Dr. Jack Rogers

recent posts

    • Interview on WJK Radio

      My publisher, Westminster John Knox Press, has started a wonderful new podcast series called WJK Radio, where they interview authors about their work.  Hosted by Associate Managing Editor, Dan Braden, and Acquisitions Editor, Jana Riess, the pair bring a depth of knowledge and a lively back and forth that make for a great discussion of the issues.  I was interviewed by Dan and Jana last week about the second edition of my book Jesus, the Bible, and Homosexuality: Explode the Myths, Heal the Church.  That interview is now available from WJK Radio!  As a podcast you can listen anytime — the audio player is built right into their webpage so if you have speakers you can listen directly from your computer.  For those more adventurous, you can also download to your iPod — just go to the iTunes Store, click on "podcasts," type "WJK Radio" into the search box, and click on subscribe — it's free!  You can also subscribe to their wonderful podcast series by clicking (here).  So if you have a chance please check out my interview on WJK Radio.  Many thanks to WJK Press and Dan and Jana for their great work!

    • A spotlight on some wonderful resources

      I want to draw your attention to some helpful resources I've discovered in the course of writing the new expanded edition of Jesus, the Bible, and Homosexuality: Explode the Myths, Heal the Church:

      The Queer Bible Commentary.  I was introduced to this book by Dr. Holly Toensing at Xavier University who asked me to review the book and offer my reflections as part of a panel discussion for the Society of Biblical Literature.
      Queer bible commentary
      The Queer Bible Commentary brings together the work of several scholars and pastors known for their interest in the areas of gender, sexuality and biblical studies. Robert Goss, one of the editors of The Queer Bible Commentary, gives a simple and helpful definition of “queer interpretation.”  It is “precisely the practice of making strange that which has been assumed to be familiar” (684).  It is designed to jar us awake from traditional understandings to new possibilities.

      The list price of $63 might give the casual reader pause — but for the pastor preparing a sermon, the professor working on a class, or the lay reader who really wants to understand these texts on a deeper level it's really an essential resource.  

      Out in Scripture developed by the Religion and Faith Program at the Human Rights Campaign.  Out in Scripture is a Bible commentary — sent free every week to your e-mail inbox — that provides distinctive insights into the Bible from an LGBT and straight-supportive perspective. 

      Out in scripture Out In Scripture is guided by the Revised Common Lectionary that is popular in many congregations. Each week, the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL) suggests Bible passages for preaching and worship. The passages usually include two from Hebrew Scripture, including a psalm, and two from the New Testament, including a gospel and a pastoral letter.

      The writing teams for Out In Scripture listen for how God is connecting the world of the Bible, the world of LGBT people, with church and society.  The weekly commentary is a summary and celebration of their prayerful — at times comforting, often challenging — conversation.  The conversation is a resource, a starting point, for your own conversations with others through preaching, study, prayer and action.

      Out in Scripture is an extraordinary gift to our church and the nation.  

      Our Tribe: Queer Folks, God, Jesus, and the Bible (first edition!).  You want to make sure you get the Harpercollins; 1st edition October 1995 — which has a fantastic appendix on Eunuchs in the Bible — and is only available used on Amazon.com.  Our Tribe is written by Nancy Wilson, Moderator of the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches. 

      Our tribe book jacket


      I just want to quote one section and then urge you to run out and buy a used copy through Amazon.com. 

      The authors and editors of 1 and 2 Samuel really must have been palace insiders.  They have incredible insight, palace gossip, and details about the early kinds of Israel especially.  The stories, in particular of Saul, Jonathan, and David (and his sons), read like a Greek tragedy.  I think the writers were possibly palace eunuchs, those invisible officials and servants who always had their ears to the wall and their mouths shut. 

