By Robert Dilday
The publisher of a book which has drawn strong criticism from Southern Baptist and other evangelical leaders for its view of homosexuality has resigned from one of the nation’s largest association of Christian communicators.
WaterBrook Multnomah, a division of Random House Books, withdrew its membership in the National Religious Broadcasters sometime in the past week, the Christian Post reported.
One of WaterBrook Multnomah’s imprints, Convergent Books, released God and the Gay Christian: The Biblical Case in Support of Same-Sex Relationships in April. The book and its author, Matthew Vines, drew quick criticism from conservative Christians, including Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, who described it as an attempt to “overthrow two millennia of Christian moral wisdom and biblical understanding.”
Though few details about the publisher’s decision to leave the NRB have been made public, WaterBrook president Stephen Cobb told the Post, “These conversations with NRB have been characterized by one senior official at NRB as ‘professional and Christ-honoring.’ I couldn’t agree more.”
He said providing additional details would be a “breach of mutual respect” and declined further comment.
Vines, an openly gay Christian speaker and activist, left Harvard after two years to devote study to what the Bible says about homosexuality. The result was his book, which he says is an attempt to correct traditional biblical interpretations of the issue.