Greetings...
Welcome to Coming Out for Christians. My name is Dave. I have put
these web pages together after much prayer and soul searching in
response to God’s leading. The purpose of these web pages is to
facilitate a gracious and Godly atmosphere for those who are coming out
as gay or lesbian to their families, friends, and / or church. My apologies to
those who are transgender as I have not studied this as much so I do not
cover that here. (Eventually, in the future, I will have a section on this as
well)
There are a variety of opinions, beliefs, and concerns about gay and
lesbian questions such as …
These pages attempt to answer these and other questions you may have.
The purpose is to help all who have been touched by this since there is
much misunderstanding.
Most websites try to get everyone to believe the same thing about
homosexuality. That is not what I am trying to do. Instead it is my hope to
facilitate an attitude of respect and understanding so that relationships are
not broken and God’s grace can abound. It is only when God's grace is
abounding in an atmosphere of Christ's love and peace, that people can
grow in Christ and be encouraged in their personal journey. This is also
called 'safe harbor'.
Safe harbor is needed because there has been much hurt projected to
those who are gay and lesbian from some in the church. While there are
issues about which some of us in the church may never agree I do believe
that we can find common ground in Christ. If God through Christ can tear
down the dividing wall between the Jews and the Gentiles (see Ephesians
2:14) and take out the enmity between them, then surely He can do that
here as well.
To the left are some basic links for finding out more about me and what I
believe. Below are some specific website sections to assist you. Let me
say up front that every situation is different. While I certainly hope these
pages are helpful to you I can not guarantee success in the relationships
you are working with. You will ultimately have to use your own judgment for
your specific situation. .Even if you are not a Christian and your parents /
friends are or vice versa, I hope you will find these pages helpful.
For the Parents
These pages provide help and direction for the parent who is faced with a
son or daughter who has come out. These pages are written from a
conservative but non-condemning perspective. Perhaps I should put a
word in here about what it means to be conservative. Conservatives are
the movable middle. They are neither far right nor far left. So please don’t
misunderstand the word: "conservative".
For Sons and Daughters
This is my advice to those who are gay or lesbian who are seeking to come
out to their parents. While this is mainly written for adult children coming
out to their parents it may be useful for coming out to your Christian friends
as well.
Our Journeys
New for 2011 ... people share their journeys in this from different
perspectives.
Other website sections…
Missional Church
These pages give detail to my missional passion to reach others with the
gospel. This is not only outreach to people who are gay or lesbian but also
to many other cultures and people groups. Several missional books are
recommended as well as specific books for understanding homosexuality
that I believe conservative Christians would find useful.
LGBT Survey
This gives the results of a survey that I took at a Pridefest event in which
many street preachers were outside the event with their bullhorns speaking
their message. It includes video examples of street preaching. The video
examples are useful for understanding how Christ is represented (or
perhaps misrepresented) at events that gay and lesbian people attend.
The survey provides some very thought provoking answers from lgbt
individuals about their feelings about the street preachers and the church in
general. This survey represents some of my first steps in understanding
people who are lgbt. I believe you will find it helpful for your understanding
of lgbt individuals as well.
Welcome to Coming Out for Christians. My name is Dave. I have put
these web pages together after much prayer and soul searching in
response to God’s leading. The purpose of these web pages is to
facilitate a gracious and Godly atmosphere for those who are coming out
as gay or lesbian to their families, friends, and / or church. My apologies to
those who are transgender as I have not studied this as much so I do not
cover that here. (Eventually, in the future, I will have a section on this as
well)
There are a variety of opinions, beliefs, and concerns about gay and
lesbian questions such as …
- Is a person born gay?
- Can I be Christian and be gay?
- How can I come out to my parents?
- My son or daughter or friend has just come out and I don’t know what
to do.
These pages attempt to answer these and other questions you may have.
The purpose is to help all who have been touched by this since there is
much misunderstanding.
Most websites try to get everyone to believe the same thing about
homosexuality. That is not what I am trying to do. Instead it is my hope to
facilitate an attitude of respect and understanding so that relationships are
not broken and God’s grace can abound. It is only when God's grace is
abounding in an atmosphere of Christ's love and peace, that people can
grow in Christ and be encouraged in their personal journey. This is also
called 'safe harbor'.
Safe harbor is needed because there has been much hurt projected to
those who are gay and lesbian from some in the church. While there are
issues about which some of us in the church may never agree I do believe
that we can find common ground in Christ. If God through Christ can tear
down the dividing wall between the Jews and the Gentiles (see Ephesians
2:14) and take out the enmity between them, then surely He can do that
here as well.
To the left are some basic links for finding out more about me and what I
believe. Below are some specific website sections to assist you. Let me
say up front that every situation is different. While I certainly hope these
pages are helpful to you I can not guarantee success in the relationships
you are working with. You will ultimately have to use your own judgment for
your specific situation. .Even if you are not a Christian and your parents /
friends are or vice versa, I hope you will find these pages helpful.
For the Parents
These pages provide help and direction for the parent who is faced with a
son or daughter who has come out. These pages are written from a
conservative but non-condemning perspective. Perhaps I should put a
word in here about what it means to be conservative. Conservatives are
the movable middle. They are neither far right nor far left. So please don’t
misunderstand the word: "conservative".
For Sons and Daughters
This is my advice to those who are gay or lesbian who are seeking to come
out to their parents. While this is mainly written for adult children coming
out to their parents it may be useful for coming out to your Christian friends
as well.
Our Journeys
New for 2011 ... people share their journeys in this from different
perspectives.
Other website sections…
Missional Church
These pages give detail to my missional passion to reach others with the
gospel. This is not only outreach to people who are gay or lesbian but also
to many other cultures and people groups. Several missional books are
recommended as well as specific books for understanding homosexuality
that I believe conservative Christians would find useful.
LGBT Survey
This gives the results of a survey that I took at a Pridefest event in which
many street preachers were outside the event with their bullhorns speaking
their message. It includes video examples of street preaching. The video
examples are useful for understanding how Christ is represented (or
perhaps misrepresented) at events that gay and lesbian people attend.
The survey provides some very thought provoking answers from lgbt
individuals about their feelings about the street preachers and the church in
general. This survey represents some of my first steps in understanding
people who are lgbt. I believe you will find it helpful for your understanding
of lgbt individuals as well.
Coming Out for Christians
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Other Links
Missional Church
LGBT Survey
GCN Workshop
2011
Missional Church
LGBT Survey
GCN Workshop
2011
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