Gay and Christian?
Reconciling Sexuality and Religion
Jen Hoffman
Issue date: 12/8/08 Section: Editorials
"You can't be open about it; you keep it to yourself," she stated.
Hate messages like "God can no longer love you," were directed at her friends who were openly gay, and another friend was nearly hit by a car for holding someone's hand of the same sex.
Since coming to Hood, Barrick has enjoyed a sense of security and an encouragement to be herself.
"You can feel a general acceptance in the atmosphere," she said.
Freshman Taylor Vrieze was impressed by Lee's explanation of Biblical and historical references that he used to back up his belief that God accepts and condones homosexuality. She said that the dialogue opened her eyes to the "other side" of the issue.
However, Vrieze also expressed the dissatisfaction of some others who felt that Lee merely reiterated what they already knew about the issues, without offering concrete answers about how to reconcile homosexuality and Christianity. Barrick agreed that Lee "accomplished what he set out to accomplish," but that deeper, more difficult questions still remained unanswered. For example, "what if you've lost faith? How do you win it back?"
Perhaps the highlight of Lee's presentation was his exhortation to both homosexuals and Christians to remain tolerant and accepting of each other's opinions. Lee spent the remainder of the evening stressing the importance of both sides working together to understand the other's perspective.
"If we don't find a way to build bridges between the two communities, who's gonna do it?" he asked. "Gays and Christians can't change each other, they can only change the way they respond."
Liz Silard, a high school senior and member of the Hood Start Program, said that the presentation made her aware of the many sides of the debate.
"It's easy to have cultural biases when talking to gays and lesbians," she said.
Silard agreed with Lee's emphasis on listening before spouting one's own opinions.
"It's hard to have a conversation with someone if you don't even know where they're coming from," she said.
Colleen Cruice, a junior and member of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship (IVCF), said that she came to the dialogue "open-minded," and eager to hear other people's opinions.
"I want to listen to people and draw them out; train myself to be more of a listener and less of a talker," she said. "If we listen, God will give us the words to speak when it's appropriate."
For more information on The Gay Christian Network, please visit
www.gaychristian.net.
Hate messages like "God can no longer love you," were directed at her friends who were openly gay, and another friend was nearly hit by a car for holding someone's hand of the same sex.
Since coming to Hood, Barrick has enjoyed a sense of security and an encouragement to be herself.
"You can feel a general acceptance in the atmosphere," she said.
Freshman Taylor Vrieze was impressed by Lee's explanation of Biblical and historical references that he used to back up his belief that God accepts and condones homosexuality. She said that the dialogue opened her eyes to the "other side" of the issue.
However, Vrieze also expressed the dissatisfaction of some others who felt that Lee merely reiterated what they already knew about the issues, without offering concrete answers about how to reconcile homosexuality and Christianity. Barrick agreed that Lee "accomplished what he set out to accomplish," but that deeper, more difficult questions still remained unanswered. For example, "what if you've lost faith? How do you win it back?"
Perhaps the highlight of Lee's presentation was his exhortation to both homosexuals and Christians to remain tolerant and accepting of each other's opinions. Lee spent the remainder of the evening stressing the importance of both sides working together to understand the other's perspective.
"If we don't find a way to build bridges between the two communities, who's gonna do it?" he asked. "Gays and Christians can't change each other, they can only change the way they respond."
Liz Silard, a high school senior and member of the Hood Start Program, said that the presentation made her aware of the many sides of the debate.
"It's easy to have cultural biases when talking to gays and lesbians," she said.
Silard agreed with Lee's emphasis on listening before spouting one's own opinions.
"It's hard to have a conversation with someone if you don't even know where they're coming from," she said.
Colleen Cruice, a junior and member of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship (IVCF), said that she came to the dialogue "open-minded," and eager to hear other people's opinions.
"I want to listen to people and draw them out; train myself to be more of a listener and less of a talker," she said. "If we listen, God will give us the words to speak when it's appropriate."
For more information on The Gay Christian Network, please visit
www.gaychristian.net.
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