(Editor's Note: Today's Guest Writer is Dr. Andy Miller, III of Wesley Biblical Seminary.)
This weekend, February 10-11, Wesley Biblical Seminary in Ridgeland, Mississippi is convening a diverse gathering of scholars to address the question, “Is God’s gift of sexuality mere human opinion or church dogma?” Invitees include distinguished experts on sexuality in both the Old and New Testaments, historians covering each era of church teaching, representatives from Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant traditions, and practitioners of Christian theology, counseling, and pastoral ministry.
This panel of participants represents a multi-faceted, comprehensive approach to the issue, in conversation with one another. After conferencing together, these scholars will submit papers to express the consensus of the group. While obviously not possessing magisterial authority in any denomination or tradition, their combined scholarly insight should carry great weight with church leaders and thoughtful Christians everywhere.
Contributors Include:
- Chris Bounds, Professor and Dean of the School of Theology and Ministry at Indiana Wesleyan University. Bounds holds a Ph.D. in Systematic and Wesleyan Theology from Drew University. He is co-author of three books including Holiness: The Power to Transform You, Your Church, and Your World.
- Michael L. Brown, Ask Dr. Brown Ministries. Brown holds a Ph.D. in Near Eastern Languages and Literatures from New York University and has served as a visiting or adjunct professor at Southern Evangelical Seminary, Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary (Charlotte), Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Fuller Theological Seminary, Denver Theological Seminary, the King’s Seminary and Regent University School of Divinity. He is the author of over 40 books including Can You Be Gay and Christian, Outlasting the Gay Revolution, and Go and Sin No More: A Call to Holiness.
- Robert A.J. Gagnon. Professor of New Testament Theology at Houston Christian University and Houston Theological Seminary. Previously he was a tenured Associate Professor of New Testament at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. Ph.D. from Princeton Theological Seminary. He is the author of The Bible and Homosexual Practice: Text and Hermeneutics and co-author of Homosexuality and the Bible: Two Views.
- Joel C. Elowsky. Professor of Historical Theology, Dean of Advanced Studies, and Director of the Center for the Study of Early Christian Texts at Concordia Seminary. Ph.D. from Drew University. He helped initiate two series — the five-volume Ancient Christian Doctrine and the 16-volume Ancient Christian Texts and served as operations manager/research director for Thomas Oden’s 29-volume Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture.
- Jonathan S. Morgan. Associate Professor of Theology and Ministry at Indiana Wesleyan University. Ph.D. in Historical Theology from Marquette University. Scholarly contributions include chapters in A Legacy of Preaching and A Legacy of Apologetics.
- Mickey L. Mattox. Professor of Theology at Hillsdale College. Previously Professor of Theology at Marquette University. Ph.D. from Duke University. Scholarly contributions include articles in The Westminster Handbook to Reformation Theology and the Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception. Books include the Oxford Encyclopedia of Martin Luther (associate editor) and The Substance of the Faith: Doctrinal Theology in the Tradition of Martin Luther (co-author).
- Jeannie S. Constantinou. Professor of Biblical Studies and Early Christianity at the University of San Diego. Ph.D. in New Testament and the History of Biblical Interpretation from Université Laval. Books include Thinking Orthodox and The Crucifixion of the King of Glory.
- Christopher West. Co-Founder, President, and Faculty, Theology of the Body Institute of Pontifex University. Th.D. from Pontifex University. Popular books include Theology of the Body, Our Bodies Tell God’s Story, and Fill These Hearts: God, Sex, and Universal Longing. Scholarly books include Theology of the Body Explained: A Commentary on John Paul II’s Man and Woman He Created Them.
- Donald Fortson, III. Professor of Church History and Practical Theology, Reformed Theological Seminary. Ph.D. Westminster Theological Seminary. Publications include Unchanging Witness: The Consistent Christian Teaching on Homosexuality in Scripture and Tradition and Reformed and Evangelical Across Four Centuries: The Presbyterian Story in America.
- Steve Blakemore. Professor of Christian Thought, Wesley Biblical Seminary. Ph.D. in Philosophy from University of Tennessee. Publications include Recovering the Soul.
- Janet Dean. Professor of Pastoral Counseling Education at Asbury Theological Seminary. Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, The Ohio State University. Scholarly contributions include articles in Listening to Sexual Minorities: A Study of Faith and Sexual Identity on Christian College Campuses.
- Andy Miller, III. Vice President for Academic Affairs and Assistant Professor of Historical Theology, Wesley Biblical Seminary. Ph.D. (ABD) in Historical Theology from University of Manchester. Scholarly contributions include articles in Wesleyan Theological Review, The Salvation Army, and Word & Deed
Modern and post-modern culture have declared historic Christian standards of sexual behavior to be unhealthy, Christian definitions of sexual identity to be untrue, and Christian teaching on the sexual nature of humanity to be unreal. In response, some church leaders have sought to radically adapt the Christian scriptures, theology, tradition, and practice to fit this new “progressive” narrative.
Others seek to hold a middle space that preserves the essentials of orthodox Christianity on one hand while making room for diverse doctrinal opinions about sexuality on the other. Implicit in this supposedly moderate approach is the belief that sexuality is not dogma—not an essential, necessary part of God-given church teaching, and thus not fundamentally required for human flourishing. However, careful examination of the Scriptures of both the Old and New Testaments, the teaching of the church in each historical era and in every major orthodox tradition, and philosophical and pastoral practice, demonstrate that human sexuality is integrally related at every level to essential doctrine.
Sex is inescapably linked to who God is as creator, redeemer, and perfector of human nature, such that we cannot change our core teachings on sexuality without ultimately exchanging the God whom we worship. Moreover, so long as we treat sexuality as mere human opinion, we are not able to boldly witness to the story of God’s good gift of sex, and the church will stand by powerlessly while the flourishing of men and women—including the most vulnerable among us—is destroyed by the counter-narrative of the world. By resolving our ambiguity about the status of sexuality as dogma, Christians will be enabled to hold fast to the faith once delivered to the saints, and the church will be restored in its ability to offer the world God’s loving, life-affirming gift of sexuality.
If you would like to attend in person please RSVP with Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Andy Miller. You can reach him at Amiller@wbs.edu.
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