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Countering the lie of same-sex attractions

Rebecca Grace - Guest Columnist - 7/4/2009 4:00:00 AM

Rebecca Grace Homosexuality is becoming a way of life for many young people who are buying the lie that they are born homosexuals. The world equates same-sex attraction with an innate homosexual identity, so those who struggle with homosexual feelings are told it must be who they are.

But Scott Davis, vice president of education for Exodus International -- the leading ministry aimed at men and women tempted by unwanted same-sex attraction -- sets the record straight in the powerful DVD titled The Question of Homosexuality: A Conversation for Youth About Same-Sex Attraction.

The DVD, which can be used in an individual or group setting, combines intriguing testimonies and insightful teaching about homosexuality and the impact it is having on teens and young adults. It is 100 minutes in length and addresses the hard-hitting questions that today’s youth are asking, provides Biblical instruction about God’s design for sexuality, and moves viewers’ hearts to compassion for their gay-identified peers and loved ones.

In the interview below, Davis reflects on the contents of the DVD, which is available at http://store.afa.net.

(Note: The DVD contains frank and detailed discussions about homosexuality.)

AFA Journal: How did this DVD project come about?

Scott Davis: As a campus leader [a number of years ago], I saw a tremendous need for resources for youth and campus ministers on the topic of homosexuality. I found this out when I had a large number of friends coming to me and saying, “Scott, I struggle with homosexual feelings. I don’t want to be gay, and I don’t know what to do about it. Can you help me with it?” This was sort of my introduction to the issue.

This DVD -- a product of many years -- grew out of my experience as a campus minister, finding great resources from Exodus and then coming on staff and creating a tool that youth leaders and campus ministers could use in talking to their students about homosexuality.

AFAJ: Why is homosexuality so problematic for young people?

SD: Many students find themselves experiencing these feelings and trying to figure out why and what to do with them. They’ve been told that if they experience the homosexual feeling – a feeling of attraction to someone of the same gender – then that defines them as a homosexual. That is their identity. They are told that they have those feelings because they were born gay, they’ll always be gay, and their only option is to accept and to pursue a homosexual lifestyle.

AFAJ: How can the church help?

SD: It really is the church’s battle. The key is to be actively involved in all students’ lives, teaching them in word and in deed what healthy sexuality looks like. One of the most damaging things for students, especially those growing up in Christian homes, is they will experience these confusing sexual feelings at a young age, which is very common, but they don’t feel like they can talk about it. They don’t feel like they can talk to their parents, church or youth minister about it, so really all that’s left is a school counselor who will likely tell them that this means they’re gay.

So it’s very important for youth pastors to talk about this topic in a compassionate and loving way so that a student who is listening and struggling with this knows this is a safe person with whom he can talk to get help.

AFAJ: Why are love and compassion significant when ministering to students struggling with homosexuality?

SD: Obviously love and compassion are extremely important in every avenue of life, especially in the Christian life and ministry. They are just plain effective. But in addition to church steeple that, the need that lies at the root of homosexuality isn’t the need to have sex with people of the same gender. The need is for love, affirmation and acceptance, specifically from family, church and peers.

AFAJ: How did you come to this understanding?

SD: What really affected me as a young man in ministry who began to address this topic of homosexuality was really looking at Christ and the Gospels and how He responded to sinners of all sorts. The Gospels are full of stories of Jesus interacting with sexual sinners and people who were apart from God in all sorts of ways. Seeing him interact with these people who were really outcasts in their own day, helps me understand how I should respond in my own day. Interacting with Christ and the Gospels moved my heart to compassion and changed me inside.

Rebecca Grace is a staff writer for the AFA Journal, a monthly publication of the American Family Association. This article, printed with permission, appears in the July 2009 issue. The American Family Association is the parent organization of the American Family News Network, which operates OneNewsNow.com.

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