Question: Are people born gay? Doesn't this mean God made them gay?

Question: Are people born gay? Doesn't this mean God made them gay?

No adequate scientific evidence exists that suggests an individual can be "born" with a same-sex sexual orientation. Nevertheless, the testimony of those struggling with same-sex attraction reveals that that attraction and sense of sexual interest can come very early. 

Indeed, it can come so early that many people cannot pinpoint how early such an interest appeared. Christians should not run from this question. Biblical theology reminds us that the consequences of the fall are so comprehensive that we should expect sin to impact everything from our self-centeredness to molecular structure. 

If a biological cause or genetic link explaining same-sex attraction is ever discovered, Christians should be among the least surprised. Such a finding would certainly inform our pastoral understanding and approach to persons with a same-sex orientation because we recognize that sin even affects our biology. 

Such a discovery would reveal what will likely be a lifelong struggle of sexual interest and personal identity, even for someone who knows Christ as Savior and seeks to live in holiness before him. That being said, an analysis of the current data reveals no adequate scientific evidence for a "gay" gene. 

Furthermore, most geneticists believe that something as complicated as sexual orientation is not likely to be simply traced to a single gene. That is simply far too simplistic an understanding of human genetics. Christians must remember that we live in a culture in which people instinctively ascribe authority to reports trumpeting a scientific discovery. 

This often leads to a change in moral judgment, even when that report is not replicated by other scientists or is later withdrawn. Christians should not be surprised if the day comes when the preponderance of evidence suggests some biological pattern of causality. The discovery of a "gay gene" would not force the church to abandon its position on the sinfulness of homosexuality, nor would if nullify the clear teaching of Scripture or validate same-sex attraction. As those informed by Scriprure, Christians must constantly remember that the narural world we now experience is a natural world tainted by human sin and under God's judgment. 

This is why we depend on Scripture to understand God's pattern for human flourishing, and trust what it says about the moraliry of same-sex acts rather than what a scientific journal says.