      — Our Tribe, first edition, p. 149

      Finally I want to draw your attention to a short academic paper titled "Rituals and Same-Sex Unions."  It's by Norwegian Baptist minister, Ragnhild Schanke, who argues that a closer reading of the Biblical texts reveals numerous instances of sexual minorities whose lives and relationships are consecrated by the Scriptures.  Schanke finds that “48 eunouchoi are made invisible because translators have chosen to call them officers. This translation is obviously absurd when the term occurs in a context, and not only in a list. Matt. 19: 12 is one such important scripture, since it is impossible to translate eunouchoi as officers. It demonstrates that the Bible is not as straight and narrow as many want to believe.” The paper is just twenty pages but may change how you look at the Biblical texts.  You can read and download "Rituals and Same-Sex Unions" for free by clicking (here). [Click (here) for a free Adobe PDF reader.]

      Thanks to everyone who has bought a copy of the new edition of Jesus, the Bible, and Homosexuality.  We've had a really great launch of this new edition and I hope you'll take a moment to explore some of the resources listed above and also to tell your friends about Jesus, the Bible, and Homosexuality: Explode the Myths, Heal the Church (Revised and Expanded Edition). 


    • Progress Toward LGBT Equality in Other Denominations

      One of the things I’m most pleased about with the new edition of Jesus, the Bible, and Homosexuality is the new appendix which maps the progress toward LGBT equality in 10 other denominations in the United States.  It’s really a fascinating story:  

      Fifty years ago there were no out LGBT clergy or LGBT advocacy groups in any denomination.  Now many denominations have out clergy and all denominations have active LGBT advocacy groups.  This is really remarkable progress within a relatively short space of time.  

      The Metropolitan Community Churches, the United Church of Christ, and the Unitarian Universalist Association have official policies of full LGBT equality (including marriage and ordination equality).  

      Several other denominations are making good progress including the:

      Finally there are the denominations which are dug in or going backwards — such as the Roman Catholic Church and the Southern Baptist Convention — but even within those denominations there are active advocacy groups working for change.  

      While the day-to-day struggle for LGBT equality can sometimes seem daunting, when one steps back and looks at the larger picture it appears clear that the arc of history is bending towards justice.

      In connection with the release of the new edition I’ve also added a new feature to my website called “allies in other denominations” (look for it in the right hand sidebar).  There I provide links to 23 different advocacy groups working for LGBT in other denominations and religious traditions.  I hope this will be a helpful resource. 

      The updated and expanded second edition Jesus, the Bible, and Homosexuality (including the new appendix!) is available through Amazon.com or Cokesbury.com. 

    • Excerpt, Chapter 8, “All Are One in Christ Jesus” from new edition of Jesus, the Bible, and Homosexuality

      The debate in the church over homosexuality has often focused on 7 or 8 sentences in the Bible or even a single word from the Old Testament taken out of context.  That’s not the right way to read the Bible.  The proper way to read the Bible is to treat it as a whole and to read individual passages through the lens of Jesus’ redemptive life and ministry.  (Indeed reading the Bible through the lens of Jesus' redemptive life and ministry is the orthodox standard method of interpretation in the Presbyterian Church U.S.A. and many mainline Protestant denominations.)

      So in the new edition of my book Jesus, the Bible, and Homosexuality I look at several passages which are not always included in our discussion about homosexuality.  Specifically I look at God’s extravagant welcome for all who have faith.  I hope this new chapter will contribute to the debate in the church and open new avenues of thought for most Christians.

      Here’s the intro to the new chapter and below is a link to the book on Amazon.com:

      I first started to read the Bible every day when I was in junior high.  I wanted to know God, and I knew that this book would show the way.  Now retired, I realize I’ve been reading the Bible daily for over sixty years.  What is so astonishing about that experience is that after all this time, there is still so much more to discover about God’s revelation in Scripture.

      I’ve been specifically studying the biblical texts as they relate to homosexuality since 1993, yet I still feel that I have just scratched the surface in terms of understanding all that is there.  Through studying the increasingly rich scholarship in this field, I have come to believe that there are many biblical passages that are more helpful in understanding how Christians should relate to people who are LGBT than the verses that are commonly cited. 

