Questions Believers Need to Get Better at Answering

By Jeffrey Bartz

“You think I chose this?! Who would choose this?!” Chris was screaming mad. And he was hurt. At the time, I viewed homosexuality as a choice—just like any other choice to act on sinful desires. I was trying to be as gracious as possible without compromising the truth, or at least the truth as I perceived it. Epic fail. I haven’t seen Chris since.

The problem as I now see it was that I did not come even close to having the corner on the truth about homosexuality, but I probably would not have admitted it. I failed theologically. My view of homosexuality was shallow. To that point, I never thought about homosexuality on the heart level of attraction and desire. I idly dismissed homosexual orientation jargon without understanding what was behind it. My failed session with Chris revealed that not only was my understanding of homosexuality shallow, but my understanding of sin, my hamartiology, was shallow too. I also failed pastorally. I was both unable and unwilling to put myself in a sinner’s shoes. Chris needed someone to come alongside him, someone who had the wisdom and maturity to walk with a sinner who is suffering. His soul needed shepherding.

My experience and observations show that Christians stumble over answering three primary questions about homosexuality: Is homosexuality a choice? Is same-sex attraction sinful? Should we expect same-sex attraction to change into opposite-sex attraction?