February 3, 2014
The following post is written by our friend
Candice Czubernat. Candice has spent the last 13 years studying theology
and psychology, grappling with how homosexuality and Christianity can
co-exist. She now servers as a web-based therapist and is founder of the Christian Closet, offering
counseling sessions over the web through Skype, G-video and over the phone.
Candice is also an advocate and writer focusing on issues such as faith,
sexuality and psychology.
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The last time I went to an amusement park, I did
the most un-adult, embarrassing thing I could do. I was there with my wife and
close friends of ours who were visiting from out of town. It was such a fun,
easy day until the three of them wanted to go on a scary ride called The Mummy!
While it was the absolutely last thing I wanted to do, I went along with it.
Usually in situations like this, and this happens to me every time I go to an
amusement park, the line is slow enough that I have the space to process my
fear and give myself a pep-talk. I’m able to take the time to get enough
courage and internal belief that I won’t actually die to get through my
debilitating anxiety. I mean, anytime I’m coaxed to go on a scary ride, it’s so
traumatic that I feel as if I could sleep for days afterwards because of the
amount of adrenaline that had pumped through my body during the whole ordeal.
This time, I did not get the space or time I
needed, because there was barely any line. It was as if we were the only people
in the whole park wanting to go on this ride, and this left us walking right up
to the front. I had no time to process my feelings, or remind myself that I
would be okay. As my friends joked and talked, unaware of my terror, we sat
down in the ride and as we did, I felt as if I was going to have a heart
attack. I really felt like I couldn’t breathe and feared the worst was about to
happen. Sweat pouring down my forehead, I stood up and screamed, “Stop the
ride, I have to get off!” and did just that. My wife and our friends quickly
snapped their heads my way, shocked at what they were hearing. I could see in
their faces both their compassion for me as I was clearly in distress and
embarrassment for me having drawn attention to us in such a “childish” and
frantic way. The ride quickly took off after I stepped aside and I staggered to
where the exit was. I was shaking, but grateful to be done with what felt like
my imminent death.
When I think back on the awkward and discomforting fear of that experience, I realize many of us feel this way outside of scary amusement park rides. Many of us feel petrified when someone tries to engage us about the topic of homosexuality and the Church, or about what “the gay lifestyle” really means. There’s an awkward and intense fear of the unknown of what the scary ride of this conversation will be like. Perhaps it’s a fear that we will be called biased, racist, or someone who discriminates and doesn’t love like Jesus. We fear we will be asked to hear and accept the seedy details of a homosexual lifestyle and this leaves us running away, looking for the exit.
In the face of my fear of the unknown, I was willing to do the most socially unacceptable thing in front of my wife and our friends, scream like a little girl and run away. I think at the heart of it was that I didn’t know what was going to happen. I didn’t know what the ride was going to be like. It was unknown and thus terrifying.
The fear of the unknown is one of the most
primal, real fears there is. In fact most the time when we ask an anxious
person what they are scared of, it takes them a few minutes to actually name
what it is. Most of the time it’s just a large fear of not knowing what’s going
to happen next. On the scary roller coasters I’ve actually made it through, one
thing that has helped is interacting with those who have already gone on the
ride. I ask every person that’s already been on the ride every question under
the sun. Is this ride scary? Where are the biggest dips? Were there any
surprises? Do they think I will like it? I do my best to take this
scary, unknown thing and make it as known to me as possible. Which makes me
wonder how we might do that with this whole homosexuality and Christianity
thing. I wonder what it would be like for me to be the person in line you get
to ask all the unknown questions to. Of course, this gets a little complicated
because we aren’t at an amusement park together, nor are we most
likely even in the same city as you read this. More importantly, I
want you to know that I’m aware there is so much more at stake here for you,
for both of us. This is about the deepest most personal places of faith,
belief and life. So I’ll do my best to take two questions you might have and
answer them as honestly as I can so that you might begin to feel a little less
scared about this unknown thing called homosexuality.
Disclaimer about me: I am a Christian, I am legally
married to my wife, I am a woman, I am a lesbian and a
mother. I come from these perspectives and biases. I answer these two questions
not to persuade you, but in hopes of being known by you as a person, a wife, a
mother and a Christian.
What is the homosexual lifestyle? Do all LGBTQ people have open relationships so they can have sex with lots of different people?
