Ed Shaw, Gospel Coalition and Homosexual Feelings: What They Say and What
Jesus Said
“Same-Sex
Attraction and the Church—The Surprising Plausibility of the Celibate Life,”
published by InterVarsity Press Books in 2015 and
written by Ed Shaw, is an account of a “Christian” man’s struggle with his
homosexual desires and feelings.
Shaw addresses homosexuality
specifically in the case of Christians. The Chapter One of his book, The
Plausibility Problem Peter, uses the hypothetical example of a seventeen-year-old
evangelical named Peter, who is the “eldest son of a deacon and the kids’
church coordinator, he plays electric guitar in the worship band, runs the
Bible club at his school.”
Peter “struggles at youth group to
push away the attention of some of the girls while trying not to focus too much
attention on one of the guys.” For Shaw, Peter has “become an expert at faking
heterosexuality.”
Even though Shaw avoids terms as
“sexual orientation” and “homosexual identity,” his book addresses homosexual
feelings and desires as an integral component of homosexual Christians. He said
about Peter:
“The
church youth group prides itself on its good Bible teaching. Its leaders take
their responsibilities seriously, especially when it comes to explaining the
church’s traditional teaching on sex and relationships. Peter has been told
repeatedly that sex is for the marriage of a man and a woman. Until then, he’s
to resist the temptation to be sexually active in both thought and deed. So,
for instance, he’s been told what to do when he’s sexually attracted to a
woman—of how it’s not wrong to notice beauty but of the dangers of a second
look and the mental undressing that can follow. But the problem is, he’s
attracted to men, so even the first look, the first attraction, feels wrong to
him—he’s been paralyzed with guilt by the feelings brought on by watching that
guy he likes undress in the dorm on a church weekend away. Because the one
thing that he’s heard about homosexuality is that it is all wrong—a no-go area
for a good Christian like him.”
While the issue about homosexuality
has largely been discussed among evangelicals as an issue between Bible
teaching and homosexual practice, Shaw found a Third Way: Feelings and desires.
Basically, his book is an attempt to build a Third Way, which he thinks that is
far away from the perspective of homosexual activists, but actually it is not
near what the Bible says.
For example, the Bible records King
David saying:
“I
am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan; very pleasant have you been to me;
your love to me was extraordinary, surpassing the love of women.” (2 Samuel
1:26 ESV)
Where the Bible recorded deep
friendship, homosexual activists see homosexual acts.
Where the Bible recorded deep
friendship, Shaw saw a Third Way: deep homosexual feelings. He said
about David,
“Why
not conclude that he’s not saying Jonathan was better in bed than his wives—but
that Jonathan’s friendship was better than anything David did in bed with his
wives?”
Shaw wants his readers to conclude
that David thought that “Jonathan was better in bed than his wives.” This is
homosexuality. Shaw’s other conclusion is equally disturbing: “Jonathan’s
friendship was better than anything David did in bed with his wives” — this is,
David and Jonathan, according to Shaw’s view, were aware of their homosexual
feelings and desires, but limited these feelings and desires to a friendship.
Why homosexualize David’s friendship
with Jonathan to “help” Christians with homosexual feelings and desires?
In this point, David’s adultery with
Bathsheba and his many wives are a historical and eternal witness against all
slanders pointing that David had homosexual acts or feelings. His sexual
feelings and acts clearly led him to women.
In his book “The Bible and Homosexual
Practice: Texts and Hermeneutics” (Abingdon Press, 2001), author Robert A. J.
Gagnon dispelled the theory that there was homoeroticism between David and
Jonathan. He said,
“There
David extols both Saul and Jonathan as “beloved and lovely” (hanne¸îm)—surely
David was not referring to Saul’s erotic attractiveness to other males… T.
Kronholm… says the word is being used in 2 Sam 1:26 of intimate friendship, not
erotic love.”
If Shaw and other homosexual
“Christians” can pervert David’s friendship with Jonathan to fit their
theological liberalism, what can keep them from perverting the whole Bible to
fit their personal whims?
