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"A Life of Unlearning" - by Anthony Venn-Brown. Winner of the Sydney (Australia) Gay & Lesbian Business Association's 'Gay Book of the Year' 2004.
Anthony holds nothing back as he reveals the torment and guilt experienced as a conservative Christian who couldn't conform to the church's edicts. Over 22 years he endured trips to the psychiatrist, weeks of exorcisms, 40-day fasts, months in a Christian ex-gay program and daily struggles with his 'problem', desperately attempting to change.
Like many homosexual men of his time, he married, believing it would extinguish the desires he felt. This only led him further into a life of self-deceit and hypocrisy. A popular preacher in the mega churches of Australia and other parts of the world, he survived by compartmentalising his sin. On centre stage, he was a successful, passionate evangelist who preached a message of hope and deliverance to thousands weekly. Behind the scenes however, were many dark secrets waiting to make an appearance. Feeling torn and fragmented, he knew something would eventually give. Jason was the catalyst and a public humiliation the result.
Abandoned by the church, which considered homosexuality an abomination, he lost everything he'd worked for and everyone he cared about. The devastation this brought to Anthony's life took him on a lonely journey that made him who he is today. You'll feel the sense of loss and be moved by his courage as he has to make the toughest decision of his life, being true to himself or live a lie.
This is not just a coming out story. Whether you are gay or straight, a Christian or a non-believer, you'll find relevance in Anthony's journey. It's a story about living your truth - embracing who you are and living the life you were meant to live.
"And God Loves Each One" (booklet by Ann Thompson Cook) - is more than just a book; it's a catalyst for a new dialogue about sexual orientation in churches and communities. It offers a path for people who wonder about sexual orientation, who wonder about the religious view that it's wrong to be gay. It's about lighting a spark of learning in your church and community. It's about growing and bringing gay and straight people together - united by their profound faith that God indeed loves each one. It addresses questions of sexuality within the context of faith. It's a booklet that people of any denomination can use to explore sexual orientation and God's love.
Ann Thompson Cook is a Methodist who has been educating people about sexuality, reproductive health, and gender for 25 years. She has written extensively, and her publications include Made in God's Image and PFLAG's Respect All Youth series. She and her husband of 35 years have two adult sons.
Bible Translations - is an Open Directory with links for many Bible Translations, including various languages, Catholic, Early Versions, New English Translation, World English Bible, Young's, etc.
"Calling The Rainbow Nation Home" - by Elaine Sundby - is one part personal journey, and two parts Biblical study into some of the key issues gay (GLBT) Christians face while coming to terms with their sexual orientation. Issues such as salvation, is homosexuality a sin, celibacy, the role of the Holy Spirit in all of this, how come our church leaders don't see the truth in this matter and much, much more. There is also an easy to understand chapter that does a thorough job of discussing the 8 "clobber" passages some use against homosexuals.
I tried to make the book as easy to read as possible. In addition, the book is sprinkled throughout with several stories to help illustrate various points. My experiences, and some of the experiences of my fellow ministers, stories from our church etc. are all woven together to keep the book interesting and 'alive'.
My points are all solidly backed by Scripture. If you or a loved one are struggling with this issue, or minister to those who are, know someone who is, or is just plain curious what 'all the fuss is about', I encourage you to check out this book!
Note from Mary: Elaine created the "Directory of Welcoming Christian Churches" for us - 3500 listings! WOW! What a labour of love!
ChristianGay.com - is dedicated to all GLBT's who have been hurt and rejected by mainline denominations, supposedly in the name of Jesus.
ChristianLesbians.com - aka SisterFriends Together - contains a great deal of LGBT related information and useful links, and not just for Lesbians...
Cristiano Gay - is a Christian outreach to the Gays of Tijuana. We grew out of the need for a positive portrayal of people who know Jesus yet are condemned (read "unloved" or "hated") by other people who are called Christians. Paul says that people who do not show love are not Christians. God is our Judge and He is the One who made some of His creatures homosexual. Jesus taught us that the essence of conformance to God's will is love - we love ourselves and others equally. But we love, respect and honor God above all.
Darlene Bogle - author of A Christian Lesbian Journey, was a former leader in Exodus International and directed an ex-gay ministry in Hayward, California in the 1980's and early 1990's where she was an assistant pastor in a Foursquare Church. She had been a national spokesperson for ex-gay ministry, having appeared on such programs as Sally Jesse Raphael, CBS 48 Hours and Jerry Springer. During that time she authored several books and hundreds of articles promoting an ex-gay lifestyle. Her life and ministry changed at a women's retreat as she was sharing her journey of emotional healing, when she met Des. Their instant attraction grew into love and they began their journey of discovering who they were as gay Christians.
Read more about this wonderful woman, and please consider buying her book.
