“Are Same-Sex Relationships Sinful?” Let’s put more effort into understanding the different perspectives here
This is, unfortunately, a divisive issue for many Christians. My church temporarily kept a man from preaching because of his facebook-posted thoughts in favor of same-sex marriages (thankfully, he is back to preaching again). Christians get very mad about this. Some Christians get mad because of how gay people are hurting because of traditional church teachings. Some Christians get mad because they feel the authority of the Bible, along with God’s design for family and society, are being thrown out the window. I rarely see constructive dialogue, where people say things like “I understand why you believe that, and I respect that view, although mine is different.” That would be nice to hear.
The best scientific research still has few leads on the causes of same-sex attractions. Despite that, years of research and experience has supported the idea that for most people, sexual orientation is fixed. When gay people try to change that (and particularly when they tie their change efforts to their faith in God), they often end up hurt from a lack of change, and connect that to their belief in a loving God. Now they are hurt by God.
Even Exodus International, an organization who tried to help men and women struggling with same-sex attractions change their attractions, has shut their doors and apologized for the hurt they caused the people they were trying to help (Click here to read about it). Former Exodus president Alan Chambers now runs a new organization called Speak. Love., an organization for “promoting peace, reconciliation and understanding on issues surrounding the Church and the LGBT community” (Click here for info on Speak. Love.). Attempting to change one’s sexual orientation is risky and it is dangerous to promote the idea within the church.
If you believe same-sex relationships are not sinful, make sure you have fully engaged with and understood someone who believes they are sinful for Biblical reasons. Learn about their concerns, and explain why you experience different concerns.
If you believe same-sex relationships are sinful, meet some gay people and hear their stories, and learn about the effect that non-affirming theology has on their lives. Also spend time learning interpretations of the Bible that differ from your own.
Keep running.
runwithendurance 