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Christianity Today, March (Web-only), 2007 |

The Rebirth of Venus

Charlene Cothran, editor of a magazine for African-American gays and lesbians, on how she renounced homosexuality and came to Christ.

Interview by Amy Tracy | posted 3/23/2007 04:47PM

Charlene Cothran, publisher and editor-in-chief of Venus Magazine, a national publication for African-American gays and lesbians she launched 13 years ago, made a startling announcement: After 29 years ...

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D P	Posted: April 05, 2007 8:43 AM


She obviously choose to be a lesbian and then choose to leave it. Some are born this way and God does not change them, even after tears, repentance, 'deliverance', waiting and prayer. Good for her but don't tar all gays with this 'I'm free now I am a Christian' brush! Some go on to struggle for the rest of their earthly lives. D P

Carolyn - Manassas, VA

Posted: April 03, 2007 2:29 PM

Thanks be the Glory to God for sending the pastor that touch a broken soul. Only He knows the appointed time for intervention. Ms. Cothran I feel spiritual joy for you to have turned away from Satan and the world, and hope because I have a niece (african-american 30 years old) who knows what the Word says but choose to lead a gay lifestyle that came after a heterosexual marriage that produce a boy that is 5 years old. I, her mother and others pray constantly for God's intervention and reading your testimony is a welcomed relief of hope. God bless you Charlene and continue to press forward, because although many may hear, if just one receives the Word you are fulfilling God's purpose for your life ... to share the gospel with the lost so that they might accept Jesus Christ as their savior in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. God is Awesome!

Shelly

Posted: March 25, 2007 4:23 PM


Welcome home, Charlene.

Louella

Posted: March 24, 2007 3:13 PM


Praise God for your courage in sharing your testimony boldly. I will pray for your faith and continued courage. You have been called to deliver a difficult and glorious message to an often unreceptive audience, but as you have said, they are so in need of hearing it. God bless you for following your heart and God's leading.

pete	Posted: March 24, 2007 1:03 PM


Charlene May God richly protect and use you for His Kingdom. I sense that this will be a most difficult journey. So rely on the strength of the Holy Spirit and stay the course. Fight the good fight, and if you slip, confess and come charging back!!

Deborah Hunter/Germany

Posted: March 24, 2007 11:14 AM

Charlene I thank the Lord for your boldness and commitment to share your testimony with others. My husband's cousin died of HIV several weeks ago, but before he did he gave his life to Christ and witnessed to his "lost" friends that this was wrong. They said that when he died, the peace of the Lord BLANKETED him. Charlene, there will be a revival in this community and you are the beginning of many more to come because God is pouring HIS SPIRIT upon all men. We will see a multitude of "the lost" coming back to Christ very soon and I refuse to use the word "homosexual" to describe this group because I will not confess that this is who they are because they were created in the very image of God. STAND FIRM AND MARCH ON SOLDER! You are in our prayers that He will continue to supply your EVERY need as you go forth into all the world to preach the gospel. We love you with the love of the Lord. HALLELUJAH!

Sandy

Posted: March 24, 2007 9:43 AM


Deaconsbench, Sadly, we all misspeak -- and reporters may misquote -- but God examines our hearts.

John Katter, D.Min.

Posted: March 24, 2007 8:00 AM

Charlene, your testimony demonstrates the love and passion of Jesus Christ. Your humility, honesty, and willingness to share the good news that God can change people who have lived in any kind of sexual sin is true. I have had the joy of counseling in pastoral and teaching ministry with men and women, involved in homosexual and heterosexual sin, who also have been transformed by the Holy Spirit and the Word of God (as in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11). May God bless you for your courage, compassion, and willingness to write and speak boldly for His glory!

Michael

Posted: March 23, 2007 11:13 PM

Chalene, you have given me hope. I have known many gays and lesbians, and have seen the loneliness and inner conflict behind the wit and smiles. As a straight, I could not speak credibly to them about deliverance the way I can, as a sober drunk, speak to alcoholics. Experience gives us empathy that people can sense a mile away. Praise God for each victory, and for the redeemed who remember to share their Redeemer!

Christopher Johnson

Posted: March 23, 2007 10:24 PM


It is very encouraging to hear how God has deliver Charlene from a life of great deception. I can definitely identify with her experiences. I thank God that he had mercy on me even when I knew that I was wrong and yet gave me another chance. God mercy endures forever.

Arlene Woodrow

Posted: March 23, 2007 9:34 PM

I praise God for what God has done in Charlene Cothran's heart! I know God will greatly use her to touch the gay community, as well as to help Christian churches know how to reach gays. We live in Palm Springs, CA. In the last few years gays and lesbians have moved into our neighborhood, literally surrounding us. We are friendly to them, but have not known how to reach them spiritually, except through prayer. Even our mayor, Ron Oden, is gay (a former 7th Day Adventist minister). His former wife and children were there to celebrate his swearing in. How can my husband and I communicate Chist to the gay and lesbian people who cross our path in a loving way? We are Christian evangelists and writers, but this field is foreign to us. My email address is arlenewoodrow@earthlink.net . Our Website is www.ralphwoodrow.org . I teach a weekly non-sectarian ladies Bible Study here in the desert. May God bless you as you reach these people for whom Christ died. --Arlene Woodrow

Barb	Posted: March 23, 2007 4:37 PM

Thank you for this encouraging article. It is wonderful to hear this good news. My daughter, also brought up a Christian has been living a lesbian life for about 6 years. I beleive she will be free someday and that she too will have a powerful ministry to gays and lesbians. I am waiting for that day. In the mean time, the Lord is doing a work of compassion in my life for gays and lesbians and their parents. I continue to love my daughter and her friend.

