Sex, homosexuality and celibacy: Why society can’t cope with Christians being Christian
by Mark Woods, Christian Today:
Attacks on the decision by the Charity Commission this week to grant charitable status to the Christian group Living Out are quite revealing.
Living Out supports Christians who are same-sex attracted but who don’t believe it’s right to engage in sexual activity with people of the same gender. The Charity Commission thought this was perfectly reasonable, saying in its statement that the group was “concerned with promoting the wider Christian principles of unconditional love, compassion, acceptance and understanding, and a welcoming place in the Christian Church for same-sex attracted individuals who wish to stay true to their Christian faith”.
However, Tory MP Mike Freer – a former party vice-chairman – was outraged and said it amounted to public backing for ‘gay cure’ therapies. He told PinkNews: “I am surprised the Charity Commission could remotely believe this to be of ‘public benefit’.
“Imagine if this group provided counselling and pastoral care to support those ‘attracted to’ stoning people to death for wearing two different cloths, or for the desire to sell ones daughter in a foreign market! That’d be helping to live a life according to biblical teaching!
“They may not use the words ‘gay cure’, but if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck – it’s a duck! This is gay cure therapy rebranded!”
We should note the violent and contemptuous hostility toward the Bible Freer’s outburst demonstrates. We should also be clear that Living Out doesn’t advocate the discredited ‘gay cure’ therapy that so exercises him; it says it offers “counsel and pastoral support to live a chaste life and, as part of this process, some may seek and experience changes in the strength or direction of their same-sex attractions”. It’s rather odd that Freer – and another Tory politician, Lord Blackwood – should take offence at this; the notion that sexuality is rather fluid is usually taken for granted among cultural liberals.
But, there is, I think, something more going on here.
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