Ed Shaw, Gospel Coalition and Homosexual Feelings: What They Say and What Jesus Said

By Julio Severo

“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.

Rev. Augustus Nicodemus, the only Brazilian Calvinist prominent in Gospel Coalition, has advocated cessationism — a theological theory that the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit ceased 2,000 years ago. You can read more about his stances here: Why Cannot a Cessationist Calvinist Theologian Use His Pulpit for Crusades against Abortion, Sodomy and Feminism, But Can Use it for Crusades against Charismatics, Pentecostals and Neo-Pentecostals?

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.

How is he to denounce the Gospel Coalition if he is its member? In 2012, Nicodemus published an article at the Gospel Coalition titled “The Growing Crisis Behind Brazil’s Evangelical Success Story.” What he sees as “crisis” is the supernatural and explosive growth of Pentecostal and charismatic churches in Brazil. These churches are usually very hostile to theological liberalism and gay theology in any form. What he does not see as growing crisis is the homosexualization of his own group, the Gospel Coalition. I answered Nicodemus with my article “A Charismatic Response to ‘The Growing Crisis Behind Brazil’s Evangelical Success Story.’”

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.”

This resolution is endorsed by the three founding members of Living Out, an organization designed allegedly to “help” Christians who have homosexual feelings and desires. Allberry is one of those founders.

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.”

Yet, in his article “What Would St. Paul, the Apostle, Say to The American Church Embracing So-called ‘Gay Christianity’ & ‘Spiritual Friendships’?” published in BarbWire, Stephen Black, a former homosexual, said,

“‘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.

In an article titled “Liberals May Win Control of Largest U.S. Protestant Denomination” in New American, author Alex Newman said,

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.

Newman adds:

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.

Portuguese version of this article: Ed Shaw, Coalizão pelo Evangelho (Gospel Coalition) e sentimentos homossexuais: o que eles dizem e o que Jesus disse

Spanish version of this article: Ed Shaw, Coalición por el Evangelio (Gospel Coalition) y sentimientos homosexuales: lo que dicen y lo que Jesús dijo

Source: Last Days Watchman

Recommended Reading:

Theological Faggoting: Liberation Theology and Theology of Integral Mission Environment Producing Gay Theology in Brazil

Religious Exemption: How Homosexuality Is Transforming U.S. Christianity into a Ghetto

A Charismatic Response to “The Growing Crisis Behind Brazil’s Evangelical Success Story”

Why Cannot a Cessationist Calvinist Theologian Use His Pulpit for Crusades against Abortion, Sodomy and Feminism, But Can Use it for Crusades against Charismatics, Pentecostals and Neo-Pentecostals?

Luiz Mott: Homosexuals Are Eunuchs

“Message” Bible Creator Eugene Peterson Says Homosexuality Is Not Wrong — and Then Backtracks

A Charismatic Response to “The Growing Crisis Behind Brazil’s Evangelical Success Story”

Julio Severo addresses misconceptions and missed targets on article by Brazilian Presbyterian theologian

By Julio Severo

In his The Gospel Coalition blog, Brazilian Calvinist theologian Augustus Nicodemus Gomes Lopes said, “When Paulo Romeiro wrote ‘Evangelicals in Crisis’ in the mid-1990s, a book that has remained a bestseller among Brazilian evangelicals, he addressed just one of the many ways in which evangelicalism had collapsed in Brazil, namely, its inability to halt the spread of prosperity theology.” (Link: http://archive.is/hjNXb)

He mentions “Prosperity Theology” three times. Strangely, Liberation Theology and its Protestant version, Theology of Integral Mission, are missing in his text.

Even though Theology of Integral Mission is a problem predominating among Brazilian Calvinists, Nicodemus focuses nominally only on the Prosperity Theology, which is loosely followed by neo-Pentecostal (neo-charismatic) churches.

In the simplest terms, Theology of Integral Mission, which is embraced by theologians and leaders mostly from wealthy Reformed churches, is an approach leaders employ to teach the poor to look to the State as a provider for their material needs. In contrast, Prosperity Theology is loosely followed and practiced in Brazilian neo-Pentecostal churches, where the poor are taught to look after God as a provider for their material and spiritual needs.

Basically, both theologies came from the United States. In the 1950s, Rev. Richard Schaull, an strong adherent of the Social Gospel and later a Princeton professor, taught in the largest seminary of the Presbyterian Church of Brazil — the same denomination of Nicodemus.

