A last minute reminder that we’ll be meeting in the fellowship hall tonight (Thursday, July 6, 2023) at 7:00 p.m. to discuss God and the Gay Christian.

As part of our efforts to become a more LGBTQ+ welcoming church, we’ll meet to discuss God and the Gay Christian by Matthew Vines at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 6, 2023. We’ll start in the parlor, but if there are too many of us, we’ll move to the fellowship hall. Let me know if you would like to attend by Zoom.

A note about the book: Matthew Vines presents a relatively conservative argument (both biblically and theologically) for LGBTQ+ inclusion. I’m aware that some of you are already well beyond where Matthew Vines was when he wrote the book, but I still think it’s a good book with which to start. Let me know if you have any comments or concerns.

On Thursday, July 6, 2023 (time to be announced), I plan to lead a book club-style session on God and the Gay Christian: The Biblical Case in Support of Same-Sex Relationships by Matthew Vines. The book sets out a biblical case for affirming gay and lesbian men and women—and, by extension, the entire LGBTQ+ community.

As I’ve said before, the argument that the United Methodist Church is having over the full inclusion of LGBTQ+ folks is not a matter of biblical authority; it’s a question of biblical interpretation. This book presents the case for an LGBTQ+ affirming reading of the Bible. I think it’s vital that those who want to be an affirming church for queer people know the biblical reasons for doing so.

There will be copies of the book available in the back of the sanctuary. You can also order copies online from all the usual places, including my favorite locally owned bookstore in Council Grove at flinthillsbooks.com. (I couldn’t find any copies at the Dusty Bookshelf website.)

Our next Wednesday Night Adult Bible Study on the book Inspired: Slaying Giants, Walking on Water, and Loving the Bible Again will be on January 4, 2023, at 7 p.m. We’ll be discussing pages 113-140, “The Beast” and “Resistance Stories.”

This Wednesday, December 7, 2022, at 7:00 p.m. we’ll be covering pages 61 through 79. This is not a pleasant chapter, but I look forward to our discussion.

At the suggestion of a well-respected local educator, I’ve drafted the following schedule for our Bible study on Inspired: Slaying Giants, Walking on Water, and Loving the Bible Again by Rachel Held Evans.

Session 1 (Wednesday, November 9, 2022): “Introduction”

Session 2: “The Temple” and “1. Origin Stories”

Session 3: “The Well” and “2. Deliverance Stories”

Session 4: “The Walls” and “3. War Stories”

Session 5: “The Debate” and “4. Wisdom Stories”

Session 6: “The Beast” and “5. Resistance Stories”

Session 7: “The Water” and “6. Gospel Stories”

Session 8: “The Sea” and “7. Fish Stories”

Session 9: “The Letter” and “8. Church Stories”

This evening, Wednesday, October 19, 2022, at 7 p.m., we’ll have a Bible study on God’s faithfulness. You can attend in person in the parlor or you can join us via Zoom at bit.ly/3AOWXnf. You don’t need to read anything ahead of time to participate. (Most people don’t.) We’ll begin with a short video introduction and then continue the discussion from there. If you want to watch the video or study the materials ahead of time you can go here.

Link: bibleproject.com/explore/video/faithful/

Our next Wednesday Night Adult Bible Study will be on Inspired: Slaying Giants, Walking on Water, and Loving the Bible Again by Rachel Held Evans. The plan is to start Wednesday, November 2, 2022, at 7 p.m. 

From the publisher:

“If the Bible isn’t a science book or an instruction manual, what is it? What do people mean when they say the Bible is inspired? When New York Times bestselling author Rachel Held Evans found herself asking these questions, she embarked on a journey to better understand what the Bible is and how it’s meant to be read. What she discovered changed her—and it can change you, too.”

The book is available at all the usual places, and copies have been ordered so you can pick one up at church. The suggested donation is $14, but feel free to give whatever you can or just take one.