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Gay is OK!: A Christian Perspective
Is it right for Christians to condemn homosexuality? Is it possible to be gay and Christian? Is gay Christian an oxymoron?
In this book, Gay Is OK!: A Christian Perspective, the author as a Christian theologian and a pastor provides a concise and yet profound analysis, as well as alternative scriptural interpretations of historical criticism of the story of Sodom in Genesis 19, Leviticus 18:22; 20:13, Romans 1:26-27, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, and 1 Timothy 1:9-10.
According to the author, these are the biblical verses, which have been wrongly employed and misused by many Christians to condemn gays and lesbians, and argues forcefully that gay is ok and that Christian churches should embrace LGBT people.
The major objective of this book is to look at what the biblical authors were really rejecting by scrutinizing the historical contexts in which the biblical texts were written. The author also believes in the separation of religion and state, he argues for it in the first part of this book and asserts that even if Christianity were to condemn homosexuality, no one, including Christians, should make any laws to discriminate against gay people due to religious reasons.
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Review by Joseph N. Goh:
Ngeo Boon Lin unsettled preconceptions of how religion and sexuality are related to each other when he publicly came out in 2006 as a gay Christian pastor. In 2012, Ngeo and his male partner held a wedding banquet in Malaysia as a means to elevate gay visibility amidst objections from several Christian and Muslim conservatives. Ngeo, who is better known as the Rev. O. Young among Chinese-speaking communities, holds a doctorate in theology from Boston University. He currently teaches and works in New York. “Gay is OK! A Christian Perspective” (Gerakbudaya, 2013) is an effort on Ngeo’s part to discuss sensitive issues of homosexuality and religiosity within a Christian framework in Malaysia. Working primarily from an apologetic angle, Ngeo cites specific Malaysian events to “refute the belief that Christians should oppose homosexuality” (p. 11-12).
“Gay is OK!” covers two major parts. Part One comprises 25 short, unnumbered essays that were originally published on the Malaysiakini online news portal between September 2010 and February 2011. These are brief pieces that deal with sociological and religious issues on homosexuality, and draw in part from Ngeo’s own personal experiences. Part Two is made up of 10 lengthier essays that deal with scriptural passages that ostensibly appear to endorse the exclusivity of heterosexuality, as well passages that are commonly used against homosexual persons. These essays originally appeared in “God loves Gay People,” an anthology that was produced in 2010 for internal circulation among LGBT Christians. The book ends with a decent array of bibliographic and internet resources for those who are interested to explore issues of homosexuality and gender variance with greater depth. As Ngeo’s decision to publish this book comes from a desire to provide an affirming and progressive Christian perspective on homosexuality that is reader-friendly, the book avoids being academically dense.
In Part One, Ngeo declares that he respects views which hold homosexuality as a sin, but he rejects both an imposition of religious views on others and an overarching condemnation of homosexual persons as immoral. He repeatedly insists that his sexual orientation is not a choice, and recounts how the failed attempts of a heterosexual marriage became a catalyst for greater reflexivity as a gay man. Reparative therapy, as such, is futile. Ngeo also interrogates the idea of “nature” in terms of morality, and argues for the repeal of sections 377A and 377B in the Malaysian Penal Code as remnants of colonial Christian beliefs. Laws with religious undertones ought not to bear on Malaysia as a “secular nation” (p. 19), particularly as they are implemented unevenly in different cases. For Ngeo, the condemnation of homosexual couplings as incapable of progeny is shaky logic as not all heterosexual couples can procreate. Ngeo posits heterosexism as the misplaced superiority of heterosexuality, an attitude that has driven many homosexual Malaysians away from their homeland.
Ngeo advocates learning from past mistakes in relation to homosexuality and parallels “right thinking” (p. 29) with rationality. He cautions against the insidiousness of silence that continues to oppress homosexual persons, and proposes that transformative agency on the part of homosexual persons is possible as seen in the overthrowing of old miscegenation laws. A number of his essays discuss homosexuality in relation to social justice and human rights, and lament the lack of protection that homosexual persons suffer. Ngeo warns against the dangers of religious fundamentalism and literalism, as “no literal reading of the Bible can support” the condemnation of homosexuality (p. 45). ...
