Five Answers for Kevin DeYoung (And Also For Christians Who Believe the Bible Does Not Support Gay Marriage)

 I take it that Kevin DeYoung believes that the Bible does not support gay marriage. I'm going to disagree with him there but before I go any further, I want to take a second to say that I really appreciate the first two paragraphs of the piece he wrote for the gospel coalition to which this is a personal reply. The piece has now popped up on my FB timeline several times, re-posted by various conservative leaning christian friends and acquaintances of mine. If you are at all involved in the Christian community in America and, well, any form of social media really, then you have no doubt run into loads of articles, books, essays, and blogs on this topic lately. Where Mr. DeYoung's article stood out to me (in a totally good way) is in the willingness his opening show to discuss the issue as a theological matter about which believers can disagree and still be believers. Granted he clearly thinks that my interpretation of the Bible and of philosophical theology are potentially quite problematic, but few on his side of this issue seem to want to make even that basic dialogue protecting concession and I am grateful to him for it.
   As such, it seems only gentlemanly to oblige him by answering his five questions. I have no doubt that many others have but, he was asking me too, so I figure I owe him an answer. And since his was an open letter, mine will be an open reply.

Note: I have re-typed Mr. DeYoung's original questions but not his follow up explanations. Please go read the complete questions here.

Question 1: On what basis do you still insist that marriage must be monogamous?
  Pretty much on the same basis that I did before I held my big gay friendly position. The Passages Mr. DeYoung sites are fine, maybe throw in 1 Timothy 3 and Jesus teaching about agape, and His assertion that marriage joins the two into one. Why does Mr. DeYoung want to assume that I don't take those passages seriously? I would remind him that it is dangerous to read into a passage more than is actually there. A man and a woman becoming one is descriptive not limiting. If I tell you that I think you are awesome, that does not preclude the possibility that other people might think you are awesome as well. So too, if a man and a woman are joined into one flesh my marriage, that does not preclude the possibility that a woman and a woman might be joined into one flesh. I suppose that it doesn't logically preclude two men and a woman either but then, isn't that what Paul's epistles are for?

Question 2: Will you maintain the same biblical sexual ethic in the church now that you think the church should solemnize gay marriages?
  Yes, why shouldn't I? Mr. DeYoung provides a lot of statistics which are just as likely to be a result of the State's and Church's failure to recognize and solemnize same-sex relationships in the form of marriage as they are to be a result of the "same-sexness" of those relationships. Even if his implied cause is accurate, truth is truth and I would certainly expect the church to keep teaching it.

Question 3: Are you prepared to say moms and dads are interchangeable?
  No I'm not. Is Mr. DeYoung prepared to say that families without a mom or dad are inferior?

Question 4: What will you say about anal intercourse?
  Mr. DeYoung is correct. I have nothing to say about anal intercourse. I am somewhat surprise to see that he does have something to say about it. Mr. DeYoung's church must be an interesting place to go. Is Mr. DeYoung aware that quite a few heterosexual couples practice anal intercourse or that there are other ways for gay men to have sex?

Question 5: How have all Christians at all times and in all places interpreted the Bible so wrongly for so long?
 They haven't. I mean it is a tad odd for Mr. DeYoung to know what "all Christians at all times and in all places" have believed on any topic - let's change "all" to "most" shall we? In that case I imagine that the church has managed to be wrong on this topic by the same methods which led her to be wrong about slavery for 1700 years or the misogyny inherent in western patriarchy for, well, 2000+ years

Open Letter From the NSA to all Patriots

Dear Patriot:
  We at the National Security Agency are doing our part to reduce the federal deficit. As part of our cost reduction initiative we are exited to announce that:

 In cooperation with the department of education, we intend to replace our internal communication surveillance technicians with public high school interns!

 We believe that this will result in a far lower operations budget in the 2014 fiscal year and will have the side benefit of giving current american high school students the real-world experience they need to operate outside of their schools. Please understand that this dramatic reform will present challenges, and so we are asking for your help as we work to save taxpayer money. Our public relations department, has compiled the following list of ways you can assist our new Savings by Patriotic Youth initiative.

1. Please limit all e-mails to 5 polysyllabic words. Our interns tend to have difficulty with any word longer than eight characters so this will save our time and your money as we bring America's promising youth into a brighter future.
2. Make sure to post (18+) in the subject line of any e-mail containing adult references or material. This will allow us to filter your more interesting correspondence out of the general list and you will be able to send and receive without worrying that you might corrupt innocent eyes. Remember you are sharing these details with innocent strangers and we don't want you to feel uncomfortable revealing your hidden fantasies.
3.Feel free to extend a cheerful greeting at the beginning and/or end of your e-mail and phone calls. These are teenagers after all and with the holidays fast approaching we feel sure that a short word of encouragement and/or thanks to these hard working young people will boost their spirits and productivity. Many of them are big brothers and sisters, out working rather than spending their time with siblings and it cheers them up when you thank them for watching attentively over this fine nation's security.
4. Don't say "bomb", "assassinate", "blow up" or "official" unless you really mean it. These words create extra work for our security staff and require that we bring in highly paid experts. If we can cut down on the false alarms and only investigate those of you who actually intend violence, we can save millions in taxpayer dollars. Just remember,if you aren't planning something nasty there is no need for harsh language.
5. When referencing foreign persons or locations try describing a little of their culture, language and geography. We want our interns to excel in school and with your help we hope to expand the ways in which they learn as they help to make a cheaper, more secure country. After all, why shouldn't work be educational? We intend to rotate subjects by year with math in 2015, then science and english literature in following years.
6.Please be sure to enunciate in your cellular phone calls. Of course we all appreciate the dramatic improvement in cell signals around the country but static has still been known to creep into the lines on occasion. We will save countless hours of frustration and expensive computer analysis if you are willing to speak a little more slowly and clearly. If a word is particularly important to the meaning of a sentence, try spelling it out or repeating it.

On the revenue side:
 1. If you have accidentally deleted an important e-mail remember that we are here to help. For a small fee (no need to include credit card information, our interns will be happy to look it up for you)  we will be happy to provide you with a copy of anything you have sent since January of 2002. ($2 per 20 lines)
2. Now and for a limited time only we are offering a CD collectors edition of Awkward E-mails From World Leaders. ($25 includes delivery. Additional charges may apply outside the continental United States. This unique collection includes our staff's selection of personal favorite e-mail from heads of state and government leaders around the world. Don't miss out on Angele Merkel's thrilling critique of David Cameron's latest wardrobe!

  Thank you for your assistance in this matter, and always remember, we watch because we care.
Sincerely,
  Your Government