Texan special report on homosexuality:

The following links are stories included in the special report on homosexuality published in the Oct. 31, 2011 edition of the Southern Baptist Texan.

http://texanonline.net/news/sbc-gender-issues-expert-says-grace-diligence-key/

http://texanonline.net/news/christian-parents-must-fast-pray-love/

http://texanonline.net/news/a-biblical-response-to-i-was-born-this-way/

http://texanonline.net/news/can-the-homosexual-condition-be-prevented-author-says-yes-1/

http://texanonline.net/news/grounded-in-scripture-pastors-can-help-those-struggling-with-homosexuality-1/

http://texanonline.net/news/prof-jesus-redemptive-power-can-change-homosexuals/

http://texanonline.net/news/with-grace-speak-truth-ignore-intimidation/

FORT WORTH, Texas (BP) — The task force appointed to study the prospect of changing the Southern Baptist Convention’s name held its first meeting Oct. 26 at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas.

Convention President Bryant Wright announced the 20-member task force during the opening session of the SBC Executive Committee’s Sept. 19-20 meeting in Nashville, Tenn. The announcement prompted a lively debate across the convention about the pros and cons of making such a change.

The 16 task force members attending the Oct. 26 meeting spent “a great deal” of time in prayer, aware of the far-reaching implications a name change would have, task force chairman Jimmy Draper said in an Oct. 26 statement.

“We spent a great deal of time in prayer, believing that we need God’s guidance and divine wisdom as we seek to serve Southern Baptists in this consideration,” Draper said. “We received a review of the history of the SBC name issue and are aware of the weighty matters that have been brought to light by previous studies and considerations.”

The committee’s work centers on whether the Southern Baptist mission would be advanced by a name change, Draper added.

“We are driven by only one great question — how can Southern Baptists be most faithful in reaching people for Jesus. Our concern is not public relations, politics, positioning or personal agendas,” Draper said. “We must ask ourselves constantly if there is anything that would help us to reach more people, plant more churches, and penetrate lostness here in the United States and around the world as we seek to fulfill the Great Commission.”

Draper’s statement said he appreciated “the responsible quality” of the group’s first discussion and affirmed the need for input from both rank-and-file Southern Baptists and those in positions of leadership. He said he would be contacting leaders for their input and that others can interact with the task force through a website, www.pray4sbc.com. Name change suggestions can be entered in a box that accepts up to 50 characters, while the form for submitting comments has been expanded beyond the 140-character limit originally in place.

LifeWay Christian Resources also has been asked to research the potential impact of a name change among unchurched people, Draper said.

The task force understands its charge is limited to reporting back to Wright and that no one believed the word “Baptist” should be removed from the name, Draper added.

“We also want to let Southern Baptists know that we do understand our task. We are a body appointed by the SBC president, and to him we will submit our report. We are not authorized to change the name of the convention, nor are we certain that such a change is right. We do know that it is right to ask the question, and to consider our name in light of our mission,” Draper said. “We also want Southern Baptists to know that we, as a task force, are unified in affirming that we are and will ever remain Baptist — and that name is more than a label, it is a testimony. We cannot envision a name change that would not include ‘Baptist’ in the name.”

The full text of the task force statement follows:

STATEMENT FROM Jimmy Draper

CHAIRMAN, SBC TASK FORCE TO STUDY POSSIBILITY OF NAME CHANGE FOR OUR CONVENTION

October 26, 2011

The Task Force appointed by Southern Baptist Convention President Bryant Wright to study the possibility of changing the name of our convention met for our first meeting October 26, 2011 in Fort Worth, Texas.

Sixteen of the twenty members of the task force were in attendance, and the meeting was graciously hosted by Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

We spent a great deal of time in prayer, believing that we need God’s guidance and divine wisdom as we seek to serve Southern Baptists in this consideration. We spent time in prayer, together and in small groups, and then turned to the matters at hand.

We received a review of the history of the SBC name issue and are aware of the weighty matters that have been brought to light by previous studies and considerations.

We are driven by only one great question — how can Southern Baptists be most faithful in reaching people for Jesus. Our concern is not public relations, politics, positioning or personal agendas. We must ask ourselves constantly if there is anything that would help us to reach more people, plant more churches, and penetrate lostness here in the United States and around the world as we seek to fulfill the Great Commission.

I am thankful for the responsible quality of our first discussion. The committee is representative of the Southern Baptist Convention, ranging from pastors of some of our oldest churches to those who are planting new churches far outside of the southern states. The task force is diverse in composition, but united in our singular purpose to serve all Southern Baptists in this work.

We know that we need more information. I will be writing Southern Baptist leaders ranging from the heads of our entities to the leaders of our state conventions. We will be asking all Southern Baptists to let their concerns and convictions be known. We have asked LifeWay Research (a ministry of LifeWay Christian Resources) to research the issue of our name among the very people we are trying to reach — the unreached.

We also want to let Southern Baptists know that we do understand our task. We are a body appointed by the SBC president, and to him we will submit our report. We are not authorized to change the name of the convention, nor are we certain that such a change is right. We do know that it is right to ask the question, and to consider our name in light of our mission.

We also want Southern Baptists to know that we, as a task force, are unified in affirming that we are and will ever remain Baptist — and that name is more than a label, it is a testimony. We cannot envision a name change that would not include “Baptist” in the name.

We will meet again to continue our conversation and we are eager to hear from Southern Baptists. We want to thank the hundreds of Southern Baptists who have sent us letters, emails, and other communications. Please communicate with us at pray4sbc.com.

We know that Southern Baptists are very interested in this conversation and passionate about our mission and identity. That is a sign of our health and vitality. We will report once the task force has met again.

