Making lifetime commitments to vocational singleness & NFOB
After five years of intentional discernment, I am confident that God is calling me to permanently commit to vocational singleness and to the Nashville Family of Brothers. On Saturday, September 30th, I'm gonna make those commitments!
How did God call me to vocational singleness?
I went on the Adventures in Theology podcast with Brayden Brookshier to talk about vocational singleness, including how God called me to vocational singleness. By the end of college I had experienced multiple long periods of singleness and studied Jesus & Paul's words about lifetime singleness for the sake of the kingdom…
Gay people aren't inherently more likely to be sex addicts
Unfortunately, many straight Christians assume that every gay person is a sex addict. When gay Christians ask pastors for help, they're automatically referred to a sex addiction support group.
You gotta start w/ straight sex ethics
At a recent campus minister training, I urged them not to bring up gay sex ethics with students until they first covered God's wisdom for everyone's sexual stewardship (and addressed ways straight Christians often fall short). Why? Consistency and effectiveness.
Gay sin isn't worse than straight sin
For nearly a decade I was burdened by crushing shame, in large part because I was told gay sexual sin was worse than straight sexual sin. Sometimes explicitly (but often indirectly) I was led to believe that whatever sins I committed, they were even more despicable in God's eyes because I was gay.
Does God make people gay?
Did God make me gay? I went on the Things You Don't Hear In Church Podcast to talk about faith and sexuality. One of the questions we explored was whether God intends for people to experience same-sex attraction.
Christ's dating advice for college non-Christians
At a public theology seminar hosted by the Charleston Anglican Cathedral Church, I got to encourage non-Christian college students to trade their hookup apps for more friendship and more public service…
Vocational Singleness is a Gospel Cornerstone
Some who know Jesus experience crippling doubt. Others who don’t yet know Jesus see a Creation in chaos. Christ’s promises seem to ring hollow, the kingdom is coming too slowly, the gospel feels feeble. Thankfully a potent vehicle of kingdom work and kingdom hope for the early Church is available to God’s people today, if we will only embrace and nourish it. Amid Christ’s ministry on earth, he instituted a vocation meant to give us hope for the kingdom to come and to bring forth that kingdom with undivided attention: the vocation of singleness.
What does it mean to “love God”?
I turned 32 on Saturday, January 7th. NYE and my birthday bookend a time of reflection and looking forward. I've been thinking a lot recently about whether I love God. What does it even mean to "love God"?
Do Christians Have ‘Respect for Marriage’?
As the Respect for Marriage Act is set to pass, some Christians will mourn the further entrenching of secular values. Others will cheer the loosening grip of the Religious Right. To those of us holding tightly to God’s Word and praying that godly marriage would bless our country, can I ask an honest question:
Do we have respect for Christian marriage?
Welcome to my closet
Being the safe place for questions and conversations with same-sex attracted people is an overwhelming honor.
Christians have made God's wisdom unconvincing
How can we make a historic sexual ethic convincing for non-Christians and marginally-Christian gay people?
My answer: You can't.
At least not anytime soon.
Exploring the Gift of Singleness in the Bible
Read this interview with RENEW.org exploring what Jesus and Paul taught about vocational singleness. Plus learn how our churches can better support those called to abstinent singleness for the sake of the kingdom.
Do historic sexual ethics cause suicide?
Does historic sexual ethics cause suicide? The short answer: No, and there's scientific evidence to prove it. Scientific studies have found that…
Christians, "coming out" doesn't mean this...
Many choose to share on National Coming Out Day about parts of their story they've been afraid to share. If you're a Christian, know that when someone "comes out", it doesn't have to mean any of the following…
The Ascetic Fetish
Christian celibacy is a tragically misunderstood concept. Depictions of kingdom singleness, from Renaissance paintings to modern television shows, often misrepresent Christ's invitation and early Church practices, tempting some ordinary Christians to ignore their calling and others to indulge in a caricature of the vocation of Jesus. These thoughts swirled through my mind as I took up an invitation to spend a holiday weekend at a friend’s house in the land of 1000 lakes…
Should Christians attend gay weddings?
Should Christians attend gay weddings? I recently joined Pastor David Hannah for a conversation with parents at the Church at West Franklin, a campus of Brentwood Baptist Church. We fielded lots of questions, including the perennial question about whether Christians should attend gay weddings.
If I don't condemn, am I condoning?
If I don't condemn, am I condoning? Here's a better question: why do some Christians feel the need to condemn? I think they're afraid. We recently discussed this and more on the Authentically Us Podcast.
Should you treat your gay friend like someone of the opposite sex?
Should you treat your gay friend like someone of the opposite sex? Naomi Vacaro and I recently discussed this and other questions in a conversation about faith and sexuality. I get this question a lot.