In this book, Gay Is OK!: A Christian Perspective, the author as a Christian theologian and a pastor provides a concise and yet profound analysis, as well as alternative scriptural interpretations of historical criticism of the story of Sodom in Genesis 19, Leviticus 18:22; 20:13, Romans 1:26-27, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, and 1 Timothy 1:9-10.
According to the author, these are the biblical verses, which have been wrongly employed and misused by many Christians to condemn gays and lesbians, and argues forcefully that gay is ok and that Christian churches should embrace LGBT people.
The major objective of this book is to look at what the biblical authors were really rejecting by scrutinizing the historical contexts in which the biblical texts were written. The author also believes in the separation of religion and state, he argues for it in the first part of this book and asserts that even if Christianity were to condemn homosexuality, no one, including Christians, should make any laws to discriminate against gay people due to religious reasons.
____________________________________________
Review by Joseph N. Goh:
Ngeo Boon Lin unsettled preconceptions of how religion and sexuality are related to each other when he publicly came out in 2006 as a gay Christian pastor. In 2012, Ngeo and his male partner held a wedding banquet in Malaysia as a means to elevate gay visibility amidst objections from several Christian and Muslim conservatives. Ngeo, who is better known as the Rev. O. Young among Chinese-speaking communities, holds a doctorate in theology from Boston University. He currently teaches and works in New York. “Gay is OK! A Christian Perspective” (Gerakbudaya, 2013) is an effort on Ngeo’s part to discuss sensitive issues of homosexuality and religiosity within a Christian framework in Malaysia. Working primarily from an apologetic angle, Ngeo cites specific Malaysian events to “refute the belief that Christians should oppose homosexuality” (p. 11-12).
“Gay is OK!” covers two major parts. Part One comprises 25 short, unnumbered essays that were originally published on the Malaysiakini online news portal between September 2010 and February 2011. These are brief pieces that deal with sociological and religious issues on homosexuality, and draw in part from Ngeo’s own personal experiences. Part Two is made up of 10 lengthier essays that deal with scriptural passages that ostensibly appear to endorse the exclusivity of heterosexuality, as well passages that are commonly used against homosexual persons. These essays originally appeared in “God loves Gay People,” an anthology that was produced in 2010 for internal circulation among LGBT Christians. The book ends with a decent array of bibliographic and internet resources for those who are interested to explore issues of homosexuality and gender variance with greater depth. As Ngeo’s decision to publish this book comes from a desire to provide an affirming and progressive Christian perspective on homosexuality that is reader-friendly, the book avoids being academically dense.
In Part One, Ngeo declares that he respects views which hold homosexuality as a sin, but he rejects both an imposition of religious views on others and an overarching condemnation of homosexual persons as immoral. He repeatedly insists that his sexual orientation is not a choice, and recounts how the failed attempts of a heterosexual marriage became a catalyst for greater reflexivity as a gay man. Reparative therapy, as such, is futile. Ngeo also interrogates the idea of “nature” in terms of morality, and argues for the repeal of sections 377A and 377B in the Malaysian Penal Code as remnants of colonial Christian beliefs. Laws with religious undertones ought not to bear on Malaysia as a “secular nation” (p. 19), particularly as they are implemented unevenly in different cases. For Ngeo, the condemnation of homosexual couplings as incapable of progeny is shaky logic as not all heterosexual couples can procreate. Ngeo posits heterosexism as the misplaced superiority of heterosexuality, an attitude that has driven many homosexual Malaysians away from their homeland.
Ngeo advocates learning from past mistakes in relation to homosexuality and parallels “right thinking” (p. 29) with rationality. He cautions against the insidiousness of silence that continues to oppress homosexual persons, and proposes that transformative agency on the part of homosexual persons is possible as seen in the overthrowing of old miscegenation laws. A number of his essays discuss homosexuality in relation to social justice and human rights, and lament the lack of protection that homosexual persons suffer. Ngeo warns against the dangers of religious fundamentalism and literalism, as “no literal reading of the Bible can support” the condemnation of homosexuality (p. 45). ...
