Young Life expressed “deep gratitude” to people who are courageously sharing stories, saying that will help it be “better equipped to introduce kids of all backgrounds to Jesus and help them grow in their faith.” However, the group says it stands by its theology, which it won’t be reviewing. “Our theology is faithful to God’s vision for human sexuality,” Young Life says in a statement. It believes that “sexuality is a gift from God” and that “intimate sexual activity should occur within a marriage covenant between a man and a woman.”
A Trend Toward Ambiguity
The purpose of #DoBetterYoungLife, say organizers, isn’t to dismantle Young Life but to prompt it to be more upfront. Thomas believes the organization is “100 percent purposeful” in its ambiguity. “The idea that a person would be barred from any activity just because they are queer is horrifying to so many young people,” he says. “Young Life knows this…and for that reason, they are toeing this very fine line.”
Trend-watchers say ambiguity has become important for ministries wanting to reach today’s young people. That led to the creation of Church Clarity, a crowd-sourced database that “scores” churches on how clear they are about LGBTQ policies and their enforcement.
Jess Kotnour of Church Clarity says many congregations now market themselves as inclusive and “cool” when “it’s the same [traditional] beliefs, but repackaged.” Kotnour adds that families unfamiliar with evangelicalism often don’t know what wording to look for on a ministry’s website.
Many of the people sharing stories on #DoBetterYoungLife say they had amazing experiences, made lifelong friends, and grew personally as leaders at Young Life—and that increased their sense of betrayal when they were turned away for being gay. Some former Young Lifers say the rejection made them depressed and even suicidal.
In their statement, Young Life says, “We are deeply saddened to know that any individual would walk away from their experience with Young Life feeling hurt or shamed, and wish to apologize for instances where our sins of commission and omission have caused this pain.”