"On December 17, 1997, when our son Adam told us he was gay, our world was turned upside down. We were absolutely devastated. We desperately needed someone to comfort us, to assure us that our son, our family would be okay. But we were too embarrassed and scared to admit this secret to anyone, to reach out for comfort."
This excellent website is a "must visit" for all parents of gay children!
Gay Bible Christians - was begun in 2003 as a healing, prayer, and resource publishing ministry for Gay Bible-believing Christians.
It continues today as an online fellowship of Gay Bible-believing believers who pray, exhort, counsel, strengthen, teach, prophesy, and love each other and those who visit this site, IM, or email us, whoever they might be (and fully half of our visitors each month are straight people looking to understand if their Gay loved ones can be saved).
We are from all over the world, and we come from (and remain in) a wide variety of Bible-believing Christian backgrounds including Charismatic, Evangelical, Holiness, Pentecostal, non-denominational, and even anti-denominational -- but we find commonality in our common experiences.
An EXCELLENT website with full explanations about Adam and Eve, The Sodom Story, Holiness Code, David and Jonathan, the "clobber verses" explained, and MUCH more!!!!
Rick Brentlinger is the author of the book Gay Christian 101 and is the most knowledgable person I know on the subject of homosexuality and the Bible.
Plan on spending a lot of time on this website.
Gay Investigator - The jury seems to be out on most of my questions about homosexuality. Why, what and even how seems to be largely unanswered as yet. I myself am both gay and Christian, which raises some additional points. So I decided to become a Gay Investigator, scourging the net for links and articles - and to collect them here under each of my different questions.
Maybe you'll get some answers yourself pursuing these pages. I myself found enough to get indications of answers to most of my questions. Maybe this site can be a good starting point for your own search for answers?
Good luck with your own Gay Investigation!
Gay Prayer Resource - began March of 2007 to provide community, prayer support, and educational resources to the GLBT community worldwide.
We wish to encourage lesbian and gay people across the globe to pray for the needs of our people. We also desire to share resources and lessons concerning answered prayer.
This site should evolve over time with audio/video and more links to aid in your spiritual growth. There will be ways to share art, writings and music. This group should also be a place to deal with other issues relating to the Bible and gay rights.
GayChurch.org - contains a large 1,800+ member, worldwide discussion board. If you have questions, this is the place to ask and get feedback. Their Church Directory contains over 5,000+ 'welcoming' churches from around the world and is updated daily. The website also has numerous articles and in-depth studies of interest to the gay Christian community, in both English and Spanish.
God Hates Shrimp - This site is a parody, meant to poke fun at people like Fred Phelps, and at people who protest against gay people and gay marriage. Enjoy!
GodMadeMeGay.com - is the wonderful website of my dear friend Rev. Bruce Lowe, whose article "A Letter to Louise - A Biblical Affirmation of Homosexuality" appears on this website.
Bruce is a graduate of Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas (1936) and of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas (1946). He married Anna Marie in 1944; they have two sons and two grandsons. His ministry included the chaplaincy during World War II, pastorates in Louisiana, and teaching Bible at Louisiana College, Pineville. He left the ministry in 1966 and worked until retirement in the Office for Civil Rights of the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Bruce is a strong supporter of our GLBT community and endeavours to educate with the truth of the Scriptures regarding homosexuality.
Bruce's website also offers a plethora of Resources.
Hope Remains - has been designed by Christian people who have a sincere desire to cut through the prejudice and misinformation concerning God's gift of sexuality. For too many years, people whose sexual orientation was other than heterosexual have been marginalized in the churches, made to feel dirty, useless, etc. Sometimes they are subjected to what can only be viewed as spiritual and emotional torture. And when they ultimately cannot change who they are, they are often driven away, and wind up abandoning God, falsely believing that He rejected them.
Others have been deluded into thinking that they can become what they are not, and some have maintained this illusion for years, only to be devastated when it ultimately fails. Such self-delusion usually results in depression, self-loathing, loss of faith in God, and even suicide.
We are not "liberal" theologians. We do not dismiss scripture as irrelevant to this day and age. We believe the Bible, in its original form, was the inerrant word of God. We endeavor to move beyond the mistranslations that exist in English translations of that word, using the extant Hebrew and Greek texts.
The process of researching the Hebrew and Greek, as well as the history of the church and world in regard to sexuality, began for us in 1980, and continues to this day. When translating from Hebrew and Greek to English, we tend to bypass religious resources, which have been known to alter meanings for doctrinal reasons (not just on this topic). We prefer to rely primarily on secular language sources, whose only "agenda" is proper understanding of the language.
Inclusive Orthodoxy - approaches the problem that the more inclusive an organization or denomination becomes, the further it strays from the Apostolic faith and core orthodox Christian teaching.
Justin Cannon, the founder of this website, is perhaps the most gifted young man of our LGBT community to come along in many years. Still in his early 20's and pursuing his future within the priesthood, Justin has already accomplished much, including the publication of his booklet The Bible, Christianity, & Homosexuality, the design and development of several websites, and the recognition by Out Magazine as one of the Top 100 most influential gay people of 2006.
