GAY TRUTH

Romance isn’t just for male-female couples anymore. You no longer have to wait for a spouse to enjoy the intimacy of an exclusive relationship. You can find it in your best friend. Increasingly, statements like the ones above describe not just a spouse or boyfriend, but a best friend. Along with gushy words, other romantic displays of affection are sprouting up in friendships , including among Christians : holding hands , cuddling, sharing beds, celebrating anniversaries, and creating special nicknames. This exaltation of intimacy in friendship can come with some less-than-desirable side effects: jealousy when a new friend enters the picture, fear when that friend is gone, and unnatural physical affection. Today’s Society Tells a Lie For years, the media has been selling the lie that our greatest joy is to love someone and be loved in return. Movies, TV shows , books, and magazines all compel you to find the one person who gets you, who is always there for you — the one ...

Cover of William Shakespeare In January 1944, German pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer sat in a Gestapo prison. He passed the time by writing, and in one of many letters to his dear friend Eberhard Bethge , Bonhoeffer tenderly reflected on what Bethge meant to him. Back then his missives didn’t raise eyebrows. They sounded like those of so many before him who, in moments of triumph and trial, had taken their greatest joy in the love of a friend of the same sex. Of course, times have changed. Years after Bonhoeffer’s death, while speaking publicly about their friendship, Bethge found himself facing an awkward question: Surely, said one audience member, your friendship with Dietrich “must [have been] a homosexual partnership.” How else could Bethge explain the startling affection Bonhoeffer had for him? Bonhoeffer and Bethge’s friendship was not an isolated victim of this kind of revisionism. Modern readers seem to be on a virtual crusade to open every closet in history. Thus, we’re told...

One of the difficult things–among many difficult things–related to homosexuality is how to speak of the issue in a way that addresses all the nuances people need to hear. There are various groups that may be listening when we speak about homosexuality, and the group we think we are addressing usually dictates how we speak. There is time for toughness and a time for tears, a time for defense and a time for letting down our defenses, a time for rallying the troops and a time for putting up our hands to show that we come in peace. Recently, a brother encouraged me to write blog post speaking directly to those dealing with same sex attraction . It was a good challenge. Our conversation cannot be only about preserving the truth and fighting the necessary political battles. Those of us who believe in biblical marriage must also be careful to speak in a way that acknowledges the growing number of men and women in evangelical churches who have desires for persons of the same sex and know t...

English: A young woman and man embracing while outdoors. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) From Isolation to Relationship to Intimacy by Alan Medinger Homosexuality is a relationship problem. Our relationship with Jesus Christ comes first in our healing, but close behind it comes our need to learn to relate to other same-sex people in healthy ways. We must identify the obstacles that have kept us from healthy relationships, and learn to distinguish between friendships and intimate relationships. Then we must realize how we need them both. If Dr. Bill Consiglio is right, and homosexuality often starts with low self-esteem, then it is likely that many homosexual people, because they believe there is little about them that is either interesting or desirable to others, are likely to be isolated people . If Elizabeth Moberly is right and a critical element in the development of homosexuality is withdrawal from the same-sex parent -- what she calls defensive detachment -- then many homos...