The nation first met Matthew Vines when his speech about reconciling his identities as a gay man and dedicated Christian went viral. His new book, "God and the Gay Christian: The Biblical Case in Support of Same-Sex Relationships" is on sale as of today.
"I want the Christian church to be an effective, authentic witness of God’s love to the world,” explained Matthew. “That’s what most Christians want, too.”
"Unique in its affirmation of both an orthodox faith and sexual diversity, God and the Gay Christian is likely to spark heated debate, sincere soul searching, even widespread cultural change," reads the book's description on Amazon. "Not only is it a compelling interpretation of key biblical texts about same-sex relations, it is also the story of a young man navigating relationships with his family, his hometown church, and the Christian church at large as he expresses what it means to be a faithful gay Christian."
Indeed, his book has been on sale for less than a day, and has already sparked outrage from notorious anti-LGBT pundits, like Matt Barber of the Liberty Counsel.
In his early twenties, this scholar of religion and founder of The Reformation Project has already accomplished more than most have at his age. The Kansas native told The Wichita Eagle, “My message isn’t that change is inevitable, because it’s not. My message is that change is possible. I think it’s only really possible with the right biblical approach to arguments. That’s what the book is all about. But once you have that," Matthew added, "it’s going to take a tremendous amount of persistence and effort and determination and grit for years to make that happen. But I’m convinced that it’s possible.”
Earlier today, Matthew held a Q&A webcast through Convergent Books, his book's Christian publisher. You can watch it right here: