REVOICE SBTS DEVELOPMENT -AND ERLC ANDREW WALKER COLLABORATIONS
The movement behind the controversial pro LGBTQ+ Flourishing Revoice Conference continues to reveal its roots within The Gospel Coalitions collaborations and youthful “brain trust” educated in both Southern Baptist and conservative PCA seminaries. The SBC just affirmed the usefulness of Critical Race Theory and intersectionality at it’s 2019 annual meeting weeks ago in Birmingham . Now the hard reality that these two vices of progressive social sciences have been in high gear and were used to launch the Revoice “LGBT+ Christian ” movement at TGC affiliated institutions is opened to public view.
NATE COLLINS DISSERTATION FROM SOUTHERN BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY OF TGC/SBC LEADER ALBERT MOHLER
TGC and SBTS leader Albert Mohler has tried desperately to hide the obvious – that his Seminary educated Nate Collins . Now the hard facts : Collins dissertation tells the story of the SBTS use and engagement of Critical Theory and Intersectionality in educating activist like the Revoice founder and even allowing them to teach at the Southern Baptist flagship seminary -long celebrated as an anchor of conservatism and the trophy of the SBC Resurgence . Nate Collins birthed the Revoice movement via social sciences, critical theory and intersectionality developed at SBTS. Using both his skills and topic of study at SBTS Collins is seeking to establish room for a “Secondary Gender Identity” in New Testament context .
“Copyright © 2017 Nathan Charles Collins
All rights reserved. The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary has permission to
reproduce and disseminate this document in any form by any means for purposes chosen by the Seminary, including, without limitation, preservation or instruction.”
“Virgin” as Secondary Gender Identity in 1 Corinthians 7 and Its Jewish and Greco-Roman Background”
SBTS description of Collins Dissertation
Abstract
https://repository.sbts.edu/handle/10392/5716
SBTS APPROVAL
Three SBTS professors mentored Collins work on his dissertation .
Thomas R. Schreiner (Chair)
__________________________________________
Jarvis J. Williams
__________________________________________
Gregg R. Allison
Chapters
1. GENDER AND NEW TESTAMENT STUDIES: A BRIEF
HISTORICAL SURVEY..
2. FEMINISM AND CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY
3. SECONDARY GENDER IDENTITIES
4. ΠΑΡΘΕΝΟΣ IN THE JEWISH AND GRECO-ROMAN
BACKGROUND LITERATURE OF THE NEW TESTAMENT
5. SECONDARY GENDER IDENTITIES AND THE PROBLEM AT CORINTH
6. CONCLUSION
Critical Theory looks to be a shared area of expertise with at least on of Collins SBTS faculty mentors Jarvis Williams a SBTS 4 time Alumnus who joined the faculty in 2013
Quotes from William H. Smith | Thursday, March 30, 2017
“It is not inference or implication that “Critical Race Theory” strongly influences the thinking of Dr. Willams and Mr. Tisby. One can draw a straight line from “Critical Race Theory” to the way these men look at race, culture, politics, society, and the particular form of society that is the church. It is impossible to miss the reality that when they speak about racial reconciliation within the church they are borrowing the language of “Critical Race Theory.”
“So, if you are still reading, after all that introductory material, here is the concern I want to raise. Mr. Jemar Tisby is a Special Assistant to the Chancellor at Reformed Theological Seminary. Dr. Jarvis Williams is an Associate Professor of New Testament at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Both are greatly influenced by “Critical Race Theory,” are applying it to their understanding of the dynamics evangelical churches, and are using it to tell the evangelical churches what is required for “racial reconciliation.”
EXCERPTS FROM REVOICE FOUNDERS SBTS DISSERTATION
We will only look at few but the entire document is archived at SBTS and other websites for public view if a reader needs further convincing that SBTS and TGC are at the epicenter of this movement .
Excerpts
Preface
” Drs. Schreiner, Williams, and Allison, have
all been selfless with their time, particularly in the past few years as this project gained
steam. All three have encouraged me at various points when I needed extra motivation to finish, but Dr. Schreiner in particular has been the best doctoral supervisor I could ever imagine.”
Chapter One -Speaking of Oprah Winfrey “opted in favor of her racial identity and decided to endorse Obama over Clinton.”
“Scholars in the fields of feminism, womanism, and contemporary gender
theory refer to this crisscross-identity phenomenon as “intersectionality,” a term coined
by critical race theorist and legal scholar Kimberle Crenshaw.
1 According to Crenshaw, intersectionality refers to the compounded marginalization that black women experience due to intersecting forms of discrimination against them as a result of their gender and racial identities. Intersectional feminism and womanism both draw attention to structural inequalities in society that perpetuate the continuation of these compounded axes of discrimination.”
