Finding Freedom from Focus on the Family’s ‘Gospel of Exclusion’

Rob and I raised our kids on “Adventures in Odyssey,” produced by Focus on the Family. We measured our road trips by them: “Just five more Odysseys until we get there, kids!” The madcap misadventures, framed in Mr. Whitaker’s constant love and insight, warmed our hearts. We thought Focus on the Family actually focused on …

Christians, Does the Nashville Statement Reflect Your Heart?

The Nashville Statement is not new. These same evangelical people have been conveying this same message for decades. The results have been absolutely tragic in individuals, in families, and in our churches. Instead of making an honest evaluation—as so many Christians have done and then became fully affirming—this group decided to double down. This does …

You may think I’m wrong about LGBTQI. So, now what?

I am fully affirming because of my faith, not in spite of it. I came to believe what I believe after extensive theological study, my own life experience, examining the lived experience of others, research, prayer, and following the leading of the Holy Spirit. It was a journey. All I did was stay on it, …

Can My Young Child Know If They Are Gay?

"Stop letting awful parents put these labels on young children! It is going to destroy their lives!"  We hear some version of this every day. What these people don't realize is that it is not the parent who is doing anything, it is the child driving the vast majority of these conversations. Gender identity and …

We Have A Secret Weapon Hidden in the Anti-Gay Church!

Shhhhh. We have a secret weapon. Powerful. Effective. Ready to change the world. And it is hidden right in the middle of the nonaffirming conservative, evangelical church. There is a wall, erected by Christian leaders who are nonaffirming, between the church and people who just so happen to be LGBTQI. Their teachings have encouraged or …

LGBTQI: You Deserve to Love & be Loved! You Deserve to be Free!

Well, here you are! You're gay or bi or lesbian or transgender or intersex or queer in some way or other. You may be or agender or pansexual. Or you may not yet be sure what the heck is going on! I understand. I really do. You may even be in a straight marriage and …

Are You the Parent of an LGBTQ Child? You Are Not Alone.

“Mom, I’m Gay!” You want to shove those words back in and put the lid on. But you can’t. Having a gay or trans child may may go against everything you’ve been taught. It was not what you had in mind, and you instantly wonder where you went wrong. When you become a parent, you …

Coming Out to Christian Parents

If you are LGBTQI, coming out to your Christian parents and family can be overwhelming. You don't know their response until you tell them... and then it's too late. I hope this article, written with a gay friend, will help. Be honest This is the most fundamental piece of advice, and also the most important. It …

Does Christian Scripture Really Condemn Homosexuality? (Hell No!)

Rejection, shunning, condemnation, ridicule, bullying, all in the name of God. If you are LGBTQ, or the parent of an LGBTQ child, or anyone who is affirming and including, you have likely been on the receiving end of this kind of treatment. And worse. Does such treatment have anything to do with God?  No, not …

Jesus Blog: Let Your True Colors Come Out

This is a special Jesus Blog post for National Coming Out Day! Please grasp the heart of this message, but please keep yourself safe. You know your situation. Do not do anything rash that could put you (or your situation) in danger. If you are in that kind of circumstance, but feel like it is …

Dear Susan: Are Gays God’s Second-Best?

Too many in the non-affirming church say this type of thing... Gays are just born 'broken', a result of sin, family curse, tendencies that are not 'God's ideal.'  Gays can't help it - but they need to be 'fixed.' People have no idea how deeply offensive this is and how contrary to the truth and …

Into The Second Closet: Christian Parents With Gay Children

"If these young people, in moments of exhaustion or anger or complete desperation, do share that deepest of secrets with their Christian parents, and even if those parents do choose not to disown them or expel them, something else happens almost instantly; the whole family goes into the closet together; into a second hiding." We have …

The Son God Gave Me

"My child's struggle to figure out who he was called everything I believed into question. With my strong faith and lots of soul-searching, the answers finally became clear." We have been blessed to meet and get to know many transgender people and their families since we began our journey as parents of a gay child, …

Jesus Blog: God Has No Expectations of You

More today from my Saturday “Jesus Blog” – a word from Jesus to you… There is nothing you can do to disappoint God, and there is nothing you can do to make God love you more. God loves you. Regardless of how well you think you are behaving. Regardless of how well others think you …

Dear Susan: What About Sleepovers?

As parents of LGBTQ children, sometimes we are just starting to be at peace with our child coming out and they drop a bomb on us that the love in their life wants to sleep over! Okey dokey then. Something else to deal with. It's all part of this journey of growth, trust and unconditional …

Is Jesus a Threat to Christianity?

This is Rob, Susan’s husband, and something is heavy on my heart today. Susan has been betrayed by those closest to her. She has written about how she has been judged, how her faith has been questioned. She has talked about people who tell us we are leading people into hell, and people who shun …

Do They Call You ‘Different’?

Do people make you feel like you're different because you're LGBTQ? Maybe you're the parent of a child who has been called 'different' because they are gay. I want to share a story you might relate to. 🙂 I’m a single man, going on thirty-three Folks are probably wondering if there’s something wrong with me …

The God of the Gays

I've been thinking of you – as I always do! – and the oppression of being told to live in a way it's not possible for you to live. (I'm talking about being told to somehow live straight when you're gay.) What a day-in day-out grind it is to live contrary to who you are, as you …

Jesus Blog: It is a Lie. I Have No Part In That.

More today from my Saturday “Jesus Blog” – a word from Jesus to you… God may be leading you to love like you have never loved before. To love people you have been taught to reject and even hate. That's a wonderful thing. God is love. But many people - in my name - have …

Dear Susan: Does My Gay Son Have a Reprobate Mind?

"Does my gay son need to come back to a normal life? Did God give him a reprobate mind because of bad influences? Is my gay son condemned by God and will he face God's judgment?" I hear these questions a lot and I look forward to addressing them today. I write Dear Susan posts …