This week I received an email from “Jake,” who kindly attached Mel White’s essay, What the Bible Says. Mel’s essay attempts to rebuke the most common Biblical arguments used by conservative Christians to condemn homosexuals. I have never found Mel’s arguments terribly convincing, especially his explanation of Romans 1. If you want a more compelling argument of why Romans 1 cannot be used to condemn homosexuals, go to the work of Catholic theologian James Allison. It was only when I began reading the Bible as the narrative of God and of God’s people, putting aside the fundamentalist view that every word of the Bible is the Word of God and is therefore inerrant, that I was able to work through the cognitive dissonance that I had been living with as a gay Christian from a holiness Christian tradition. (William on January 20, 2008 in this ex-gay watch discussion brilliantly describes cognitive dissonance in the context of homosexuality and fundamentalist Christianity.)Brian McLaren’s writings and along with Bruxy Cavey’s The End of Religion would also be excellent places for any Christian whose experiences are forcing them to re-examine their faith.