225 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
2 people are currently reading
27 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 14, 2018
Full review is available at https://toohappytoread.wordpress.com/...
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"The fact that you are a human being entitles you to human rights and, therefore, the fact that you are as sexual being entitles you to sexual rights. Whether someone else of society or the state recognises this is a different matter. The first thing you have to know you have them before you can claim them...And the key principle of sexual rights is being responsible for their own bodies - having autonomy. This is the true form of democracy. By giving them the right, you also teach them to be responsible. If they make a mistake, there are consequences." -a remark by Pang Khee Teik, the organising chairperson of the community gathering, Seksualitas Merdeka.
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For centuries, homosexuality has been a controversial topic which leads to pros and conts. In this book, Rev. Dr. Ngeo Boon Lin offers the readers to see homosexuality from different views which is Christian perspectives and his perspective as a homosexual pastor. He later provides some personal and scientific arguments related to it by providing some bible verse in the old and new testaments and its interpretation. This book may seem so bias to the heterosexual men as it is written from a gay perspective but it still gives the readers some enlightement on the LGBTIQ and its relation to Christianity.
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The book “Gay is OK! A Christian Perspective” written by Dr. Lin is available at Gerak Budaya Jogja Bookstore for IDR 36,000 (-+ 3 bucks). Check their Instagram at @gerakbudayajogja for the availability.
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#ngeoboonlin
#gayisok
#bookstagram #bookhoarder #booksofinstagram #bookreview #bookonphotography #reading #read #queer #lgbtq #lgbtiq #nonfiction #letsread #reading #bookshelves #books #bookshelf #literarianlife #homosexual #lesbian #gay #queer #transexual #intersex
.
.
"The fact that you are a human being entitles you to human rights and, therefore, the fact that you are as sexual being entitles you to sexual rights. Whether someone else of society or the state recognises this is a different matter. The first thing you have to know you have them before you can claim them...And the key principle of sexual rights is being responsible for their own bodies - having autonomy. This is the true form of democracy. By giving them the right, you also teach them to be responsible. If they make a mistake, there are consequences." -a remark by Pang Khee Teik, the organising chairperson of the community gathering, Seksualitas Merdeka.
.
.
For centuries, homosexuality has been a controversial topic which leads to pros and conts. In this book, Rev. Dr. Ngeo Boon Lin offers the readers to see homosexuality from different views which is Christian perspectives and his perspective as a homosexual pastor. He later provides some personal and scientific arguments related to it by providing some bible verse in the old and new testaments and its interpretation. This book may seem so bias to the heterosexual men as it is written from a gay perspective but it still gives the readers some enlightement on the LGBTIQ and its relation to Christianity.
.
.
The book “Gay is OK! A Christian Perspective” written by Dr. Lin is available at Gerak Budaya Jogja Bookstore for IDR 36,000 (-+ 3 bucks). Check their Instagram at @gerakbudayajogja for the availability.
.
.
#ngeoboonlin
#gayisok
#bookstagram #bookhoarder #booksofinstagram #bookreview #bookonphotography #reading #read #queer #lgbtq #lgbtiq #nonfiction #letsread #reading #bookshelves #books #bookshelf #literarianlife #homosexual #lesbian #gay #queer #transexual #intersex
August 8, 2020
This book is poorly written. I thought the author is going to put bible perspectives regarding homosexuality but he did not. He merely accused conservative christians as "extreme" "fundamentalists" and how we should accept lgbt, like how we accept heterosexuality as normal. Lgbt is not normal and it will never be normal. What do you want in life, author? Such a shame to claim yourself as "pastor" when all you do is whine and complaining as to WhY pPl diD nOt aCcePt LgbT?????
Not worth it. Argument is weak. Solely based on your "rasa rasa" as to how the world should be. The world does not revolve around you and your community. You guys are the minority so just live your life as it is and dont shove your belief and tried to justify it using religion bcs every religion prohibits homosexuality and that's a period!
Not worth it. Argument is weak. Solely based on your "rasa rasa" as to how the world should be. The world does not revolve around you and your community. You guys are the minority so just live your life as it is and dont shove your belief and tried to justify it using religion bcs every religion prohibits homosexuality and that's a period!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews