Alex, is a graduate of Westminster Theological Seminary and a lecturer, teacher and blogger with a focus on the intersection of faith and LGBTQ identities. He has spoken and taught at numerous New York City churches and other venues including Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church, Christ Church United Methodist, Trinity Baptist Church.
In addition to the talks listed below, Alex developed and teaches from a 13-week course on Old Testament messianic prophecies that were fulfilled at the first coming of Christ. Alex believes Old Testament messianic prophecy and New Testament fulfillment is one of the most compelling evidences of the Christian faith. Each of the 13 classes in the series focuses on a specific line of Old Testament messianic prophecy. Among the classes are: (1) Prophecies of his Ancestry, (2) Prophecies of his Pre-Existence, (3) Prophecies of his Birth, (4) Prophecies of his Ministry, (5) Prophecies of his Dual Nature, (6) Prophecies of his Death, (7) Prophecies of his Resurrection, and more. Each examines the respective Old Testament predictions and demonstrates how and where each finds their ultimate fulfillment in Christ in the New Testament.
Special Talks:
♦ The How to Talk About the Bible and Same-Sex Relationships with Traditionally-Minded Friends and Family
Homosexuality is debated with great rancor today because of the deep-seated and earnest belief on the part of many that the Bible condemns it. While many are sincere in their beliefs, the problem with sincerity is that we can be sincerely wrong. No progress can be made on this issue until we know for sure whether those convinced that the Bible condemns homosexuality have interpreted the Bible correctly. Attendees of this class will:
- Enter the biblical world and discover what the so called “clobber passages” are addressing in their own time and place.
- Learn the two scientific and common-sense rules by which opinions about any biblical passage are tested by objective means.
- See why the traditional interpretation of these texts does not survive scrutiny.
- Understand why these passages have been so misapplied and misinterpreted.
- Discover that we arrive at this position not by dismissing Scripture but rather by a deeper and more careful reading of it.
- Attain a more informed way to talk about this topic with others.
♦ On Being Jewish, Christian and Gay: One Man’s Faith Journey as an Act of Worship and Spiritual Discovery
Alex talks about his personal background and journey. He shares how he discovered that Jesus is the Jewish Messiah and how his Jewish background shaped his perspective and understanding of the Gospel. Alex also shares tells how he ultimately integrated his Christian faith with his sexuality: from being taught that to be gay and Christian was a contradiction in terms, to his tenure as a leader of an ex-gay ministry — during which time he was profiled and gave his testimony as an ex-gay on The 700 Club — to ultimately concluding that the ex-gay route was a biblically unsound mirage, a specious illusion that deceitfully draws people not to a life-giving oasis but to a deeper and deeper spiritual desert. Alex also discusses how the integration of his Christian faith, Jewish roots and sexuality deepened his desire to know how to responsibly interpret the Bible and led to his degree from Westminster Theological Seminary.
♦ Introduction to Messianic Prophecies
OT messianic prophecy and NT fulfillment is one of the most compelling evidences of the Christian faith. This talk is drawn from Alex’s 13-week series on OT messianic prophecies that were fulfilled at the first coming of Christ. Alex covers what messianic prophecies are, how they developed over time and history through “progressive revelation” and gradually moved toward the great Incarnation when the dream and hope of all the prophets were realized. He discusses the Jewish expectation of a Messiah and demonstrates through the Bible how the Jews of Jesus’ day were waiting expectantly for this special Redeemer the Hebrew prophets had spoken about. Alex also sheds light on why, if all these prophecies were so readily available, did so many Jews of Jesus’ day not recognize him when he came and why Christ continues to be rejected as Messiah by many Jewish people even today.
♦ The Conflict of Isaiah 53
The Hebrew Scriptures paint a two-fold picture of the promised Messiah who would one day set foot onto the stage of human history. While many prophecies portray him as a conquering king who will set up the messianic kingdom of peace and prosperity, others depict him as a suffering servant who will suffer humiliation, physical harm and finally a violent death. In this talk, Alex explores this paradox which is most clearly illustrated in Isaiah 53, the passage regarded as the most important of all messianic prophecies. Few prophets are as detailed in their predictions about the coming Messiah as Isaiah. In fact, the book of Isaiah is so rich in prophecy it has been called the Mt. Everest of prophetic literature. If the book of Isaiah is Mt. Everest, then surely the 53rd chapter is the summit. This talk was developed to help the Church better understand her rich Jewish roots and to help other Jewish people understand Jesus as their Jewish Messiah.
On Being Jewish, Christian and Gay 