Another pastor, another dreadful book in the same vein as Matthew Vines’ book, God and the Gay Christian. This time, Pastor Colby Martin takes on the so-called “clobber verses”. You know, the Scriptures that clearly teach homosexuality is a sin:
“The Bible has been misused, to justify keeping gay people out of our churches and telling same-sex couples that they cannot be together,” Pastor Colby Martin told NBC OUT.
And that’s how Colby Martin – who once was a “rising star in the Conservative Evangelical church,” is working to change the way Christians view God’s breathed-out Word.
Before I go on, this verse from 1 Corinthians 6 is pretty clear – AND very hopeful in that Christ died for the very sin Martin is trying to make palatable:
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. 11Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.
Here’s how he completely up-ends Paul:Excerpt:“You have heard it said that you cannot be both GAY and CHRISTIAN, but I say to you: phew, I’m glad the people who told you that are not actually in charge of such things!!
Most of the time this claim comes down to an erroneous and anachronistic understanding of a letter Paul wrote to the church in Corinth and to his friend, Timothy. In it, Paul names several things he believed to be incompatible with this new way of being human. In that list he identifies specific sex acts (aka, exploitative and transactional) between two men as being not compatible with the Kingdom of God. But that has nothing to do with loving, committed LGBTQ relationships, nor (obviously) does have it anything to do with sexual orientation!So yes, of COURSE you can be both gay and Christian!”Doctrines of Demons right here, folks.NBC “Out” reports that Martin began to realize that his head and heart were not in alignment when it came to homosexuality:
“I grew up in a faith tradition that cherished and honored the Bible, and in my late teens when I really dug in and took following Jesus seriously, I also fell in love with studying the Bible,” he said. “Anyone who studies the Scriptures long enough will eventually come across verses that simply don’t sit well with us. Whether it’s telling slaves to obey their masters, or telling women to be silent in church, or saying that gay people deserve to die, the Bible is full of complicated ideas.”
Here is the story:
“Have you ever misused the Bible?” This is how the second chapter of Colby Martin’s book, “UnClobber,” begins.
“Before you answer that, I’ll share two examples of how I have” and then Martin explains how he broke up with Jenny, a young lady two years ahead of him in high school. In a few sentences, he explains how, after the magic of the new relationship wore off, he broke up with her using scripture.
“…the Bible says do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers … I had no choice.”
This story is just one of many shared by Martin in “UnClobber: Rethinking Our Misuse of the Bible on Homosexuality.” The book reframes the biblical texts historically used to discriminate against the LGBTQ community and deny them access into worship spaces.
“My whole point is, the Bible has been misused, to justify keeping gay people out of our churches and telling same-sex couples that they cannot be together,” Martin told NBC OUT. “‘UnClobber’ not only reveals the results of my study of the Bible on homosexuality, it also tells the story of how I came to align my head with my heart through a careful, thoughtful and prayerful study of the clobber passages.”
There are six passages in the Bible, Martin states, that are considered “clobber passages.”
“They have been used to make gay people believe that you cannot be both gay and Christian. Being told that you are not welcome, that you do not belong, or that you are less than, is a clobbering of the heart, soul and mind,” he said. “At some point these verses became known as ‘clobber passages’ for this very reason. I came up with the term ‘unclobber’ as a way to point to my efforts of showing that the Bible does not actually condemn those who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or queer.”
By reframing the clobber passages, Martin said he wants to understand how they can fit within the image of God as revealed by Christ. So, he said, what he wants to know is if the verses that have been used for centuries as justification for discrimination against LGBTQ folk were truly intended for those purposes or if there was something else happening that has not yet been revealed.
While pastoring in Arizona in 2011, Martin had a series of moments, he explains in the book, where he began his own process of coming out as a progressive theologian. The first moment took place earlier that year during the Catalyst West Coast Conference, but it was a Facebook post later that year that changed everything.
“Don’t ask, don’t tell” had been repealed, and Martin shared the news on Facebook with the following six words: “I’m glad this day finally came.” Eventually, he was fired from the megachurch he had pastored.
