Ray Boltz: "I don't believe God hates me anymore"

Ray Boltz: “I don’t believe God hates me anymore”

Posted on May 25, 2010
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(92) comments

Remember Ray Boltz? It's been nearly seven years since Ray 'came out of the closet' and took a hiatus from Christian Music...

But now Boltz is back with a new album, and a new belief. And a call for Christians to not discriminate against homosexuals.

Here is one of the lyrics to a song called "Who Would Jesus Love?"

Would He only love the ones
Who looked the same as me
Would He only offer hope
When He saw similarity
Would He leave the others waiting
Like a stranger at the gate
Would He discriminate.

Or, part of the lyrics of his song "Don't Tell Me Who To Love"

Don't tell me who to love,
Don't tell me who to kiss,
Don't tell me that there's something wrong,
Because I feel like this.

Maybe you're in love today and you've been making wedding plans
But there is someone in your way shouting things cause they don't understand
The judge says that's not legal, the preacher calls it a sin
Oh you just remember they were wrong before and they're wrong again

On his transformation, Boltz says: "I don’t believe God hates me anymore...I always thought if people knew the true me, they’d be disgusted, and that included God. But for all the doubts, there’s this new belief that God accepts me and created me, and there’s peace.”

Make no doubt about it... how the church responds to the issue of homosexuality will be one of the major issues in the church over the next decade.

What do you think? You can read more on Boltz in a New York Times article written recently here...

Todd

(PS -- I was never a big Ray Boltz fan. Ever. But take a short listen to the song linked above. Let's just say, the music itself would not make me a fan, ever. Not one of Boltz's best songs, gay or not gay.)

Comments

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Rick Frueh on Tue, May 25, 2010

For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

12Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;

13Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.

14If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.

15If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

* So it is possible that a man can be saved and yet not have Godly works. Of course it is possible a man is not saved and yet have works that seem Godly. Only God will know, however, no one gets eternal life through obedience. It is all of grace through faith.
fishon on Tue, May 25, 2010

Rick Frueh on Tue, May 25, 2010

* So it is possible that a man can be saved and yet not have Godly works.
—————-So do think it possible for a man to be saved but continually be a drunk? I am serious. Are you telling me I can go back and be a drunk as I was in the past?

Or maybe I will get the old, “You probably weren’t saved in the first place,” thing. Well, that can’t be because of you saying: * So it is possible that a man can be saved and yet not have Godly works.
Rick Frueh on Wed, May 26, 2010

Does your son have to remain sober to continue being your son? You are teaching a works salvation which makes the grace of God an earned reward.
Peter Hamm on Wed, May 26, 2010

Rick,

Can someone have a living saving faith without works? Hint: Read the book of James first.

This is off-topic though.
Samuel Sutter on Wed, May 26, 2010

I clicked on the link and thought I got RickRolled…

Debate on homosexuality aside, i think we can all agree that this is musically awful. It’s like a sober David Hasselhoff meets Rick Astley… seriously, this is really horrible.
Brandon on Wed, May 26, 2010

@Brian L.

Thank you for your kind words. I believe that we can agree to disagree on scripture. That concept is lost in western culture, but fully embraced, even today, in eastern culture.

I would challenge your point on what ‘scripture clearly defines as sin’.

To me, it’s not as clear as we would like it to be. People do not like freedom. The Israelites didn’t like it in the wilderness. They wanted to go back to their system of do’s and don’ts because that clearly defines boundaries. But like Paul said, everything is permissible, meaning we can do all things, but it’s not all profitable.

I wrestle with this issue of freedom because I want to know what I can and can’t do. And if I’m honest with myself, it’s usually because at that point, I have a measure by which to compare myself to others.

That’s not freedom, though. It’s bondage.
fishon on Wed, May 26, 2010

Rick Frueh on Wed, May 26, 2010
Does your son have to remain sober to continue being your son? You are teaching a works salvation which makes the grace of God an earned reward.
————First of all, Rick, you did NOT answer my questions.
I will assume as your answer as a question suggests that you would are saying, “Yes, a man can remain a drunk and still be saved.” Because if it depends on him stopping from being a drunk to receive Jesus as Lord and Savior it is works salvation. You intimate that he does NOT have to overcome his drunkedness to become a follower of Christ. Ok, let’s go with that.

So sin being sin, drunk or liar, etc, I expect you to be consistent in your thinking.

So, Rick, do think it possible for a man to be saved but continually being a rapist? I am serious.————I await your answer.

Well, maybe I have it just by changing a couple words in your answer about another sin, drunkedness.

