BJUnity

Matthew Vines, author of God and the Gay Christian

For too long, it seems the conversation between LGBT+ folks and conservative Christians in Upstate South Carolina has been more of a shouting match than a dialogue. BJUnity seeks to change that dynamic by presenting a ground-breaking new discussion about gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans*, queer, questioning and intersex Christians in the Church. Hint: there are a lot of LGBT+ Christians in upstate South Carolina.

In March of 2012, Matthew Vines, a Harvard student from a conservative Christian home in Kansas, took social media by storm when his YouTube video of a speech he gave at a Wichita church went viral. Since that time, Matthew’s video has been viewed more than 800,000 times and has been featured in The New York Times and The Christian Post.

Matthew’s love for Jesus Christ, his careful approach to the Bible, and his gentle nature have won him admiration and respect from friends and critics alike.  I am honored to count him among my friends and pleased to announce that Matthew will be our featured speaker at BJUnity’s first public event in Greenville, SC on Monday, March 23, 2015 at 7:00 pm (doors open at 6:30) in the Hughes Main Library’s meeting room of the Greenville County Library System in downtown Greenville. 

Last year, Matthew published his book God and the Gay Christian: The Biblical Case in Support of Same-Sex Relationships, and he will join a panel of local LGBT+ and straight Christians from Greenville’s conservative Christian community to discuss the book. Regardless of your theological viewpoints and personal feelings about this sensitive and controversial topic, Matthew Vines offers a rational and Bible-centered perspective. Please come prepared to hear this committed Christian author make the Biblical case for lgbt+ inclusion in the church.

Matthew’s book is available in your local bookshop and also from online retailers. We will not have copies for sale at the book discussion per library rules, so we suggest making your purchase in advance. Space is limited, so we ask you to make your intention to attend this discussion known to us in advance by using this RSVP link to our eventbrite event page. Please note that we will be maintaining a spirit of respectful dialogue throughout the evening and we will ask all of our guests to do the same.

We’ll be announcing the members of our panel of local Christians shortly, so please stay tuned. I look forward to welcoming you to the public library on March 23, 2015.

Jeffrey Hoffman
executive director
BJUnity

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