Picture of author.

About the Author

Denny Burk (PhD, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary [SBTS]) is professor of biblical studies at Boyce College and has served as the editor of The Journal for Biblical Manhood Womanhood. He blogs at dennyburk.com. Heath Lambert (PhD, SBTS] is executive director of the Association of Certified mostrar mais Biblical Counselors and professor of biblical counseling at SBTS and Boyce College. mostrar menos

Obras de Denny Burk

Associated Works

Etiquetado

Conhecimento Comum

Sexo
male

Membros

Resenhas

Since the Supreme Court's Obergefell decision in 2015 on same sex marriage, the landscape in America has changed drastically. With drag queen story hour taking place in public libraries across the country and young people encouraged to explore their gender identities and sexual orientations like never before, Lambert and Burk provide much needed biblical perspective. Though the book does not aim to trace historical developments, it is extremely helpful in laying out the biblical ethic answering the question of what is same sex desire. Make no mistake, the future of evangelicalism will continue to abound with questions on homosexuality and the nature of same sex desire. A great revolution has already taken place within the past five years alone and this means great relevancy for the church as "new ideas about sexuality are where loyalty to Christ is being tested in our time" (15).

Lambert and Burk give excellent treatment to the prevalent notion of a normalized same sex attraction/orientation. Both authors come to this topic with a firm resolve to build their understanding from Scripture combined with compassion for others. They don't stop at the ethics of homosexuality, but contend for the necessity of doing ministry with others. They rightly debunk the false claim that same sex desire is okay so long as it is not acted upon. This lie has gripped many people and ultimately destroys any hope of change. Lambert and Burke dive into deep waters of theology in this one.

Here are a few of the better quotes:

"A person is not absolved from moral accountability for an immoral sexual desire simply because that seems to follow an enduring pattern-i.e., an orientation. The enduring nature of same-sex desire is an indication not that God approves such desire but that we are intractably sinful apart from grace...A common objection to the foregoing goes like this: "If a person cannot control whether he has same-sex attraction, how can that attraction be considered sinful?" This objection bases moral accountability upon whether one has the ability to choose his proclivities. but this is not how the Bible speaks of sin and judgment. There are all manner of predispositions that we are born with and that we experience as unchosen realities. Nevertheless, the Bible characterizes such realities as sin: pride, anger, anxiety, just to name a few." (29-30).

"Accepting sexual orientation as an identity-defining element of the human condition is foreign to Scripture-except as a feature of human sinfulness. For this reason, the term orientation may be altogether irredeemable for Christians" (37).

"First, to call same-sex orientation sinful does not make same-sex attracted people less like the rest of us...All of us bear the marks of our connection to Adam. All of us are crooked deep down. All of us have thoughts, inclinations, attitudes, and the like that are deeply antithetical to God's law. All of us need a renewal from the inside out that can come only from the grace of Christ" (58).

"We must be clear that if God gives clear commands, he will, over time and by his grace, give the strength to obey those commands" (63).

"Focusing on ethics to the exclusion of the ministry of change both reflects and provides an inaccurate picture that the Bible is all about ethical behavior and not much about how behavior can change" (81).
… (mais)
 
Marcado
joshcrouse3 | outras 2 resenhas | Sep 17, 2021 |
Recommended Book #7

Very helpful, biblical exposition unraveling the predominant messages of our times, like: "You can be the real you!" or "It's not sin, if you never act upon it." And even better than this, you'll come away with a greater appreciation for the temptations Christ went through on your behalf - after all, no one has ever been tempted to the degree and severity he has. This is why Christ truly is the empathetic high priest.

Faithful to Scripture but not technical; brief but thorough; prepared to be challenged whatever your prior conceptions about these topics are.… (mais)
 
Marcado
Pastor_Doug | outras 2 resenhas | Mar 30, 2018 |
Carl Chambers' review in Churchman Autumn 2016 says this is for pastors seeking to be clear on terminology, and argues persuasively from Scripture that homosexual desires are unholy and therefore always wrong. To give to people struggling with their orientation, 'Washed and Waiting' by Wes Hill is better.
 
Marcado
jandm | outras 2 resenhas | Mar 3, 2017 |

You May Also Like

Associated Authors

Estatísticas

Obras
12
Also by
2
Membros
486
Popularidade
#50,828
Avaliação
½ 4.3
Resenhas
3
ISBNs
7

Tabelas & Gráficos