Collins – more on the growing focus on Social Identity and Gender , Sexual Orientation and Theology :
“Five years later, a different event illustrates another intersection of social
identity and gender. On October 11, 2013, the Gender Relations Center at the University
of Notre Dame celebrated the 25th annual National Coming Out Day in a manner both
novel and straightforward. After constructing makeshift wooden doorways in various
places around the campus, they invited students to publicly embrace whatever particular identity was important to them as they stepped through the threshold of the doorway.”
“The Gender Relations Center website said “individuals [could] ‘come out’ as anything –
a business major, a country music fan, a lover of bad horror movies,” and urged students
to “join us… as we celebrate the endless variety of identities that make each and every
one of us unique.”2
“Debates concerning the morality of same-gender sexual behavior aside, what
sense are we to make of celebrations like National Coming Out Day? When individuals
participate in this event, what is the meaning of the identity statements that they are
making? Do they regard their sexual orientation as a constituent part of their gender
identity in particular, or is it simply one piece of the pie that represents the entirety of
their self-identity? Or does sexual orientation constitute a ‘given’ (perhaps similar to
race?) that can index an intersectional identity (of sorts?) within individual gender
identities? Although scholars in the fields of theology and biblical studies have explored
gender-related topics for several decades now, not many of these studies reflect on questions about the ontology of gender or its theological meaning.”
The Thesis : For the “approach ” to Gender “a broadly applicable etic framework that can be flexibly applied in a variety of communities of practice..”
” …This dissertation will argue the thesis that the Greek
word παρθένος functions as a label that indexes a secondary gender identity in Paul’s
discussion of virgins in 1 Corinthians 7. The meaning of most of the elements in this
thesis is transparent enough, but the phrase secondary gender identity requires an initial
definition. In this dissertation, I will distinguish between primary gender identity and
secondary gender identity. ‘Primary gender identity’ is binary, and reflects the original
divine intent to create male persons (“men”) and female persons (“women”). ‘Secondary
gender identity,’ on the other hand, is non-binary and is the result of the pluriform effects of the enculturation of gender within human society. For now, we will operate with the following working definition in mind: a secondary gender identity is a gendered sub-identity that forms around a socially meaningful category (1) that is itself gendered in
some way by the surrounding culture and (2) that is indexed by a linguistic label.
Demonstrating this thesis will provide a degree of clarity about issues related
to the ontology of gender itself, while sidestepping the related topic of gender roles and
the cultural landmines clustered around it. It will also illustrate the significance of the
sex/gender distinction within Christian theology in ways that are less than apparent to
secular forms of gender theory. And finally, it will yield a broadly applicable etic
framework that can be flexibly applied in a variety of communities of practice and the
texts they produce, including ancient texts like 1 Corinthians 7.”
COLLINS FEMINIST SOURCES
One example of sources sited for this historical background for Collins SBTS dissertation is “Elizabeth Ann Clark is Professor Emeritus of the John Carlisle Kilgo Professorship of Religion at Duke University She is notable for her work in the field of Patristics Clark expanded the study of early Christianity, pioneering the application of modern theories such as feminist theory ,social network theory , and literary criticism to ancient sources.” https://gendersexualityfeminist.duke.edu/people/elizabeth-clark
QUEER THEORIST
“Judith Butler is by many accounts regarded as a pioneering post-structural
feminist and queer theorist, although other French philosophers had already begun
applying the principles of post-structuralist philosophy to the question of gender by the
time she published her groundbreaking work Gender Trouble. The two most important
ideas most often associated with her are her attempt to destabilize the category of ‘sex’
and her definition of ‘gender’ according to the rubric of performativity. According to
Butler, the popular distinction between ‘sex’ (a biological classification) and ‘gender’ (a
sociocultural category) is meaningless because we have no recourse to the meaning of
sexed bodies apart from the social significance of gender differences. Our social
understanding of gender predetermines the shape of our understanding of sexual
difference.1”
https://vcresearch.berkeley.edu/faculty/judith-butler
From Butlers Berkeley bio
“Sexology and the New Medical Science
The first essentialist explanations of gender in the modern era accompanied the
emergence of sexology as an established scientific discipline. And among these first
essentialists, the work of Havelock Ellis, a physician who had been strongly influenced
by anthropology, looms large. In 1913, Ellis published his seven-volume Studies in the
Psychology of Sex, which cemented his position as a trailblazer within the new field and
fueled a conceptual revolution in popular opinion on gender and sexuality.5
Of all the intellectual contributions Ellis made to the field of sexology, perhaps
the most significant among them for our purposes here was his practice of interpreting