YOU Said: Does your son have to remain sober {not a rapper} to continue being your son?
You are teaching a works salvation which makes the grace of God an earned reward.
———-So by what you wrote in reply to me, I am left with the only answer I hear from you————a rapper can remain a rapper and still be saved.——————-that is, if you are consistent with what you told me.
Q. on Wed, May 26, 2010

I too appreciate your candor and value talking peaceably (which again, is not too common). Thank you for your willingness to share from your perspective.
Rick Frueh on Wed, May 26, 2010

Yes, a man can commit any sin and still be saved (except the unpardonable sin). And a man can do works of righteousness and still be lost. Grace is grace and is untethered by acts of sin or acts of righteousness.
Rick Frueh on Wed, May 26, 2010

It is right toconfront Boltz’s contention that living a gay lifestyle is approved by God. It is right to identify homosexual behavior as sin. But it is wrong to say unequivicably that he or anyone esle cannot be saved while committing sin since that would include all of us.

Grace does not activate when sin is forsaken, and in fact no one forsakes all of his sin. Grace is activated by faith alone which only God knows. So how much sin can still be committed and still be saved? A believer should strive for personal sanctification, however many believers backslide and get caught up in the culture.

Nationalism, hedonism, divorce, lust, greed, debt, and a long line of sins are conspicuous within the western culture which the church by and large commits and sometimes embraces.
fishon on Wed, May 26, 2010

Rick Frueh on Wed, May 26, 2010
Yes, a man can commit any sin and still be saved (except the unpardonable sin). And a man can do works of righteousness and still be lost. Grace is grace and is untethered by acts of sin or acts of righteousness.
—————Well, Rick, if I understand you right, man can become saved but continue to be a murderer————must be if he can continue to rape and be a drunk.

All I can say is————-You have changed the grace of our God into a license for immorality [Jude 4].
Brandon on Wed, May 26, 2010

@fishon

stone-throwers, in the John story, were the religious folk who favored law over grace.

To be fair to scripture, that story wasn�t included in the original. It was added later. Not sure that takes away from the essence of the story, but there ya go.
Brandon on Wed, May 26, 2010

@Jim B.

I don�t think it�s a false premise to believe God created homosexuals in this manner.

If someone is inherently nurturing, why do we attribute that to God? If someone inherently loves, why is that attributed to God? And then if someone is something that we don�t agree with, well, God didn�t create them that way. It�s perverted, fallen humanity. They can change. The logic doesn�t quite flow.

God does love us just as we are. And it�s HE that works in us to change us as he sees fit. Not according to some kind of law, but according to his will.

Your second �false premise� is problematic. If homosexuals are encouraged to change, then we should equally encourage heterosexuals to change. After all, how we are born, in total depravity to sin, is bad.

This argument doesn�t add up to me. Not in the least.

Because your experience has been that people can change who they are, doesn�t mean that�s empirical certainty. It means, that�s been your experience and in no way is compelling evidence to the contrary.

I am friends with many, many queers and they�ve gone through, probably, similar �healings� of their �desires, as you put it. Not one of them lasted.

But when they embraced you they are, both spiritual and personal healing came.

While I appreciate your pedigree, it doesn�t effect my experience and how I�ve seen God move and work in my friends lives.

As to Ray�s family: It�s tragic, I�m absolutely sure. Having not experienced this exact situation in my life and marriage, I can�t imagine what they�ve all been through. But him maintaining this lie would have been much more damning to both he and his family had he not acknowledged this truth. The family has choices on how they handle this confession.

I suppose it�s much easier to speak about the ideas of grace, mercy, compassion, forgiveness and reconciliation. Employing those qualities is something entirely different.

I reverently maintain my position.
fishon on Wed, May 26, 2010

Brandon on Wed, May 26, 2010
@fishon

stone-throwers, in the John story, were the religious folk who favored law over grace.

To be fair to scripture, that story wasn�t included in the original. It was added later. Not sure that takes away from the essence of the story, but there ya go.
————I do NOT know what you are talking about. I did NOT reference the story you are talking about
Brandon on Wed, May 26, 2010

@Geo. Brown

I don�t think the issue is obedience to truth. Rather, to which interpretation of truth we�re obedient. And maybe even more, if we truly believe the spirit is active in the leading of God�s people, how can we judge that the Spirit isn�t leading a person into truth.

Personally, I don�t need your revelation of truth to be my revelation of truth. Granted, there may be many points that are similar, but I�m quite confident the spirit leads me. Acknowledging that I make mistakes, I still firmly believe the spirit leads me.