James Miller | Lifeology® - Finding Truth: Guest | Ray Boltz

Ray Boltz is a singer-songwriter who came to notoriety through contemporary Christian music (CCM). His music tells stories of faith and inspiration. Over his 30-year career, Ray has been the recipient of multiple Dove Awards from the Gospel Music Association for songs such as “Thank You,” “The Anchor Holds,” and “I Pledge Allegiance to the Lamb.” Ray’s music has continued to inspire deep faith in his listeners. In this episode, Ray shares his story of how battled with his truth and fully embracing who he is. His story will inspire you and support you in finding your truth.
After a great deal of prayer and with the support of his family, Ray publicly announced his sexual orientation in an interview with The Washington Blade. His revelation shocked the Christian community. He received thousands of emails and messages from people who were hurt and angered by his announcement. Most of these messages listed Biblical passages assuring him that he was “bound for hell”. But Ray responded by writing gay-affirming songs like “I Will Choose To Love,” “God Knows I Tried,” “Who Would Jesus Love,” and “Don’t Tell Me Who to Love.”
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I have read many comments here saying Ray is wrong.
As the interviewer, this is the only comment I will make.
It's also important to look at the era in which homosexuality was first discussed in Leviticus. The Torah (the first 5 books of the Bible) does not say anything about two men not being able to love each other in a romantic way.
The Israelites were subjugated and dominated by the Egyptians. The Egyptians were known for raping (including men) and pillaging those they conquered. It makes sense that the Bible would state that men should not "lie with another man." Have you (general you, not anyone in particular) personally studied the Hebrew text to read the denotation of what that phrase means? Does "lie" mean a consensual act of love or does it mean rape, or is it a blanket word/phrase that has been interrupted to mean what was en vogue when the Bible was translated to English? Remember, the word Homosexual was not introduced into the English language until 1895.
People also forget to look at the current events that happened when the Bible was written. If men are being raped you'd write about that. If people are creating altars of gold, then you write about it. If people think they are going to be destroyed by giants, you write about it. There are so many wonderful lessons in the Bible that are applicable for today, and tomorrow and days to come.
From my last count, there are 101 English versions of the Bible. Not all will use the same phraseology and connote a different nuisance depending on how it is read.
I am a Christian and am not in any way minimizing the Bible. I do, however, ask people to read more about the context, syntax, and etiology behind each lesson as opposed to reading a translation and saying that it must be factual. I always ask myself when I am teaching something, "James, do you know this truth for yourself, or is this based on what others have said?" That's a good rule of thumb for all of us.