About UnClobber®
The early followers of Jesus seemed to always be playing catchup.
The point of the Kingdom was that "everybody is in." The guest list for seats at God's Table was constantly expanding.
Eventually, though, we lost the plot.
Historically the Church has taken a position that the Bible is clear on its position against homosexuality.
The goal of UnClobber® is to demonstrate how the few verses in the Bible (often called "the clobber passages") do not say, nor mean, what we've always been taught they do.
Watch the UnClobber videos, read the book, and curate your own event.
I want to equip and empower you to explore these ideas in a whole new way.
Thank you for stopping by.
And thank you for making an effort to engage this topic.
-Colby Martin,
Creator and Author of UnClobber.
What is
UnClobber® is an effort to demonstrate how the church has, historically, swung and missed with regards to homosexuality and the bible.
This website is home to the UnClobber® Video Series, the upcoming book from Westminster John Knox Press, and a place to book your next UnClobber party.
Who is
Colby Martin is the creator of the UnClobber® teaching videos and author of the upcoming book.
Colby has been a Pastor for over 10 years in places like (rainy) Salem, Oregon; (sunny) Phoenix, Arizona; and (perfect) San Diego, California. Originally as a Worship & Arts Pastor, but now he is a full-time Co-Pastor with his wife, Kate.
His Undergrad (B.S. in Pastoral Ministry) was received at Corban University (although it should be noted: they would likely not endorse the endeavors here at UnClobber.com... Colby black-sheep'd that one a bit). Additionally, 1/3rd of a Masters in Theology has been attained via Fuller Theological Seminary.
For more tomfoolery than you can shake a stick at, Colby also writes over at his own website. There you can do things such as download his latest sermons, or find out what's currently sautéing in his skull.
Colby is married to Kate, and they have 4 boys together: Zeke, Tai, Jae and Huck. And 1 cat: Nala.
Currently they live in San Diego where Colby and Kate started a church in the spring of 2014 called Sojourn Grace Collective. It is a Progressive Christian Church filled with a diverse community of beautiful Christ followers. We participate in the ongoing transformation through love of God, Love of others, and love towards ourselves. You know, like Jesus taught.
Why is
In the Fall of 2011 Colby was fired from his job as the Pastor of Worship & Arts at a conservative, non-denominational, evangelical church. It wasn't because of tax evasion, or because he set the gym on fire, or because he skipped staff meetings every time they landed on a Tuesday.*
It was because of his beliefs on homosexuality.
When the church leadership discovered that Colby didn't think the Bible condemns gay people, and that he no longer believed it was a sin for same-sex couples to enjoy a loving, committed, mutually-respecting relationship, he got his letter of termination handed to him.
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*It should be noted, he didn't actually DO any of these things, it just made for a more interesting setup.
As a result, Colby has gone on to become an outspoken agent of reconciliation for the Church and the LGBT community. He has developed a passion for exploring issues surrounding sexuality and religion, specifically with how the church has historically understood the Bible with regards to those born with same-sex attraction.
UnClobber® is his attempt at getting his work out there. As a straight, white male, Colby was born with certain privileges,** and he feels compelled to use that privilege to speak out for those who have been marginalized.
After years of careful study on homosexuality and the Bible, Colby is ready to help the church open their doors and their hearts to their gay brothers and sisters. And to understand how the Bible really does (and does not) speak about these issues.
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**This is "privilege" in the academic sense. Not in the "I am better than someone else" sense.
Where is
UnClobber® came about originally as a blog series on Colby's blog. Then, once he moved to San Diego it was edited and expanded for a video teaching series.
UnClobber® now lives in San Diego, but will travel for food.
Book Colby for your next event, and there's a great chance he'll show up!
Contact
Questions, comments, or concerns? Shoot us an email.
To book an UnClobber® event or to inquire about the possibility of what that might look like visit the Invite Page.