Task Force members are:

— Michael Allen, senior pastor of Uptown Baptist Church in Chicago;

— Marshall Blalock, pastor of First Baptist Church in Charleston, S.C.;

— David Dockery, president of Union University in Jackson, Tenn.;

— Tom Elliff, president of the International Mission Board;

— Kevin Ezell, president of the North American Mission Board;

— Ken Fentress, senior pastor of Montrose Baptist Church in Rockville, Md.;

— Micah Fries, lead pastor of Frederick Boulevard Baptist Church in St. Joseph, Mo.;

— Aaron Harvie, lead pastor of Riverside Community Church in Horsham, Penn.;

— Susie Hawkins, speaker, Bible study teacher and missions volunteer from Dallas;

— Fred Hewett, executive director of the Montana Southern Baptist Convention;

— Cathy Horner, Bible teacher and pastor’s wife from Providence Baptist Church in Raleigh, N.C.;

— Benny Jo, pastor of HANA Korean Baptist Church in Las Vegas, Nev.;

— Albert Mohler Jr., president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky.;

— Paige Patterson, president of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas;

— Bobby Sena, retired director of Hispanic resource development and equipping in the North American Mission Board’s church planting group;

— Roger Spradlin, co-senior pastor of Valley Baptist Church in Bakersfield, Calif., and chairman of the SBC Executive Committee;

— John Sullivan, executive director-treasurer of the Florida Baptist Convention;

— Jay Wolf, senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Montgomery, Ala.

Jimmy Draper, Chairman

President Emeritus LifeWay

Compiled by Baptist Press assistant editor and senior writer Mark Kelly.

 

EDITOR'S NOTE: This column references an Oct. 17 op-ed in The New York Times, “The Evangelical Rejection of Reason,” by Karl W. Giberson and Randall J. Stephens.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP) — Evangelical Christians are not surprised to find themselves analyzed and criticized within the pages of the secular press. After all, the truth claims that characterize authentic evangelicalism are increasingly seen as unusual (and perhaps even dangerous) by the secular mind. Nevertheless, evangelical readers of The New York Times recently found themselves taken to task by writers presenting themselves as fellow evangelicals. Their essay reveals the central question that evangelicals musty now answer: Do we really believe that the Bible is the Word of God?

In their opinion essay, Karl W. Giberson and Randall J. Stephens accuse evangelicals of “simplistic theology, cultural isolation, and stubborn anti-intellectualism,” among other things. They point specifically to the rejection of evolution, which they call “the rejection of science,” and then refer to this as “textbook evidence of unyielding ignorance on the part of the religious.”

At times, the writers use the words “fundamentalist” and “evangelical” almost interchangeably. Following a line of argument popular among secular observers of conservative Protestantism, they explain that fundamentalism “appeals to evangelicals who have become convinced that their country has been overrun by a vast secular conspiracy.” In other words, they explain evangelical conviction in terms of psychology, not theology. Evangelicals, they argue, “have been scarred by the elimination of prayer in schools; the removal of nativity scenes from public places; the increasing legitimacy of abortion and homosexuality; the persistence of pornography and drug abuse; and acceptance of other religions and of atheism.”

In response to these developments, Giberson and Stephens argue that evangelicals created a “parallel culture” which includes everything from church programs to summer camps, colleges, publishing houses, media networks, and more. There is truth in the description of an evangelical subculture, of course, but these authors surely know that this “parallel culture” emerged early in the 20th century — long before prayer was removed from public schools or any of the other developments they list had taken place. But, then again, that honest admission would ruin the story they are trying to tell.

Giberson is well known as a leading proponent of evolution, and he has launched several lines of attack against evangelicals who reject evolution. A former professor of physics at Eastern Nazarene College, Giberson has argued that evangelical theology will simply have to give way to evolutionary theory, going so far as to admit: “I am happy to concede that science does indeed trump religious truth about the natural world.”

Stephens is an associate professor of history at Eastern Nazarene College. Together, Stephens and Giberson have also written a new book, “The Anointed; Evangelical Truth in a Secular Age.” The main thesis of the book is that evangelicals are following the wrong set of leaders, especially when it comes to intellectual matters. They level their attack on figures like James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family, and Kan Ham, founder of the Answers in Genesis ministry. Their main accusation is that these leaders, along with others, simply embarrass evangelicalism before the watching world by refusing to accept what Giberson and Stephens call “secular knowledge.”

Dobson, for example, is lambasted for arguing on behalf of reparative therapy for homosexuals seeking to change their sexual orientation. Giberson and Stephens simply reject reparative therapy because the American Psychological Association disavowed it in 2000. Dobson, they accuse, charged that the APA did so under pressure from homosexual activists. Giberson and Stephens fail to concede that the APA discussion was well known at the time to have indeed been driven by homosexual activists, who claimed the decision as a victory for their activism.

So far as they are concerned, rejecting a position statement of a group like the American Psychological Association is tantamount to an irrational rejection of “secular knowledge.” What they fail to see, evidently, is that their own intellectual posture represents a total capitulation to whatever any secular authority may demand.

Something deeper is going on here, of course. Appearing on the Oct. 20 edition of National Public Radio's “Talk of the Nation” program, Giberson argued that homosexuality should not be much of a concern at all. He revealed even more of his own approach to the Bible by asserting that “there's just a handful of proof text[s] scattered throughout the Bible about homosexuality,” adding: “Jesus said absolutely nothing about it.”

That hardly represents an honest or respectful approach to dealing with the Bible's comprehensive and consistent revelation concerning human sexuality in general and homosexuality in particular. Is Romans 1, for example, just a scattered proof text? Is not all of the Bible God's Word? Well, Giberson has already made his view of the Bible clear — it is simply “trumped” by science when describing the natural world.

Again and again, Giberson and Stephens point to the Bible as the issue. Evangelicals follow the wrong leaders, they assert, because they tend to trust those who “first and foremost have an unquestioning belief in the literal truth of the Bible.” Who would have known?

Giberson and Stephens reject those who believe the Bible's clear teachings on the sinfulness of homosexuality and prefer a figure like David Myers who “believes that Christians can be faithful to God, the Bible, and their tradition and still believe that homosexuality is morally acceptable.” On what authority? Once again, the norms of secular science trump everything else. Myers, they say, earned the Ph.D. from the University of Iowa. He has “won several prestigious National Science Foundation grants” and has edited respected scientific journals.