human sexuality through the lens of then-common anthropological conclusions regarding courtship in the animal world. In essence, Ellis believed that animal courtship rituals could play a central role in organizing beliefs and practices regarding human gender and sexuality.6 According to this theory, man is a hunter by nature who pursues and conquers woman, his ‘prey.’ Masculinity is therefore defined with reference to demonstrations of power, while femininity is associated with modesty, or an “instinctive fear.”7 According to Ellis,”
“Force is the foundation of virility, and its psychic manifestation is courage. In the
struggle for life, violence is the first virtue. The modesty of women – in its
primordial form consisting of physical resistance, active or passive, to the assaults
of the male – aided selection by putting to the test man’s most important quality,
force.8”
MARXIST FEMINIST
Collins touches on some history of differing types of feminism and on Marxist Feminist and their anti family and anti capitalist ideologies and efforts at “social change”
“Anti-capitalist movements. In some ways, the anti-capitalist impulse in some
forms of feminism is a development of the liberal agenda.29 Patriarchy is still the
problem, but Marxist and socialist feminists examine the relationship of patriarchy
specifically with respect to class systems. This expansion of patriarchy into the realm of a
society’s economy is a form of symbolic patriarchy, or “a social structure or community
within which power is dispersed among the male subjects.”30 Indeed, feminists initially
found in anti-capitalist theories a conceptual framework that simultaneously explained
both how patriarchy oppressed women, as well as what they could do to bring about
social change.”
“The early Marxist feminist Margaret Benston was among the first to point out
that families in capitalist economies were primarily “production units” for housework and child-rearing, and not merely passive consumption units.31 By restricting the labor of women to the domestic realm, the capitalist class of men—together with patriarchal
socialist men!—are able to benefit both from the supply of free labor they represent, as
well as from the production of new workers to fuel the capitalist economic vision. ”
JUMPING TO THE CONCLUSION
The entire 234 page document is available at the links provided. This writer made efforts to engage Nate Collins about his SBTS writings and to discuss his “conclusions” about Biblical gender given his research in the area of gender and feminine theory. Collins refused to discuss these topics or any others related to Revoice and SBTS and the controversies surrounding the LGBT+ “Thriving ” movement .
Here are Collins hopes for the movement in his own words in the conclusion of the dissertation .
“CONCLUSION”
“Overview
We began with a survey of feminist and contemporary gender theory in order
to discern the kinds of answers that theorists have provided to the question, “What is
gender identity?” We observed that responses to this question followed several
discernable patterns, and that each of them might inform a Christian doctrine of gender
that began from a supernatural framework.”
“We then turned our attention to gender theories that tackled the thorny problem
of secondary particularity among members of the same gender. We discovered that the
problem that secondary gender particularity posed to a theological anthropology of
gender might be mitigated by incorporating insights from social identity and self-categorization theory. The resulting theoretical framework is capable of supporting both a firm commitment to a gender binary that reflects the divine creative intent, but that is sufficiently responsive to a wide variety of contextual factors that further categorize men and women along myriad types of culturally salient axes of gender difference.”
REVOICING “POSSIBILITY MODELS “
“Possibilities for Further Development”
“If this project succeeds, it would seem to open up a wide vista of possibilities
for further development and expansion. The marriage of contemporary gender theory and the social identity approach seems ripe for additional development. Accounts of gender that begin from a critical realist epistemology would, in particular, benefit from the incorporation of social scientific frameworks that have been the subject of empirical
research for literally decades.”
“Accounts of gender identity and gender difference within theological
anthropology can also benefit from the primary/secondary gender identity framework
proposed in this project. These accounts might find this framework to be a useful
184 heuristic in conceptualizing the relationship between first- and second-order gender
differences and their theological implications. This might provide fresh avenues for the
development of the Christian doctrine of gender, particularly because it signals a retreat
(if only temporarily) from divisive debates about the regulative function of biblical
teaching about gender roles.”
REMEMBER -THREE SBTS PROFESSORS MENTORED AND SIGNED OFF ON OPENING THESE DOORS TO REVOICING LGBT IN THE CHURCH.
“The tentative conclusions of this study can be further tested and perhaps
expanded in the field of biblical studies. This study focused on texts written in Greek, but
scholars might engage in similar studies of texts written in other languages, such as
Hebrew, Aramaic, or Latin. Furthermore, scholars might explore other axes of difference
in addition to marriageability in order to uncover other kinds of secondary gender
identities that were in use in antiquity.”
“Finally, we can discern within our own twenty-first-century context examples
of second-order gender particularity that are both culturally meaningful theologically
significant. In some cases, these examples of second-order particularity function as axes
of difference along which modern-day secondary gender identities can be indexed by
linguistic labels currently in use in communities of practice.”
