So, who is right? Church culture (notice I did not call it Christian or Biblical) says homosexuals should be cast out of the church and going to burn in Hell. Pop culture says homosexuality is normal, okay, and should be accepted on the same level as heterosexual.

The answer in my opinion is that they are both wrong. Neither is Biblical.

We have all sinned and we all fall short. And the church (which is not a building or a denomination – it is the collective group that follows Christ) should be supporting other believers in love and acceptance. Just read Paul’s letter to the Corinthians. They were a group of believers who were having sex with all kinds of people (men, mothers, daughters, etc.). They were also getting drunk at the Lords Supper and then having orgies. Jerry Springer could have made 10 seasons of shows with what was going on there (a little background: The main part of Roman and other pagan worship was to get drunk and have wild orgies on their god’s altar. So that is what these people grew up knowing and doing before they heard about Christ).
And how does Paul refer to them? He calls them “Saints.” Why did they call them saints? Cause they were. Are homosexuals today who have put their faith in Christ saints? Of course. So are liars, adulterers, thieves, murderers, etc.
If they are not then Christianity is no different than Hinduism, Buddhism, or any other religion or faith. All religions require works. Christianity requires faith and we are afforded grace – not because we earned it or are good enough. The Gospel is NOT “believe in the Lord Jesus …. and then stop sinning” to be saved. It is by grace through faith alone. And even that is not of ourselves.

Sorry for going so long and making this more about me than about Matt but I am sick of churchianity and had to vent a little.

1) I can trace signs of my depression back as far as second grade. For much of my life, the mood disorder was not connected to sexuality. Likely, I would deal with depression even if my attractions were heterosexual.

2) No one taught me to hate myself. Most of my shame was self-inflicted, the result of growing up realizing how different I was from most of my peers. As I’ve seen very recently, I never had anything to fear from my friends. They’ve been wonderful. I can’t blame others for the shame I felt. I shamed myself. Certainly, nobody in my life “made” me apprehensive.

3) Shame and fear were not the only reasons I kept my struggle private. I simply did not want my sexual attractions to become the center of my life. I had other goals, which included writing books. Had I opened up then, I would have been terribly distracted. I knew once I was public with this, I’d spend a great deal of my time writing about it and responding to other people’s praise or problems with my decisions. I just decided a year ago that I was ready for that.

4) Part of growing up means taking responsibility for our actions. No one made me keep quiet. I chose to. And I think the time spent dealing privately with my struggle before opening up was mostly helpful, and I’d likely do it again. I made the decision. It was mine, and mine alone.