      Jesus understood the sacred texts and God’s intention for humanity. So when we read the Bible through the lens of Jesus’ redemptive life and ministry, we are better able to discern God’s revelation.  Jesus welcomed every kind of person into God’s community—especially the outcast, the alien, the marginalized, the forgotten, and the foreigner.   Reading the Bible through the lens of Jesus’ redemptive life and ministry we see over and over again, God’s radically inclusive grace that welcomes all who have faith. Let us examine three passages that show how Jesus’ teachings illuminate God’s extravagant welcome…  

      —Jesus, the Bible, and Homosexuality: Explode the Myths, Heal the Church (updated and expanded second edition), p. 128.

      The new edition of Jesus the Bible and Homosexuality can be purchased from Amazon.com and Cokebury.com.

       

    • Mourning the passing of my editor and friend, Stephanie Egnotovich

      I was stunned last Wednesday to learn that my friend and long time editor at Westminster John Knox Press, Stephanie Egnotovich, had died suddenly.  She contracted a systemic infection that doctors were unable to stop.

      Stephanie had been my editor on several books.  She was a vigorous advocate for Jesus, the Bible, and Homosexuality and gave me encouragement from my first mention of the idea to her.

      My family had long planned a party for this past weekend to celebrate publication of my new book.  We began with a minute of silence, remembering Stephanie and praying for her beloved family.

      Jack

    • Radio interview on “State of Belief”

      This past weekend I was on Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy's program "State of Belief"
      on Air America radio.  Rev. Gaddy is the President of The Interfaith Alliance and he was interviewing me about the new edition of Jesus, the Bible, and Homosexuality.  The radio interview is now archived on the State of Belief website and you can listen anytime by clicking (here) or you can download a podcast of the show by clicking (here). 

    • Excerpt from preface to the second edition of Jesus, The Bible, and Homosexuality

      Over the next week or so I want to share with you some exclusive excerpts from the new expanded second edition of Jesus, the Bible, and Homosexuality: Explode the Myths, Heal the Church.  As you know, for much of the last 2+ years I've been out on the road on a book tour in support of the first edition.  In the process, I've met countless faithful LGBT Christians and their families and been blessed to worship and share in fellowship together.  I wrote up some of my experiences, "stories from the road" if you will, and that became the preface to the second edition of Jesus, the Bible, and Homosexuality.  Pasted below, I've chosen a few paragraphs from the preface to the new edition:

          …In the summer of 2008, I spoke to about two-hundred LGBT evangelical Christians at the West Coast conference of Evangelicals Concerned, a group founded by Dr. Ralph Blair, a New York psychotherapist, gay man, and evangelical Christian.  Blair founded this organization to meet the needs of conservative Christians who also know themselves to be gay. At the conference I became reacquainted with three former students from my teaching days at Fuller Theological Seminary. I had not known that the three men were gay.  Each of them shared with me essentially the same story: when he had finally acknowledged that he was gay, people who had previously loved and admired him suddenly rejected him and refused to allow him to participate in church leadership. 
          These men had all participated in so-called “ex-gay” groups or therapy. They had been told by their church leaders that the Bible condemned homosexuality and that their salvation was at risk. So they had turned to organizations that promised to help them change their sexual orientation.  One man had tried for three years. Another had stayed in an “ex-gay” group for ten years. They had each spent enormous time in prayer, therapy, and self-loathing.  But they all finally came to realize that they had not chosen nor could they change their sexual orientation no matter how hard they tried.  When these three former students finally accepted their sexual orientation, they were able to find meaningful relationships and personal stability, and they were able to start building a healthy family life.
          This book tour has shown me firsthand the enormous pain caused by the church’s unjust policies. All of this suffering is completely unnecessary and preventable.  As I show in this book (and as countless other scholars have shown in their work), the Bible, properly understood, does not condemn people who are LGBT, and it does not prohibit faithful same-sex relationships. The church’s historical prohibitions against marriage and ordination for people who are LGBT are an anachronism—much like our churches’ previous policies that prohibited interracial marriage or ordaining people of African descent, women, or people who are divorced and remarried. Indeed our faith calls us to do justice, provide hospitality, and embrace equality for all God’s people… 