They use language intended to both impress and scare a secular readership. James Dobson, they sneer, believes in the use of corporal punishment by parents. This “defender of spanking children” is dismissed as an authority on rearing children, even though they have to admit that he also holds a Ph.D. from a respected institution (the University of Southern California), taught on its faculty of pediatrics, and has been published in respected scientific journals. They reject Dobson on homosexuality and prefer the approach of Evangelicals Concerned, an activist group which argues that God “does not judge men and women on the basis of race, gender, or sexual orientation.”

Oddly, Giberson and Stephens criticize evangelical leaders who, for example, “pepper their presentations with so many Bible verses that their messages appear to be straight out of Scripture.” Do they seriously believe that evangelical Christians should prefer leaders who would let the Bible be silent and base their arguments on some other authority? Clearly, this is exactly what they suggest.

In “The Anointed,” Giberson and Stephens reveal more of their understanding of the Bible. Consider this passage:

“Christians have long been called 'People of the Book.' The label is especially appropriate for evangelicals. But the Book is thousands of years old, written in obscure languages, from a mysterious and incomprehensible time and place.”

That just about says it all. In a very important paragraph in their essay for The New York Times, Giberson and Stephens write:

“Like other evangelicals, we accept the centrality of faith in Jesus Christ and look to the Bible as our sacred book, though we find it hard to recognize our religious tradition in the mainstream evangelical conversation. Evangelicalism at its best seeks a biblically grounded expression of Christianity that is intellectually engaged, humble and forward-looking. In contrast, fundamentalism is literalistic, overconfident and reactionary.”

We now know that when Giberson and Stephens speak of the Bible “as our sacred book,” they mean something far less than what evangelicals have historically believed — that the Bible is the very Word of God. The most honest part of that paragraph is found where the writers admit that they “find it hard to recognize our religious tradition in the mainstream evangelical conversation.”

That is a huge admission — and one that is especially telling. Giberson and Stephens are far outside of the evangelical mainstream, and they know it. Even on the issue of evolution, Giberson affirmed Talk of the Nation host Neal Conan's assertion that the rejection of evolutionary theory “is the mainstream of evangelical thought.”

So, what are we to make of their essay in The New York Times? Did Giberson and Stephens hope to shift the evangelical mainstream by means of their essay? Not likely. They have made their preference for “secular knowledge” and secular affirmation clear enough. They could rest assured that the readership of The New York Times would overwhelmingly agree with their worldview and with their assessment of evangelical Christianity. That, we must assume, is their reward.

They have, however, set the central issue before us. Evangelical Christians will either stand upon the authority and total truthfulness of the Bible, or we will inevitably capitulate to the secular worldview. Giberson and Stephens force us to see, and to acknowledge, the consequences of the evangelical surrender of truth.
–30–
R. Albert Mohler Jr. is president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky. This article first appeared on Mohler's blog, albertmohler.com.

By Kate Taylor | TEXAN Correspondent

“Mom, I’m gay.”

These three words can unleash a firestorm in the heart of a parent and the life of a family, shaking foundations to their core. Parents expect to guide their children through many stages of growth and change, hoping to instill basic Christian principles. But when a child adopts a homosexual life, parents are often unprepared emotionally and spiritually.

Although many people might assume that homosexuality only occurs outside the church, it happens in Christian families and can bring shame, embarrassment and frustration to Christian parents who desire a God-honoring life for their children.

However, there is hope for parents and families of those in homosexuality, according to Susan Holt and her daughter, Patricia, who lived through Patricia’s 15-year battle with lesbianism, despite the fact that Patricia’s parents are in the ministry and raised her in a Christian home in Texas.

Patricia first got involved in homosexuality when she was 20, but she said her choices began years earlier. “I will tell you, flat out, that I do believe that it was part of the wiles and schemes of the enemy,” she said. “I believe that when I was very young, he began to set me up for this particular sin.”

Looking back, Patricia realizes the struggle her life had become during this time.  

“God allowed me to go through 15 years of literal hell,” Patricia recounted. “Back and forth, back and forth. In the lifestyle, out of the lifestyle. It was very difficult for my family and me.”

That difficulty drove Patricia’s mother to her knees and taught her that even in such a challenging situation, the Lord is still at work—in the life of the parents and the child.
After learning that her daughter was living a lesbian life, Susan found herself in the stages of grief. The first stage she faced was denial.

“We absolutely refused to believe it.” Then Susan said she made a mistake and read her daughter’s journal. “There I saw in black and white what I had been denying. I had to face the reality of what I had been denying.”

Second, Susan moved into the anger phase.

“I was angry at Patricia that she could do such a thing—that she could embarrass us in this way. It was the kind of thing that is shame. You don’t want to share it with anybody else.”

But Susan began to believe that her anger was misplaced and she advises parents to remember where homosexuality originates.

“Turn that anger toward the one who deserves it and that is Satan, your enemy, and don’t turn that anger toward your child,” she said. “I was angry with Patricia. I wasn’t turning my anger toward the devil though he was the one who had brought all of this into her life. So the Lord had to deal in my heart and in my husband’s heart to get rid of that anger toward our precious child so that we would be able to deal with the whole situation.”

Susan said parents often enter the guilt phase next.

“If you’ve been a parent one day, you have made a mistake,” Susan said. “Face it. There is not a perfect parent. The enemy is going to come to you immediately and bring up everything that you have done wrong. If he can’t bring up something specific, he will just bring this cloud of guilt over you to where you feel like it is your fault that your child has made poor choices. Turn your anger toward the enemy who is putting this guilt on you and do not receive it.”

Parents experience grief when a child makes poor choices. “There is a grieving that takes place in your life,” Susan emphasized. “It is not a thing that we need to stuff down. We need to go on and grieve and let God come in and bring healing in that grieving.”

Finally, acceptance of the situation begins to be a part of life.

“Do not accept the sin,” Susan said. “Accept the fact that this is reality and you’re going to have to learn to deal with it. I would encourage you to seek from the Lord—what he wants to teach you in this situation.”

Once the initial shock and grief begin to subside, Susan suggests parents take a few practical steps toward helping their child break the chains of homosexuality:

1) Learn and practice the discipline of fasting, as described in Isaiah 58. “Set aside a day, a week, or a meal,” she noted. “Fast for this child who is out in the world.”   