Trevor

Posted: March 23, 2007 3:38 PM

Charlene gets five stars just for the comment that "Anything with two legs could not be more wonderful than God". We will all be wedded to no-one but God in heaven, nor will we have sexual union with anyone in heaven. So I pray for her as she both spreads the good news about God and as she prepares herself for glory in heaven, where everyone knows that there is nothing more wonderful than God himself. I pray that Charlene remains celebate and that she gets closer and closer to God as she thoroughly enjoys his presence in her life. Hallelujah! May she continue to enjoy God and her walk with Him.

Andrea

Posted: March 23, 2007 1:03 PM


Charlene - Bless you for taking a stand for Christ. It must have been so hard to do it - but living life for Christ is not supposed to be easy. May God continue to bless you in your new ministry. And keep praying for your former colleagues. The Word does not come back void. We must all pray for those who are deceived by Satan in every area - whether they realize it or not.

Rosa Piske

Posted: March 23, 2007 12:15 PM


Charlene, is being true to God's calling, Praise the Lord. I will pray for her. I agreed sin is sin, sin is disobeying God. For the straight guy who commented that he believes God made people homesexual, my question is does he read the Bible, and does he believe for faith in God demands obedience to God and Christ and what the Bible teaches us.

Bertha Wray

Posted: March 23, 2007 12:14 PM


Praise God Charlene that you are a voice of hope and love to the gay community. I will be praying for you that you will, through the Holy Spirit, be able to impact the lives of so many lovely people who are caught up in sin and destruction.

Marie

Posted: March 23, 2007 12:09 PM

Our twisted natures were not God's original creation. One's compulsions/obsessions/cravings to same-sex mate/gamble/drink alcohol/prostitute/etc., what God's Word states is sin/wrong, can't be justified as right, God-ordained, just because it is something felt from birth. Sin is ingrained. I'm an enthusiastic Christian & love Lord Jesus. I've also had homosexual feelings for decades & confirm that a great many of the gays I've known and/or observed, are essentially disfuntional hetersexuals. There's an intense pressure to hide the truth of their deep internal conflicts & persecute those who 'break rank', revealing what's behind the veils. Scriptures note Christ gave His Church body the powers to 'bind and loose' (Matt 16:19) issues on earth. A strong case can be made that the Church could bless same-sex unions (life-long vows equal to marriage), with abstainence to be maintained until such a union-just as is for all. God's mercy trumps God's justice & takes weapon out of Satan's hand.

Paul	Posted: March 23, 2007 11:44 AM


Praise God there is hope for those enslaved in sin!

Dwight

Posted: March 23, 2007 11:32 AM


Homosexuality may or may not be genetic--the jury is still out. That does not necessarily mean "God made them that way." In any case, sexual behavior--of any kind--IS a choice.

deaconsbench

Posted: March 23, 2007 11:23 AM


"Every sinner is saved"? I'm not sure if the author meant to say this in that context. That statement of course, is unbiblical.

Kelly

Posted: March 23, 2007 11:17 AM

Sin is sin. Never been a homosexual or a physical harlot. But I'll tell you what - I've sinned my brains out. Christ's blood doesn't pick and choose what to cover. It abundantly saturates all sin. Nor is Jesus a discriminate "healer." His timing is perfect. I praise Him for His timing, His mercy, His grace and His blood. Obedience because of our love and acknowledgement of what He's done for us is a blessing for us that goes on giving, and pours out to others. When He touches our souls, His fingerprint sticks.

Narrow Road

Posted: March 23, 2007 10:53 AM

Ken? Satan speaks through your lips--shush it. Congrats Charlene welcome to the club of OUR SOULS HAVE BEEN SAVED FROM DESTRUCTION. Blessing in your future ministry. I used to be a hard core hetero reprobate--- gays and lesbians have never bothered me. Most won't get saved however because narrow is the road. The only people I have a problem with is so called liberal christians. Actually they are apostates. Man life is good. Take care sister and GOD BLESS.

Andrea Bailey

Posted: March 23, 2007 10:45 AM


I commend Charlene Cothran for her bravery and her willingness to come forward with her own personal relationship with the Lord. I will continue to pray for her and her ministry. May she always remain strong and true in His Word.

Reader

Posted: March 23, 2007 10:30 AM

Miss. Cothran is very courageous and I pray that Christ will enable her to continue to walk the path of righteousness and healing as well as being able to reach out to those still lost. Luke 15:7 (New International Version) I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent. Luke 15:10 In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." God Bless!!!

Scott

Posted: March 23, 2007 10:24 AM

Yes, this is a positive article. But it also highlights someting significant: the centralityof the work of the Holy Spirit and the love and mercy of God to bring about the conversion that Ms. Cathran went through. There is too much fear of gays and homosexuality in the conservative Christian community. A lot of the ways that people treat the issue is reactionary and fear-based; speaking the truth in love and actually showing love is the way the Holy Spirit works. Many Christians need to be converted too so that God's mission to all people, including gays, can be richly manifested through the love and mercy of God.

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