Emma L. Johnson - Housewife and Mother

When addressing Homosexuality in the church, some may choose either an “Open and Affirming” position or a “Closed and Condemning” position. . .. I find Loving, Open and Transforming to be a great multi-cultural resource for the Church.  It is detailed and easy to follow, providing common questions and answers with Scriptural support, medical findings, and other documented resources.  Floyd Knight takes a neutral approach, which leads the reader to examine their personal feelings and their views on the practice of homosexuality.  The reader is first challenged to be transformed into the image of Christ so that they will be able to effectively reach the Homosexual population, letting them see the love of God and knowing who He is and how to fellowship with Him with knowledge of His standards written in the Bible. Loving, Open and Transforming is a great tool for developing mature Christians who seek to evangelize the homosexual population.              

Dr. Ruth Duck, Th.D. - Professor of Worship, Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary

As I think you know, our positions on the issues are not the same, but I appreciate the clear and loving way you present the Loving, Welcoming, and Transforming position.  (I like your strong statement that Christians should not react with homophobia or question whether they should associate with gays and lesbians).  Your fourth section could possibly be of great help to gay or lesbian couples, helping them think through ways to set up wills, trusts, living wills, and the like to avoid many of the ways that they might not automatically have the same legal protections that married heterosexuals do. . ..  Once again you show your originality, your sharp intellect, and your creativity.  It’s a good piece of work.  All the best!

Christ-Centered

LOVING, OPEN AND TRANSFORMING: QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS REGARDING HOMOSEXUALITY AND GAY MARRIAGES FROM A BIBLICAL PERSPECTIVE is written for a multicultural audience in an easy to read question and answer format. It takes the best of the academic and scholarly resources available and condenses the material for the average church member--whatever his or her profession or educational background. It includes a complete set of lessons plans/facilitator's guides and a complete set of class handouts/home assignments for use as a small group Bible study and as a supplemental curriculum for Sunday School. Pastors, teachers, youth and small group leaders will find this resource to be an easy to use and easy to facilitate Bible study curriculum. Most of the lessons can be covered in 45-50 minutes and can be broken into two separate weekly sessions to facilitate more group discussion and sharing. Because most of the lessons are self-contained, leaders can pick and choose which of the 9 lessons to facilitate in order to tailor-make a program that lasts from 4 weeks to 12 weeks long.

               "God loves you just the way you are,
               but loves you too much to leave you that way."
               (Old Anonymous African-American Church Saying)

How should Christians model the Gospel to homosexuals? How do we model Christ's love? Can the church be true to its calling to proclaim the truth and be loving at the same time? Are truth and love, justice and mercy incompatible?

According to Ephesians 4:15, "Love should always make us tell the truth. Then we will grow in every way and be more like Christ, the head." It is our belief that love and justice, truth and mercy are not only compatible, but also reconcilable. Through the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God's perfect love and mercy was reconciled with God's perfect truth and justice. What follows is an attempt to express how Christians should live out our calling to speak the truth in love regarding the Gospel as it pertains to homosexuality, gays, lesbians, and bisexuals.Type your paragraph here.


Biblically Based


Rev. Dr. Hubert Ivery, Ph.D. - UMC Pastor

Floyd Knight and I have been known each other for many years.  In this publication, he is always passionate, methodical, and intellectually engaging. My views differ widely from those presented by Mr. Knight in Loving, Open and Transforming, but I would recommend the book to the serious student.  Readers who are proponents of Gay Marriage will be challenged by this conservative, yet very thoughtful approach.

Grace-Filled

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