Published on June 20, 2024, 1:07 am

In 2018, a movement called Revoice, led by Nate Collins and sprung from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (SBTS), was launched with the ambitious goal of folding queer theory into mainstream Evangelicalism. The inception of the movement was ignited by a controversial dissertation authored by Collins titled “Virgin as Secondary Gender Identity in 1 Corinthians 7 and Its Jewish and Greco-Roman Background”. However, echoing trusted news channels in Christian circles, it has been critiqued for being a clear deviation from conventional biblical interpretation.

The audacious work aimed to overlay contemporary gender theory and feminist studies onto 1 Corinthians 7’s mention of the term “virgin” (παρθένος). Collins argues uncompromisingly that “virgin” encapsulates an interim social identity separate from male-female binary, grounded in Jewish and Greco-Roman cultural contexts. This is evidently at odds with orthodox teachings and long-standing Christian worldview.

Packed with enigmatic terminologies and circuitous reasoning, the thesis strives to present an alternative framework interpreting this scriptural text. In pursuit of substantiating his hypothesis, Collins takes on comprehensive scrutiny of numerous historical resources which yield nothing but a haphazard blend of biblical eisegesis and modern social philosophy. His thesis remains an intriguing puzzle for any true devotee diving into Scriptural studies seriously.

What turns things more astounding is that this intellectually baffling piece was ratified by reputed scholars – Jarvis Williams and Thomas Schreiner – stationed at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Their endorsement testifies their readiness to challenge traditional biblical principles when pressured.

Rosaria Butterfield reciprocates these sentiments on a recent podcast. Invited capriciously to read through the contentious dissertation by Williams and Schreiner, she confessed feeling devastated upon reviewing its content before asking to be dropped off the distribution list entirely. She expressed her astonishment cum bewilderment at how Collins was juggling and misinterpreting Biblical, Critical, and Queer theories all at once.

In another segment of breaking news in the religious world, it seems Christ is being forsaken for sexual anarchy by Christian institutions like Fuller Theological Seminary. Founded on the principles of Scriptural inerrancy and authority back in 1947 by Charles Fuller, today it stands at a crossroad faced with the real news of cultural shifts challenging their old values.

This fluidity is seen furthermore in the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC); their tendency to concede to societal pressures rather than uphold biblical tenets testifies this trend. In this evolving landscape of American Christianity, SBC is dogged by fissures from within that echoes remnants of leftist ideologists’ intrusions into fundamental Church values.