How to deal with being gay and a christian
Overcoming Same Sex Sexual Desires
Scott Rae: Welcome to the podcast, Think Biblically, conversations on faith and culture. I'm your host, Scott Rae, Dean of faculty and professor of Christian ethics at Talbot school of theology, Biola University.
Sean McDowell: I'm your cohost, Sean McDowell, professor of Christian apologetics at Talbot school of Theology, Biola University.
Scott Rae: We're here today with a fascinating guest for us. Her name is Kim Zember. She's the founder and head of, of a ministry called Overcome Ministries. She's got a fascinating story to reveal about her hold personal journey. So rather than place it up for you, I consider I'll just authorize you kind of tell us a little bit of your story and how you got to be where you are today, particularly with your Overcome Ministries.
Kim Zember: Awesome. Yeah, so I grew up Catholic, baptized as a baby and really grew up knowing the Lord. Knowing the Lord, I found out even still today, is much other than knowing him personally and in choosing to stride with him, but always knew about Jesus and that he's the savior and he's the only way. Raised, mom and dad, two older brothers, beautiful family. I really ... Looking
The Bible and same sex relationships: A review article
Tim Keller, 2015
Vines, Matthew, God and the Gay Christian: The Biblical Case in Support of Same Sex Relationships, Convergent Books, 2014
Wilson, Ken,A Letter to My Congregation, David Crum Media, 2014.
The relationship of homosexuality to Christianity is one of the main topics of discussion in our culture today. In the fall of last year I wrote a review of books by Wesley Hill and Sam Allberry that take the historic Christian view, in Hill’s words: “that homosexuality was not God’s original resourceful intention for humanity ... and therefore that queer practice goes against God’s express will for all human beings, especially those who trust in Christ.”
There are a number of other books that take the opposite view, namely that the Bible either allows for or supports same sex relationships. Over the last year or so I (and other pastors at Redeemer) have been regularly asked for responses to their arguments. The two most read volumes taking this position seem to be those by Matthew Vines and Ken Wilson. The review of these two books will be longer than usual because the topic is so contested today and, wh
“You want to shove those words back in and put the lid on. But you can’t. Your child is gay. This goes against everything you’ve been taught. It was not what you had in mind, and you instantly wonder where you went wrong.”
When you develop a parent, you grasp to expect the unexpected. But for many Christian parents, nothing can arrange them to hear that their beloved child is gay. This is the child you have cradled, spoon fed mashed bananas, and dreamed a gorgeous future for. How could this be? What will the church say? What will your friends say? What does the future hold? You can’t even get your head around this.
If you are a Christian parent, family member or friend to whom your loved one has come out as queer or lesbian, then this is for you.
I encourage you to sit down, relax, maybe get a cup of tea, and soak in what I’m about to tell you. My hope is to guide you as we walk for a bit through this maze of confusion, to help you find your way to wholeness. In many Christian circles, this is not good news, and you may begin to spiral into reflection and self-searching. We’ll get to that. But at the bottom of it all, this is not about you. Most parents’ first mistake is to mak
How should a Christian proceed toward a friend who comes out of the closet (as gay or trans)?
Answer
As Christians living in today’s culture, it is increasingly likely that we will have some friends come out of the closet as “gay” or “trans,” and we require to respond appropriately.
We must realize certain facts about God and the human sin nature so that we will have a proper perspective toward others, including friends who arrive out of the closet. As Christians, we acknowledge that all people want love and grace, including friends who come out of the closet. And, as Christians, we are ambassadorsfor Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20). Through Christ, we have a relationship with the living God. We have the hope of eternal life, and we can share the propose of eternal life with others.
Our response to a friend who comes out of the closet as gay or trans differs depending on whether the friend claims to be a Christian. First, we’ll consider what the Bible would have us execute when an unbelievingfriend comes out:
We should not chop ties with unsaved friends who come out of the closet as homosexual. Jesus freely associated with sinners, including prostitutes and the pariahs of His society (see Luke 5:30
Can I Be Queer & Christian? Navigating Your Spirituality & Sexual Orientation
I ran to the altar to confess to God what I’d done. The clothes in my suitcase still had sand in them from the beach vacation with a guy I called my friend, but who was really my boyfriend…for 5 years. Tears running down my face, thinking I could repulsive cry my way back into God’s graces, I pleaded for forgiveness and relief.
My days felt chaotically ambivalent: loving who I was at one moment, only to spin around and detest myself the next. I stabilized experience with tiny compartments. In one compartment was the wanting-to-come-out, bar hopping, vodka drinking, drunk driving, lost and scared part of myself. Another compartment held the hopeless and dirty sinner that fasted two meals a day, went to church, prayed silently any moment a hot guy walked by, and the one who agreed to advance from New York City to straighten up (pun intended) by becoming a cloistered seminary student.
Living a double lifestyle was my craft, for a petite while, at least. When my drinking hit an all-time high and my change in orientation wasn’t happening, I realized I had to take a deep look at who I was and what I believed.
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