Before we found the courage to come out, in knowingly Christian surroundings, we spent countless hours researching these Scriptures, praying and asking God for guidance and understanding. It saddens me how many straight Christians don’t even consider doing a proper study into the passages that rebuke homosexuality. What do you honestly feel is achieved by telling a gay Christian that homosexuality is sin? Do us all a favour and study those passages properly before using them as weapons, in the so called name of trying to save a fellow brother or sister.

Most of us have tried to be straight. Most of us know, our same gender attraction will not go away, no matter how much we pray, try, date the opposite sex, or focus on other things.

We know what the Bible says. We have battled through the passages. We have called out to our loving, welcoming, grace giving Father. We are loved and accepted in Him, and we are free.

Remember not to judge. Love does not judge, and it does not condemn, and it does not reject or cast out. We are all brothers and sisters in Christ, who died to save ALL of us.

The rest of Africa has remained silent… most disturbing about this is South Africa, the only African country with legalised gay marriage. But then, I am not all that surprised, and I pray that fears of JZ changing the legislation never transpire into reality. Pray for African Human Rights!

I will just add this… the fact is that generally, especially for women, their first sexual experience is not great anyway! For many women, it hurts, or the guy is done in 30 seconds and she is left wondering… was that it?! So, even straight women would probably agree that simply trying sex with a man is not sufficient to establish whether one is gay or not. Straight women may not like their first sexual experiences with men, but remain perfectly straight!

And just to take it a little too far … I reckon that a lot of straight people who do in fact try sex with the same gender will find it surprisingly pleasing… so beware!

Secondly, it is not because I personally have had any bad experiences with men. Sure, I know men I would definitely stay away from romantically, and I know many women who have unfortunately been hurt by men. This for the most part also does not make people switch teams.

I guess you would think it silly if I said to you, that you’re straight because you haven’t met the right [same sex as you] person yet? Well exactly! That’s why this myth is ridiculous!

Also, if you take a read through “My Story” you will find that I have not been avoiding meeting “the right man”. You will find that I am certainly not opposed to falling in love with a man… but that is not my natural inclination. And if I did end up with a man, that will not cure me of being attracted to women. I will always be attracted to women, but I am monogamous and committed, so if I end up with a man, then that is the person I will love with all my heart. I have known plenty of fantastic men in my life. Guys who certainly were very good marriage material, and most of them are now married! The point is that it is not about meeting the right man. Being gay or lesbian is about who we are attracted to, and in our case, it’s the same sex, not the opposite. It is not simply a case of meeting the right man.

This message is not about whether it is wrong or right to live in a loving, committed, long term, monogamous, Christian same-sex relationship, but rather how the Church (Christian people) should treat homosexual people. Thank you to Pastor Rob Buckingham for sharing this message.

Please listen to this message, and pass it along to people you think may be encouraged or challenged.

Misty has done what I believe ALL straight people should do.. and that is to step aside from our “built-in” beliefs and assumptions of what it means to be gay, and truly look at what it really means. She is one of what appears to be very few straight Christians out there, who has come to a real understanding of what it really means to be gay. In doing this, Misty does not judge, but has great compassion for the LGBT community. She has not compromised her faith in God, but rather (in my opinion) done exactly what Jesus would do in her love for God and all of His people in this world.

Listen to Misty Irons on the latest edition of GCN Radio.

Here’s the thing… I believe that parents should raise their kids to respect all people, have open non-judgmental discussions with their kids about different people in the world, and teach them to find their own standing in God. That way, there should be no discrimination, and no fear of the mere presence of a gay or lesbian person having any impact on another. That said, if the child is in fact also gay, then they will probably feel some sort of understanding with the gay and lesbian people they meet. It would not be the gay person’s bad influence – it would be who they are.

The point is this… God so loved the world (the whole world)… that He sent His only Son to die… that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life (John 3:16). There are no exclusions in that. And… even though there will always be many people in this world who do not believe in Him… that does not give any Christian the right to judge or discriminate against any other human being. We are all created by Him and in His image. We have no right to disrespect God’s creation, regardless of where they stand before Him. That is for God, and God only, to decide one day.

Another very important thing to note, is that I do not know a single gay person who would force, convince, or even desire anyone else to be gay… it’s not an easy life… just as mentioned in Myth 1… it’s not chosen… and why would it be?!

Ok, so you’re a straight girl, so you must be into ALL men!

Like I mentioned in Myth 3, chemistry is tough to explain, but our attraction to people works exactly the same way as it does for straight people… except maybe for 1 little thing…

Many gay and lesbian couples long to have a family, and many of these people share many of the “family values” found in heterosexual families. Loving committed monogamous couples who want to raise their children to know what’s right and wrong, to be polite, respect other people, etc. We do care, and we do have those standards. Just because we’re gay does not mean we are pro promiscuity or don’t care what our children get up to! I think a lot of gay and lesbian couples would agree that they would like their children to have both a male and a female role-model, and in a lot of cases, that can be found in a close family friend, an aunt or an uncle, a grandparent, or even the biological parent.

There continue to be studies on the effects on children in different family circumstances, but I am not going to go into all of that, suffice to say that there is no hard and fast evidence to say that children raised in a same-sex family are any worse off than other children. And when it comes to adoption, I would far rather a child is adopted into a stable loving home consisting of 2 moms or 2 dads, than no parent at all!

The point though, is that the statement outlined in the title is not true. We do care about raising our children to be morally and socially outstanding people, to the best of our ability.

I for one… am no theologian. I will never learn the original Hebrew and Greek languages and culture of the time, and go try interpret these scriptures for myself. But I do read what others have researched and concluded. I can see the case for both sides. I say this because I continue to read both points of view. I believe everyone (gay AND straight) should with an open heart before God, research and study these scriptures and the commentary on them.

From there, I think there comes a time when one must stop re-reading the debate over and over (as I still find myself doing), because it is actually all the same. It’s not going to change. If you have read both sides, and are truly open to finding what God wants to say to you, then do that. Read, research, pray, and then leave it alone, and find peace with what you believe God has revealed to you by His Holy Spirit.

Once you have personally found peace for yourself.. understand that you have found your revelation (whatever that may be), and that quite possibly others find theirs, which may be different to yours. Whether you are gay or straight, or believe same-sex relationships are right or wrong, it is not for you to judge another. Only God is the judge.

On this note, and to ensure no misunderstanding, see this post by Kori Ashton. I am not saying take what you read and form a belief system that fits you. I am saying read both sides with your heart open to the one true God, to hear His voice, reveal to you His truth (not necessarily the truth that suits you best).

I personally don’t see any end to this debate. I think it will continue to be the most controversial topic in modern Christianity. I just hope and pray that people learn not to judge others, and that this “debate” never becomes a war. Too many people have already suffered, whether physically or emotionally, and it is the saddest thing.

I can guarantee you, that many many Christians who discover and begin to accept that they are gay, fight with this issue intensely. It takes a huge toll on us. We are Christians, and we are human beings. We want to serve God and please Him. We want to live our lives for eternity with Him. We love Him and worship Him. But we are also gay. We did not choose it. We know God loves us. We will live our earthly lives to the best of our ability. Don’t judge us or think we have not grappled with the Bible on this one.