The Bible has flaws …
and remains the most extraordinary book ever!
Many Christians believe the Bible to be inspired and, therefore, inerrant and infallible.
For me, the Bible is now like a spouse whose stories at times seem a little off, but you love her just the same.
First Date
My love relationship with the Bible began at age 21.
Before then, I had never owned or read this holy book. My college roommate would read the Bible before crawling into his bed. I considered this roommate to be the most authentic, righteous Christian I had ever met. If he read the Bible, then I wanted to imitate him and acquire some of his virtuous behavior.
So, each night, I dutifully and delightedly read from the Bible.
Fidelity
I loved reading from the Bible. Often, as I read, it seemed to be a personal encounter with the Holy Spirit. Words would seemingly magically “lift off” from the text, causing me to pay attention to them. The Bible and I had a very intimate relationship. I fully trusted this amazing book, and in return, I acquired new insights, knowledge, and worldviews. I read the Bible every day — come what may. I enjoyed it!
I was taught that God inspired each Bible author to write about a certain topic. Since God was “co-authoring” each book, sentence, and word, I believed that the Bible was both inerrant and infallible. Furthermore, I came to believe that the Bible was the only reliable source of truth. Since I wanted to “know the mind of God,” I gleefully read each book (well, some more gleefully than others). We were a couple.
Fracture
Eventually, though, I became aware of the Bible’s five “clobber passages” that appeared to condemn homosexuality. I was — and am — gay. I despaired over the condemnation that the Bible was heaping upon me. Why was homosexuality such a serious crime against God -– deserved of death? I became ashamed of being me. I remained closeted, knowing that if I made known this mortal sin, others would shun me.
However, apart from my homosexuality, I was truly a decent guy. Certainly, I did not deserve to be murdered.
Eventually, I met my first homosexual man. And he seemed to be just like me: he was a good man who happen to have same-sex attraction. I began a new season of life in which I would meet other homosexual men while maintaining my sexual purity. I slowly shifted my worldview to embrace that there is nothing wrong with being gay.
But if there is nothing wrong with being gay, then there must be something wrong with the Bible.
I voraciously studied the context of the clobber passages, trying to find congruence between two seemingly incongruent truths. I eventually learned that the homosexual behavior discussed in the Bible was primarily between a straight, wealthy, powerful man penetrating a victim of the lower class. Brutish high-society men would rape conquered soldiers, male prostitutes, and pubescent boys. The rich thugs would even rape other married men just for the “blood sport” of humiliating a man.
I thus began to see a flaw in the infallible Bible. The context mattered.
And I would discover more debatable texts.
And yet, my love for the Bible never waned.
Extraordinary
I have maintained my high esteem of the Bible.
The Bible allows me to see all of the love that Jesus provides — and to become certain of the Bible’s preeminent view of love. I have shifted from being “Bible-centric” to now being “love-centric.” Jesus is love, and loving like Him is my greatest calling. This extraordinary book shows me who Jesus is, and He shows me how to love all others (especially the marginalized, but even my enemies).
Each morning, I still eagerly read the Bible. It feels like I have a front-row seat to Jesus’s love. My readings often bring me joy, peace, and contentment — and a desire to love others.
I am no longer an Evangelical Protestant. I have seen and experienced first-hand abuse from some Evangelicals — simply because I have made known that I am gay. My worldview is now centered upon love, as I fully understand that there is nothing wrong with being gay.
I also have become more of an activist in social justice. My husband is a Black gay man — and I now view every life as precious. I simply cannot understand why some conservative Christians denigrate gays, Blacks, and women. Society’s marginalized people have become my Brothers and Sisters. I believe I am becoming more like Jesus (at least, that is my goal).
Flawed and Faithful
I realize that the Bible has its confusing and debatable moments.
And yet, I gain daily from reading this incredible, sacred book.
Thank you, Jesus.
Dr. Mike Rosebush (Ph.D., Counseling Psychology; he, him, his;) is the creator and editor of GAYoda, plus a writer for Backyard Church. A short synopsis of Dr. Rosebush’s life can be found at I Lived the Most Unusual Gay Christian Life Ever. He may be contacted at mikerosebush75@gmail.com.
