Homosexuality: Legally Permissible or Spiritually Misguided?1
Homosexuality: Legally Permissible or Spiritually Misguided?1
Homosexuality: Legally Permissible or Spiritually Misguided?1
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Lockard, <strong>Homosexuality</strong>First, firm biblical teaching on the subject will ensure that confusion does notrest with Christians who are influenced by media and the behavioural sciences.Past<strong>or</strong>al counsell<strong>or</strong>s are responsible to God to sound f<strong>or</strong>th to society a clearw<strong>or</strong>d from God. The Bible does not teach that homosexuality is anunf<strong>or</strong>givable sin: offer them hope and help. Reject the sin while embracing thesinner.Second, meaningful personal supp<strong>or</strong>t f<strong>or</strong> the homosexual who is seekingchange from the <strong>or</strong>ientation is vitally imp<strong>or</strong>tant. Christian supp<strong>or</strong>tivefellowships can be established to supp<strong>or</strong>t people in their brokenness and desireto change their sinful behaviour. Homosexuals must be faced with a caringand compassionate church to assist them in seeing a God who reaches out tothem even through condemnation of the behaviour. At the same time, thechurch must teach that homosexuality is contrary to the divine purpose f<strong>or</strong>human sexuality.The old sin nature can be transf<strong>or</strong>med through repentance and faith in Christand the w<strong>or</strong>k of the Holy Spirit within the depths of every personality. Thereis no such thing as a “powerless grace”. If behavioural scientists, Masters andJohnson, can achieve a 66 percent success rate in dealing with homosexuals,how much m<strong>or</strong>e can past<strong>or</strong>al counsell<strong>or</strong>s accomplish with the power of theHoly Spirit? It is a biblically-based hope which past<strong>or</strong>s and churches shouldhold f<strong>or</strong>th as a tangible possibility f<strong>or</strong> delivering people from the bondage ofdestructive homosexual behaviour (NARTH 2001).Dr Russell Waldrop (2001) is a past<strong>or</strong>al counsell<strong>or</strong>, psychiatric chaplain and alicensed professional counsell<strong>or</strong>. He provided this warning to the church:There is a real threat here to the church and it comes from bothwithin the church and outside it. From outside the church,secular licensing and training groups could withhold licensesfrom people who do not believe in gay-affirmingcounselling . . . and they might be able to withdraw the licensesfrom those who still do not agree with gay-affirmingcounseling.162
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