TGC AND COLLINS DIRECT TIES
Nate Collins was writing for The Gospel Coalition in 2014 while at SBTS
“If I Tell You I’m Gay Will You Still Love Me”
Nate Collins is the executive director of Aligned Grace Resources a ministry he founded with his father to equip churches to minister the grace and truth of the gospel to people affected by same-sex attraction. Nate and his wife, Sara, live with their two sons in Louisville, Kentucky, where he is pursuing a PhD in New Testament at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
TGC’S SAM ALLBERRY AND NATE COLLINS
In 2013 Collins reviewed TGC editor/ Gay Anglican Priest Sam Allberry ( whose Living Out ministry endorsed Revoice )
Is God Anti-Gay?
From the first few pages, it’s clear the greatest strength of the book is its simple readability. Despite the complexity of the subject matter, Allberry, associate pastor of St. Mary’s Church in Maidenhead, England, distills the most important points of his discussion into five short chapters. Together with an autobiographical introduction and conclusion, these chapters provide a wise way forward for Christians to be a faithful and compassionate witness to the gospel in our society. What truly makes this book remarkable are the aforementioned autobiographical elements Allberry scatters throughout the book. Allberry is a young Christian pastor who experiences same-sex attraction (SSA) and is committed to a biblical vision for sexuality. The introduction, conclusion, and various other autobiographical anecdotes within the book provide a glimpse into the soul of a godly gospel minister for whom homosexuality is a deeply personal issue. In the end, Allberry gives us a coherent account of SSA that resonates both with the clear teaching of Scripture and also with our collective experience as members of a fallen humanity.”
“The shape of Allberry’s discussion is simple. Before addressing homosexuality specifically, he spends an entire chapter describing a biblical understanding of marriage and sex. Then he provides a brief overview of the various texts throughout Scripture that directly address homosexual behavior. Finally, in the last three chapters, Allberry takes a look at the issue of SSA itself from three perspectives: the individual Christian who experiences SSA; the church at large and its ministry to people with SSA; and the world, where Christians are called to be a compelling witness to those outside the church with SSA.”
“In the chapter on homosexuality and the Bible, Allberry surprises the reader at the outset with a clear warning: “What the Bible says about homosexuality does not represent everything God wants to say to homosexual people” (23). It can be hard to understand or explain SSA in light of the gospel because we sometimes take a “Strong’s concordance” approach to ethics, assuming the most relevant texts are the ones that directly mention the issue we’re trying to explain. However, Allberry’s warning reminds us that, particularly when talking to gay people, it’s often best to assume they already know what we believe about their sexuality.”
“Although the first two chapters are helpful in their own right, the final three represent the real meat of the book. A foundation by itself—without walls, a ceiling, or furniture—doesn’t qualify as a home. Likewise, sound doctrinal foundations with a sound, biblical sexual ethic are fundamental to an accurate understanding of the challenge of homosexuality. And yet, if our response fails to incorporate concrete examples of gospel grace and truth, then there’s little truly Christian about it.”
Gospel-Centered Response
“Allberry’s examination of homosexuality can be described as gospel-centered because the gospel is always a third-party dialogue partner in his discussion.”
“For people who struggle with SSA, the issue of gender identity is an enormous source of anxiety. The existential heart-cry deep within the soul of these individuals is, “What kind of a man (or woman) am I if I experience same-sex attraction?” The temptation to provide a creaturely answer to this question in the form of a culturally derived gender identity (such as “gay” or “lesbian”) can be strong. Yet Allberry rightfully insists we stick to the truths of the gospel when attempting to navigate the murky waters of gender identity.”
“Besides the broader issue of gender identity, Allberry describes how the gospel addresses other specific sources of confusion and anxiety that often plague those who experience SSA. For example, many Christians who experience SSA will remain single for the rest of their lives. Allberry helpfully reminds us that both marriage and also singleness point to our relationship with Jesus Christ, and that neither is a more blessed state than the other. As he writes, “Union with Christ forever is what the earthly states of both marriage and singleness actually point to” (74).”
“Allberry also addresses the tendency to equate “change” with orientation change. On this point, he helpfully cautions: “I believe change is possible, but a complete change of sexual orientation is never promised in the Bible” (46). In this way, Allberry notes, SSA is similar to other besetting sins Christians face. For some, SSA may be a serious but temporary temptation; for others, however, it will be a lifelong struggle. In both scenarios, we must remember our God is gracious and merciful.”