2) Find a prayer partner to come alongside them in this difficult struggle. “You don’t have to announce that your child is out in the world,” she said. “People in this situation are embarrassed and ashamed. You need to have some people that will pray for you. If your child is not walking with God, there are going to be difficult days for you and you are going to need somebody you can call on to pray for you.”

3) Learn how to pray for your wayward child. First, pray for the salvation of your child and for the Lord to deliver him from bondage.

“Pray for their eyes to be opened. The enemy blinds our eyes to the truth. Even if your child is a Christian, their eyes can be blinded to the truth of who they are and what their situation is,” Patricia said. “The enemy convinced me that I was a lesbian. Even after God delivered me, two or three years after that, the Lord showed me God didn’t make me ‘not a lesbian any more.’ I never was a lesbian. The devil told me I was and I believed that I was, but I never was. It was all a lie. You need to pray and ask God to open your child’s eyes to the truth.”

Parents should also pray for brokenness and healing in the life of their child.  

“Don’t ever pray for brokenness without praying for healing. You don’t ever want your loved one to be broken without God coming through immediately with healing. It has to be a twofold thing.”

Patricia warned that when parents pray for brokenness, they might be tempted to rescue their child from the situations that bring brokenness, thus interfering with the Lord’s plan.  “If you are praying for brokenness and healing, before you rescue, go to the Lord,” Patricia said. “If we run in and rescue and God doesn’t want us to, then God has to bring other situations about to bring that person to the point of brokenness.”

In addition to praying for brokenness, parents should also ask the Lord to change the child’s heart toward himself, as well as praying that the Lord will bring people into the child’s life and Scripture into his mind that will remind him of God. Patricia cited several examples during her struggle when the Lord placed people and situations into her life to remind her of him. These were powerful reminders of his continued presence in her life, despite her rejection of him.

After praying all these things on their child’s behalf, Patricia encourages parents to begin to thank the Lord for what he is going to do. “Hold on to the promises of Scripture,” Patricia urged. “God is always at work in your child’s life even when it looks like he isn’t.”

Also, Patricia suggests parents begin to seek what the Lord might want them to learn through their child’s situation. “God allows things to happen for all sorts of reasons,” she added. “There’s never just one little thing. He has this huge big picture plan. If we will seek him during those times when we are being so hurt and confused, you are going to find him in a way you’ve never found him before.”

Citing the examples of the crossing of the Red Sea and Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, Patricia noted that God worked in these situations in ways that were probably surprising to those involved. “God knew what he was doing.”

Expressing unconditional love is another challenge parents face in dealing with a homosexual child.

“This is very difficult, especially during periods of anger,” Patricia said. “To love them unconditionally does not mean you have to accept who they are. Stand true to the Word of God. If you think that if you compromise the Word of God it will keep a relationship with your child so maybe you can minister truth to them—that’s a lie. Once you compromise the Word of God, and when you try to go back and tell them the truth, it’s not going to fly. You might be the only Christian who loves your child that he or she sees.”

Patricia also contends that while parents do not have to accept the lifestyle their children are living, they do have to let their children know that they love them, no matter what. “They have to know that no matter what they do, no matter where they go, no matter who finds out and how embarrassed you may get, they’re yours. You’re never letting go of them and you’re going to love them forever.  They have to know that. When you love your child unconditionally, they know that when they come back, you will be there. They need to know that when they come back you are ready to welcome them in.”

She also challenges parents to correct their children with humility and without being judgmental. “Respond to them in love like Jesus would.”

Susan also encourages parents to hold the line with their homosexual children in their homes. “Am I saying this is easy? Heavens no,” Susan said. “Anytime there is a hurting child, there is a hurting parent and vice versa. You have the right in your home to set the boundaries.”

As parents continue to fast, pray, and love their children unconditionally, Susan challenges them to continue to move on in their own faith journey. “Rely on the Word of God. Get into God’s Word and find your own personal ‘rhema’ that he will speak to your heart so you can go back and claim those promises.”

No matter how the situation ultimately turns out, trusting the Lord is also essential. “If Patricia had never come back to the Lord, God is still faithful. It does not always end happy, I hate to tell you, but that is reality. God gave us grace through those years to wait and trust and believe him.”

When and if a child comes out of homosexuality, the battle is not over. “Staying away is harder than taking the first step,” Patricia admitted. “Pray more, pray harder, be more specific. Stand against the enemy. Pray a hedge of protection around your child.”

Despite the 15-year battle the Holt family waged, Susan and Patricia both see how the Lord used their struggle not only to change them, but also as a way to minister to others.  “Tenderizing comes through situations like this, like nothing I know of,” Susan said. God comforts us so we can comfort others.”

Susan said parents must stay focused on the Lord during the trial.

“Delight yourself in the Lord, despite what is going on. He is always worthy of our praise, no matter what’s happening in life.”

The names of the individuals interviewed have been changed due to the circumstances of their current work. To contact Patricia or Susan, email sbtexas@sbtexas.com.

FORT WORTH—The essential message of the church in the debate over homosexuality and gender identity must echo the apostle Paul’s: Homosexuality can be overcome through Christ’s redemptive power, stated Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary ethics professor Evan Lenow in a recent conference at the Fort Worth campus.

Homosexuality in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 is among the vices practiced by people who will not inherit God’s kingdom, Lenow noted. But Paul’s hopeful remedy is, “Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.”

“May we work toward seeing those trapped in this lifestyle come to Christ and be restored to God’s design for gender and sexuality,” he said.

During the conference on scriptural gender roles, Lenow explained how homosexual orientation and homosexual behavior run counter to the complementary nature of sex, subvert the complementary nature of marriage and undermine the complementary nature of the Christ-church relationship.

Complementarians believe that men and women are ontologically equal,” he noted, “yet functionally distinct—with men primarily characterized by servant leadership and women primarily characterized by gracious submission.”

Lenow quoted Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary ethics professor Daniel Heimbach to describe the complementary nature of sex.