“That led my family and me to lose our faith community, lose most of our friendships and lose our home and sole source of income,” he explained to NBC OUT via email. “This is the pattern of what it means to be human. All the pain and loss I experienced by coming out of the theological closet is only but a taste of the pain and loss for many of those who have come out of the actual closet.”
Martin shares these moments alongside the textual reframing in “Unclobber.” He suggests that his own experience of reconciliation is not an exclusive one.
“My particular journey points to what I think is a universal journey for many, many people. The journey of not only finding alignment between how we feel and what we believe (the head and the heart), but also discovering the difficulty of when your internal convictions no longer match with your external reality,” he said.
The journey can be scary, he points out. But the process can also be rewarding. He hopes that “UnClobber” will serve as a resource but also understands the challenges that a book like this faces.
“First, this book is for Christians who—like me—can identify a tension within themselves. Second, this book is for anyone who identifies as LGBTQ and is also trying to reconcile that with their faith,” he said. “Third, this book can be a helpful resource for those who are currently not open and affirming, and yet are curious about how it is that someone with a strong conservative evangelical background can come to the conclusions I do. I recognize that trying to change people’s mind is a very challenging, if not impossible proposition.”
What an evil and wicked man, planted by Satan seared with a hot iron speaking to the apostate church to souls who are dead cold or else why else would they listen to such rubbish?
Amen Nannette, this is part and parcel of the great apostasy, notice how homosexuality has become the spear point of sin affirming apostate wolves infesting Churchianity. This was foretold to happen, and our Great Lord is busy separating His bride from the false church.
Yes Martin,…….. progressive=apostate. Maybe you’ll be ready to explain to Jesus how you twist His words to promote your false narrative, instead if warning you affirm, you’re playing with fire.
Getting God’s values to agree with both the heart and mind is exactly what we are to be doing as Christians. But, where this man misses it is that it takes the literal word of God to change us in the way God desires for us.
Rom.12:1,2 expresses this process. And in this passage we find that the thinking of the world is to be rejected.
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
This means that the desires of the flesh are not to be what governs our choices or thinking in any way. That is to be done by way of the transforming of our minds to God’s word. Not the wisdom of this world.
God is doing a work in His people today that is separating them from the apostates that would lead all those who degrade His word into feel good trash, to destruction. Those who have never really loved Jesus are being made manifest.
Blessings:-}
And let no one forget that “the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jer. 17:9)
The “feelings over truth” New Age sentiment, the ecumenical acceptance of all regardless of doctrine, and the “Judge not!!!” mantra are all spewed everywhere. Many are in danger of being deceived and it’s time that more people get in the Word and off the megachurch leaders and Oprah!
That’s true Avery.
But, whose heart is Jeremiah saying is “deceitfully wicked”? All men? Or someone specific?
The context will tell you.
Jeremiah is talking about “the sin of Judah”, vs.1. And says it is “the man that trusts in man…whose heart departeth from the Lord”. Vs.5.
And then he speaks of the “man that trusts in the Lord’, vs.7.
Do you think he is saying that both of these have the same “deceitfully wicked” heart?
The point Jeremiah is making is that God knows the heart of man. Whether it be “deceitfully wicked” or “trusts in the Lord”. This verse is so misused that it has lost it’s intended meaning. But, if we will read the context of these kinds of passages that we sometimes use for creating doctrines, or at least supporting them, we would find that they don’t say at all what our intention for using them is for.
Check it out. I think you will be pleasantly surprised at what you find.
Blessings:-}
Amen, thank you for the correction Ed. I know I need to get in the Word even more to understand the context of this and other passages. I get so fired up at any kind of false teaching and will not tolerate it, I especially do not want to be guilty of misapplying the Bible myself.
I’m praying for an increase of discernment, wisdom, and grace for every reader and administrator of this site as well as myself. I am grateful that sites such as this one exist.
Amen brother, amen! The separation as well as the apostasy is so obvious and in the open, the words of our LordJesus are being manifested daily! Maranatha!
Teachers/books like this are so completely unhelpful for us with loved ones trapped in the lifestyle of homosexuality and who quote apostate Christian teachers who embrace homosexuality to justify their sin.