Even though several prominent leaders
at the Gospel Coalition — which sees itself as exclusively Reformed — have
praised Shaw’s book, there are troubling issues in his stance. In fact, Shaw is
also a member of the Gospel Coalition.
Shaw said in his book, “As a theory
on the origins of homosexuality, being born gay works for me better than any
other on the market today.” (p 51)
If a man can be born an adulterer, a
thief, a liar, a killer, certainly he can be born a homosexual. But does being
born with a sin mean that a man is condemned to have a destiny in adultery,
robberies, lying, killings and homosexuality?
Shaw mentions “Evangelical Christian
who experiences same-sex attraction” (p 23), and says, “You see, when a
same-sex attracted Christian embraces a gay identity and lifestyle, we (the
church) need to recognize that it may be, to some extent, not just their fault,
but ours too.” (p 29)
Churches should recognize their fault
if they do not offer the resources of the Holy Spirit for a man seeking help to
be delivered from his sin. No church has a call to lead such man to embrace
same-sex attraction without engaging in homosexual acts. Only the Holy Spirit
can deliver a man from same-sex attraction and acts.
In
this sense, many Reformed churches are at fault because they do not allow the
Holy Spirit and his gifts to operate to help oppressed Christians.
Shaw also said,
“And
how tempting that is! I would dearly love to stay within evangelicalism and do
that with a beautiful man by my side.” (p 26)
“But,
of course, all of this is very painful for me and the thousands of other
Christian men and women like me who would love to marry someone of their own
sex, who wish we would change the essence of marriage. How do we cope with this
clear message of the importance of sexual difference when we desire to have sex
with someone of our own gender?” (p 91)
How long will Shaw resist same-sex
demons lurking and preying on his deepest desires?
Shaw
seems to see celibacy as the last recourse to face what he sees as the
immutability of same-sex attraction or homosexual feelings. But what he calls
same-sex attraction the Bible defines just as “temptation.” Why use fancy names
to describe temptations? Why adorn temptations?
I
do not know all the members of the Gospel Coalition, but because they seem a
close-knitted group of Reformed ministers, I will try, in a general sense, to deal
with the example of one of them.
It is very easy for a cessationist
not to see Christians being delivered from homosexual temptations and accept
that a Christian can live with homosexual feelings and desires.
I do not know if Nicodemus supports Shaw’s
lukewarm stance (which is a powerful beachhead for theological liberalism), but
I am sure that he, who likes to write and condemn abundantly non-Calvinist
issues (especially charismatic teachings and experiences), has not addressed
Shaw’s teachings, experiences and feelings and certainly he has not exposed and
denounced Gospel Coalition’ theological liberalism and its theology of
homosexual feelings and desires.
Often, adherents of cessationism
accuse that Christians who have the same supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit
that the New Testament believers had are guided by feelings and emotions. Yet,
strangely, Nicodemus has kept his silence about Shaw’s emphasis on homosexual feelings,
attractions and desires. If silence is consent… Actually, there is no silence at
the Gospel Coalition about Shaw and his stances.
Vaughan
Roberts, who wrote the foreword of Shaw’s book, introduces himself as a
Reformed minister with same-sex attraction. Vaughan said in his column at the
Gospel Coalition, “God has the power to change their orientation, but he hasn’t
promised to and that has not been my experience.” Why not seek the Holy Spirit
incessantly? Why put his failed experience above God’s Word and the Holy Spirit?
In the foreword of Shaw’s book,
Vaughan said, “This is not, as you may imagine, simply a conservative book” and
“the ‘Just Say No!’ approach to homosexuality is no longer compelling.” I agree
with him. Certainly, there is nothing conservative about Shaw’s book. And I can
add: Without the Holy Spirit empowering, “Just Say No” to any sin has no power.
Without the Holy Spirit, no one can live an effective Christian life against
sin and its temptations.
Vaughan added, “From the world’s
perspective, Christ’s call to a wholehearted, sacrificial discipleship seems
implausibly unattractive for anyone, regardless of their sexuality.” He is
implying that homosexuality is a sexuality when God’s Word recognizes only two
sexes — male and female — and confines homosexuality not to the realm of
sexuality, but to the realm of abominable sins.
Sam Allberry, who is the editor for
The Gospel Coalition, also recognizes that he has same-sex attraction. In fact,
he has a book, “Is God Anti-Gay?: And Other Questions About Homosexuality, the
Bible and Same Sex Attraction,” where he makes such recognition. He said, “I am
same-sex attracted and have been my entire life. By that I mean that I have
sexual, romantic and deep emotional attractions to people of the same sex.”
Allberry, a Reformed minister, signed
a public
letter, in conjunction with several other
pastors, that said:
“We
are committed to building a church that is genuinely welcoming to all people,
irrespective of the pattern of sexual attraction which they experience. We
would welcome initiatives to help local churches do so in a way that is
affirming of and consistent with Scripture and would hope to support
suggestions you might wish to bring to Synod to that effect.”
What does the resolution of the Synod
say?
“We
call upon the Church and all its members to work to end any discrimination on
the basis of sexual orientation, and to oppose homophobia.”
Living Out is promoted
by the Gospel Coalition. Two of the three founders are writers at the Gospel
Coalition (Allberry and Ed Shaw).
And those founders’ books are favorably reviewed by the Gospel Coalition.
Adrian Warnock, who is a member of
Gospel Coalition, has praised Shaw’s book.
The real shock is to know that the
founder and president of the Gospel Coalition, D. A. Carson, endorsed the book
“Single, Gay, Christian: A Personal Journey of Faith and Sexual Identity,”
written by homosexual “Christian” Greg Coles. Ronald J. Sider, a known
left-wing evangelical leader, also endorsed it, saying, “Simply fabulous.”
“‘Gay
Christianity’ is being promoted at an alarming rate in several places in the
Church worldwide. Understandably, there are certain liberal denominations where
most would expect to see a digression from biblical orthodoxy and promote ‘gay
Christian’ teaching. These same institutions are also comfortable with
distorted, emotionally-enmeshed and co-dependent relating under the banner of
‘Spiritual Friendships.’ However, to see these kinds of unbiblical beliefs
being embraced by many who are considered conservative Christians and/or
reformed Christians is very disturbing. I was very distraught over
seeing D.A. Carson’s endorsement of a young gay man’s book. He
endorsed Gregory Coles’ book, Single Gay Christian.”
Even though Shaw’s book and his lukewarm
theology of homosexual feelings above God’s Word have been endorsed by leaders
at the Gospel Coalition, I have found no recommendation for such book coming
from major Christian outlets as Charisma and the Christian Broadcasting
Network.
Such lack of recommendation from
prominent U.S. evangelical websites is no surprise. In 2016, The Gospel
Coalition published several articles supporting Hillary Clinton and attacking
Donald Trump. Clinton is a hard-core left-winger. Only a left-winger supports a
left-winger. So it is not hard to conclude that The Gospel Coalition is
left-wing.
Even though real Christians have some
disagreements with Trump, they have total disagreements with Clinton.
The bad influences in the Gospel
Coalition are spreading to other nations. Shaw’s book has been published in 2018
in Brazil by Editora Vida Nova. D. A. Carson was a speaker at VINACC, the most
prominent Calvinist conference in Brazil, in 2017. And Ministério Fiel, one of
the most prominent Reformed ministries in Brazil, has published in 2017 Shaw’s
piece suggesting that David felt homoeroticism for Jonathan.
Editora Vida Nova publishes
theological literature especially to Christian ministers in Brazil.
Carson
spoke to over 100,000 Brazilians. Even though VINACC is controlled by Calvinist
leaders, most of its public is Pentecostal and often unable to understand how
the U.S. Calvinism is plagued by theological liberalism. VINACC has become an
attempt to Calvinize such Pentecostals. But is such Calvinization good for
Pentecostals or theological liberalism?
The fact is, theological liberalism,
in its beachhead of support of sodomy through homosexual feelings and desires,
is spreading fast from The Gospel Coalition to Brazil through Reformed leaders.
The Gospel Coalition is bringing left-wing Reformed evangelicalism to Brazil.
And the only bridge between The Gospel Coalition and VINACC is Nicodemus
himself, who is a leader in both groups.
Since the 1990s, especially through my
book “O Movimento Homossexual” (The Homosexual Movement) published by the
Brazilian branch of Bethany House Publishers, I have been warning Brazilian
evangelicals about the homosexual ideology being imported from the United
States. What the Gospel Coalition is doing to promote the left-wing ideology
and homosexual ideology is a disservice to the Gospel in Brazil and in the
United States.
One
of the key players he identifies in the move to fundamentally change the
Southern Baptist Convention and other historically conservative denominations
such as the Presbyterian Church in America is the so-called Gospel Coalition.
The alliance, which brings together various leaders from ostensibly
conservative churches, sounds very conservative — at first glance. But through
alliances with controversial groups and affiliations with controversial
activists, the “fruit” that is emerging is a major threat to the Christian
faith, Littleton argues. “Most people in Gospel Coalition-affiliated churches
have no idea what’s going on,” he said.
According to Newman, many of those
involved in the Gospel Coalition openly worked to sabotage former Alabama Chief
Justice Roy Moore in his U.S. Senate campaign, even though evidence clearing
him of the vile false allegations was coming out every day. I
was one of the official supporters of Judge Moore.
Even
more alarming is the so-called “Revoice” movement, which is working to
normalize homosexuality and gender confusion by treating those issues as part
of a perso’s identity. On the Revoice website, the mission is defined as
“supporting, encouraging, and empowering gay, lesbian, same-sex-attracted, and
other LGBT Christians so they can flourish while observing the historic,
Christian doctrine of marriage and sexuality.”
Now,
just in time for Gay Pride month, Revoice is being promoted by the Gospel
Coalition. There are direct links between the Gospel Coalition and Revoice in
terms of who is involved in these.
“This movement [Gospel Coalition] was
seen as a reformed theological movement,” [Rev. Thomas] Littleton said. “The
problem is it's highly ecumenical, highly emergent, and it is highly political.
While it has been masked as theologically conservative, it is not conservative
in any way.”
Shaw’s influence at the Gospel
Coalition is incontestable. In an article in the Gospel Coalition, in a list
about “What Can We Do?” about assistance to homosexual Christians, Shaw put as
the number 1 item: “We must keep apologizing for genuine homophobia in the past
and present.”
Interestingly, the fight against
homophobia has been a top item in the homosexual agenda. As a Christian, as a
top item in a Christian agenda, I would recommend to seek the Holy Spirit, his
presence and supernatural gifts incessantly — a recommendation that would be
opposed by Nicodemus of the Gospel Coalition. More interestingly, no Gospel
Coalition leader has protested against Shaw’s priority of “homophobia.” This is
a typical priority of homosexual activists.
Despite his obvious longings to be in
relationship with a man, Shaw has chosen life long celibacy and declares,
“celibacy is a good thing.” (p 107) Quoting Catholic teacher Christopher West,
Shaw writes, “Celibacy for the kingdom is not a declaration that sex is ‘bad.’
It's a declaration that while sex can be awesome, there's something even better
— infinitely better! Christian celibacy is a bold declaration that heaven is
real, and it is worth selling everything to possess.” (p 112)
It seems a quite odd analogy to say
that celibacy is better than married sex and then point that God put sexual
pleasure in marriage “to make us want to go to heaven.” Shaw said,
“God
created the two sexes—and sex—in this world as a trailer for life in the world
to come. To help us understand the power of his love for us in the here and
now, and the pleasure that will be ours when we live with him and his new
Heaven and Earth. As film directors put romantic scenes in their trailers to
make us want to go to their movies, God has put sex on this planet to make us
want to go to heaven.” (p 87)
So if sex as God intended is so good,
why doesn’t Shaw ask the Holy Spirit to visit him and help him, delivering his
feelings and desires from homosexual temptations? Why doesn’t he seek brothers
in Christ supernaturally empowered by the Holy Spirit to help him in his
spiritual quest? Why doesn’t he seek the assistance of brothers in Christ who
defeated demons of homosexuality?
