Home Christian News Pastor Who Shared How He Redirects His Same-Sex Attraction Labeled ‘Heretical’

Pastor Who Shared How He Redirects His Same-Sex Attraction Labeled ‘Heretical’

Born Again This Way” author Rachel Gilson also believes that people can be faithful followers of Jesus and still experience ongoing attraction to the same sex. “It’s been 17 years, and my same-sex attraction hasn’t gone anywhere,” she told ChurchLeaders in May 2021. “The question isn’t, should I feel really, really guilty about having desires at all? The question is more, how can I be faithful in the midst of any set of desires?”

Dr. Gregory Coles, an author and Research Fellow at The Center for Faith, Sexuality & Gender, notes that the idea of ongoing attraction to the same sex can be difficult for some Christians to accept. “One thing that has been a challenge for folks,” he said, “is there are people who would hear my story and who would assume that when I talk about being gay or when I talk about experiencing ongoing attraction to the same sex who would assume that that is always already a sinful thing.”

However, in an interview with Desiring God, Sam Allberry cited James 1:15 to illustrate that while temptation leads to sin, it is not identical to sin. And Dr. Christopher Yuan points to Jesus to show there is a difference between being tempted and acting on a temptation. “If Jesus was ‘tempted in every way’ and he is the Holy One,” said Yuan, “then we can’t say temptation in and of itself is sin…Even if I had opposite-sex attractions, I would still need to resist temptations.”