Let's Talk About Change: Can a Person Change Sexual Orientation?

These days the word "change" has been thrown around a lot. If you spent any time listening to our new President Barack Obama during his campaign speeches across the country, you likely heard phrases such as these: "change we can believe in" or "change will not come if we wait..." But the issue of change is not just being hotly debated in political realms. In countless Christian circles and church communities worldwide, the issues of homosexuality and change continue to be controversial and often dividing. Is a person born gay? Can a person choose to change their orientation and adopt a different sexual lifestyle? Can a person be a Christian and gay at the same time?

Brian Peterson, 45, has been gay from the womb. Ask him and that's what he will tell you. "Yes, that's right. I believe I was born gay," he says. "And do I think my sexual orientation can change? No, not really. And I may be wrong. But again, I don't think it's a critical issue except for arguing with gay people and thus building barriers to the Gospel."

You see, Brian isn't your typical gay male, in that he does not fit the statistical stereotypes placed on him by so many organizations. Although he officially declared his sexuality at the age of 31, he is a born-again believer, the son of a longtime assistant church pastor, and was raised in a strong, Christian household and spiritual community environment from day one. This is where many popular theories surrounding the origins of homosexual tendencies fall short in Brian'scase.

Countless researchers, both on the conservative Christian and secular sides alike, tend to postulate a "father-deficit theory", citing that the lack of involvement on the father's part may increase the potential for these behavioral and lifestyle developments. During a speech at the London-based Anglican Mainstream Conference, American psychologist Dr. Joseph Nicolosi stated, "...the fact remains that if you traumatize a child in a particular way, you will create a homosexual condition. If you do not traumatize a child, he will be heterosexual. If you do not traumatize a child in a particular way, he will be heterosexual. The nature of that trauma is an early attachment break during the bonding phase with the father."

Briandisagrees wholeheartedly. "I think there are a lot of people who are desperate to make homosexuality a choice, so they grasp at anything they can find. I am very blessed to have two wonderful, godly parents who were actively involved in my life...I never had a deficit in the presence of my father." He went on to note, "I have many gay and straight friends who grew up with both parents active in their lives...And I have many gay and straight friends from broken homes. You know, I can get a psychologist to tell me anything I need him to tell me."

Try typing the phrase changing homosexuality into your favorite Internet search engine and see how many interesting results you receive. You may be shocked at the number of "professional" and even "psychological" organizations in existence, each attempting to "cure" homosexuality through radical therapy methods. From PeopleCanChange.com to articles featured in Scientific American magazine, it seems everyone is looking for that "miracle cure." And perhaps worse, these curing strategies are typically promoted as scientifically sound and medically professional.

A British survey published in March 2009 discovered that one in 25 therapists would agree to assist a homosexual person convert to heterosexuality. Although recent medical evidence suggests that such "curing treatments" have been proven harmful, unsuccessful, and even potentially damaging to an individual's psyche, countless psychologists continue to promote and employ them.

However, it is not only scientific and psychological organizations that have missed the mark on dissecting and addressing the homosexuality conundrum. What about the ministry efforts of the church? It certainly doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that, globally, the church has not had the best effects in terms of reaching the unsaved or un-churched gay demographic.

Briandoesn't believe the church is failing, however.

"I would say grossly ineffective is a better term to use," he cautioned. "The problem as I see it is that the church has been more interested in having a gay ministry than reaching gay people. You see, Jesus never intended for churches to have gay ministries or support organizations to reach gay people. So they don't have to. Let's just call it what it is...The problem is: "How did we get to the point that we are so concerned about everything under the sun but the life changing power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ?" Without question, the church is more interested in dealing with men having sex with men than men having a relationship with Jesus Christ. Everything I ever saw and continue to see is a pre-occupation with the sin rather than the Gospel that sets us free from sin."

For Christians ministering to homosexuals, grace is the kicker. The Gospel of grace sets us free from sin. In Romans 6, Paul writes, "What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?...Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace." (Romans 6:1-2, 12-14, New American Standard-updated, emphases added).

Churches, Christian communities, leaders, pastors, and congregates desperately need to re-embrace the grace found in the life-transforming power of the cross of Jesus Christ and His work in people's lives. It is time to lay aside the hellfire and brimstone sermons and attitudes and instead pick up the methodology of truth and love. Radical, undeniable lifestyle change is more than possible for "whoever will call on the name of the Lord" (Romans 10:13), and that includes all of mankind, gays and straights alike.

And, as Brian expressed: "It just seems we spend way too much time trying to figure out the gay issue and not enough time loving the gay people."

©2009 Joshua D. Givens & The Underground Christian Online Magazine

This article was originally published here: http://theundergroundsite.com/index.php/2009/08/lets-talk-about-change-can-a-person-change-sexual-orientation/

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