Gays and Ex-Gays in Christian Communities

Gays and Ex-gays in Christian Communities

The definition of homosexuality is "relations between men, or between women, who experience an exclusive or predominant sexual attraction toward persons of the same sex." (Catholic Church 566) This way of living has also been condemned by Christian doctrine for centuries; only recently causing controversy as the homosexual population has increased and more gay Christians are demanding acceptance and respect among the Christian community. With homosexuality becoming more widely accepted in mainstream society and gay rights activists fighting for equality, homosexuality has made its way to the fore front of controversy among the Christian church.

This controversy has also caused a split among Christian denominations; between the liberal Christian churches and the fundamentalist evangelicals. Many of these conservative groups have formed ex-gay support groups and step programs designed to show homosexuals how to leave their sinful life, and today there are still reports of people leaving the homosexual lifestyle and becoming heterosexual through their Christian faith. On the other hand there are many liberal Christian churches that believe it is the church that needs to repent for their obvious prejudice and lack of compassion. By looking at the history, arguments, research, and deciphering the scriptures we can formulate Without the hope of a clear moral and ethical consensus, this debate could eventually lead to a permanent split between Christian communities.

Homosexual activity has always existed throughout history, and has taken several forms through time and within different cultures. From ancient Greek and Roman cultures, to the predominantly gay communities of the Ni Chome in Japan, and West Hollywood in California, homosexuality has been an important part of the rich culture of many nations. But while there have always been homosexual communities there has also always been discrimination, that is said by many to be similar to the level of discrimination of African Americans. At the fore front of this negative response to non-heterosexuals is the Christian Church, who believes that Christian doctrine and the scriptures consider homosexuality a sin.

In history the brunt of homosexual discrimination could be seen in the 1960's when homosexuality was not just a sin but also a crime. During that time period many clubs and bars were raided, and homosexuals and transvestites were beaten and arrested. One famous raid at the Stonewall Inn got so out of hand that the raid attracted a crowd leading to the Stonewall riots. From then gay rights movements have made big strides towards equality and respect among the non-religious and religious Christian communities alike. Some of these changes were in 1968, when the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM) changed homosexuality from a "mental illness... [and] added a new classification called 'sexual orientation disturbance,' but homosexual orientation per se was no longer a disorder." (Jones 35) Furthermore in 1987 the DSM "removed ego-dystonic homosexuality and any mention of homosexuality all together." This is important because with the science behind the homosexual community confirming that being gay was not a disease or disorder, they were able to assert their presence among religious communities to identify homosexuality as also not a sin.

While the church has through time come to accept the research that being gay is neither a choice nor an illness, many Christian church groups also believe that by accepting Jesus as the savior and going through one of their ex-gay step programs or "pray the gay away" courses, homosexuals can either change their sexual orientation or accept their behavior as sinful and choose a righteous celibate lifestyle. This is because many people in the Christian faith do "find their homosexuality incompatible with their faith" and the scriptures. Because of their interpretation of the scriptures many conservative Christian denominations hold strongly to the belief that homosexuality is a profound evil. Many communities view homosexuality as being abnormal, immoral, and changeable, regardless of the nature of modern committed homosexual relationships. What these groups aim to do is help the people who are living in sexual sin by addressing the reason for their homosexual feelings. Even if they agree that for most, homosexuality is not a choice, they want to show that in some, it develops from early life experiences, and they want to help these people learn to

"forgive a parent or family member who has mistreated or abused them, deliverance from Satanic oppression or bondage, or healing of memories. Some may benefit from individual psychotherapy to deal in a focused way with emotional and spiritual issues. For other persons, medications may prove helpful in dealing with depression and other mood instabilities. Some need help to identify patterns of behavior and thinking which predisposed them to sexual sin. Many need help to devise practical ways for "fleeing temptation."' (Johns)

Despite growing acceptance of homosexuals from the Christian community these conservative groups believe that those Christian homosexuals who don't seek refuge from the lord will continue in to temptation of sin; having to rely on Christ's grace for forgiveness instead of healing. But through the power of prayer, those dealing with their homosexual lifestyle will be free from their unrelenting homosexual desires. They also revealed that many ex-homosexuals who go through Christian conversion therapy programs do not stay in them for long, and attribute their swift success to the power of God. In fact, these generally less studied ex-gays seem to be the most successful because they've moved on with their lives, and away from the therapy groups as 'reborn' heterosexual or just non-homosexual Christians.

Along with the research, I also have personal experience with people in that situation, living in this community. As a child I had a friend in elementary school who was tortured relentlessly about being gay even though he had never announced his sexuality to anyone in the school. Through the years though it became true that this friend was in fact gay, but a few months ago when I ran into him back in my home town at a church that I had not attended for years, I had learned that he had given up his "homosexual lifestyle" and was now engaged to a woman. He was also now working with the group Focus on the Family and had fought to keep proposition 8 in place in California. I was shocked to say the least; here I was, talking to a gay friend who now hated gays. At this point all I could do was remember those young years when he was teased for being gay before he had