Having grown up as an evangelical Christian, I can appreciate the task that Matthew Vines is undertaking in God and the the Gay Christian: Vines is attempting to present a case for acceptance of same-sex relationships and same-sex marriage by conservative Christians.

Vines himself is a conservative Christian. He is also a gay Christian. He affirms the authority of the Bible. And he believes that being a gay Christian--even a gay Christian married to a same-sex partner--is not an abomination or even a sin. He lays out his case through careful exegesis of the passages in the Bible (both those in the Hebrew Bible and in the New Testament) that have traditionally been used to condemn gay Christians as sinful. Vines examines these passages in their historical and cultural contexts and also draws on linguistic analysis of the Hebrew and the Greek in said passages, and he shows--convincingly, I think--that it is wrong to interpret these passages as somehow condemning gay Christians or gay relationships or even gay marriages.

If conservative Christians are willing to read and give an honest assessment of Vines's arguments, I think that many will find his arguments very persuasive.

Now, as one who no longer holds Vines's theological views, I often found myself saying: "Who cares how these passages read? We know that anti-gay bigotry is wrong. Even if the Bible does condemn homosexuality, we can simply say that the Bible is wrong." But this is not an option for those whom Vines is trying to reach. He very seriously believes that the Bible is God's word and that it is authoritative. He presents a rigorous, thoughtful, logical argument to support his case, and while non-conservatives like me may find the book overly reliant on Scripture and even too preachy (yes, I did find many passages with multiple quotations from the Bible over the top, but I'm not in Vines's target audience: I'm not an evangelical Christian), conservative Christians will find an argument--presented in terms accessible to the layperson as Vines himself is not a minister or a theologian--that strongly refutes traditional Christian teaching that being gay or being involved in gay relationships is sinful.

Vines is a thoughtful, articulate, compassionate spokesperson for those who believe in the full inclusiveness of LGBT Christians. While my non-religious friends might find little of interest here, those who see the Bible as in some fashion an important source of meaning and direction will find God and the Gay Christian to be an enlightening, challenging work.

Well done, Mr. Vines. Well done!