3 of 3

• Sometimes listening can be even more important than speaking. If you do choose to host a forum on homosexuality, invite someone from the gay community, and then ask them to publicly share some of the struggles faced by lesbian and gay people in your town. This is their chance to show you how to love them, and remember, there are no strings attached. You are not trying to "change" them, you only want to love them.
• Set up a mentoring program in your church by holding training sessions for heterosexual men and women who want to better understand and help struggling homosexuals. Then, couple the heterosexual men and women with the homosexually struggling men and women, respectively. Some churches, such as Emmanuel Reformed Church in Paramount, California, have done this in an effort to provide a mentoring relationship for homosexual strugglers who may otherwise have a hard time connecting to their same-gender counterparts.

We cannot merely wage a political battle against same-sex marriage and claim that we love homosexuals. We must use not only the ballot box, but also our hands, feet, mind, heart, voice, time, resources, and attention to show our love. Ultimately, the battle we fight is not for the banning of same-sex marriage. Rather, it is a battle to win the hearts of our world's LGBT people.

Chad Thompson is an author, speaker, and founder of Inqueery, an organization that addresses homosexuality on high school and college campuses. This article is adapted from Thompson's upcoming book, Loving Homosexuals as Jesus Would: A Fresh Christian Approach (Brazos, November). For more information visit LovingHomosexuals.com.

Copyright © 2004 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Other Christianity Today articles on ministering to homosexuals include:

The Cure of Gay Souls | Pastoral care of gay people in our congregations cannot wait. (Aug. 23, 2004)

Coming Attractions | Gay activism is not just found in liberal churches. (July 29, 2003)

No Easy Victory | A plea from a Christian husband and father who, day by day, resists his homosexual desires. (March 08, 2002)

Earlier Christianity Today articles about compassion for homosexuals include:

Ex-Gay Sheds the Mocking Quote Marks | The retiring head of Exodus says gay transformation ministries are more respected and effective than ever. (January 7, 2002)

Walking in the Truth | Winning arguments at church conventions is not enough without compassion for homosexuals. (Sept. 4, 2000)

Building a Bridge | A gay journalist and evangelical pastor correct their mutual misperceptions. (July 13, 2000)

The Jerry We Never Knew | He hangs out with liberal pundits and gay activists. Is this the same Jerry Falwell who founded the Moral Majority? (May 2, 2000)

Sex and Saints | A new vocabulary for an oversexualized culture. (Apr. 3, 2000)

Building outreach and friendship with the homosexual community | What Jerry Falwell really said at the Anti-Violence Forum. (Nov. 5, 1999)

Just Saying 'No' Is Not Enough | How should Christians address homosexuality? (Oct. 4, 1999)

Who Killed Matthew Shepard? | Human nature being what it is, we can too easily cross the line between hating the sin and hating the sinner. (Dec. 7, 1998)

Revelation and Homosexual Experience | Can it be said of us that we surprise others by the sympathy and compassion we extend toward homosexuals? (Nov. 11, 1996)

Other articles on homosexuality are available in our Sexuality and Gender area.

Same-Sex Marriage: What Can I Say? is a forum between Phil Busbee, Tony Campolo, Cheryl Sanders, and John Yates on the pressures and opportunities of the same-sex marriage controversy, hosted by Leadership.

first page |  3 of 3

share this page

August (Web-only) 2004, Vol. 48