      The second edition of Jesus, the Bible, and Homosexuality: Explode the Myths, Heal the Church is in stock and available now from Amazon.com, Cokesbury.com, and bookstores near you.

    • Announcing the Publication of the Revised and Expanded Second Edition of Jesus, the Bible, and Homosexuality

      Jesus the Bible and Homosexuality book jacket
      I am delighted to announce the publication of the updated and expanded second edition of my book, Jesus, the Bible, and Homosexuality: Explode the Myths, Heal the Church!

      Amazon.com is still listing the publication day as April 14 — but we think they are just doing that so that folks will be pleasantly surprised when it arrives early!  We know that they are accepting pre-orders and that some people have already received the book.  You can pre-order the book on Amazon by clicking on the link below:

      http://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Bible-Homosexuality-Revised-Expanded/dp/066423397X

      The book is also in stock and available now from Cokesbury.com. 

      The revised and expanded edition includes all of the material from the first edition plus:

      • A new preface with "stories from the road" as a result of my two-year book tour in support of the first edition;
      • Updates on recent developments within the Presbyterian Church ( U.S.A.);
      • A new chapter that examines God's radical welcome for all who have faith as revealed in Scripture;
      • A new appendix that maps the recent progress toward lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender equality in major U.S. denominations; and
      • A study guide for group or personal reflection.

      I hope the new edition will make a helpful contribution to the conversation about equal rights in church and society for people who are LGBT.

      Many thanks to everyone who supported the first edition over the past two years including everyone at Westminster John Knox Press, the Human Rights Campaign, Covenant Network of Presbyterians, More Light Presbyterians, That All May Freely Serve, Witherspoon Society, GLAAD, PFLAG, Soulforce, allies in other denominations, and parents, pastors, co-workers, and members of congregations who shared this book with others.  Together we are building a church for all God's people.

      Peace and strength,
      Jack

      —-

      Praise for the Second Edition of Jesus, the Bible, and Homosexuality

      "Rogers offers both a rigorous yet accessible theological study and a model of spiritual discernment that is essential reading for anyone struggling to reconcile their faith with the needs of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community."
      —Harry Knox, Director, Religion and Faith Program, The Human Rights Campaign

      "The compelling biblical and theological case Jack Rogers makes for the full acceptance of gay couples is simply impossible to ignore."
      —William Stacy Johnson, Princeton Theological Seminary, author of A Time to Embrace: Same-gender Relationships in Religion, Law, and Politics.

      "I'm overflowing with gratitude for this work. Jack Rogers continues 'to equip the saints for the work of ministry,' directing his gifts as prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher to building new understandings and relationships in the church."
      —Rev. Deborah A. Block, Pastor, Immanuel Presbyterian Church, Milwaukee, WI

      "Rogers's biblical scholarship, humane love, and openness to evidence helps us discern what Jesus would do, and what we, his people, should do."
      —David G. Myers, Hope College, co-author, What God Has Joined Together: The Christian Case for Gay Marriage.

    • 18,000 Reasons to Vote No on CA Proposition 8

      As you know, on May 15, 2008, the California Supreme Court ruled that the equal protection clause of the State Constitution gives same-sex couples the right to marry (hence the term equal protection).  Since that time, 18,000 lesbian and gay couples have gotten married.  It’s really quite remarkable.  It is something that all Christians should celebrate –- 18,000 couples making the commitment to love, honor, and cherish each other for the rest of their lives.

