Male and Female God Created Them: A Biblical Review of LGBTQ+ Claims

by Rubel Shelly

Rubel Shelly has given us a gift. In a time when a growing number of authors are working to rewrite biblical truths to suit the cultural moment, Shelly has written a thoroughly researched work directly addressing what Scripture says, and doesn't say, about LGBTQ issues. What many readers will find most refreshing is that the author expertly combines the meticulousness of a scholar with a pastor's heart. The contentious issues of our day demand that we take seriously the need to engage with a balance of both grace and truth. That balance is on full display in this book.
-Dr. Chad Ragsdale
Executive Vice President of Academics
Professor of New Testament and Hermeneutics
Ozark Christian College

This rich and robust work upholds the sexual ethic that has marked Christian faith overwhelmingly for two thousand years. It is both scholarly and pastoral, with more than fifty years of pastoral ministry behind it. A particularly important feature is the three chapters surveying recent historical work on same-sex behavior in the Greco-Roman world. This evidence counters the frequent claim that the biblical texts prohibiting homosexuality are referring to abusive and exploitative behavior and that biblical writers did not know of—and thus did not condemn—committed and loving relationships. This book will challenge and enlighten all who read it with an open mind.
-Dr. Leonard Allen
Dean of the College of Bible and Ministry
Lipscomb University

RUBEL SHELLY, educated at Harding School of Theology (MA, MTh) and Vanderbilt University (MA, PhD), has spent his adult life in both academic settings and local church ministry. He is the author of several books, including I Just Want to Be a Christian, Marriage & A Redemptive Theology, and I Knew Jesus Before He Was a Christian.

Endorsements AdcoxDr. Leonard AllenJames D. Dvorak, PhDDr. Joshua GravesJohn Mark HicksRon HighfieldDr. Jerry Jones, ThDMark LanierDr. Mark E. MooreRonnie NormanMatt ProctorDr. Chad RagsdaleBob RussellChris SeidmanMatthew Sleeth, MD

568 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 22, 2023

About the author

Dr. Rubel Shelly is an author, minister, and professor Lipscomb University. He is the former president of Rochester College.

Shelly began as an instructor in the department of Religion and Philosophy at Freed-Hardeman University in 1975. In 1978, Shelly began preaching as Senior Minister for the Family of God at Woodmont Hills, formerly known as the Woodmont Hills Church of Christ, in Nashville, Tennessee where he continued until 2005. While preaching at Woodmont Hills, he also taught at Lipscomb University, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, and Tennessee State University. From 1979 to 1980 while he worked to complete his graduate work at Vanderbilt University, he served as a graduate assistant in the Department of Philosophy. From 1981 to 1983, he was an Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Lipscomb University. In 1986, while continuing his education at Vanderbilt University, he taught as an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine (Medical Ethics) until 1988. From 2000 to 2004, he was an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Tennessee State University.

When he stepped down from the pulpit in 2005, he began teaching again as a Professor of Philosophy and Religion at Rochester College, in Rochester Hills, Michigan. He was named the President of Rochester College in May 2009. He also currently serves as a co-minister for the Bristol Road Church of Christ in Flint, Michigan. In late 2012, Shelly announced that he would be stepping from his role as President at Rochester College by September 2013.

He is known primarily as a preacher. Shelly has been involved in debates and academic lectures on Christian apologetics, ethics, and medical ethics. Shelly has also served with such groups as the AIDS Education Committee of the American Red Cross.

He is the author or co-author of more than 30 books, including several which have been translated into languages such as Korean, Japanese, Portuguese, French, and Russian. He has published widely in religious journals.

Reviews

[Christopher Hutson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Shelly covers a lot of ground and assembles piles of historical data (largely culled from secondary sources). He makes about as formidable a case as can be made for the tradition of heteronormative marriage that is essentially about procreation. But it is disappointing that a scholar with a PhD in philosophy should dismiss postmodern philosophy with a sneer and fall back into modernist/positivist readings of history. And, despite his sincere inclination toward pastoral sensitivity, he dismisses all deviations from a cis-gender, heterosexuality as matters of sickness or brainwashing. Because he fails to grasp postmodern insights into reading ancient texts, and because he refuses to acknowledge the real lives of LGBTQ+ people, his arguments are likely to be convincing only to those who already agree with his position.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Excellent Book On A Timely Subject

A close friend told me about this book, so I decided to read it. I do not agree with Rubel Shelley on some Bible subjects. But he did an excellent job in his treatment of the scriptures that address same sex intercourse. He makes an excellent point that for 3500 years the Biblical prohibitions against same sex intercourse have been consistently interpreted by Jewish and Christian scholars. Surely, in that time, prophets, apostles, or Jesus would have corrected the way the prohibitions were being taught if those scholars were mistaken. Is it reasonable to believe that only in the last few years Bible scholars have discovered something in the Scriptures that thousands of scholars have missed for 3500 years? Shelley makes a good point about what a Christian's attitude should be toward those who experience same sex attraction, that rather than being hateful, demeaning, and dismissive, we should love them and help and encourage them to live by God's word just as we do a single heterosexual trying to live according to God's word. This book is an excellent resource for anyone interested in investigating what the Bible says about same sex relationships.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rubel Shelly's "Male and Female God Created Them" is a must read for anyone wrestling through a biblical sexual ethic. Shelly dives deep into the claims of the progressive community and demonstrates why their claims come up wanting. Shelly is at his best as a scholar, collecting the best scholarship from biblical scholars and clearly presenting it. The book is methodical and comprehensive, leaving no stone unturned. It deserves a thorough read from any pastor or anyone wrestling through these topics.

My only critique of Shelly's book would be that the beginning is the weakest part of the book. Shelly is clearly a charitable man, but he is a scholar, not a pastor--I understand why he begins with a more pastoral entry, but it is much less effective than those written by Sam Allberry or Wesley Hill. In addition, while I appreciated the comprehensive nature of the book, I think a more popular version of this volume at half the size would have a much greater impact.

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[John Majors · Rating 5 out of 5]

a very thorough resource

[Rocky Woolery · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good look at what the Bible says about same sex relationships, along with a fair treatment of evidence about how the world of the NT time viewed sex and sexuality.