Fantastic!  It’s great to see a Christian source addressing this topic in a loving manner.  I will confess to being mostly ignorant about this issue, and I look forward to becoming informed through books like these.

I am really looking forward to reading this book!  I know from watching the experience of a close friend - the church isn’t where it needs to be as far as compassion goes, especially re: the homosexual.

Bernie,

Isn’t it sad that love isn’t shown to homosexuals often enough to make it more than just the exception?  I think we must engage the curious by allowing them to participate fully in a loving community, rather than by confronting them.  Perhaps if we viewed conversion as a process rather than a single event, we wouldn’t be in such a rush to get through the 5 steps, or the sinner’s prayer, or to get to the babtistry.

Ever read Ancient-Future Evangelism by Robert Webber?  A few good tidbits for communicating to postmodernity, while staying within the practices of the early church.

-Zach

Bernie,

Thanks for your response.  I think we disagree very little.  Let me respond to two things.

>>It’s impossible to have a full loving relationship with God when one practices immorality and refuses to repent.<<

But they are fully loved by God, even as they are in sin.  No, they may not have chosen him, and that is necessary, but they are loved right where they are.  I think that is what most churches fail in showing.  Most seem to be quite *educated* in how to condemn sin.  This is only my opinion on where the mainstream is, and there is room for you to disagree and believe the church is leaning too hard the other way.  I still think that they should be accepted into our church communties as fully as possible, because it is there that they can see how God is working.  I look at the same story you quoted and I notice that the woman was saved (literally!) before she was instructed to sin no more.... Where is that attitude now?

Let me also say that it is important to note that not everyone who goes through the kind of process that Exodus Ministries reccomends is turned into a heterosexual.  It is not a matter of not having enough faith or refusing to let go of sin, but a matter of the Job-like condition of humanity.  When that kind of healing does not happen, we must accept the magnitude of the request that they stay celibate.  We must not treat them as second-class citizens as long as they are still tempted, as we often do.  Why aren’t we allowing them to lead in our churches, even while they have chosen to give their broken hearts and bodies to the Lord?  To me, it seems that their sacrifice is so great that they deserve to be looked up to as great role models of denying the desires of the self.

Thank you for a stimulating dialogue.

-Zach

I must say I agree with Bernie on this one. A loving confrontation with my sin is what brought me to Christ. I knew that God loved me when I was addicted to drugs; He loved me enough to die for my sins, and calls me to “repent” or turn away from that lifestyle. I am good friends with a reformed homosexual, and how he went to church as a practicing gay man with his partner, came under conviction that he needed Christ to be saved, he accepted Christ as his Savior, but had yet to realize that his gay lifestyle was a sin. It was through his personal study of the word and his desire to give himself completely to the Lord that he realized that his lifestyle was a sin. What is difficult for the straight man to understand is this, just as we continue to struggle with lust for women, the repentant homosexual must die daily to his former lust. We need to be Galation 6 believers and be those who help those who are weak.

I must preface this by stating that I am not a supporter of the ex-gay movement in any way. However the group’s promotion of a compassionate approach towards homosexuality is quite laudable. Many churches and individuals believe that sexuality is mutable and that change is the optimal case scenario for LGBT people of faith.  It is better to have them confronting the issue from a kindhearted and somewhat educated point of view as opposed to a completely naive and rash one. The quotes from the book that are highlighted in this post seem like well-crafted and informative insights. Although, I am sure the book includes many points that I would disagree with, it seems like a firm instrument for educating people that gay and lesbian communities would have a difficult time communicating with. If a prominent LGBT organization published a work that promoted the identical ideas and explanations for homosexual behavior the same supporters of this book would most likely be on the defensive, and would be to apprehensive to consider following the guidelines presented. It seems as though Ex-Gay organizations may be the most affective vehicle for educating people who have much more stubborn and harsh views about homosexuality and sexuality in general.