The answer to these are as diverse as there are
people in the world, and there are of course some people who prefer to have a
commitment that is open for exploration outside of the relationship, but that
exists just as much in the heterosexual world as it does in the LGBTQ. In fact,
I think you’d be surprised by the amount of straight Christians who have secret
allowances in their marriages. However, the majority of LGBTQ people have the
most human, innate drive and desire to partner with only one other
person. Some might call it a “soul mate”, someone who receives and gives love
and with whom we create a family to share that love with. We look for someone
to wake up next to in the morning and drink our morning coffee with as we catch
up on the Facebook news feed. We want someone to stay home all day with us on a
Saturday to watch the Law and Order marathon. Someone to make dinner
with at night, and someone to put on our emergency contact list who we know
will show up when we need them. To be LGBTQ does not make us hypersexual, it
only changes the type of gender we hope our soul mate will be. We are all
sexual beings, straight and LGBTQ alike and so as LGBTQ people there are times
that we desire others outside of our marriages and committed monogamous
relationships, but we resist those temptations and pray for strength right next
to you.
What is the gay agenda?
The “gay agenda” is not something written down,
mysterious, or hidden. It is the common desire that we, the LGBTQ community,
wish to join you in the fullness of life – that is, to love who we feel drawn
to just like you, to commit in marriage to one person, to build our families in
committed and safe family units, and to be welcomed to worship and experience
God with you within a church community. We do not wish to destroy your
Christian marriages, churches, or families. Why would we want to destroy the
thing we wish to be a part of? We want to bring our beauty and personhood to
enrich your communities and families, to deepen them, not destroy them.
I recently heard someone say that the thing that
makes Christ’s grace and the gospel so offensive is that it does not exclude anyone,
but welcomes all. And that’s exactly what the LGBTQ community is
hoping for from the Christian community, to not be excluded. Some of us
in the LGBTQ Christian community hope to strengthen the church and family units
as we are creative, intuitive and strong people wanting to bring our gifts to
strengthen the places we’re in.
Of course, I cannot answer all of your
questions, nor speak for the entire LGBTQ community, so I put the
responsibility of getting more answers in your lap. Ask yourself what you know to
be true about the LGBTQ community, what do you assume to be true,
what do you hope is true, what do you hope isn’t true and
take all of those questions and use that curiosity to help you get to know an
LGBTQ Christian today. Take the power back and don’t let yourself run away
because of the fear of the unknown. Find out for the sake of yourself, your
church and your families.
Much love.
I offer
counseling sessions over the web through Skype, G-Video and the phone. No
matter where you live in the world, you can get the support you're
seeking and needing. To reach out for support is a new experience for
many people and can sometimes feel scary, but if you can find the courage to do
so, I know you won't regret it. We will spend time talking about the
immediate issues that are going on in your life, as well as your past and all the
many stories that includes. This is a space that is for you and about you
so we will go at the pace you most feel comfortable with. I'd be happy to
talk with you about this further, so please do let me know if you have any
questions about the actual therapy process.
11 comments:
Get over it!
Not everyone who opposes the homosexual lifestyle is homophobic. We simply disagree with your position and are getting more than a little annoyed at your stereo typing us - we've learned how hurtful that can be, Now it's your turn.
SA Oz
"What is the homosexual lifestyle? Do all LGBTQ people have open relationships so they can have sex with lots of different people?
The answer to these are as diverse as there are people in the world, and there are of course some people who prefer to have a commitment that is open for exploration outside of the relationship, but that exists just as much in the heterosexual world as it does in the LGBTQ."
REALLY?
"In fact, I think you’d be surprised by the amount of straight Christians who have secret allowances in their marriages."
REALLY? Surprise me- how many and your source is?
Isn't it a pity that a relatively mature Christian argument for tolerance and acceptance loses its impact when suggesting that gay promiscuity by those in committed unions has an equivalent act among straight married couples?
UKTI
All I felt whilst reading this saccharine excuse for 'persuasion to accept' this lifestyle is revulsion. She says ‘We do not wish to destroy your Christian marriages, churches, or families. Why would we want to destroy the thing we wish to be a part of? We want to bring our beauty and personhood to enrich your communities and families, to deepen them, not destroy them’. - - Well, why do it then? And how condescending – as if they are superior beings who could add something to an already perfect, God-ordained creation.
