Jeff Miner and The Children Are Free (a book review about Christianity and homosexuality)

The Children Are Free: Re-Examining the Biblical Evidence on Same-Sex Relationships by Jeff Miner

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The Supreme Court's recent decision to pave the way for the 'legalization' of gay marriage may seem counter intuitive yet still right to many. Hopefully, it will lead you to reexamine the hateful and misinformed religious and cultural prejudices that were taught to generations of church goers. It may be difficult to admit for some, but the progressives got this one right. Jeff Miner and others were way ahead of the curve here.

After a close reading of this relatively short treatise that biblically justifies homosexual love (not wanton lust), anyone with a discerning mind has to agree that the bible does not condemn it. In fact, if you're willing to acquiesce to Miner's brilliant debunking of what he calls the 'clobber' passages that misguided haters use to shame homosexuals (and logic dictates that you must after a careful and objective reading), one might even say that gay people hold a special place in God's kingdom. Although not officially sanctioned by Jesus as reported in Matthew 19:4-6, ironically, what Christ said turns the tables on heterosexuals as he clearly states that anyone who divorces and remarries commits adultery. However, there is no vigilant policing and public shaming by the hate mongers on this point. It's called 'cherry picking' Scripture to suit our sinful natures and a lot of people do it. This is where the gay community often takes the high road and ignores heterosexual hypocrisy, probably because they are so busy still fighting for their rights and most likely (and unfortunately) will be for years to come, because just as the 14th Amendment to the Constitution did not immediately free slaves in deed but only in word and law, so it seems to be with SCOTUS' decision this year green lighting gay marriage in all fifty states.

What is truly fascinating about Miner's apology (and I use the word in a rhetorical sense) is his explanation of why Jesus used the phrase 'born eunuch' in Matthew 19:9-12 where he is reported as saying:

And I say unto you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immortality, and marries another, commits adultery. The disciples [then] said to him, "If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry." But he said to them, "Not everyone can receive this saying, but only those to whom it is given. For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let the one who is able to receive this receive it." --English Standard Version

As Miner explains, in Jesus' times to say that someone was 'born a eunuch' was akin to calling them a hairdresser from San Francisco--you highly suspect the man of being gay and for obvious reasons. Now some men were made eunuchs, or castrated, in order to protect harems or serve as loyal and trusted officers in an earthly kingdom, and others, like the apostle Paul (and Jesus himself) forswore marriage for the sake of their ministries. And, pray tell, how is one 'born a eunuch' unless Christ was referring to a boy being born without testicles which seems highly unlikely. So, plainly speaking, some people are indeed born gay. It is not a choice. Jesus knew not everyone could accept this but how far society has come from that to downright hate and persecution is evil and criminal. Yet this fact remains: Christ speaks very strictly and reverently about the lifelong love between a man and a woman (never using the word 'marriage') and then in the same breath explains homosexual behavior without condemnation. As the Master often did, he covered all bases of human sexuality concisely and straightforwardly yet still his words were misconstrued.

Miner brilliantly deconstructs the 'clobber passages' that many use in the name of religion to an intelligent reader's satisfaction (Leviticus 18:22, 20:13, Romans 1:21-28; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, 1 Timothy 1:10) as only a Harvard educated lawyer and theologian can, yet millions of people still rely upon these few passages to brandish hate and shame with a vengeance, ignoring hundreds of passages that clearly deal with heterosexual relationships.

If anything, read this book for the debunking of the clobber passages because, without them, the misinformed haters don't have a leg to stand on. But this book falls short because Miner tries too hard to exegetically reinterpret Koine Greek terms that have forever lost their meaning in the cultural dustbins of the distant past. Without going into too much detail, Miner uses the example of someone in the future reading the word 'lady-killer' from today and applying it literally without understanding it's true meaning. And speaking of ladies, The Children Are Free also expertly analyzes beautiful, heart warming stories of lesbian love, such as the story of Esther in the Old Testament, that further supports the truth and the way to a fuller understanding of agape love-- God's unconditional love for all.

But the author stretches word meaning possibilities at some point in the book, however, as anyone with a linguistic background can see, so it distracts from the solid premise of his main argument as the apostle Paul so succinctly said: "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death."--Romans 8:1-2.

Maranatha.
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