His influence, firstly in the Presbyterian Church of Brazil, was impressive, and he was a precursor of Liberation Theology. His disciple, then Presbyterian theologian Rubem Alves, was also instrumental in the birth of Liberation Theology in Brazil in the 1960s.

Neo-Pentecostal churches began to appear in Brazil especially in the late 1970s, when Brazilian evangelical audiences were largely under the influence of televangelists Pat Robertson and Rex Humbard and their famous shows in Brazil “The 700 Club” and “You Are Loved.” Further, many were converted to Christ through these shows.

By the mid-1980s, Protestant leaders, including Rev. Caio Fábio, were worried that the Prosperity Theology taught in neo-Pentecostal churches was weakening the advance of the Theology of Integral Mission throughout the Brazilian Church. You can find more information in my free e-book here: http://bit.ly/15AJmMC

Caio Fabio, who was the most prominent leader in the Presbyterian Church of Brazil, eventually fell from grace over serious sexual and financial scandals in the late 1990s, after his sordid assistance to former Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and his socialist Workers’ Party in drawing evangelical Christians.

The main enemies of neo-Pentecostalism and its Prosperity Theology have been leftist Protestants. Though not a leftist, Augustus Nicodemus finds it easier to attack nominally Prosperity Theology than the Theology of Integral Mission. When he was Chancellor of the Mackenzie Presbyterian University in São Paulo, Brazil, he admitted theology professors who were adherents of the Theology of Integral Mission, but no Prosperity Theology adherent was admitted.

Why has neo-Pentecostalism, not the Marxist Theology of Integral Mission, been his main bone of contention? Because of his theology, which has been in particular conflict with the vast evangelical majority in Brazil. Nicodemus is the leading cessationist voice in Brazil. Cessationism preaches that prophecy and other supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit ceased 2,000 years ago.

He has had a hard time understanding how Pentecostal, charismatic and neo-Pentecostal churches have experienced such phenomenal growth. Nicodemus says: “According to the latest official census, evangelicals represent almost one-quarter of the total population of Brazil (22.5 percent). This is phenomenal growth, seeing that just 40 years ago they were only 2.5 percent.”

What he did not tell is that this massive growth has everything to do with supernatural gifts and the Holy Spirit. According to “The New International Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements: Revised and Expanded Edition” (Zondervan 2010), Brazil has the following evangelical profile:

Pentecostals 24,810,921 (31%)

Charismatics 33,970,683 (42%)

Neocharismatics 21,168,395 (26%)

Total Renewal: 79,949,999

According to the Portuguese Wikipedia, the Presbyterian denomination of Nicodemus in Brazil has 980,000 members. This figure does not mean that all Brazilian Presbyterians are cessationists. Many of them are charismatics.

His cessationism brings another problem: if current prophecy and other supernatural gifts among Brazilian Christians are not from God, who is provoking Pentecostal, charismatic and neo-Pentecostal growth in Brazil? Who is performing miracles among them? Satan?

Brazil is the largest spiritualistic nation in the world. Witchcraft, especially from African origin, is rampant. The clash between the dark powers of these occult religions and Pentecostal, charismatic and neo-Pentecostal churches and their spiritual gifts has resulted in massive conversions to Christ.

This clash is necessary. As Calvinist theologian Vincent Cheung said, “One answer to demonic supernatural power is a greater divine supernatural power. The Bible portrays numerous power encounters, where the miracle-working power of God overwhelmed the power of Satan. Consider the confrontations between Moses and the magicians, Elijah and the false prophets, Jesus and the demon-possessed, Philip and Simon, Paul and Elymas, and Paul and this girl with the evil spirit in our text. Paul cast out the spirit of divination, and the girl lost her ability. This is the biblical answer to the miracles of Satan. The solution is not denial, but discernment and domination.” (Sermonettes, Volume 7, Chapter Seven.)

As a cessationist, Nicodemus prefers denial and he sees many problems in the explosive Pentecostal, charismatic and neo-Pentecostal growth. He said, “How did evangelicalism reach this point of success and concurrent crisis in Brazil? Reformation theology and practice has never been fully known or adopted in our country, even among the Reformed churches.” So the evangelical crisis in Brazil stems from the fact that they have not, as he said, “known the doctrines of the Reformation in their fullness and power.”

But what is necessary to prevail in the clashes between dark spiritual powers and divine powers? To be filled with Reformation traditions or to be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit?

Nicodemus also said, “By disdaining centuries of tradition and theological interpretation, evangelicals found themselves vulnerable to any new interpretation, such as open theism, theology of prosperity, a new perspective on Paul, and so on.” No mention about the most important threat to the Reformed churches in Brazil, namely, Liberation Theology and its Protestant counterpart Theology of Integral Mission.

The leading advocate of the Theology of Integral Mission in Brazil is Rev. Ariovaldo Ramos, minister of the Reformed Christian Church. Recently, he praised Hugo Chavez as a hero for the weak and poor. His prominent leftist activities have gone unchallenged by Nicodemus and other Reformed leaders.

At best, Ramos has been silent about attempts by the Brazilian socialist government to legalize abortion and pass PLC 122, a bill criminalizing Bible criticism of homosexual acts. He supported the election of this government. In contrast, Marco Feliciano, a congressman and Assembly of God minister, has been outspoken against abortion and PLC 122.

Feliciano also supported the election of this government. But when a clash between values and government came, he chose values. Because of his public moral stances, he has been consistently attacked by the secular and religious Left, including Ramos.

In a darker contrast, Nicodemus is a member of ANAJURE, a Christian group in Brazil created to defend Christians and their civil rights, whose president has issued a public statement against Feliciano. Also, in 2010, after gay activists protested a public manifesto against PLC 122 posted on the website of his university, Nicodemus ordered its removal, bowing to gay demands.

Apparently, nothing of this has been a concern for him.

As a cessationist, he is worried only about Pentecostals, especially because of their lack of theological direction. Even among neo-Pentecostal churches practicing Prosperity Theology, the diversity of interpretations and practices is gigantic. For example, the most aggressive neo-Pentecostal denomination in Brazil, Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (UCKG), is cessationist, believes in miracles only by positive confession and prayer and rejects prophecy and other supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit for today. UCKG preaches that manifestations of these gifts today are demonic — a stance not differing from the stance of their cessationist Reformed counterparts. UCKG founder Bishop Edir Macedo has been an outspoken abortion supporter. But in these two points — cessationism and abortion — UCKG has been an exception among neo-Pentecostal churches in Brazil.

There is an explanation for these immense differences. According to “The New International Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements”: “The diversity of global pentecostalism makes it impossible to speak of ‘a’ pentecostal theology, especially since a full-blown theology of the Christian faith from a classical pentecostal perspective has not yet been written.” This is especially true in Brazil.

Because he thinks basically in theological terms, Nicodemus probably sees little hope for such theology-less churches. In fact, for him this is a “crisis.” He said, “There is no easy way out of this crisis. However, there are some encouraging signs of change that I cannot leave unmentioned. One of them is the surprising growth of Reformed faith among Pentecostals. There are innumerable examples of Pentecostal pastors turning to the Reformed interpretation of the Scriptures. Sometimes even entire Pentecostal churches have undergone this change. I quote here an e-mail I received some weeks ago from a former Pentecostal pastor: Your book Spiritual Worship [first published in 1998 and now in its 5th edition] made our whole church stop speaking in tongues and changed our whole liturgy. We even had to change the sign on our building from ‘Assembly of God’ to ‘Reformed Church.’”

An Assembly of God church stopped speaking in tongues (and possibly stopped prophecies too), and cessationism won in the name of Reformation. But is this a spiritual victory?

Here is the Brazilian reality: Millions of lost souls are perishing. Spiritualism is widespread. Liberation Theology is rampant in the Catholic Church. Theology of Integral Mission is rampant in Reformed churches. And a Reformed theologian is interested on churches leaving charismatic experiences and becoming Reformed?

This is a very frivolous and irresponsible concern.

For decades, Theology of Integral Mission — not to mention free Mansory — has been a major problem among Reformed churches, and Nicodemus’ major worry is growth of Pentecostal, charismatic and neo-Pentecostal churches?

Recently, my blog exposed Nicodemus’ cessationism, and one of his fans commented that if the concern of Christians opposed to cessationism is healing, vision and prophecy, they should visit spiritualist temples to see all of this. So the false doctrine of Nicodemus and other Reformed theologians has inevitably led their followers to see just “spiritualism” in the Pentecostal, charismatic and neo-Pentecostal churches in Brazil.

This is a gross misrepresentation not only of God’s power, but also of His essential role in the phenomenal growth of the Brazilian Evangelical Church.

Would it make sense for a person living in France to see the most important problem of that nation as its language?

Why would you live in France if you disliked French? Would you try to convert French-speaking people into Portuguese-speaking people? Brazil is not France, but its evangelical population is massively Pentecostal, and Nicodemus wants to convert them to Reformed and, hopefully, to cessationists.

