcoming" organizations. You say for example that the debate is actually about "worthiness of (LGBT) human lives" 39:20. This is just an extremely uncharitable position, it's a straw man. If you do indeed say that if one declines to affirm a same sex marriage he is denying their humanity or declaring them unworthy, I ask, do you feel the same way about arranged marriage to child brides?

[@StephenDMorrison]

The appeal to liberation theology is biographical. That is how I personally came around to this opinion, though it is not true for all affirming theologians. I would not call pedophiles outcasts but violent oppressors. I mean outcasts in the sense of being oppressed by the systems of society. So, a pedophile is outside the norm, but they are outsiders because their desire is an oppressive and violent one against the underage, which society rightly condemns as unjust. The point you make with that doesn't fit what I am arguing here, as a made it clear that by outsiders, I mean oppressed communities. Your next point about evangelicals being loving is important. The challenge I am posing here is that this accepting while rejecting tendency is not enough, and that I do not agree with that exegesis and find it is more indebted to queerphobia than scholarship. In my experience, queer individuals see right through this rhetoric. That is more my point, that the proof is in praxis. And in practice, this accepting and loving posture is just that, a posture, not an actual position. Because this identification of their identity with sin will always lead to queerphobia and judgment. It isn't a strawman but a reflection on the lived experience of those in the LGBTQIA+ community, many of whom are skeptical of the church and keep their distance for this very reason. Again, your final point misses the distinction between an oppressed community and a marginal act of violence on the fringe of society. Queer persons are wanting to live their lives free from prejudice and violence, while those who engage in child brides are seeking to violently oppress underage women. The comparison is absurd, and it will likely come off as quite harmful and degrading to queer people.

[@anthonycarbonaro7890]

Liberation theology is a theological movement that emerged in the 20th century, particularly in Latin America, emphasizing liberation from social, political, and economic oppression, often through revolutionary means. It interprets the teachings of Jesus Christ in relation to liberation from unjust systems. While some themes of liberation theology can be found in both the Old and New Testaments, it's not a dominant theme throughout. However, passages about liberation, justice, and compassion for the oppressed are often cited in support of liberation theology principles. As for Jesus, while he didn't explicitly engage in political activism, his teachings and actions often challenged oppressive systems and advocated for the marginalized and oppressed, aligning with some aspects of liberation theology.

[@Sonworshipper]

I used to be apart of the community. I haven’t been for about a year or so. I have decided to give up what I wanted and live fully for Jesus Christ. Idk if it’s a sin or not and frankly I don’t care, I’d rather play it safe and abstain from everything. At the very least it’s fornication and that is a sin.

[@DiNY-u9k]

Good for you. God ensured that I was always very close to many people who are all of the genders of the rainbow. So, after I met God, I decided that Jesus spoke perfect truth. So, I started studying the Bible carefully. I knew that God loves gender nonconforming people just as much as anyone else, more than hateful people. I discovered the truth. Jesus said that men made the law of physical circumcision. It wasn't given to Moses by God. Jesus taught circumcision of the heart. Jesus said that the Bible is NOT the inerrant word of God, John 7:22. After this, I searched to see if Jesus said that anything else wasn't from God. I found many things including almost everything in Leviticus. He spoke against food prohibitions, offerings and sacrifices and ritual cleansing. Leviticus was from men, not God. Anywhere you see these things in the Bible, you can be certain that these were from men, not God. This includes things that Paul said that went against the teachings of Jesus. I always explain that Paul and all of the others except Jesus were mere mortals and, so, imperfect. Only Jesus was and is perfect because only Jesus was and is God. How about Sodom and Gomorrah? Jesus didn't say much about this but I know something that goes along with the teachings of Jesus. That is that the sin wasn't about being gay. It was about having unloving hearts just like many false Christians today. With God it's all about the heart and nothing else. Let me give you what Jesus commanded that proves this. Jesus said that all the Law and the Prophets hang on two commandments. They are to love God and to love your neighbor as yourself. He also said that everyone is your neighbor and that you are to have mercy on your neighbor. This is in the Parable of the Good Samaritan. Then, He said several times not to judge others. He even explained that all judgment was given to Him alone. One more thing that should be said but has nothing to do with LGTBQIA people but is also important to know. It is that you can't love God and money. You will love one and hate the other. Think about conservative "Christians". They love money. They don't love God or their fellow humans. Jesus said that just before He returns there will be many false prophets and that the love of most will grow cold, Matthew 24. We are in that time. When you see people calling themselves Christians while going against every single thing that Jesus taught and commanded, you know that they are not genuine Christians. They are false prophets and false disciples. This is what the hate is all about. True Christians don't hate anyone but they aren't happy with those who take the name of the Lord in vain and blaspheme which is what false Christians do. Jesus came to explain what was from God and what was not from God but from men. Unfortunately, those with evil hearts gravitate to those things that are from men and away from those things that are from God. Needless to say, I am an ally who reaches out to teach the truth of God to the good people who are the ones actually being persecuted along with teaching the truth to those who have turned to evil by holding hate in their hearts. God is love, not hate. Only evil humans do that. My apologies for not giving all of the passages. It's late and I'm on my cellphone. If anyone would like the passages, please reply. Gmail will notify me. If I remember, I will come back anyway to provide them to you. God bless you ❤

