[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$fSwxEW7FDVXK_kAggDKMZ7mGpZzEFO0e0WZy4lsnswH0":3,"$fPUjjVFIzuuTTgFPbEWgWFqnjUqoKZ4GVZoOj0-haMYc":12},{"author":4,"tags":11},{"author_id":5,"author_name":6,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"bio":9,"short_bio":9,"slug":10,"image_url":9},25513,"Matthew Vines","M",6,null,"matthew-vines",[],{"quotes":13,"pagination":124},[14,38,54,73,94,105],{"id":15,"quote_text":16,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":19,"source":20,"quote_tag":21,"commentary":37},736400,"In marriage, we're called to reflect God's love for us through our self-giving love for our spouse. God's love for us isn't dependent on our day-to-day feelings toward him, on how hard we work to please him, or even on how faithful we are to him. It's grounded in his nature and his covenant.",2,false,{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[22,27,32],{"id":23,"tag":24},3555380,{"id":25,"tag_name":26},85,"faith",{"id":28,"tag":29},3555381,{"id":30,"tag_name":31},95,"marriage",{"id":33,"tag":34},3555379,{"id":35,"tag_name":36},20173,"covenant","**The Backstory**\n\nMatthew Vines, an American author and speaker, first presented his insights on faith, love, and identity in a 2012 TEDx Talk titled \"The Gay Debate.\" He later expanded on these ideas in his book \"God and the Gay Christian: The Biblical Case in Support of Same-Sex Relationships.\" At that time, Vines was grappling with his own Christian identity amidst societal pressure to choose between his faith and his sexual orientation.\n\n**The Hidden Insight**\n\nVines' quote highlights a counter-intuitive truth about love and relationship dynamics. Unlike what many people might expect, God's love for us isn't conditional on our feelings or actions towards him; rather, it's rooted in his own nature and covenantal promises. This means that even when we're struggling to love or feel close to God, he remains steadfastly committed to loving and caring for us.\n\n**How to Use This**\n\nIn applying this insight today, consider how you approach your relationships with others. Instead of waiting until you \"feel\" like showing love or kindness, try embodying self-giving love as a choice - just as God's love is an unchanging choice towards humanity. By doing so, you can become more resilient in the face of relational challenges and cultivate deeper connections with those around you.",{"id":39,"quote_text":40,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":41,"source":42,"quote_tag":43,"commentary":9},652134,"Christians throughout history have affirmed that lifelong celibacy is a spiritual gift and calling, not a path that should be forced upon someone.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[44,49],{"id":45,"tag":46},3327527,{"id":47,"tag_name":48},1085,"christianity",{"id":50,"tag":51},3327526,{"id":52,"tag_name":53},6411,"celibacy",{"id":55,"quote_text":56,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":57,"source":58,"quote_tag":59,"commentary":9},590223,"Homosexuality, to the limited extent it was discussed in our church, was little more than a political football, a quick test of orthodoxy.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[60,65,68],{"id":61,"tag":62},3126950,{"id":63,"tag_name":64},615,"politics",{"id":66,"tag":67},3126948,{"id":47,"tag_name":48},{"id":69,"tag":70},3126949,{"id":71,"tag_name":72},3782,"homosexuality",{"id":74,"quote_text":75,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":76,"source":77,"quote_tag":78,"commentary":9},128244,"The law was good, Paul wrote, and its purpose vital. But its purpose was also temporary. Once Christ fulfilled the law, his followers would have trivialized his sacrifice by living as though they were still subject to the law's constraints.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[79,84,89],{"id":80,"tag":81},846133,{"id":82,"tag_name":83},91,"jesus",{"id":85,"tag":86},846134,{"id":87,"tag_name":88},1341,"law",{"id":90,"tag":91},846135,{"id":92,"tag_name":93},15703,"scripture",{"id":95,"quote_text":96,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":97,"source":98,"quote_tag":99,"commentary":9},125788,"The failure of reorientation therapy is why the \"ex-gay\" ministry Exodus International shut down in 2013. It places gay Christians who adhere to the traditional biblical interpretation in an agonizing, irresolvable tension. In order to truly flee from sin as well as the temptation to sin, they must constantly attempt what has proven impossible: to reconstitute themselves so they are no longer sexual beings at all.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[100],{"id":101,"tag":102},833832,{"id":103,"tag_name":104},108,"sexuality",{"id":106,"quote_text":107,"author_id":5,"source_id":17,"has_image":18,"author":108,"source":109,"quote_tag":110,"commentary":9},117982,"Neither Peter in his work to include Gentiles in the church nor the abolitionists in their campaign against slavery argued that their experience should take precedence over Scripture. But they both made the case that their experience should cause Christians to reconsider long-held interpretations of Scripture. Today, we are still responsible for testing our beliefs in light of their outcomes—a duty in line with Jesus's teaching about trees and their fruit.",{"id":5,"author_name":6,"slug":10,"author_name_first_letter":7,"article_count":8,"image_url":9},{},[111,116,121],{"id":112,"tag":113},790741,{"id":114,"tag_name":115},46,"experience",{"id":117,"tag":118},790742,{"id":119,"tag_name":120},10027,"interpretation",{"id":122,"tag":123},790743,{"id":92,"tag_name":93},{"currentPage":125,"totalPages":125,"totalItems":8,"itemsPerPage":126},1,10]