“’Sex unites beings made for each other. Men and women are human and neither is more or less human than the other. But our equal humanity does not mean we are perfectly identical. As sexual creatures, men and women are different in ways that complement each other, and the value of complementary relationship in sex is so positive that any denial or attempt to erase it is immoral.’”

In contrast, Lenow said, “Homosexuality rejects the complementary nature of sex through the union of two identical partners,” violating the biblical purposes of sex for procreation, one-flesh unity and sexual purity.

Citing the Creator’s intention for his created beings to reproduce, as found in Genesis 1:28, Lenow added, “God takes the complementary nature of the sexual act so seriously that he calls any deviation from his designed plan an abomination,” forbidding incest, adultery, bestiality and homosexuality in Leviticus 18.

“One reason that these perversions of God’s design for sex receive such strong condemnation is that they inherently violate the command to procreate,” Lenow said. While not all heterosexual sex is procreative in nature, the biological possibility among heterosexual couples is not prevented by the act of intercourse, he later explained to the TEXAN. “Biological sameness prevents every homosexual couple from being able to reproduce the couple’s own biological offspring.”

Homosexuals are also incapable of experiencing the intimate union as described in Genesis 2:24 between a man and his wife. Instead, homosexuality distorts the God-designed complementarity of marriage and condones the sexual act between two members of the same sex.

“As a husband and wife engage in a sexual relationship, they satisfy their individual sexual desires within the covenant of their marriage. This outlet of sexual fulfillment then serves as a mechanism for purity,” Lenow said in speaking to the Southwestern audience, noting the third purpose of the sexual relationship between marriage partners.

Even with six states recognizing same-sex marriage, homosexual union does not fit the criteria of a biblically sanctioned marriage of one woman and one man, Lenow noted. Furthermore, homosexual marriages typically are not monogamous, he said, citing a 2010 San Francisco State University study which reported half of gay couples openly participate in sex outside of marriage.

In addition to distorting the complementary nature of sex, homosexuality subverts the complementary nature of marriage.

“We believe that men and women are ontologically equal,” Lenow said, referring to their being, personhood and value, “but God has established different roles for them to exhibit based upon their constitutional gender.”

Husbands are asked to love their wives as Christ loved the church, he recalled, a role characterized through “sacrificing, sanctifying, cleansing, cherishing and nourishing” based on Ephesians 5:25-29. Wives, he added, submit themselves to the leadership of their husbands just as the church submits to Christ, showing respect and seeking counsel on spiritual matters.

“As complementarians, we believe these gender roles were instituted at creation,” he said, pointing back to Genesis 2:18, 20, “and are reaffirmed after the fall,” citing Genesis 3:16-29.

The growing call to erase gender distinctions has escalated to the point that prepubescent children as young as 10 are trying to change their gender identity, he said, citing a recent ABC News report.

“In essence, they are saying that physical, biological gender has nothing to do with who they are. They can choose to be something else by simply denying the distinction with which they were born,” he stated.

“Whether it is through the denial that gender distinctions exist or the expression of gender distinctions within same-sex relationships, homosexuality creates a challenge for the acceptance of complementary gender roles in marriage and society.”

Turning to Ephesians 5:22-33 to connect marriage to the Christ-church relationship, Lenow said the final step of proponents of homosexuality in denying God-ordained gender roles is the undermining of the nature of the Christ-church relationship.

“The homosexual couple is incapable of loving as Christ and submitting as the church because they are identical without distinction. The members of a same-sex couple cannot stand in selfless headship nor respectful submission as Christ and the church,” he argued.

“Anything that undermines the intent of that analogy must be looked upon with suspicion,” Lenow concluded.

Acceptance of homosexuality within the church not only destroys the significance of marriage, it corrupts an understanding of how God relates to his people, Lenow said. “The challenge is so great that proponents of homosexuality, knowingly or unknowingly, place mankind on the same plane as God and require by analogy that Christ submit to the church.”

Reminding the audience of the warning of Romans 1:26-27, Lenow challenged the church to stand alongside Scripture and declare that homosexuality is against nature and the result of God giving people over to their degrading passions.
 

Ben’s struggle with same-sex attraction and sexual addiction began in his early teens. His dad served in the ministry and his family was passionate about their faith, but it never connected with Ben.

He felt isolated by his struggle and disconnected with his father, who as a minister was “everyone’s dad.”

His turning point occurred in high school when a youth leader invested in Ben, who admitted his struggles.

“I told him, ‘I think I’m gay, and I don’t think I really want to be.’” It was that youth leader’s honesty and unconditional love that drew Ben to Jesus to help him deal with his struggles.

“My addictions were keeping me from accepting the love of others and the love of God. I realized that everything I wanted, I already have. I could worry less about how much everyone else loved me because the Lord of the universe wants me. He sacrificed for me and he’s the culmination of everything I need.”

…

Hope spent most of her adult life as a gay-rights activist. “I was a tough, hard-nosed, in-your-face, out-loud, proud, card-carrying lesbian. I thought I was strong and I thought I was independent.”

A car accident five years ago left her with a debilitating head injury and serious life questions. Physically and sexually abused by parents who told her she was supposed to be a boy, Hope’s confused and tumultuous childhood led her down a path searching for peace and acceptance wherever she could. But no matter where she looked, peace evaded her.

After a number of churches rejected her for her lifestyle, she tried Buddhism, shamanism and Judaism, but never found what she needed. After her accident, she lost everything—her job, life partner, even her identity since her injuries kept her from the activism that had defined her life. That was when a friend shared the hope of 1 Corinthians 6:11 with her. She prayed and accepted Christ.

“God began to speak truth into my heart and said, ‘I created you. Your mother and father may have rejected you, but I love you. I accept you.’”

Christian believers from the Dallas-Fort Worth area gathered at a banquet for Living Hope Ministries on a recent Saturday night to share their testimonies of God’s delivery from homosexuality. Oftentimes, it was the enduring faithfulness of a Christian friend or minister whom God used to begin the restoration process.

Three-fourths of Southern Baptist pastors have no specific training to minister to people such as Ben and Hope, and only 8 percent of other staff and laity is equipped to respond to this need. So when the Southern Baptist Convention developed a Task Force on Ministry to Homosexuals, messengers endorsed a response to what Jimmy Draper called the number one culture issue of the day.

In 2007 the SBC opened an office to provide resources and training for local churches to minister to those seeking help from same-sex attraction, but the number of requests from churches for assistance has been startlingly low.

LifeWay Christian Resources, the SBC Executive Committee, the North American Mission Board and the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission provided the synergy to accomplish the task and called upon long-time Texas pastor Bob Stith of Southlake to serve as national strategist for gender issues.

ERLC administered a one-time grant from LifeWay intended to last three years, but with careful budgeting, Stith has managed to extend the effort to five years. With funding set to expire next June, Stith would like nothing more than to be run ragged with calls to equip church members, local congregations and Baptist associations with the tools to minister to homosexuals.

“Seventeen years ago I became burdened for this issue and began telling people that I believed this would be the watershed issue for the church in our generation,” he said, recalling how often his heart has broken as he listened to men and women as well as family members wounded by careless remarks and unwise counsel or simply ignored after sharing their pain.

Before accepting his new assignment, Stith pastored Carroll Baptist Church in Southlake for 37 years. He initially envisioned the gender issues office would coordinate Southern Baptist resources, ministries, guidance and training on such issues.

“What evolved is primarily a resource when a pastor or parent discovers a child who struggles. Occasionally a church or association will host training events, but those are rare,” Stith acknowledged.

Help for parents and training for churches are the most obvious needs he seeks to meet, but Christians also need to understand how to counter “gay apologetics” and provide “safe churches” for those struggling with homosexual inclination or behavior.

“Parents need understanding in raising gender-healthy children. They also need help in knowing what to do when a child exhibits gender non-conformity,” Stith told the TEXAN. “Many problems could be headed off if parents just had this training.” While it’s not his area of expertise, Stith can direct inquirers to qualified people.

“Training our people in the Scripture is imperative, but in today’s culture we had better have an understanding of how the activists are teaching their people those scriptures,” Stith warned.

One of the things Stith’s office tries to help parents understand is that if a child comes home, especially from college, and announces he is gay, parents must take notice how he responds. “I can almost guarantee that by that point gay friends have conditioned him or her on what to expect and how to respond.”

Church leaders also need to be trained to minister effectively to those who do struggle, he added. “I still talk to men and women almost weekly who have been hindered in their walk out of homosexuality by wrong counsel—even though well-intentioned.”

Oftentimes, he finds the “counseling” amounted only to quoting relevant scriptures on homosexuality, without offering biblical guidance on how to get out of a homosexual lifestyle. “They ask themselves, ‘Is this church, this pastor going to stigmatize me if I share my struggle?’”

Issuing a call to examine the concept of “safe churches,” Stith asked, “How do we stand firmly on the biblical standards while presenting an atmosphere where strugglers feel safe in sharing their struggles?” Instead, he often hears from strugglers who heard the pastor, Sunday school members or others tell “gay jokes” or make derogatory remarks about homosexuals. “I’ve heard parents tell of how this wounded them when they heard these things.”

Churches also need to equip Christians to not only know what the Bible says, but learn the various cultural claims regarding homosexuality.

“We don’t realize the incredible rise in gay apologetics,” Stith said, adding that some of the arguments appear very convincing to an untrained ear.

“The subtlety is that they don’t always just deny what the Bible says, they argue that we’ve misunderstood what it really means.” That approach becomes a powerful argument to a parent desperately wanting to believe his son or daughter is OK.

Discussion along this line should consider the allegation that science has proven that homosexuality is genetic. “It’s not enough to simply say, “I don’t believe that. What does science actually show? Is there a genetic component that could lead to predisposition? What do the biological findings have to do with biblical truth?”

Stith recommends the type of one-day training seminar offered by Living Hope Ministries which is available to churches at a minimal cost. Through the ERLC Gender Issues office, Stith can accept invitations to speak at churches and associations at no cost to the host, addressing homosexuality as it relates to the Bible, culture and the church, while equipping participants in a redemptive approach.

The task force brochure “Dare to Care” features stories of people who found the help they needed when the church did what the church was meant to do, he added. “They practiced loving discipleship.”

Some of the same people who heard Stith’s prediction that homosexuality would become the cultural watershed issue said they didn’t understand his concern at the time. “Now they fully understand,” he said. “We can’t read a newspaper, listen to what are kids are hearing, watch television or movies without seeing the impact.”

Citing surveys that indicate 3 percent of the population struggles with same-sex attraction, Stith recognized that would only amount to about 9 million people. “But if you factor in mothers, fathers, siblings, close relatives, family friends, you’re suddenly looking at a minimum of almost half of the population who are directly impacted by this struggle,” he concluded.

“We absolutely have to have some positive, redemptive answers for these people.”

Churches are often reluctant to deal with the issue, Stith said, describing it as uncomfortable and controversial. “We can easily allow ourselves to think that in covering the fact that the Bible says it is sin, we have covered the issue.”

“The task before our convention—reclaiming a biblical view of sexuality—is overwhelming, and it will require awareness and commitment from individual Southern Baptists as well as our churches and institutions if we’re to begin to turn the tide on this struggle.”

Stith believes Christians must be driven by a passion for men and women to be made whole in Christ and not simply a passion to defeat the homosexual agenda. “It is time for the prophets to speak—not the prophets of fire but brokenhearted prophets who can identify with the brokenness of their people.”

Michelle Covington contributed to this report and portions of Stith’s comments were drawn from Baptist Press. To contact Stith, email him at bstith@sbcthewayout.com or call 817-424-9121. He will also be available at the upcoming annual meeting of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention at the Irving Convention Center, Nov. 14-15.

ACADEMY—At First Baptist Church of Academy, it might be easy to believe that a small church in a small town in rural Texas can’t be involved in missions or have an impact on the world. But Pastor Brent Boatwright and his congregation of 120 isn’t letting its size or location interfere with the mission of spreading the gospel at home and abroad.
Growing up in a traditional Southern Baptist church, Boatwright recalled the lack of personal involvement in missions in his local church.  

“We had missionaries come in every year.  In all my 19 years growing up there, I never saw anyone leave, go do missions and then come back. It always seemed like you had to go to Africa and stay.”

As a result, Boatwright developed the belief that short-term missions could and should be done by every church—big or small.

“I always read articles about big churches doing missions,” Boatwright said. “Even though you don’t have a million dollar budget, you can still do missions. We can’t depend on missionaries to do it all.”

To help fill the gap, FBC Academy is doing ongoing mission projects with an unreached people group in Mali, West Africa, as well as ministering to Navajo Indians in New Mexico.

“Since 2004, we’ve sent at least one team each year to Mali, West Africa,” Boatwright said. In Mali, the church works with an IMB missionary from FBC Academy to evangelize the Samogho, an unreached people group.  

The Samogho people have no written language, so Boatwright and his team use storytelling to share the gospel. They’ve seen a few come to Christ and recently were able to extend their ministry into a neighboring Samogho village.

“He (the chief) is a new believer and he wants to see his village come to know Christ,” Boatwright said. The FBC Academy group was the first group of believers to ever spend a few days and nights in the village.

The work in Mali is challenging, Boatwright noted. The people practice animism and also have a Muslim influence. “It is hard for them to give up their sacrifices.” In addition, the villages are located in the bush and transporting teams there limits the mission teams to a maximum of six members.  

However, they continue to go. “We’ve got several who’ve been multiple times,” Boatwright said. “I’ve tried to encourage people to go multiple times to build relationships.”
Boatwright is excited about developing relationships with the Samogho men. The missionary is a woman so outreach to the men of the village is more challenging for her. “January is a good time to relate to the men,” Boatwright explained.  

In January, the villages are recovering from the rainy season and men are rebuilding their mud brick homes. Taking a group of men to the village in January opened doors to relate to the men as they worked together making bricks and rebuilding homes.

“Reaching the men is doable for our missionary, but it’s important for us as a team to go to encourage the men,” Boatwright said.  

In addition to its work in Mali, FBC Academy is also involved with ministry to the Navajo people in New Mexico. Working with North American Mission Board missionary Jim Turnbo, they have taken two mission trips to Nahodishgish Baptist Church, a new church start in the poorest community on the Navajo Reservation.  

In 2010, Boatwright took a group of 10 men and boys to work with Turnbo and his church. They built wood sheds and a wheelchair ramp and while they were there, the Lord gave them the desire to do more. “God burdened our hearts further to look toward other needs.”

That burden turned into a recent trip to the reservation to hold a diabetes foot care clinic and do roof repairs in the community.

“God did some awesome things.”

Boatwright said the church saw God’s provision in amazing ways as they prepared to work with the Navajo. Nurses from FBC Academy contacted pharmaceutical companies and these businesses donated medical supplies. When a local building supply company learned why the church wanted to buy tar paper for roofing, the company donated a pallet of roll roofing and a pallet of tar paper, enough to supply FBC Academy’s project and the next group coming to help at the reservation. “God really opened doors up.”

In addition to local businesses helping the church prepare for their Navajo ministry, the people of the church also stepped up. Boatwright divided the items needed by Sunday school class and each class collected their assigned items. For example, the third- and fourth-graders collected cotton balls and other classes collected bleach, alcohol, swabs, and other needed materials. “Every Sunday school class gave something,” Boatwright said.

Making missions a church-wide project has impacted FBC Academy in multiple ways.

From gathering missions supplies to sponsoring missions nights at the church in which scenes from the mission trips are recreated to help church members better understand life on the mission field, everyone has a stake in missions trips.

“I think to some extent it shows people that missions are doable,” said Boatwright, who added that these events help people who are contemplating a trip to Mali or New Mexico by showing them what it might be like.

In addition to raising awareness of the needs around the world, FBC Academy’s mission involvement has led to new ministries in the church as well.

“For sure, more people see the reality that they can do ministry,” Boatwright said. “We’ve seen new ministry opportunities come out of our mission trips. One lady came back from a mission trip and said, ‘I believe God is burdening my heart to do a jail ministry.’”

While she didn’t see herself as a teacher, within a few months she began working in a jail ministry. Now every Tuesday, six women from FBC Academy work at the Bell County jail, ministering to female inmates.

Another woman in the church discovered a new point of view on ministry after going on a mission trip. She came to Boatwright with a question, asking, “Why don’t we just adopt the youth of the community like we do the Samogho. Why not look at the youth as a mission field?

“People have discovered that God can use them in ministry,” Boatwright stated.  “God wants them hands-on in ministry. It doesn’t have to be Africa. It can be New Mexico or in the local community.”

As FBC Academy continues to reach out in Africa, in New Mexico and in their community, Boatwright challenges churches, especially small ones, to get involved in missions. “Time and time again, God has provided,” he said. “It’s a lie from the enemy to say a small church can’t go.”

By Mike Goeke

Recently, I was talking with my young son about his behavior with a babysitter. He had done some things clearly against “babysitter protocol,” and rather than own his error, he said: “Dad, I’m not perfect.”  

He was using his innate imperfection as some form of justification for his poor behavior. The next day, I met with a young man dealing with difficult issues in his life and making questionable decisions. His primary defense to his behavior was his belief that he was only acting in concert with how he had been born. He, too, was using his innate imperfection as a form of justification for his poor behavior. Another friend claimed that his “personality” somehow invalidated God’s commands to us to love each other, forgive each other and live in community with each other. His response to challenge was: “That is just not how God made me.” Somehow, we seem to think that God’s Word only applies to us when it is easy, or when it feels natural. In our self-absorbed culture, we rationalize our behavior by blaming our biology.  

As a Christian, I believe that through original sin, we all enter the world with a sin nature and a propensity to do things that God calls sin. Sinning comes naturally. Few are taught to lie or to manipulate or to be selfish. Most people, and not just Christians, see “natural” parts of themselves that have the potential to be destructive in society or in relationships and they act to curb those tendencies. We see few people claiming the identity of “liar” even though many people are tempted on a daily basis to lie about something. We see few people claiming the identity of “adulterer” even though many people deal with lust, at some level, on a daily basis. We see few people claiming the identity of “gossiper” even though many people are tempted to gossip on a daily basis. Certainly no one would seek to justify stealing or murder based on some innate desire to steal or to murder.

