(Part I) Building Identification In western culture it seems that the most opposing poles of society have been occupied by Christians, on one side, and sexual minorities on the other. Bridget Eileen, Christian blogger and celibate lesbian, makes the case that the model for mission given to us by Jesus and Paul is, centrally, about … Continue reading Why Am I “Gay”? Pt. II
Right now, for same-sex attracted Christians in the church, there is a very important discussion going on about what terms can be used to describe one’s experience of being attracted to the same sex. This has, most recently, been stimulated in the lead up to Revoice conference which is happening this week in St. Louis, … Continue reading Why Am I “Gay”? Pt. I
(This piece was originally written for The Vision 100 Network) I was recently preparing some training material on the topic of doubt. As I was talking through the first draft with a colleague, he said, “It is, of course, helpful to think about the opposite of doubt, i.e. faith”. I replied that I didn’t think … Continue reading Doubt: A Christian Perspective
(Part I) Your Parent’s Made You Gay? For a number of years I believed that homosexuality is most often caused by a disintegrated relationship with the same-sex parent. As Tomazin points out, that’s a common and fundamental interpretation for reparative therapy groups. Three years ago it started to become clear to me, from research, from … Continue reading On Gay Conversion Therapy Pt. II
A lesbian friend of mine recently shared on Facebook an investigative article written by Farrah Tomazin (great name) published in The Sydney Morning Herald. It’s entitled ’I am Profoundly Unsettled’: Inside the Hidden World of Gay Conversion Therapy. It looks at the remnants of conversion/reparative therapy that exist within Christian ministries in Australia today. The … Continue reading On Gay Conversion Therapy Pt. I
A few quick things I want to point out in this audio. This conversation was conducted in front of a completely Christian audience and so I wasn't really trying to apply apologetics or accommodate for different beliefs in the room. The interviewer starts with some comments about same-sex marriage. Please note that this interview has … Continue reading Interview – The Gospel Shaped Life for Celibate and Gay Christians
I was asked this week if my choice in life, to be celibate in response to being same-sex attracted, is actually a form of internalised homophobia. Not too many years ago I suspect I would have been secretly crushed by this question; it would have poked at insecurity and summoned up a broiling inner conflict. … Continue reading Am I a Self-Hating Homophobe?
(Read part I) (Read part II) Up until this point I haven’t spelled out exactly what it is that I’m doubtful of. I’m not just talking about religious/spiritual faith; scepticism is my primal response to virtually all experience and information. Until recently, I attributed my doubt to specific intellectual and emotional issues, not just with … Continue reading Confessions of a Doubter III
(Read part I) Confidence and eagerness for growth has been shorn off. It’s been replaced with a limping, bedraggled faith. How did I get here? In retrospect, I see three major landmarks. 1) I grew up in a rather small world. Christian church, private Christian school which was built by that church… My school friends, … Continue reading Confessions of a Doubter II
I don’t want to write this blog post, however for two reasons I feel that I must. Firstly, I have been accompanied by a persistent undercurrent of doubt, especially over the last three years, to the point where I’ve had a couple of occasions where I’ve almost exited Christianity. Doubt is a crunchy issue for … Continue reading Confessions of a Doubter I