      I believe I am called by my faith to honor and protect these 18,000 new marriages by voting No on CA Proposition 8.  The good news, as always is that Christ welcomes all who have faith -– including those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or trangender. Please take a moment to visit No on Prop 8 website where you can make a donation or volunteer.  It’s vital for good people of faith to oppose injustice always and everywhere.  Many thanks.  

      Also check out this great new video from the No on 8 campaign:

    • Why LGBT Equality Leads to a More Missional Church

      The 218th General Assembly in San Jose did a remarkable and wonderful thing. The commissioners discerned a way for theological conservatives and theological progressives to co-exist.  Moreover, they found a way for all of us to move forward together in mission as one church.  Now you probably didn’t hear that in the news reports from the Assembly which focused on who won and who lost and what’s next. However, I think we will look back on this assembly as the start of a new era in the denomination. 

      The two big themes to come out of the Assembly were the emphasis on creating a missional church and the passage of several overtures to grant equal rights to our church members who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT).  

      Those who see themselves as theological conservatives want us to be a “missional church.” Indeed it is clear from the Assembly that this goal is widely shared across the denomination.  But what exactly does it mean to be a missional church?  Well for one thing it means to be evangelical – to share the gospel of Jesus with others.  “Missional” also means that the church should be woven into the very fabric of the community.

      The most recent General Assembly made several important moves towards becoming a more missional church. The Assembly took steps towards adopting a new Form of Government with the goal of becoming more missional at every level of the denomination. The national leadership in Louisville has embraced a missional approach through hiring several leading evangelicals who are dedicated to creating a missional church. Indeed, the General Assembly Council has renamed itself the General Assembly Mission Council and has committed to working with congregationally-based local leadership to find new ways to work together in missions. Creating a more missional church is exactly what we should be doing. It reflects our deepest values and brings us together in a common focus. I believe it will be invigorating for the denomination and life-giving for our communities and the world. 

      Yet, what was extraordinary about this assembly is that collectively the majority of commissioners seemed to recognize, on some level, that in order to create a missional church we have to grant equal rights to our members who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender.  The two issues are interconnected.  Think about it – if the goal is for the church to be woven into the very fabric of society – we can’t have preconceived notions about our neighbors.  We have to go out with open hearts to preach and practice the message that we are to love God and love our neighbor as ourselves. Affirming the equality of all God’s people is a prerequisite for reaching out in Christian service to all God’s people. So the GA approved overtures to grant equal rights to people who are LGBT and also approved steps to create a more missional church. In so doing, I believe the Assembly found a new way forward.  

      Now this conversation moves to the Presbyteries to either affirm or reject the practical compromise crafted by the Assembly. If a majority of Presbyteries vote yes to approve the revised language of G-6.0106b, I believe we will finally be able to move forward together again as one family in mission. I would encourage everyone in the denomination to read the text of the Boston overture (item number [05-09] from the Church Orders and Ministry Committee) which was approved by the Assembly. Consistent with the Reformed tradition, the revised text affirms the essentials of our faith:

      “Those who are called to ordained service in the church, by their assent to the Constitutional questions for ordination and installation (W-4.4003), pledge themselves to live lives obedient to Jesus Christ the Head of the Church, striving to follow where he leads through the witness of the Scriptures, and to understand the Scriptures through the instruction of the Confessions…”

      I believe this revised text regarding ordination puts the focus exactly where it should be – on Jesus, the Scriptures, and the Confessions – the essential values at the center of our theological tradition. 

      Look, I understand that there are going to be some who are resistant to change. That will be true of any change. But after 30 years of discussion, study, and prayer, I believe this GA has come up with a workable compromise that incorporates the best of the conservative and progressive approaches to theology.  I think it offers the best hope in a generation for this church to finally move forward together in mission. I sincerely hope that a majority of Presbyteries will vote yes and embrace the opportunity to move forward together once again. 

      Jack Rogers
      Moderator, the 213th General Assembly