It is very obvious that Shaw is
confused. If celibacy is better than married sex, why avoid something that God
has put on this planet to make us want to go to heaven?
His stances are lukewarm. They are
not conservative and they feign not to be liberal. They seek a compromise, and
the core of compromise in the Bible is to be lukewarm. What does Jesus say
about lukewarm Christians?
“So, because you are lukewarm, and
neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.” (Revelation 3:16 ESV)
If celibacy were a successful Third
Way for Christians who do not have a power encounter with the Holy Spirit to
deal with their homosexual thoughts and feelings, the Catholic Church would be
a paradise for such Christians. Doesn’t it seem that many young men chose
celibacy through the Catholic priesthood to defeat homosexuality just to
eventually end
in horrendous homosexual sins? Celibacy is not
working in the Catholic setting to solve homosexual issues of young men.
In 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 the Apostle
Paul put homosexuals with other sinners who are banned from entering God’s
Kingdom: idolaters, adulterers, thieves, greedy, drunkards, revilers and
swindlers.
So if homosexuals, in Shaw’s view,
can choose celibacy to enjoy homosexuality only in thoughts and feelings
without practicing it, why cannot idolaters, adulterers, thieves, greedy,
drunkards, revilers and swindlers equally choose celibacy to enjoy their sins
only in thoughts and feelings without practicing them?
Though Shaw would clearly enjoy being
in a marriage with a man, he chose celibacy because he knows that homosexuality
is a sin and also because he has never found any ministry empowered by the Holy
Spirit to help him. Or perhaps, as a Reformed minister, he has a closed heart
to the supernatural visitations of the Holy Spirit.
Only the Holy Spirit can help a
Reformed pastor who clearly longs to be married to a man.
In the article “What conservative gay
Christians want” in the British newspaper The Spectator, Shaw said, “As a
pastor, I thought being open about my sexuality would be a disqualification for
the job.” It is a disqualification and it should be a disqualification, but incredibly
and shamefully, a Reformed church ordained him as a pastor, even with his
homosexual attraction and desires.
In
spite of the fact that Nicodemus and other Calvinists accuse Pentecostals and
charismatics of putting experiences and feelings above God’s Word, didn’t they
put homosexual feelings above God’s Word when they embraced, praised or
ordained Shaw as a Reformed minister with same-sex attractions, which the Bible
would call homosexual temptations?
Correctly, in his book Shaw quotes the
following Scriptures (NIV):
Do
not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman; that is
detestable. (Leviticus 18:22)
If
a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them
have done what is detestable. They are to be put to death; their blood will be
on their own heads. (Leviticus 20:13)
Because
of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged
natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also
abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one
another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves
the due penalty for their error. (Romans 1:26-27)
Or
do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be
deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who
have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor
swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-10)
We
also know that the law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and
rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious, for those who kill
their fathers or mothers, for murderers, for the sexually immoral, for those
practicing homosexuality, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—
perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine that conforms
to the gospel concerning the glory of the blessed God, which he entrusted to
me. (1 Timothy 1:9-11)
Yet, he immediately concludes:
“That
used to convince. That used to be a plausible argument for most. To be an
evangelical has always meant holding to the truth of ‘the divine inspiration of
Holy Scripture as originally given and its supreme authority in all matters of
faith and conduct.’ And when it comes to homosexual practice, those Scriptures
are pretty clear. Evangelicals like clarity, and those verses were more than
enough clarity for many, for years. We all knew where we stood. But that is no
longer the case. Things have changed.”
