The final recommendation on my original recommendation list…it is another controversial book, at least for me. But let’s back up a bit to explain why this is on my list. For several months during the summer of 2018, I tried to meet with Nate Poetzl, the pastor of Faith Chapel, a large Foursquare church in Billings, MT. It is actually the church I grew up in, although I no longer regularly attend there. The primary reason I do not attend Faith Chapel is that they believe marriage should only be between a man and a woman, which contradicts my Miracle Sunday experience.
Because Nate is a very busy pastor (Faith Chapel is probably the largest church in Billings, MT), and because of some scheduling snafu’s, we were never able to meet in person. However, Nate did recommend a book to me that elaborated his beliefs on the subject of homosexuality. And so I added it to my recommendation list right before I left for New Zealand.
Recommendation #36 from Nate Poetzl
People To Be Loved by Preston Sprinkle
From Amazon, “Christians who are confused by the homosexuality debate raging in the US are looking for resources that are based solidly on a deep study of what Scripture says about the issue. In People to Be Loved, Preston Sprinkle challenges those on all sides of the debate to consider what the Bible says and how we should approach the topic of homosexuality in light of it.
In a manner that appeals to a scholarly and lay-audience alike, Preston takes on difficult questions such as how should the church treat people struggling with same-sex attraction? Is same-sex attraction a product of biological or societal factors or both? How should the church think about larger cultural issues, such as gay marriage, gay pride, and whether intolerance over LGBT amounts to racism? How (or if) Christians should do business with LGBT persons and supportive companies?
Simply saying that the Bible condemns homosexuality is not accurate, nor is it enough to end the debate. Those holding a traditional view still struggle to reconcile the Bible’s prohibition of same-sex attraction with the message of radical, unconditional grace. This book meets that need.”
Rather than attempt to explain what I liked and disliked about the book, here is the email I wrote to Nate once I had finished. I’m happy to report that he has already replied to me and is willing to speak to me in person once I return to Montana!
From: Derek Shaw <derekmshaw@yahoo.com>
Date: Monday, February 4, 2019 at 9:48 PM
To: Nate Poetzl
Subject: Re: My concerns as a homosexual Christian
Greetings Nate,
I recently finished the book you recommended to me back in August 2018 as I was leaving the country for New Zealand. I appreciated the grace and understanding that Preston Sprinkle conveys in People To Be Loved, as well as his desire to truly understand the original language and culture that the Bible was written in.
That being said, I would argue he (and you) are still calling in to question a mystical experience I had exactly one year ago, where God personally communicated to me in a Foursquare church in Portland, OR that He CREATED me with both same-sex attraction, and a desire for a partner & children – a desire to create a family (a family like you have).
He also placed me in a loving, Christ-centered family with 2 older brothers and 1 younger brother all of whom are opposite-sex attracted, married, and all with children. I have experienced the beauty and joy of being part of a family. I’ve seen the joy and richness that is brought to your life by having a loving partner and children. But there should be no reason why I turned out different to my brothers based on our nurturing. Therefore, my own life confirms same-sex attraction is part of my nature. It is part of how I was made in my mother’s womb. It is part of what makes me Derek Michael Shaw.
Preston ends his book with 3 options for someone like me: reparative therapy, marriage to a woman, or celibacy.
I would argue the first two might work for a very small percentage of LGBT individuals, but really the third option is the bucket where most of us would be placed. And it’s a little hypocritical that I usually hear that argument from married (heterosexual) people.
Did you ever think you would be celibate? Now that you have found your wife and had a family, can you see how it has enriched your life experience and shown you more about yourself and God through those relationships? It’s no wonder that the Bible speaks to Christ’s relationship to the church as a Bridegroom/Bride relationship. Marriage is a powerful expression of the love God has for us. Marriage is also the fundamental structure that helps society to exist and maintain itself. In its healthy form, it allows people to live longer, happier, more fulfilled lives.
And yet Preston Sprinkle never explains exactly what is sinful if I marry another Christian man. Or what the consequences should be for someone who would choose that path. Will that type of marriage distort my view of God? Is my romantic love for my Christian partner sinful? Does gay marriage dishonor God or the institution of marriage?
Most challenging of all, He affirmed Leviticus 20:13, which ends with “they shall surely be put to death.” I know he is not proposing to kill LGBT individuals, but it is disturbing to know he holds that verse as authoritative. I guess at the very least, I should be cut out of the church and branded a heretic.
Because I’m claiming to have heard directly from God. And God said He CREATED me to be gay. Maybe I’m just delusional, but I’m not lying about what I experienced. Even people around me that day recognized that I had a powerful experience.
It’s certainly seems to be a mystery, doesn’t it? Why would God put me in the family and faith community He did? Why would He have me go to Wheaton College? Why would I abandon my faith for a 9 year gay relationship with another man who experienced gay conversion therapy by the church at the age of 13?
It’s not a mystery to me. To me, it’s just My Story.
Thanks for reading. Hopefully we can continue the discussion (either through email or in person). I should be back in Billings from March until June, possibly later.
Your brother in Christ, Derek Shaw – www.trinitydreamer.com/my-story
The reward for finishing this very long post…it’s song #8 on my Reverence playlist for February 2019. Everything by TobyMac. A great answer to the question, “Where can I Find God?”