I am in full agreement with Justin's statements and highly recommend this website to all.
Jesus in Love - offers resources to help lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people build a deep, living relationship with God through Christ. It is an online oasis for all who want to integrate sexuality and Christian spirituality. We affirm lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and let LGBT experiences illuminate Bible texts and church life. We are reclaiming and building on the tradition of God as Lover.
We welcome art, music, poetry and the beauty of nature as a means to spiritual growth. While valuing other faiths, we seek direct contact with Jesus Christ.
Lesbian & Gay Christian Movement (LGCM) - is a UK membership-based international ecumenical organisation, open to all, irrespective of sexual orientation, challenging homophobia in the Churches and other Christian communities.
We offer support, counselling, publications, groups, conferences and networking opportunities focussed on creating an inclusive Church and welcoming congregations.
Firstly, our mission is to bring Christ to those who have been alienated by those organisations that claim to be his Church and claim to preach his love and yet through ignorance and misconception preach not love to God's lesbian, gay and bisexual children.
Secondly, we seek to create an atmosphere of understanding between those who think that homosexuality has no place in Christ's Church and those who think they do.
We seek to remove ignorance and misconceptions and to stop hate and homophobia.
"By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." John 13:35
Liberated Christians - is a website that I personally do not adhere to regarding some of their beliefs, but the website is jam-packed with Resources and it has always been my position that we should make information available, and then it is up to the individual to make the choices.
The purpose of this website is to share a large amount of research that they have accumulated and written over the years about The Bible & Sex, Responsible Nonmonogamy, Loving Intimacy, Swinging, Sex Education, AIDS, Sybian, Nudity, Tantra/Tao and other more controversial topics, such as homosexuality and abortion.
This website will not be for everyone, but I'm sure there are many who will enjoy exploring some new ideas.
Other Sheep - Multi cultural Ministries with Sexual Minorities - We invite you to explore some of the resources in from our list of 60+ centers on six continents and consider networking with us to change the world.
Other Sheep is a member of the ILGA (International Lesbian and Gay Association).
Pacific Northwest Reconciling Ministries Network - is an excellent resource site, especially for those in Washington State. They provide a detailed listing of congregations that have gone through the process to declare themselves Reconciling Ministries, fully affirming people of all sexual orientations into their worship community. They also have a downloadable in-depth theological study booklet on the Church and homosexuality called "To Plead The Cause" as well as a 19 page Resource Guide which covers many topics of interest to the GLBT Christian community.
Planting Affirming Churches - is a resource for LGBT Christians who want to follow the call to make disciples in all nations. Here, you will be able to find church planting resources, denominational resources, and general LGBT resources to help you fulfill the call of God on your life to expand His church in excluded and ostracized communities.
This website is a must if you are considering church planting.
Religious Institute on Sexual Morality, Justice, and Healing - Founded in 2001, we are a multi-faith organization dedicated to advocating for sexual health, education, and justice in faith communities and society. The Religious Institute has emerged as the national leadership organization working at the intersection of religion and sexuality issues.
Our staff provide clergy, congregations, and denominational bodies with technical assistance on addressing sexuality and reproductive issues, and assist sexual and reproductive health (SRH) organizations on addressing religious issues and developing outreach to faith communities.
The primary objectives of the Religious Institute include:
* Developing and supporting a network of clergy, religious educators,
theologians, ethicists, and other religious leaders committed to
sexual justice
* Building the capacity of religious institutions and clergy to offer
sexuality education within the context of their own faith traditions
* Helping congregations become sexually healthy faith communities
* Educating the public and policymakers about a progressive religious vision
of sexual morality, justice, and healing.
Justin R. Cannon has compiled an 11 page booklet which he has made available free for you to download. Just published in March 2005, this study is the end product of much research, dialogue, and prayerful reflection about what the Bible really says about homosexuality.
Please take advantage of this generous offer by downloading, printing, and reading it. This is one of the best resources of its kind. If you appreciate Justin's work, please return to his website and make a donation.
(The) Turning - is an online magazine that examines how spirituality can enrich modern life. Specifically, we're interested in whether Christianity can be a path to compassion, or whether it has run out of steam, over-burdened by an addiction to power and self-righteous judgmentalism.
We don't claim to have the answers. As relatively new Christians, we are still willing to ask uncomfortable questions about the faith. If it can't stand up to serious cross-examination, it won't keep our interest for long. So as we ask hard questions of Christianity, we hope the answers and perspectives we find may be of interest to others.
Note from Mary: The Google Ads at the top and bottom of these pages are supposed to reflect the content within the website, however they are selected by robots so may actually be contrary to ChristianGays.com beliefs and principles. ChristianGays.com does not necessarily endorse the Advertisers, although I'm sure some of them are very good.
