Monday, September 18, 2006

Homosexuality and Christianity

I was talking with someone the other day about a situation involving homosexuality. I won't name any names. I started to realize other than the fact that homosexuality is basically condemned in the New Testament, I know very little about it.

I really need some good books to read about counseling those with homosexual tendencies, family members who have turned to homosexuality, friends who are homosexuals, etc. It is a very real issue, and I need to learn how to deal with it. Unfortunately, I was failed in that regard at my alma mater, but I don't know that any of the schools nowadays are really teaching one how to teach about it.

Anyone who can steer me towards some good books, a good video series, etc., I would really appreciate it.

Thanks to Jason for helping me plug this question.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

i wrote something about it once. i'm not sure how exactly pertinent it is, but if you'd like i could e-mail it to you. i basically wrote down my thoughts on the matter after researching the topic and forming my own conclusions.

-Lane said...

Kevin, that would be great if you could do that. Any little bit helps out.

Jason said...

Lane,
I'm heading out of town early in the morning, but I'll put a post on my blog and hopefully that'll be helpful to you. I have some material I've worked up before that I can send you, too. Romans 1 is the best place to go, in my opinion. Paul gets at the fundamental problem of humanity in that passage and he uses the unnatural relations of homosexual union as an illustration of the entire human race. Just as it's unnatural for a man to join himself with another man, so too is it unnatural for us to join ourselves to sin.

Jason said...

As for good material, see if Dennis Jernigan has anything. He came out of a life of homosexuality to become one of the Christian bards of our time.

-Lane said...

Thanks man. Its easy to share the Bible with kids, but making them understand that it is real, and is is applicable is a little harder.

Anonymous said...

Lane, the best book I have read on the subject is William Webb's Slaves Women and Homosexuals.
It's not geared toward helping those deal with their sexuality but is a great hermeneutical study.

The book you really need is called "Loving Homosexuals as Jesus Would: A Fresh Christian Approach" by Chad Thompson. It's a short, accessible work from someone who has struggled with his homosexuality and claims to have left it behind. Pick it up.

-Lane said...

Thanks Scott. I think there are several Christians who have dabbled in the homosexual lifestyle. However, it has to be hard to come out and admit to those you are ministering to the sins you had, and still probably struggle with. I'll definitely check those out.