This is actually the hardest question of all. It conflates experience, revelation, and reason. In that respect, it is the question that all of the answers on these pages are designed to address. It deserves a whole essay, not just a simple answer. It also deserves respectful listening on both sides of the debate. I am working on such an essay to post to this web site. A gay person becomes a Christian in the same way as anyone else: by faith in Christ's payment for his sins. God does not withhold His love and gifts because a person is gay. God does not put the highest priority on correcting his doctrine. My promised essay is not about doubting the salvation experience of gay Christians. ([to appear])

I would feel more comfortable about the whole discussion if participants on both sides were more honest. A gay theologian may not be open about his hurtful past in order that he will not be stereotyped as one of those gays from a dysfunctional family background. An ex-gay theologian overstates the degree to which he has experienced heterosexual feelings in an attempt to defend God. God needs no defense.

Both sides need a better understanding of how God uses suffering to develop character. Gay Christians think of homophobic heterosexists as the locus of their suffering. Ex-gay Christians think of homosexual attractions as the locus of their suffering. Neither focuses as the Bible does on the future. The end result of suffering should be hope. (Rom 5:3-4) "I cause evil," God says in Isaiah 45:7, so God has a purpose even for suffering.

I am distrustful of what passes for Christianity in conservative churches. One Christian was struggling with homosexuality. He was told by his pastor that he was beyond redemption, for God had already given him up. He lost hope. It was years before he had the courage to seek for help again.

I am distrustful of what passes for Christianity in gay churches. One Christian was eager to participate in a Christian outreach that our local Metropolitan Community Church sponsored, thinking that he had finally found a gay church that was concerned about evangelism. He left the church when he discovered that the church's idea of evangelism was condom distribution along the street where gay cruising was popular. That is when he came to an Exodus International group.

I appreciate the fact that liberals are at least open to writing books and preparing web sites that make available the discussion on both sides. Conservatives seem to want to shelter folks away from thinking hard about these issues. That is one of the reasons for this site.

21 August 1996. Copyright information is available.