The Holy Spirit who changed
homosexuals into former homosexuals in homosexuality-riddle Greece through the
ministry of Apostle Paul has not changed and his supernatural empowerment of
Christians has not ceased. If Christians do not seek this empowerment, they do
not find it. If they seek it, they find it.
Basically,
what Christians can interpret in Shaw’s book is: He has not found this
empowerment and he wants, as a Reformed minister, to teach evangelicals to be
content with a life without such empowerment and that the Bible instructions
about homosexuality apply only to acts, not to feelings and attractions. Sooner
or later, Shaw’s adherents will face disaster.
Jesus said,
“You
have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you
that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed
adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it
out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than
that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to
sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your
members than that your whole body go into hell.” (Matthew 5:27-30 ESV)
Jesus meant that all sex acts,
feelings and desires, outside of marriage and not for marriage, is a sin. It is
not a sin to have sex with a woman, if you do it within marriage. All that is
outside marriage and not for marriage, is a sin.
Yet, in the homosexual case, all sex,
in and outside marriage, is a sin, because homosexuality is not sexuality. It
is perversion of sexuality.
Considering that Jesus clearly
addressed sexual desires, his comment can be applied to “Christians” with
homosexual feelings and desires:
“You
have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it
is an abomination.’ But I say to you that every man who looks at a man with
lustful intent has already committed abomination with him in his heart. If your
sex organ causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that
you lose your sex organ than that your whole body go into hell.”
Today, homosexuals are praised when
they choose mutilation to engage in homosexual sins. Why not mutilation, as
Jesus pointed, to avoid homosexual sins?
Yet, I think that there is a better way
than a Third Way and mutilation. Apostle Paul said of former homosexuals,
former thieves, former adulterers and others:
“Some
of you were like this; but you were washed, you were sanctified, you were
justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”
(1 Co 6:11 HCSB)
Some were homosexuals, in acts,
thoughts, feelings and desires. But they were washed, sanctified, justified in
the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
Only the supernatural activity of the
Holy Spirit can defeat other spiritual forces that excite homosexuality and
other sins in people’s minds, feelings and acts.
John Wimber, who had a Calvinist
outlook with a charismatic flavor, said in his book “Power Healing” (Harper
& Row, 1987, p. 118):
“Demons
gain a foothold in people’s lives through a variety of ways. The first… is
through sin. Unrighteous anger, self-hatred and hatred of others, revenge,
unforgiveness, lust, pornography, sexual wrongdoing, various sexual perversions
(like transvestism, homosexuality, bestiality, sodomy), and drug and alcohol
abuse commonly open the door to demonic influence.”
Demons usually operate by influencing
feelings, desires and acts.
Wimber said in Power Healing (p. 123,
124):
“Most
people who are demonized are not aware of it, but there are many symptoms
present in demonized people that help us identify demons: A problem with
compulsions such as… homosexuality…”
Ed Shaw, D. A. Carson and the Gospel
Coalition are playing with demons when they advocate, contrary to God’s Word,
that it is ok to accept homosexual feelings and desires. They are not promoting
the Gospel in its totality and truth. They are not promoting the wonderful
deliverance Jesus offers in the Gospel. They are promoting theological
liberalism.
There is an obvious lack of humility.
If they do not have the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit to help
Christians oppressed by demons and homosexual feelings and desires, why do not
they refer such oppressed Christians to churches open to that power? Why ordain
them as Reformed ministers?
The Holy Spirit is above theological
liberalism.
After seeing several Reformed leaders
in the Gospel Coalition supporting the false teaching that Christians can
embrace homosexual temptations in their feelings and desires and after seeing
them supporting Hillary Clinton, my only advise comes from the Bible:
“Let
no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of
God comes upon the sons of disobedience.” (Ephesians 5:6 ESV)
“But
false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false
teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even
denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift
destruction.” (2 Peter 2:1 ESV)
With
information from The Gospel Coalition, New American, Canyonwalker, Patheos, The
Spectator, 9Marks and Pastor Mathis.
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