Homosexuality and Faith

This is something I believe many Christians do not ask nor do many churches want to talk about other than to give an easy statement that "Homosexuality is a sin" and freely proclaimed that "God loves the sinner but hates the sin". But let's face the facts - most churches and Christians are ill-equipped to engage and help our homosexual friends through their faith journey. Okay, maybe that sounded too mechanical as if to convey that the heterosexuals are alright and the homosexuals are not and therefore the heterosexuals must do something to help the homosexuals. How about saying that most churches and Christians are prejudiced and suspicious of homosexuals? And to add to the list, they are ignorant as well.

I'm not a liberal nor a saint. All I am saying is that, we(the Christian community at large-the Church) who claimed to be Jesus' disciples are NOT listening (at least most of us are not) to Christian homosexuals with a spirit of patience, compassion, prayer and much needed wisdom. Is there such a thing(i.e. a Christian who is a homosexual) you asked? Yes, there is - in Singapore, as well as in the world. (the term "Christian" denotes anyone who believes Jesus as their Lord and Saviour) Whether you agree there is such a thing as a "Christian homosexual" is another thing. The fact is, they(Christians with a different sexual orientation and lifestyle) exist.

How do we view them? Have we tried to understand them? Are we willing to walk through their struggles in life? Is it possible to reconcile their faith and sexuality? What if they could not change their sexual orientation? I wonder if we have ever asked ourselves such questions, and reflect in light of Scriptures and other resources which may shed some light to these questions.

I'm not going into a research or debate on this. But if you happened to be a Christian or church leader reading this, I think it's high time God's community (His church) learn how to engage "different" people in the proper manner.

For more information,
1. Is the Homosexual my Neighbour? (Tony Campolo and his wife shares their different opinion on homosexuality. Audio files available here)
2. The Great Debate - are homosexual relationships sinful? (Read 2 different views from 2 homosexuals who believe in Jesus. One said yes to the question, one said no)
3. Exodus International: FAQ on homosexuality (Exodus is a nonprofit, interdenominational Christian organization promoting the message of Freedom from homosexuality through the power of Jesus Christ)
4. What is the definition of change? (Some definition by ex-gay movements of what it means when one said that a homosexual has changed)
5. Examining the Scientific Evidence for Homosexuality by Dr John Tay, Professor and Head of Department of Paediatrics, National University of Singapore (1973-1995) and Head of the Division of Human Genetics in Singapore.
6. Google, search the library and get to know your friends who are homosexuals. That'll help.

Perhaps I'll end with a cliche: WWJD - What Will Jesus Do?
Go figure it.