Homosexuality is perhaps the biggest area of conflict between Bible-believing Christians and the world at the moment. It is a subject close to my heart as I have many close Christian friends who have wrestled with this over the years. In any sizeable church there are likely to be a significant number present for whom same-sex attraction is an issue in some way.
Part of the difficulty these brothers and sisters face is the need for secrecy. It is only relatively recently that “the love that dare not speak its name” has become normalised in society as a whole. Sam Allberry articulates the problem compassionately in his book Is God Anti-Gay?, there are still many believers who feel unable to share the nature of their particular temptation for fear of being judged, rejected or misunderstood by others in their fellowship.
New website
Now, Sam and others including Vaughan Roberts and Jonathan Berry from the True Freedom Trust have got together to build and launch a website: www.livingout.org. The contributors are all men and women who experience same-sex attraction and yet are committed to what the Bible clearly says, and what the church has always taught, about sex and marriage. They say:
"We’ve set up this website to articulate a perspective that is not often heard – that of men and women who are honest and open about their same-sex attraction, but who have discovered that obedience to Jesus in this area of life is fulfilling, healthy and authentic. We want people who experience same-sex attraction, those who self-identify as LGBT or who are just questioning, their family and friends, their churches and pastors, and those investigating Christianity, to find here a plausible way of living out what Christians have consistently believed about marriage and sex.
The website is simply excellent. There are professionally-shot videos and testimonies, telling the stories of those who wrestle with this temptation, and are committed to remaining faithful. There are answers to some classic questions that anyone will find helpful in articulating a Christian response to contemporary debates on homosexuality.
Living Out beautifully demonstrates through personal stories what we believe as Christians – that all human life is precious and equal. And it models how the church will develop a more compassionate pastoral approach – by listening to stories of its own, real people with same-sex attraction who are already Christians. Do visit it and spend time thinking through how we can be a church that can speak the truth in love, and be a place where there is encouragement and support for everyone.
I am praying that the message of this website, as it is read and used by whole congregations will start to remove the fear and ignorance which many of us have – and make our churches more intelligently caring in this area.
Tim Thornborough is the founder and Publishing Director of The Good Book Company. He is series editor of Explore Bible-reading notes and the author of The Very Best Bible Stories series, and has contributed to many books published by The Good Book Company and others. Tim is married to Kathy, and they have three adult daughters.