The lady boasts of being a mother – but the child can only be a physical part of one of the couple – is this natural, and what God intended? I think not. His specific comment that male and female would become one flesh and could reproduce from that union. Same sex procreation is not possible, no matter how much the LGBT community try to gloss it over.
Out of all the articles in favour of LGBT, this is the worst one. It has only cemented my orthodox belief. Thank you, FSAOF.
Well dear Sven, no one can say you favour one position over another that's for sure!
Should we expect to hear from you as this series comes to a close? I for one am a fan who has followed the blog for 3 years now would like your take on it.
Former
If the fan who has followed the blog for 3 years doesn't know by now what Sven's 'take' on this is, there really isn't any hope for any of us.
This is a difficult subject with polar opposite views, which are mainly held out of conviction and different interpretations of the Bible. Many adopt the orthodox Hebraic view which follows the tried and tested traditional truths which have stood the test of time, while the more 'progressive' go for the Greek view, with all the very human philosophising that goes with that. It's all about perception, and one's willingness - or not - to accept one or the other.
'Purists' will go for the former - anyone with LGBT tendencies, sympathies or convictions will obviously go for the latter. These divisions have always existed, but have not affected church life to any great extent until now, when LGBT folk have decided to attack the values to which many hold dear, because of their sexual preferences. It has already split many congregations and churches. How can something so divisive be of God? For myself, I cannot see it.
"The Jubilee Centre is in the bridge building business, seeking to connect the world of the Bible with the world of contemporary society.
Biblical scholars often fail to connect with the modern world. Social reformers often fail to take the Bible seriously. The Jubilee Centre has a fine track record in avoiding both dangers."
Rev Dr Chris Wright, International Director of the Langham Partnership
"Too few Christians have heard the Jubilee Centre's call to action or begun to engage in conversations and hard work to develop and implement the ideas they are developing."
James Skillen, President of the Center for Public Justice in Washington, D.C.
To the critics of the paper - your credentials please?
Strange - I accessed the Center for Public Justice, and I couldn't see any reference to anyone called James Skillen, unless I missed him, but I did find this statement:
' In addition to recognizing the civil rights of individuals, public law should also recognize the rights of certain institutions and organizations – such as marriage, family, church, university, and corporation. Only by doing this can government do justice to the diverse institutions of a complex society.
Marriage is one of the most important institutions of any society and should be recognized as a life-long covenant between a man and a woman that includes and legitimately bounds sexual intercourse (coitus). Sexual intercourse holds the potential for life-generation and should therefore be contained within marriage. From marriage may emerge children and the parental responsibility of spouses, who with their children constitute a nuclear family.
Homosexual relationships do not entail coitus and do not have the potential for life-generation. Consequently, such relationships neither constitute marriages nor, through procreative capability, can become families. The attempt to attain for a homosexual partnership the legal identification of marriage is thus a legal error based on an empirical mistake.'
I have a concern about the strict definition of marriage used by some. According to the previous comment, marriages between widows and widowers, between infertile couples, between previously married older folks would not be recognized as married. In addition a previous comment states "The lady boasts of being a mother – but the child can only be a physical part of one of the couple – is this natural, and what God intended? I think not What about adopted children, children in blended families, why are they considered less natural and not as God intended.
We do no live in a perfect world, and the old paradigm of a mother, father and 3 kids, is no longer applicable. Maybe we need to explore what a new family may look like.
I have a concern about the strict definition of marriage used by some. According to the previous comment, marriages between widows and widowers, between infertile couples, between previously married older folks would not be recognized as married. In addition a previous comment states "The lady boasts of being a mother – but the child can only be a physical part of one of the couple – is this natural, and what God intended? I think not What about adopted children, children in blended families, why are they considered less natural and not as God intended.
We do no live in a perfect world, and the old paradigm of a mother, father and 3 kids, is no longer applicable. Maybe we need to explore what a new family may look like.
With a heterosexual couple, an adopted child would be the exception rather than the rule, if natural issue was denied them. With a same sex couple the same natural issue is impossible. And I beg to differ - the old paradigm of mother, father, and kids IS still applicable - humankind just chooses to throw it away for second class arrangements.
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