We were having lunch together and I was praying like mad. My friend had been in a committed same-sex relationship for about 15 years. He was interested in Jesus; attracted to his teaching and message. But he wanted to know what implications becoming a Christian might have on his practicing gay lifestyle.
I had explained, as carefully and graciously as I could, that Jesus upheld and expanded the wider biblical stance on sexuality: that the only context for sexual activity was heterosexual marriage. Following Jesus would mean seeking to live under his word, in this area as in any other.
He had been quiet for a moment, and then looked me in the eye and asked the billion-dollar question: ”˜What could possibly be worth giving up my partner for?’
I held his gaze for a moment while my brain raced for the answer. There was eternity, of course. There was heaven and hell. But I was conscious that these realities would seem other-worldly and intangible to him. In any case, surely following Jesus is worth it even for this life. He was asking about life here-and-now, so I prayed for a here-and-now Bible verse to point to. I wanted him to know that following Jesus really is worth it ”“ worth it in the life to come, but also worth it in this life now, no less so for those who have homosexual feelings. Yes, there would be a host of hardships and difficulties: unfulfilled longings, the distress of unwanted temptation, the struggles of long-term singleness.
The problem is that the Church should provide support for singles in living according to Biblical principles. It doesn’t, for the most part. In fact, it goes on and on and on about marriage and how everyone should be married. There is plenty of fellowship, retreats, and bonding for the marrieds; precious little, if anything, for the singles.
Sorry, but it’s not enough to hold out the “your reward will be great in Heaven” promises. Yes, those are comforting but why does the Church offer all sorts of help and rewards for marrieds and families but not for singles?
Can people really not see how focusing 99.5 percent on the married vocation and how important it is to be committed seems like hypocrisy to homosexuals? Heck, I’m heterosexual and I have to create my own single support within the Church; I can’t imagine what it would be like to be single and homosexual, the double-whammy!
Moreover, why would sincere, seeking homosexuals want to come to a Church in which they were being fought about incessantly? Triple whammy — single, homosexual, and the subject of contention and schism. Yep, that sounds inviting, doesn’t it?
I pity this poor author with all the H3** he is going to catch from the gay community for this article. He has never experienced persecution the way he will if this article gets wide distribution.