Posted on 06/15/2006 9:26:03 AM PDT by Mrs. Don-o
She makes a good point: it is not essential that everybody should "function" as heterosexual: get married, have kids, etc. It is not essential that everybody should "feel" heterosexual. It is very hard, for some people perhaps possible but for some people not possible, to have full control over spontaneous, unwilled feelings.
What IS essential for ALL of us, hetero or homo or whatever other categories there may be, is to live peacefully and chastely within our state of life.
There's something wrong with merely singling out gays as candidates for comprehensive head-bending "reparative" programs; because the sexual disorder in our society is broader than just "gays" with a "problem.".
We live in a lust-celebrating culture which makes it difficult for any of us to guard our eyes, our imaginations and our hearts, to think honorably and live purely.
I'm neither supporting the "gay agenda" here, not putting down Christian ministries. I'm just saying we're all in it together.
Oops. Sorry about that poorly-edited posting.
Thanks for posting this. This is the type of program that needs to be looked into. I started taking this with a grain of salt until I realized a truckload of it would be more appropriate.
Nailed it with this statement.
http://eve-tushnet.blogspot.com/
Martin Luthor said, "My sins are like little birds. I cannot prevent them from fluttring around me, but I can keep them from building a nest in my hat."
YES! Great Luther quote!
It's not a psychological problem in need of a cure. It's a sin problem in need of repentance. True transformation is the work of the Holy Spirit, and He only transforms persons with repentant faith. If you want to offer therapy based on psychological theories, then fine. Just don't call it Christian because it isn't.
The danger is that these therapists start creating a group of people who identify as Christians but are absolutely not. So you bring a grave sin problem into our churches. Read their testimonies. They see their therapists as more powerful than God. That's not a person who has been regenerated by the Holy Spirit. Jesus isn't a name-brand label to just another sex therapy. These people need to address the sin of their heart, the bitterness, the lust, the depravity, the rebellion, the anger, and they need to submit to the lordship of Jesus Christ.
I'll also add this: stop coddling them. The great effort to prove we love this particular type of sinner more than all other sinners is just ridiculous. The Christian psychologists need to psychoanalyze themselves and see that the bogus name-calling from gay activists has led them to over compensate. Ignore the charge of hate and address these issues with truth (but their schooling has beaten the truth out of them to a certain extent). The truth is the best way to show love, because without the truth we will all have hell to pay -- literally.
Notice how one-sided it is too. Why don't they feel compelled to repeatedly profess their great love for us? Love to the world means a warm, fuzzy emotion. They aren't interpreting it correctly anyway. We just look stupid and weak.
Imagine if Bush proclaimed his love for Osama every time he was mentioned. Osama is just another sinner and all sins are equal. If anyone could use their upbringing as an excuse he certainly could. It would be nice to cure his terrorist ways even if you never dealt with the hate in his heart. From a government standpoint that's fine. But his heart would have to change through repentance and faith before you could ever call him a Christian.
Even if you back away from crime, imagine, "I love liars." "I love jealous people." "I love angry people." On and on. When you say, "I love homosexuals" you are defining them by their sinful behavior and desires and nulifying your argument against the behavior before you ever make it.
We are losing on nearly all political fronts even though we have majoirites everywhere on our side because our self-appointed leaders are making dumb arguments.
When you "clean a house", you do it room by room. Otherwise you end up with confusion. No single organisation can do it all. Find one thing you can do and do it to the best of your ability.
"She makes a good point: it is not essential that everybody should "function" as heterosexual: get married, have kids, etc. It is not essential that everybody should "feel" heterosexual. It is very hard, for some people perhaps possible but for some people not possible, to have full control over spontaneous, unwilled feelings."
Absolutely correct but,
the reason the Gay Pride, Gay Power movement draws our attention is because it isn't about our fellow sinners struggling with individual sin.
The "Gay Power" movement is a collective movement to promote evil and sin, attacking decency and morality.
A movement fighting to promote evil needs a movement to fight it.
To me, this is the crux of the problem. I don't object to specialized ministries to gay people, or anybody else, including overweight post-menopausal ladies; but the emphasis should be on what Jesus said to the woman caught in adultery: "Go now, and sin no more."
Switching sexual orientations has little or nothing to do with that. A person who experiences only same-sex attraction can still be chaste; while a person who has only opposite-sex attractions can be a pathetic horndog.
The important thing isn't to be straight. The important thing is to be in God, to be free, and to sin no more.
But this article is speaking of ministry to gay people, not politics. And although I have tried to help people (even in my own family) strengthen a healthy gender orientation, the great desideratum isn't to be straight, but to be chaste.
Some people can fundamentally re-orient their feelings. Some can't. But in any case, they (we) can strive to live harmoniously within God's law.
But they are still sinning if they are still desiring homosexuality. It's a sin of the heart that manifests itself in action.
Switiching sexual orientation has nothing to do with it only if you mean they are switiching one sinful lust for another. The goal of holiness was a right way to word it. The problem I see is that they mix psychology with theology to the point that they are often weakening the biblical message.
Send these people a preacher rather than a bunch of psychologists.
We can ovecome any abnormal feelings [ same sex attraction, porn, gambling etc. etc.] through the grace of God. However, it takes giving it ALL over to Him then knowing it will be in His time, not ours when we overcome and are healed.
She needs to read and study Romans.
"Some people can fundamentally re-orient their feelings. Some can't. But in any case, they (we) can strive to live harmoniously within God's law"
As a single man, believe me I know that there is nothing unique in the homosexual individuals struggle, to deal with whatever sins call to him.
I also know that sex is not unique or first among the list of sins, as usual liberalism has distorted what should be be simply another case of good people helping each other to deal with their temptations and weaknesses.
I find it both bracing and consoling to think of that. He was tempted! But without sin!
The Lord knows exactly what's up with us. Wasn't He tempted even on the Cross? He doesn't promise that we'll be free of temptations. He offers strength and grace. He offers us the closest companionship at all times, even when we say "Why have you abandoned me?" He offers Himself. Amen.
Amen!
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