The prospect of Pentecostal churches turning into Reformed churches entails Reformed pitfalls.

Yes, Reformed contact could be helpful to Pentecostals in Brazil, but first Reformed leaders need to renounce, denounce and fight the Theology of Integral Mission prevalent among them. Otherwise, greater Reformed contact for Pentecostals will only bring more of the same crisis and confusion that started to defile Pentecostal, charismatic and neo-Pentecostal churches in the late 1990s by the literature and conferences of Caio Fábio, Ariovaldo Ramos and other Reformed leftist leaders advocating the Protestant counterpart of Liberation Theology.

Among Reformed (Presbyterian, Calvinist) churches, the defilement began in the 1950s! There is a liberal crisis plaguing Reformed churches in Brazil, but Nicodemus and other theologically trained leaders refuse to tackle it directly. Brazil is a cradle of Liberation Theology. Even so, Nicodemus never mentioned it in his article designed to point out only the crisis over Pentecostalism.

In the 1990s, I attended a Presbyterian church, of the same denomination as Nicodemus. They were greatly concerned about Prosperity Theology. To protect themselves, all the local Presbyterian churches encouraged collective subscriptions by their members to Ultimato magazine — the foremost Brazilian Presbyterian voice for the Theology of Integral Mission.

For years I have denounced Ultimato — which have consistently attacked conservatives. But Nicodemus and his cessationist comrades have never denounced it the way they denounce neo-Pentecostals.

There is a Reformed crisis in Europe and America, where mainline denominations are ordaining gay ministers and leading anti-Israel boycotts. Liberalism crept in largely unopposed, and the result is widespread apostasy. And since its beginning in Brazil, the Theology of Integral Mission movement has had prominent Reformed leaders.

If cessationism is a blindfold, this explains why even such non-liberal Reformed leaders as Nicodemus are unable to fight the Theology of Integral Mission the way they systematically fight Prosperity Theology and other Pentecostal practices, including the March for Jesus, which is led by Neo-Pentecostals opposed to abortion and PLC 122. The Presbyterian Church of Brazil (PCB) has a similar event in Rio de Janeiro, called “Caminhada Presbiteriana pela Cidadania” (Presbyterian March for Citizenship). This march has as its official mission to increase visibility for PCB and Mackenzie Presbyterian University, whose chancellor until recently was Nicodemus.

“Caminhada Presbiteriana pela Cidadania” has partnered with spiritualists and Afro-Brazilian religions. Its leader, Rev. Marcos Amaral, has publicly expressed his wish for a long life for Hugo Chavez and a stroke for Marco Feliciano, because the Pentecostal minister has been hated by secular and Protestant leftists over his conservative stances on abortion and homosexuality. In fact, Rev. Amaral has even joined prominent secular leftist Brazilians to protest against Feliciano. Nicodemus has an article blasting March for Jesus, but no article against the Presbyterian march led by Rev. Amaral.

Pentecostals do need help, especially because they are under heavy attack from leftist secularists and Calvinists. Yet, are Reformed leaders really the correct and complete answer?

What about cessationist blindness and the Theology of Integral Mission?

Is there deliverance from these Reformed pitfalls in Brazil? Yes — to be filled with the power and knowledge of the Holy Spirit.

Portuguese version of this article: Uma Resposta Carismática à “Crise Crescente por Trás da História de Sucesso Evangélico do Brasil”

Spanish version of this article: Una Respuesta Carismática a la “Creciente Crisis por detrás de la Historia del Éxito Evangélico en Brasil”

German version of this article: Eine charismatische Antwort auf ‚Die wachsende Krise hinter Brasiliens evangelikaler Erfolgsstory‘

Reviewed by Don Hank.

Source: www.lastdayswatchman.blogspot.com

Recommended Reading:

Liberation Theology and Neo-Pentecostalism: A Leading Challenge to the Evangelical Churches in Brazil

Brazilian Pentecostals: Church Growth Endangered by Socialist Embrace

R.C. Sproul: There Is No True Prophecy Today

Theology of Integral Mission

Julio Severo Interviews Brazilian Congressman Marco Feliciano: How Massive Homosexualist Opposition Has Skyrocketed His Name into Fame, Making Him the Most Prominent Evangelical Politician in Brazil

“What does ANAJURE exist for?” The Marco Feliciano case

Gay militant Jean Wyllys at Brazilian Presbyterian University