Coming Out for Christians
  • Coming Out For Christians
  • About Me
    • About_me
    • Bridging Cultural Divides
    • Basic Christian Beliefs
    • Bible Interpretation
    • Contact Me
    • Holiness Basics >
      • Holiness Word Study
      • Holiness and Salvation
    • Nazarene Articles of Faith, History, and Perspectives >
      • Nazarene Church Articles of Faith
      • Nazarene Church History
      • Nazarene Church Pastoral Perspectives on Homosexuality
    • Side A Side B Primer
    • Video Discussion
  • For Parents
  • For Sons and Daughters
  • Our Journeys
    • "Jeff's" Journey
    • Robert's Journey
    • Shelley's Journey
    • "Susan's" Journey
  • GCN 2015
 Method E:   

Supporters of Method E do not deny that our disagreements with the other side are serious and profound. .... To be Method E is not to be naive about the other side, nor is it to be lukewarm about one's own convictions. 

It is, rather, to insist upon acknowledging and respecting the humanity of those with whom we disagree. For those of us who consider ourselves Christians, we feel that Jesus’ teachings about loving our enemies and blessing those who persecute us call us to reject the approach of Method D in favor of this method. 

What are the marks of this method, practically speaking?

·         We reject the fear approach of Method D, by opening ourselves to dialogue and relationship with those on the other side.

·         We reject the attitude of extreme distrust by listening to those on the other side, learning about their lives, hearing what they have to say about themselves, seeking to understand them and where they are coming from.  This does not mean we accept everything the other side says without scrutiny.  But it does mean that we open our minds to the possibility that our preconceptions about others are wrong, that others' experiences have differed from ours, and that not everything the "experts"/leaders on our side say about the other side is correct. We believe that one learns more about gays from talking to gays than from talking to James Dobson. We believe that one learns more about ex-gays from talking to ex-gays than from talking to Wayne Besen.

·         We reject the attitude of "culture warriors" in favor of seeking ways to promote peaceful, harmonious coexistence. We consider that in spite of our disagreements some of the other side's complaints of injustice and unfair treatment may have merit and should be listened to and addressed.

 

Definitions of the sides and methods are derived from Bridges-Across web site

Disclaimer

The views expressed by myself and other Christians on this website and in our blog and / or forums (if we have them) may not necessarily reflect the official position of my / their respective denominations.  Additionally,  when I reference various web resources, it should not be assumed to be an endorsement of the entirety of that resource.
Copyright ©  2007-2016 All Rights Reserved 

The material on this website is copyrighted by Dave Earp. Additionally, material I quote or pictures I use may also be copyrighted by their original owner.   Please obtain permission  from the appropriate source before using material from this website.  You can reach me through my contact page.
Websites / Resources of interest
  
 Gay Ambassador                        Gay Christian Network              Dialogue Decalogue                  Love Boldly                               Musings on   /  Bog                     New Direction  /  Blog            Sermon-Adam Hamilton