How Should Christians Relate to Gay Friends, Neighbors, and Fay?

Contents:

• SHOULD A CHRISTIAN HAVE GAY IENDS?
• HOW SHOULD CHRISTIANS RPOND TO GAY FRIENDS OR FAY MEMBERS?
• HOW SHOULD CHRISTIANS RELATE TO GAY FRIENDS, NEIGHBORS, AND FAY?
• SHOULD I ATTEND THE WEDDG OF A GAY FRIEND OR FAY MEMBER?
• 9 WAYS TO REACH OUT TO A GAY-INTIFIED FRIEND
• I'M GAY, BUT I'M NOT SWCHG TO A CHURCH THAT SUPPORTS GAY MARRIAGE
• WNSG TO A GAY FRIEND
• ARE THERE REALLY “GAY CHRISTIANS”?
• HOW TO RENCILE YOUR CHRISTIAN FAH WH YOUR GAY LIFE
• CAN CHRISTIANS BE GAY?

SHOULD A CHRISTIAN HAVE GAY IENDS?

In nsirg whether a Christian should have gay iends, we need to ask ourselv whether J would have gay iends.

We learn om the gentle way He alt wh sful people that He would have offered homosexuals the same passn and opportuny to “go and s no more” (John 8:11).

If possible, J would have clud homosexuals when He ate at the hom of “notor sners” (Le 15:1, NLT). From a biblil perspective, many nfed people are trapped the s of homosexualy and need to be livered.

HOW SHOULD CHRISTIANS RPOND TO GAY FRIENDS OR FAY MEMBERS?

Followg Christ’s example, we n extend iendship to gay people, monstrate His love for them, pray for them, and celebrate as much mon ground as we n fd. In our teractns wh gay iends, we mt be reful not to give the imprsn that we are validatg their s.

A Christian is simply a sner who has accepted the gospel and now reprents Christ to everyone, cludg our gay iends, wh grace and tth (John 1:14). That’s bee Kaltenbach has an sir perspective, havg been raised by a dad and mom who divorced and penntly me out of the closet as a gay man and a lbian. Today, he manag the tensn of holdg to the tradnal biblil teachg on sexualy while lovg his gay parents.

Kaltenbach’s unique story is tailed his new book Msy Grace: How a Pastor wh Gay Parents Learned to Love Others Whout Sacrificg Convictn and land him on the ont page of the New York Tim June. If someone who is LGBT says that ’s not maly about sex, why immediately throw the “homosexualy vers” their way?

HOW SHOULD CHRISTIANS RELATE TO GAY FRIENDS, NEIGHBORS, AND FAY?

Many examed Scripture, believe that sexual timacy is for a man and woman marriage, and aren’t homophobic or hateful. However, all passag alg wh homosexualy agree that same-sex timacy isn’t God’s sign — monogamo or not. ’07) is the lead pastor at Disvery Church Simi Valley, Calif., and the thor of Msy Grace: How a Pastor wh Gay Parents Learned to Love Others Whout Sacrificg Convictn.

SHOULD I ATTEND THE WEDDG OF A GAY FRIEND OR FAY MEMBER?

When I speak at stunt events, Christian kids ask me, “How should I relate to my gay iends?

Jt like the kids who approached me at a church event, Christian adults also wonr, “How should I relate to my gay iends or -workers? ” Parents have asked me, “Will I promise my stance on biblil sexualy by beg kd to my gay child’s partner?

That don’t mean we approve of every life choice somebody mak… Parents of [gay] teenagers who “e out” to them sometim thk, “If I accept my child, that means that I’m approvg of a same-sex relatnship. I was makg a prentatn and a lol gay activist ntacted our universy and said “I’m gog [to be there]. ” Then, he did a YouTube vio llg for all of his gay, lbian, bisexual, transgenr and other iends to e and jt s the ont uple rows and stare me down… so I ved them to e.

9 WAYS TO REACH OUT TO A GAY-INTIFIED FRIEND

” And… he was jt eviscerated by people wh the gay muny who felt like he should’ve been tougher on me…. Intertgly, the prottor got more ph-back om the gay muny than he did om Christians who extend a hand to him.

I'M GAY, BUT I'M NOT SWCHG TO A CHURCH THAT SUPPORTS GAY MARRIAGE

Book: Caleb Kaltenbach, Msy Grace: How a Pastor wh Gay Parents Learned to Love Others Whout Sacrificg Convictn. To Christians who have gay iends, how long is before you get to the "you are sng" nversatn?

WNSG TO A GAY FRIEND

Jt some background but I'm askg this as a gay man who has Christian iends who I'm still the closet wh.

Based on this reasong, then, we might nclu that Christians should have no problem attendg a gay weddg, even if they do not agree wh .

For eight years, his blog, An Exercise the Fundamentals of Orthodoxy, chronicled his journey out of homosexualy.

ARE THERE REALLY “GAY CHRISTIANS”?

I thk of my baptism when I nsir how Christians should rpond when they are ved to gay weddgs.

A cisn not to attend a same-sex weddg tak place the same universe as gay-bashg, bullyg, and the long grd of ntempt toward gay men and women. I nnot good nscience attend a same-sex weddg precisely bee I love my gay iends and want their bt.

HOW TO RENCILE YOUR CHRISTIAN FAH WH YOUR GAY LIFE

Though some gay married upl may be exemplary love and votn, SSM has more omo aspects. Nonal sex (straight or gay), rather like premaral sex, seeks the experience of njugal unn whout s full realy. Many of know someone who intifi as gay, lbian or bisexual, whether a -worker, neighbor, or iend.

CAN CHRISTIANS BE GAY?

Rather than seeg your iend as a homosexual, thk of him or her as a person who stggl wh sexual brokenns/sexual wholens. Many of those volved homosexualy have been wound by well-meang but ignorant Christians. Image attendg a gay pri para and hearg sults shouted by church people standg on the sil.

However they label themselv, view your iend as a man or woman ma the image of God, not as a “homosexual” or a “project. Women or men ught homosexualy nnot change on their own; they need the power of J Christ workg their liv before the change will occur.

You don’t have to bee an expert on all aspects of homosexualy before you n be a godly fluence on your gay loved one. Certaly men n help lbian-intified women, and women n help gay-intified men to leave homosexualy and follow Christ. Much of this will e through healthy same-sex mentors, unselors, enuragers and Ana Worthen and Bob Davi, Someone I Love Is Gay, ( Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsy Prs, 1996), ch.