Those of us who are Christians see biblical guidelines as being about more than just the betterment of society or personal relationships. As Christ followers, we see God’s Word as written for us and for a purpose that goes beyond the surface of our lives. But many times God’s Word calls us to something that seems unnatural. I know that I have struggled with many things for most of my life. I don’t know which of those things were part of me at my birth, and which were acquired by me as a result of the sinful world in which I grew up. But, in reality, I’m not sure it matters.

Years ago I left my wife to pursue homosexuality. I made this decision for several reasons, but one major reason was that I had come to believe that I had always been gay and I would always be gay. The feelings seemed to go way back, and nothing in my childhood seemed identifiable as the “cause” of the intense feelings with which I had struggled for so long. Without an intervening cause, I decided that I must have been born gay and, thus, I had a loophole in God’s instruction for behavior and sexuality (sexual identity and sexual expression).  

Even though I eventually returned home to my wife repentant and committed to allowing God to work in my life and sexuality, I continued to struggle with fears that some day there might actually be proof of a gay gene (a fear which has, as of today, not been realized). As I sought God’s Word, though, I realized that even if my same-sex attraction was somehow genetic, God’s Word still applied to me. And God’s Word did not give an “out” for genetic predispositions. I wasn’t told not to steal unless I just couldn’t help myself, or not to lie unless it felt really natural, or not to lust unless I had always felt the urge to lust. I was told simply to follow Christ no matter how I felt and no matter the depth of my struggles.

I also discovered that the call to follow Christ carried with it amazing promises. As a Christian, I was told that I was a new creation. I was promised abundant life. I was promised peace and joy and fulfillment. I was told that I would gain much more than I gave up. I saw in Paul that his lifelong struggles were allowed by God so that Paul would experience the sufficiency of God’s grace and the strength that comes in weakness.

I saw in the man born blind (John 9) that the man’s blindness was allowed so that God’s power might be displayed in him. I realized that to legitimize sinful feelings and behavior was to deny the reason Christ came in the first place. He came not to give me comfort in how I was, but to transform me and make me new. I may have been born one way, but he came to give me new life and new purpose and a new identity. Today, I am reborn completely new. My struggles may remain, but I am no longer a slave to them and am no longer controlled by them. More than anything, I am no longer defined by them.

I was born with lots of things, good and bad. And I was raised in a world full of other sinners and broken people. While sin came naturally to me, so did creativity and humor and friendship and many other things. Christ redeemed all of me, the good and the bad. He did not take away my positive traits or my negative traits, but he made them new. Today, I can see that my whole life is for one purpose—to bring him glory. No matter how I was born, I was reborn for so much more. To settle with what we were is to miss out on the magnitude of what God empowers us to become. Claim your new identity, and prepare to receive much more than you give up.

Mike Goeke is an associate pastor  at Stonegate Fellowship Church in Midland. He leads Cross Power Ministries, a work of Stonegate that ministers to people struggling with unwanted same-sex attraction. Learn more at stonegatefellowship.com/www2011/cpm.html. He can be reached at mikegoeke@stonegatefellowship.com.

 

In my last column I encouraged you to put Tuesday night, Nov. 15 on your calendar for the “Praying & Going Around the World” celebration. You will want to be present to experience the effort to embrace the unengaged. With so many demands on your time, I know you have a limited number of events you can attend.

If you can possibly make the three days of the SBTC Bible Conference and Annual Meeting, you will be blessed during all of it. Let me say a word about the Bible Conference.

Bible Conference President Terry Turner set the theme of “Impacting the Next Generation.” There is no topic closer to my heart than the home. I have shared with you many times about my family. It is crucial that we have Christian homes, not just homes with Christians as family members.

My wife June and I prayed and read Scripture on our honeymoon night. With only about a half dozen exceptions we have never pillowed our heads at night without having a time of worship in these 38 years. When the Bible says, “Don’t let the sun go down on your wrath,” I believe it could very well be addressing the marital relationship. It is extremely difficult to stay upset with your spouse if you are praying and reading Scripture daily.

When June and I receive a wedding invitation we often send a family Bible to the couple. It may be more symbolic than practical. However, we pray it will be a reminder to keep the Word of God and prayer in the center of the home. The one constant that should be found in the home of Christians is a worship altar. I want to challenge everyone reading this article to find a time where you can have family worship daily. It does not have to be long. Whether it is with squirming preschoolers or as empty-nesters, every home should have a daily worship time. It could be in the morning at breakfast or in the evening just before bedtime. The family altar is no magic bullet or panacea but it does provide an avenue for God to work in the hearts of all the family members.

People point to prayer and Bible reading being removed from schools as the beginning of the decline of our American Christian culture. Some want prayer in the school house but don’t have it in their house. Some people campaign for godly leaders in the White House but fail to provide godly leadership in their houses. Discipleship begins at home. If we want to see our culture changed, it will be one family at a time.

The SBTC Bible Conference could be a life changer for you. It begins Sunday night, Nov. 13, at 6 p.m. with Kurt Bruner from Lake Pointe Church teaching and Pastor John Meador of FBC Euless bringing the message. Mesquite Friendship Baptist Church and FBC Euless will provide worship music. Monday morning, Nov. 14, Pastor Steve Stroope from Lake Pointe Church provides the teaching and I will bring the message. Bryant Jones from MacArthur Boulevard will lead music worship.

The Monday afternoon session begins at 1:15. Pastor H.B. Charles from Jacksonville, Fla., is teaching and Alistair Begg from Ohio is preaching. Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary provides music. There is a Ministry Café during the lunch hour featuring John Trent and Gina Cooper. You need tickets for the Café.

It is worth your time investment to enrich your home for Jesus by attending the SBTC Bible Conference. You will be blessed. Plan to attend and pray for God to move mightily in the hearts of his leaders.