About me
Hello. My name is Dave Earp. I am an ordained minister in the Church of the Nazarene who is looking for a better way to respond to the lgbt community then some of what I have seen so far. This way should include mutual respect, compassion, and reconciliation. I was (am) following a call into ministry when God laid this on my heart. My ministry is pastoral, and missional, NOT adversarial.
I am a Christian, married with three children. My theology is Wesleyan/Armenian. Wesleyans are not Bible literalists but instead employ scripture, tradition, reason, and experience also known as the Wesleyan Quadrilateral. For those who are curious about my denomination’s Articles of Faith you can click here. If you are curious about how God called me into this ministry and my personal views on this click here. For some history on the Church of the Nazarene click here. The various links under the about me tab provide contact information and other information that you may find helpful.
Other websites of mine ..
I did a survey at a Pridefest event several years ago. That survey and its results can be found here.
I also have a website that goes into great detail regarding interpretation and lgbt questions including a section on gender variance. That website is called Interpretation LGBT and can be found here.
I believe that...
For a closer look at holiness click here.
I am a Christian, married with three children. My theology is Wesleyan/Armenian. Wesleyans are not Bible literalists but instead employ scripture, tradition, reason, and experience also known as the Wesleyan Quadrilateral. For those who are curious about my denomination’s Articles of Faith you can click here. If you are curious about how God called me into this ministry and my personal views on this click here. For some history on the Church of the Nazarene click here. The various links under the about me tab provide contact information and other information that you may find helpful.
Other websites of mine ..
I did a survey at a Pridefest event several years ago. That survey and its results can be found here.
I also have a website that goes into great detail regarding interpretation and lgbt questions including a section on gender variance. That website is called Interpretation LGBT and can be found here.
I believe that...
- God desires to have a relationship with every human being.
- We are separated from God by something we Christians call sin.
- Another way to say this is that all of us have fallen short of what God desires / requires of us.
- Jesus Christ is God's answer to the separation problem.
- Through believing and trusting in Jesus (with repenting / turning from the ways we have fallen short), the separation / sin problem is resolved because of what Jesus has done for us.
- Through believing in Jesus Christ we have a relationship with God and are adopted into God's family.
- We come to Jesus Christ as we are and He accepts us as we are.
- All who come to faith in Christ must also grow in Christ.
- How we grow in Christ and the agenda for that growth is in the hands of God.
- God alone is judge (not us) and each of us will one day stand before Him.
For a closer look at holiness click here.
Denominational Disclaimer
I believe that what I have written on this website is within the boundaries of the theology and beliefs of my denomination. However, homosexuality is a very complex topic with varied viewpoints. Since this is the case, it should be understood that the views expressed by myself and other Christians on this website and in our blog and / or forums (if we have them) may not necessarily reflect the official position of my / their respective denominations. Additionally, when / if I reference various web resources it should not be assumed to be an endorsement of the entirety of that resource. If you are curious about my denomination's statement on homosexuality. You can click here for a summary view and further links.
I believe that what I have written on this website is within the boundaries of the theology and beliefs of my denomination. However, homosexuality is a very complex topic with varied viewpoints. Since this is the case, it should be understood that the views expressed by myself and other Christians on this website and in our blog and / or forums (if we have them) may not necessarily reflect the official position of my / their respective denominations. Additionally, when / if I reference various web resources it should not be assumed to be an endorsement of the entirety of that resource. If you are curious about my denomination's statement on homosexuality. You can click here for a summary view and further links.