“Perhaps the most valuable chapter of the book is the one on the church’s response. The advice here is worth the price of the book. Allberry covers topics like what to do when a gay couple visits your church, as well as specific and practical suggestions that pastors and church leaders would do well to implement as they seek to be proactive in supporting saints in their congregations with SSA.”
Title Choice
“The only aspect of Is God Anti-Gay? that may actually end up confusing some people is the title itself. To be fair, at the end of his conclusion, Allberry does provide a direct (though brief) answer to the question posed by the title. But even if he hadn’t, it’s not completely far-fetched to suggest the entire book provides a compelling framework to answer this question accurately.”
“At the same time, we should probably also recognize we live in a society where the church is routinely accused of being hateful toward gays. In a recent book by David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons titled unChristian, they claim that as many as 80 percent of young people (ages 16 to 29) within the church use “anti-homosexual” to describe Christianity. If this is true, then the question “Is God anti-gay?” deserves a direct, full-on response.”
Collins own book was written while he was teaching at Albert Mohler’s SBTS
RUSSELL MOORE /ERLC GENDER EXPERT ANDREW WALKER WORKS WITH REVOICE LEADER
ERLC’s Andrew Walker and Revoice leader Matthew Lee Anderson collaborate with TGC as recently as April 2019
Matthew Lee Anderson is a postdoctoral fellow at Baylor University’s Institute for Studies of Religion and the founder of Mere Orthodoxy
Andrew Walker is a regular contributor to Anderson’s “Mere Orthodoxy” blog
https://mereorthodoxy.com/author/atwclw/
Michael Wear
Founder of Public Square Strategies; Author, Reclaiming Hope: Lessons Learned in the Obama White House About the Future of Faith in America
Wear’s presentation
General Discussion Session: Understanding Changing Attitudes Towards Religious Freedom
- Moderator: Elizabeth A. Clark, Associate Director, International Center for Law and Religion Studies, J. Reuben Clark Law School, Brigham Young University; Program Chair, Religious Freedom Annual Review
- Chelsea Langston Bombino, Director, Sacred Sector, Center for Public Justice
- Daniel Cox, Research Fellow, American Enterprise Institute
- Alexander Heffner, Host, PBS’s The Open Mind
- Asma Uddin, Fellow, Initiative on Security and Religious Freedom, UCLA Burkle Center for International Relations
- Michael Wear, Founder of Public Square Strategies
SEEKING COMMON GROUND IN “CONVERSATIONS WORTH HAVING “
The church is being told by these young activist writing for TGC/ ERLC / Mere Christianity/ Christianity Today and a host of other outlets that we should be seeking common ground for the common good as we pursue what Collins/ Walker / Anderson and others insist are “conversations worth having “. As far as finding the common ground that exist with Revoice LGBTQ+ flourishing movement in this case- it is clear the “common ground ” is the campus at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and the domain of Albert Mohler.
As far as assessing if these “Conversations ” are worth having with the likes of Mormon , Islamic , and LGBTQ+ activist to revoice religious freedom or to place gender/ marriage/ family and sexuality in the blender of social change powered by the theories of leftist and liberal /progressive social sciences – we must consider the conversations that took place in the gates of Sodom of which Abraham’s nephew Lot took part daily. God did not see them as “worth having ” nor did HE send angels into Sodom to seek out common ground between heaven and the “Cities of the plain”. God simply put a stop to it all in one clear assessment from His Throne. Jesus warned us in three powerful words (not much of a conversation )to “Remember Lots Wife “Luke 17:32 . Peter warned us what living on the Common Ground with the homosexual (Queer ,Collins and Revoice preferred word ) culture can do to a man with a Godly heritage and to his family .
2 Peter 2:
6 “and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly; 7 and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked 8 (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)— 9 then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment,”
SOUTHERN BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY AND OTHER TGC INFLUENCED INSTITUTIONS ARE GONE
The sinking reality about Revoice for Biblical Conservative Churches and movements is that the effort is driven by activist trained in our own institutions – by our own trusted leaders and in the most fringe of the social sciences aimed at societal change focused like a laser beam on the household of faith . Collins work with Mark Yarhouse- the Revoice godfather/thought leader with ministries like LOVEboldly prove that little or no real distinction is made between side A ( fully LGBTQ+ affirming ) and Side B (Gay but celibate as Revoice asserts) . LOVEboldly is also working with their Devoted Conference to target youth leaders and youth groups to bypass senior staff and parents with the Revoice message.
2 Timothy 3
Perilous Times and Perilous Men
3 But know this, that in the last days [a]perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, [b]unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! 6 For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, 7 always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 8 Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith; 9 but they will progress no further, for their folly will be manifest to all, as theirs also was.