[@emorymcdowell5493]

Thanks for such a thoughtful video! Could you possibly offer your thoughts (either on film or in comments) about the broader issue of premarital sex, especially in relation to evangelical conservatism and purity culture? I feel that we do not have a robust enough discourse surrounding the issue, and that the Christian Right had monopolized what it means to be a “good sexual Christian.” To my mind, the ethic of avoiding premarital sex at all costs is not only idolatrous and unbiblical, but also utterly unsustainable in real time. Moreover, its fetishization by the church privileges male sexual needs (since women’s purity is always the point of emphasis) while foisting shame upon believers (especially women) who break the ‘creed.’ I’d love to hear your perspective!

[@StephenDMorrison]

Thanks, Emory! And yes, I would agree with what you have said regarding the purity culture. There is a sense in which it is "gnostic" to regard anything pleasurable and human as sinful and evil, to accept only a sanitized form of it and impose shame and guilt on everyone else. It is quite exclusionist when you think about it. I think fundamentalists do the same with many issues in the church, but this is the most apparent example. And I think you are correct about the sexism involved. It is often a puritanical attempt to control and dominate woman's bodies and keep them "pure" in an idealized sense. In general, as I mention in the video, the Bible isn't black and white on the issue of sexuality. There are times when polygamy is the norm, which evangelicals today are quick to brush aside. But as a whole, the Bible does not have one accepted doctrine of human sexuality. I haven't read much of it myself, but these are all important questions that queer liberation theology examines at length, as well as many feminist theologies. "Indecent Theology" by Marcella Althaus-Reid is supposed to be a classic on the issue (I haven't read it yet though it is on my to-read list), so it may be worth checking out. Thanks again for watching!

[@emorymcdowell5493]

@@sciencesociety2919 Believe me, I'm no fan of Hollywood's treatment of sex and romance. But most of the social scientific research surrounding the issue suggests that healthy, monogamous sexuality can take place within and without marital boundaries. The name of the game is determining whether you love and trust the person opposite you - otherwise, you put yourself at risk of growing hormonally attached to that person, and may struggle to distinguish between lustful attachment to them and actual emotional commitment. I would argue, to that end, that humans have "married" each other for as long they've committed themselves to each other. One could read sex between two gay men deeply committed to each other, yet lacking access to marital contract, as sexual expression within an informal kind of "marriage," since no formal marriage is/was available to them in the first place. The same holds true, I think, for couples of various sexual and gender identity combinations that reach a point of comfortable sexual engagement prior to formal engagement. It actually greatly pedestalizes and flattens the concept of "marriage" to act as though the formal legal contract, not the love and commitment galvanizing its signees, operates as its bedrock signifier. It also pedestalizes and flattens sex to treat it as the seal of "one-fleshiness" between two people, as though the only way to attain "one-flesh" status with your partner is to sleep with them. "One-flesh" means way more than genital rubbing, and the road to "one-flesh" is long, winding, and complicated. If people can get there without having sex, then by definition, sexual history and personal sexual choices become their own issue distinct from the question of "is this person my life partner?" As for the matter of what the Bible actually says... I'm no Biblical scholar, so I don't want to pretend like I can speak authoritatively on the subject. But there's little doubt that marriage at the time of Biblical authorship was a point of sale of the bride from father to husband. Abstinence ensured that father of the virgin bride could receive a higher bride-price than he might have otherwise collected. We've rightfully departed from these norms out of recognition of the harm that they do to the parties involved, especially to brides. We should divorce, too, from the fetishization of abstinence, the last vestige of a cruel, outdated and decidedly unChristlike modality of marriage. Moreover, "porneia," the Greek term used in the earliest New Testament manuscripts to reference sexual sin, carries multiple divergent and contradictory meanings, none of which explicitly refer to "fornication" and nearly all of which reference sexual acts that everyone and anyone in contemporary society could intuit are wrong. Moreover, God orders his people to fornicate multiple times in the Old Testament, and Solomon, King of divine wisdom and insight, engages in extramarital sex repeatedly with his concubinage. If we want to excuse this on the basis of the historical context within which Solomon lived - that it was permissible in the Biblical era for men to sleep with women other than their wives - we must apply this same contextual rigor to New Testament passages that clearly make reference to pederastry, prostitution, etc., but do not seem at all to reference premarital sex as we understand it today. This suggests that, much as the Bible does not actually take a clear stance on homosexuality, the Bible does not seem to have a clear stance on extramarital sex. The post-King James English translations bastardize the complications of classical Greek to make great hoopla about fornication, a subject of scandal in the 17th century. The Bible's supposed emphasis on abstinence is the concern of those translators, not that of the original Biblical authors. Regardless of our differences of perspective on this issue, though, my problem with the Christian Right is not just the patriarchal underpinning of their approach to sexuality, but also the relentless shame appended to premarital sexuality of any kind. Purity Culture cranks out deeply traumatized swaths of Christians and ex-Christians. The former often struggle to even have sex within their marriages because, Surprise!!!, shame of one's own body does not magically disappear after chanting an eternally binding vow. The latter often attend years of therapy to rehabilitate, and struggle to even step foot inside a church because they've had their view of their most natural sexual instincts so distorted through years of brainwashing. And the former often transition towards the latter as they recognize the ways in which their churches have traumatized them, and grapple with deep senses of betrayal, loss, and regret that get projected onto God as often as they get projected onto the church. Yes, we live in a culture that glorifies and simultaneously de-signifies sex. That does not mean that opposing "fornication" offers any meaningful path forward for the scores of people haunted by unsustainable church standards of abstinence. We must abandon those standards if we want the church to offer a place of emotional and psychological healing, and of balanced, nuanced, and serious insights sex and marriage.

[@brandonsheffield9873]

My understanding based on historians research, homosexuality was widely accepted in the paganistic cultures such as Rome, Greeks, etc....

[@dwreanchinotan]

21:50 not the start of your point in the video, but it brings up to mind how the devil quoted religious text to jesus to tempt him, though in essence asking him to test his god. the essence is to ask whether two people who love each other enough to try to create a better whole for each other and therein to the betterment of society is wrong.

[@juzeus9]

the devil would have a lot more fun taking verses in the bible that condemn child abuse and rewriting them to oppress people who god created to prevent child abuse. god made gays to adopt orphans. Gay and lesbian parents are raising 4% of all adopted children under the age of 18 in the United States. a quarter million children have families because gays exist

[@dansaber8435]

Good

[@thomashemeon2069]

Stephen: Do you believe in the existence of the afterlife? If so, doesn’t your emphasis on the gospel of the kingdom as a temporal or socio-political issue make eternal life a secondary matter? Isn’t it possible for Christians to love the oppressed and disenfranchised without disowning traditional morality (John8:3-11)?

[@StephenDMorrison]

If by afterlife you mean the Kingdom of God and the new creation, then yes. But not the generic misuse of the concept of an afterlife. The Kingdom will be established on the new earth in the eschaton, and God will dwell with God's people. If afterlife is a purely spiritual escape from the earth, then I can see why you think a concern for justice is at odds with a concern for the Kingdom. For me, they are one and the same concern. Your second question assumes that queer identities contradict "traditional morality," which is a large and dubious assumption, I think.

[@thomashemeon2069]

@@StephenDMorrison I can assume then that your position is the theologically liberal view and that you don’t accept the traditional orthodox understanding of “eternal life”…

[@thomashemeon2069]

That assumption of course includes the traditional orthodox view of the nature of God as eternal…

[@StephenDMorrison]

@@thomashemeon2069 I believe in the resurrection of the body and life in the world to come as the Creed confesses. I am merely making a distinction between that orthodox understanding of the resurrection, which is *bodily* and the common use of the afterlife as an ethereal existence. If you hold to a non-bodily resurrection, then it is you who holds to a non-orthodox confession. And because the orthodox position is bodily, then my point is that the Kingdom of God is not in contradiction with striving for justice here and now. We strive for justice now because of the hope that one day God's victory over the forces of evil and injustice will be final and permanent. I hope that clarifies the distinction. There is no reason to jump to some conclusion just because you misunderstood.

[@thomashemeon2069]

@@StephenDMorrison Thank you for that clarification. So are you post-millennial in your thinking or am I still missing something ?

[@colinpurssey9875]

Excellent address . You're no doubt right in saying that many fundamentalists/evangelicals proclaim the primacy of personal moral purity as the overriding theme of Christ's ministry at the expense of impoverishing and trivializing His ethical teaching , which He expressed both verbally and by heroic example , of one's obligation to pursue the material and social welfare of our fellow human beings . The dominant concern of His sublime counsel . And that in no way devalues the crucial status of Jesus' moral and spiritual directives , rather, those virtues , when imbued in the psyche of regenerate souls , are the instigators of the imperative to actively address the dehumanizing issues of social injustice in all its wretched forms . And perhaps more relevant to this video's topic , that includes the unchristian stigmatization of the LGBTQIA community by quite a few misguided fundamentalists and evangelicals .

[@johnmelson7241]

Thanks Stephen!

[@StephenDMorrison]

Thanks for watching, John!

[@soultrek_]

Does liberation go even deeper than what you're saying? And I say that respectfully. Anyone who does not know Yahuah is oppressed in some way and all thanks to Yahuah for guiding more of his people into truth and love, both israelites and gentiles alike.

[@heinmolenaar6750]

All gods and their names are orginated from human's imagination. They're whithout any reality.

[@soultrek_]

@@heinmolenaar6750 mm, that’s fair to say about all the false gods who are not Yahuah. And this depends on if you believe scripture is divinely inspired.

[@heinmolenaar6750]

​@@soultrek_ you decided only the god of your religion is the one and only true god. All gods from other religions are false. Your god is made of bookpaper, and exist only in your imagination. Just as all other gods.

[@soultrek_]

@@heinmolenaar6750 I don’t know if it’s true to say Yahuah exists only in my imagination or anyone else’s. Nature shows us his creation is in our physical world. He either lives in an individual or he doesn’t and how we perceive that in each other might be left to our own imagination? It is hard to deny someone’s belief in a god that isn’t Yahuah, I’m not used to doing that and I don’t really want to do that, like to each his own, but that’s what it comes down to at the end of the day. Because if someone were to say bow down to this god who claims to be god but is not Yahuah or die, I’d like to think I’d stand and die for Yahuah. And that is likely how some believers also feel towards who they worship. History and scripture helped me connect the dots to learn what happened then to what’s happening now and gage what is going on to understand that scripture does make sense - that scripture is truth. One day the world will see there’s a creator of everything who has a people set-apart to him which I think can come out of all nations and that’s a beautiful thing and it’ll be a great day.

[@soultrek_]

@@heinmolenaar6750 we may not agree either but thank you for helping me articulate my personal view