Category Archives: Whosoever Magazine
Are gay christians the new gentiles?
They are if you believe the convoluted twisting of scripture courtesy of Candace Challew, editor of Whosoever Magazine. Whosoever Magazine is an “online magazine for gay, lesbian, bisexual transgender christians.” Thus, with that tag, the stage is set for some of the most incredible mangling of scripture since white slave owners used scripture to justify keeping blacks enslaved in America.
Challew, a lesbian cleric in the United Church of Christ, follows the popular trending of the gay christian movement in heavy handed use of replacement allegory. This method of interpretation gives the gay cleric unrestricted freedom to remove real or apparent contradictions between scripture and their current beliefs. Thus, they able to neuter parts of the Bible that stand in the way of their cleverly crafted, but false teaching. Practictioners of this roguish form of interpretation, replace clear scriptural truth and revelation with whatever cultural context fits their presupposed ideology.
That being said, let’s examine why this methodology is so fraught with error.
1. It removes real or apparent contradictions between scripture and personal ideology.
By using the parallel that gay christians are the new gentiles, Challew immediately posits a false supposition. Then using her brand of replacement allegory, she does away with the very obvious contradictions to said premise. Challew blames the problem on “those with more conservative beliefs are in an uproar because the church is including those with new ideas…which they deem sinful and unnatural.”
But the church has always went through the processes of examining “those with new ideas” so that’s nothing new. In fact, Jesus commended the the church at Ephesus (Rev 2:1-3) for doing just that:
To the angel of the church of Ephesus write, ‘These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands: I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary.
Our emphasis.
When any new doctrine is introduced to the church it must be tested —not against culture, science or popularity— but against the canon of scripture. If it does not find a place in the Word of God, we are commanded to reject it and rebuke those who have introduced it.
A major hurdle facing Challew’s false teaching comes from Acts 15. Because of a dispute arising from some Jews’ attempt to force new gentile converts to be circumcised as a prequisite for salvation, the apostles met in Jerusalem to resolve the matter. The outcome of that historic meeting set forth two clear standards for the gentiles. (a) they were to abstain from all forms of sexual immorality and (b) they were to abstain from idolatry, blood and strangled foods. If they did this, the Apostlic council said, they would do well.
Now, if the council commanded the gentiles to abstain (do not engage in) from sexual immorality, how then can Challew magically give her “new gentiles” the freedom to engage in sexual immorality? Simple: nip, tuck and wave away the definition of sexual immorality by blaming on “conservative uproar.” But as is clearly seen in Acts 15, the source of the restictions come from the founding Apostolic fathers of the church! And one to which the gentile converts received and obeyed.
Secondly, although Challew paraphrases the Acts complaint against the gentiles, she refuses to use the response to the complaint by Paul and the rest of the Apostles at the council. Instead she drops any pretense that scripture is nothing more than advantageous notation when one wants to prove one’s point. That’s why Challew uses Romans 10:11-13 to answer the complaint. But even with that, she willfully alters the text to fit her predetermined belief!
“The scripture says, ‘No one who believes in him shall be put to shame,’ For there is no distinction between gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and straight; the same Lord is the Lord of all and bestows his riches upon all who call upon her. For, ‘everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.’” -Romans 10:11-13, slightly revised.
Her emphasis.
Slightly revised? Is that what a Christian does when the scripture doesn’t say what you want it to say? You just write in whatever words you want!?
Challew, tops off her allegorical revisioning with a gushing tribute to apostates like the “courageous” gay Bishop Vicky Gene Robinson while again casting blame on those who oppose their false teachings. Discord and shism in the church, according to Romans 16:17, is not caused by the apologists in the church, but rather by those who reject sound doctrine.
