The Marriage Friendly Church

What is your church really teaching and practicing concerning Christian marriage? The truth might surprise you. It certainly serves as a wake up call to church leaders that we MUST be intentional about helping our married folk. Bill Perkins, Preaching Minister, Central Church of Christ Athens, AL Danny's writing is skillful as well as engaging. Read five pages and you'll be hooked. Read the whole book and you'll start looking for ways to change how your church ministers to couples. Dale Jenkins, Evangelist/Pulpit Minister Spring Meadows Church of Christ Spring Hill, TN It's a great book. We have to educate others on this topic and [this] book will be instrumental in doing just that. Jennifer Garcia, Co-Founder and Co-Director of the Association of Marriage and Family Ministries I want to get a copy into the hands of every eldership, elder board, and person I know who has a heart for marriage ministry. What a needed volume! John Conger, PhD, CFLE Family and Consumer Sciences Lipscomb University Dr. Camp offers as assessment process whereby churches are able to explore the local church's thought, feelings, and theology of marriage. Dr. Camp is helping us build a bridge between church and theology of marriage. Nathan Pickard, Preaching Minister Newmarket Church of Christ Ontario, Canada Dr. Daniel Camp and his wife Lisa have three children; two daughters and a son. After earning a B.A. degree from Lipscomb University, he served as a youth and family minister in Portland, TN. He is currently serving as the Family Life Minister at the Smyrna Church of Christ in Smyrna, TN. In addition to a B.A., Dr. Camp earned a Master of Arts in Religion and a Master of Divinity degree from Lipscomb University and completed a Doctor of Ministry degree at Abilene Christian University, focusing on the theology and ecclesiology of marriage. He is the co-director and co-founder of Remembering Our First Love Marriage Ministries, and The Marriage Blog (www.rememberingourfirstlove.blogspot.com) which is his weekly post for helping couples have a better marriage. Dr. Camp has a passion for helping churches reclaim Christ-centered marriage as a powerful witness of the goodness of God in our world.

Reinterpretations of key Bible texts related to sexual orientation, written by a Harvard student, present an accessible case for a modern Christian conservative acceptance of sexual diversity.

"This book is a journey for truth."-Samuel Kader Sr., Pastor, Community Gospel Church, Dayton, Ohio, Openly Gay, Openly Christian, Leyland Publications. Am I going to hell because I am gay? Is homosexuality a sin? Should I remain celibate my entire life? If you or someone you love is struggling with these issues, this book is for you. Follow Reverend Elaine Sundby's journey as she takes us on her personal quest for truth and self-acceptance-a path that eventually led her to enter the ministry. Reverend Sundby was determined to discover God's plan for her and equally determined to do what was right in the eyes of God, without taking "the easy way out." Simple to understand, yet rooted in spiritual truth, Calling the Rainbow Nation Home has the potential to heal-to heal the battered soul of the Christians who are struggling to reconcile their homosexuality with their faith, and to heal their relationships with those who love them and want to understand. A new era is just beginning in the gay Christian community, as thousands begin to realize that God loves us all just as we are.

Sometimes, grace gets messy. Caleb Kaltenbach was raised by LGBT parents, marched in gay pride parades as a youngster, and experienced firsthand the hatred and bitterness of some Christians toward his family. But then Caleb surprised everyone, including himself, by becoming a Christian…and a pastor. Very few issues in Christianity are as divisive as the acceptance of the LGBT community in the church. As a pastor and as a person with beloved family members living a gay lifestyle, Caleb had to face this issue with courage and grace. Messy Grace shows us that Jesus’s command to “love your neighbor as yourself” doesn’t have an exception clause for a gay “neighbor”—or for that matter, any other “neighbor” we might find it hard to relate to. Jesus was able to love these people and yet still hold on to his beliefs. So can you. Even when it’s messy. “Messy Grace is an important contribution to the conversation about sexual identity for churches and leaders. Caleb's story is surprising and unique, and he weaves it together compellingly. He states his views clearly, leaves room for disagreement, and champions love no matter where you are in this conversation.” —Jud Wilhite, Sr. Pastor, Central Christian Church

In the early 2000's, Mark Achtemeier embarked on a personal journey with the Bible that led him from being a conservative, evangelical opponent of gay rights to an outspoken activist for gay marriage and a fully inclusive church. In The Bible's Yes to Same-Sex Marriage, Achtemeier shares what led to his change of heart: the problems with excluding groups of people and the insights into the Bible's message that led him to recognize the fullness of God's love and support for LGBT persons. Readers will discover how reading snippets of Scripture out of context has led to false and misleading interpretations of the Bible's message for gay people. Achtemeier shows how a careful reading of the whole Scripture reveals God's good news about love, marriage, and sexuality for gay and straight people alike. This new edition includes a study guide and a new introduction from the author that reflects on the U.S. Supreme Court ruling and changes within the church. Perfect for groups or self-reflection, the study guide directs readers over four sessions to explore both Achtemeier's book and the Bible.

A life of denial, exorcisms, gay conversion therapy and 16 years of marriage, crashed to a humiliating end for this high-profile Pentecostal preacher. A chance meeting propels him through a devastating maze of public scandal, rejection and isolation. Can he rebuild his life? Read this brutally honest story of one man's journey to authenticity.

Wesley Hill's personal experiences and biblical reflections offer insight into how a nonpracticing gay Christian can "prove, live out, and celebrate" the grace of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit. For many who are on this path, it's a lonely one. The reality of loneliness and isolation of the celibate homosexual Christian is something that Hill lives and takes seriously in his pursuit of the gospel-centered life. To those on a similar journey, it's often a life of uncertainties and questions. In Washed and Waiting, Hill explores the three main struggles that have been part of his daily effort to live faithfully: What exactly does the gospel demand of gay and lesbian Christians, and how can it enable them to fulfill its commands? How do Christians who experience homoerotic desires live with the loneliness such desires entail? Is there any relief for it? What comfort does the gospel offer? Can those of us who struggle with homosexuality please God and truly experience his pleasure in the midst of sexual brokenness? Interspersed throughout these main sections are character sketches and stories of people who have experienced this journey's trials and triumphs. Hill offers wise counsel that is biblically faithful, theologically serious, and oriented to the life and practice of the church. As a celibate gay Christian, he gives us a glimpse of what it looks like to wrestle firsthand with God's "No" to same-sex sexual intimacy and contemplate serious and difficult questions.