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"It is quite possible to be "openly gay" and faithful to this teaching."

Although I think I understand what he means, but his selection of words here is troubling. The word "gay," in wide use since the '70s and the "sexual revolution" in America, implies a homosexual who is 'happy' about his messed up desires, and thinks they are just fine... which by definition cannot be a biblically faithful Christian.

That a man or woman can acknowledge they have strong homosexual desires--that they do not act on--and are repenting of daily (the same way that those of us with strong heterosexual desires must not indulge them, except for our wife, if we are married...and repent daily, from our thoughts) then yes, of course this is right.

Unlike many evangelicals I do believe that some are homosexually inclined without any conscious choice on their part. Nature or nurture? God knows, and He also knows both our genetics and our enviroment are marred by sin. That's the fallacy of the argument the sodomite lobby makes that it must be nature: Classical theology teaches us our very inborn nature is fatally flawed by sin, inherited from Adam. ALL have a sinful "orientation"; everyones temptations however are a little different--depending on nature and nurture. I am polygamously "oriented," I tend to like different women--as a bachelor, this doesn't cause too much trouble--but, that is something I must, by God's grace working in my efforts, overcome. All Christians are called to die to self to live for God. TEC leadership seems oblivious to this basic biblical fact.

Bottom line is, I think, the homosexual lobby in TEC and elsewhere have bamboozelled many people that really were not in Christ to begin with--which isn't that hard. What is really disturbing are the faithful Christians who have also been confused by their smooth, "loving" and reasonable sounding rhetoric.

Those of us who know better need to teach the truth to our brotheren.