I recently read David Bennett's book A War of Love, it is David's testimony of how he ceased to be an Atheist and a Gay Activist. I like much of what I read in this book and agree with him that the church has made homosexuality the unpardonable sin and that we have made the Gospel more offensive that it actually is. I also agree with his more mature conclusion that God calls same sex attracted people to celibacy or "mixed orientation" marriages.
David nowhere in his book claims to have become an evangelical but he does claim to have been converted. I read the early part of his book where he outlines this and I must say it doesn't follow the Biblical picture of conversion. A lady asked if she could pray for him and he said yes, then she prayed and he felt an overwhelming sense of peace and he heard a voice inside say, 'do you want me' repeatedly. Later that night he woke up when he was "praying in tongues" he shouted out, "I've joined a cult" His mom came rushing in and from her charismatic understand explained tongues from Paul's letters and David revolted by this 'threw her Bible across the room' as he hated the God presented in there. Now as a read I knew for sure that the Holy Spirit wouldn't be working in a person's life, speaking to them, speaking through them and for that same person to be revolted by the words authored by that same Holy Spirit.
In his conversion there was not even a hint of a sense of sin- and we are all sinners, there was nothing of repentance and no display of Christ and His cross just a needy, 'do you want me', like some creepy guy who had been dismissed by his former girlfriend who is no longer a waitress in a cocktail bar. All David had to do was yes to this needy request.
As the book goes on he has bigger and greater experiences, like clutching the hem of a glowing garment in the sky, like the woman grabbing Jesus' garment and being healed, David in this event claimed that he was healed of his attitude towards the Church for it's attitude towards people like him who are same sex orientated. And reading his story I could understand his anger towards us, yet he wasn't healed of his attitude at this point in his story in the way that he presents it.
He hears the voice of God speaking to him at various times but he doesn't have a good view of the place of Scripture, he says a couple of times defending the conservative view on gay marriage, that those who disagree with it have not paid enough attention to 'Scripture, Reason or Tradition' as if these were equivalents. This is more Roman Catholic than Protestant which stands on the principle of Sola Scriptura, which also does away with extra revelation that is contrary to the Protestant understand of Scripture Alone.
My other concern was that David assumed that if someone goes to church be it a 'charismatic Lutheran' or a Roman Catholic church they are part of the church and that the people in there are Christian.
I feel for David because he is trying to be faithful to Scripture now in his celibacy, denying his own orientation, I can relate to that to some extent as a heterosexual as an adolescence into adulthood being chaste as I waited for my wife. I completely agree with him that the Bible demands we deny ourselves for the Gospel, I was 32 when I got married and lived denying myself too. However in the book it isn't clear if he thinks those who are seeking a same sex marriage are not Christians or if he thinks they are but 'don't have God's best for them'. As a millennial he used the phrase 'human flourishing of God's desire for us'. I wondered if he thinks that is the goal of God, rather a desire to conform us to the Image of His Son.
There is much to commend this book, it's well written by someone who is trying to be faithful, who is articulate and trying to reach out in love- but it misses the basics of the Gospel so was sadly disappointing.
God Bless
Stephen <><
As the book goes on he has bigger and greater experiences, like clutching the hem of a glowing garment in the sky, like the woman grabbing Jesus' garment and being healed, David in this event claimed that he was healed of his attitude towards the Church for it's attitude towards people like him who are same sex orientated. And reading his story I could understand his anger towards us, yet he wasn't healed of his attitude at this point in his story in the way that he presents it.
He hears the voice of God speaking to him at various times but he doesn't have a good view of the place of Scripture, he says a couple of times defending the conservative view on gay marriage, that those who disagree with it have not paid enough attention to 'Scripture, Reason or Tradition' as if these were equivalents. This is more Roman Catholic than Protestant which stands on the principle of Sola Scriptura, which also does away with extra revelation that is contrary to the Protestant understand of Scripture Alone.
My other concern was that David assumed that if someone goes to church be it a 'charismatic Lutheran' or a Roman Catholic church they are part of the church and that the people in there are Christian.
I feel for David because he is trying to be faithful to Scripture now in his celibacy, denying his own orientation, I can relate to that to some extent as a heterosexual as an adolescence into adulthood being chaste as I waited for my wife. I completely agree with him that the Bible demands we deny ourselves for the Gospel, I was 32 when I got married and lived denying myself too. However in the book it isn't clear if he thinks those who are seeking a same sex marriage are not Christians or if he thinks they are but 'don't have God's best for them'. As a millennial he used the phrase 'human flourishing of God's desire for us'. I wondered if he thinks that is the goal of God, rather a desire to conform us to the Image of His Son.
I can understand is lack of time for reparitive therapy but he's almost just as dismissive of the orientation change that conversion can and does bring about, The Gospel is powerful enough. I suppose actually that is where my problem with this book lies, it seems that for David the Biblical doctrine of regeneration isn't enough, faith comes through hearing and hearing through the Word of God. It is enough and is it beautiful.
There is much to commend this book, it's well written by someone who is trying to be faithful, who is articulate and trying to reach out in love- but it misses the basics of the Gospel so was sadly disappointing.
God Bless
Stephen <><
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