I am a qualified counsellor and life coach working with people who want to overcome homosexual feelings. I am a leader in an evangelical church, and also work with Churches on how they can pray for the gay community, and reach out to them not only at gay pride festivals but also by going into gay bars and at gay events. I teach on the psychology of homosexuality, what the Bible says about homosexuality and also the science and philiosophy of sexuality. I am ex-gay and was involved with BDSM and other darker aspects of the gay lifestyle.

Like Phil I believe that a huge amount of damage has been done by the church in their attitude and hatred of homosexuals. In 1 Corinthians 6 Paul is clear that homosexuality is no worse and no better than any other sin. It is not only homosexuals who will not inherit the Kingdom but liars, drunks, adulterers, thieves. have you every stolen from work? Taken pens or paper clips that are not yours? The you are a thief. Paul is even tougher in his teaching on the fall of humanity in Romans 1 as he condemns the hypocracy of those who judge these people at the start of Romans 2.

Jude speaks of those who are burning and our need to snatch them from the fire. However well intentioned these protests with placards are at gay pride events they are not snatching people from the fire – they are standing outside a burning house shouting insults and condemnation at those inside rather than risking getting burnt and going in and rescuing them. I know where I want to be and what I want to do. I am not content to shout as others seem to but to go in – and because of this I get hate mail from “evangelical Christians” as well as from the homosexual lobby.

Jesus was confronted with a woman caught in adultery. She was dragged to him by an angry crowd. Jesus drew in the sound then spoke a challenge “let him who is without sin cast the first stone.”. After the crowd left Jesus spoke to the woman. He told her that he did not condemn her, and he told her to go and sin no more.

Where are you in this event? Homosexuals are being brought to Jesus. Are you there handing out leaflets and with placards, angry at the immoral behaviour? Are you going to condemn when Jesus does not – knowing that Jesus knows the hearts of man and the causes of behaviour better than we do? Are you going to throw stones ignoring your own sin which is just as great – lying, adultery and murder are all Commandments yet if you break one you have broken the lot, even if you have just looked lustingly at someone of the opposite sex. Are you going to stop at the words of Jesus “I don’t condemn you” as the gay Christian movement does? Or are you going to act like Christ, put down the placards and leaflets, not condemn but the lovingly challenge the homosexual to stop sinning? If you want to have a voice that will be listened to the leaflets and placards need to be burnt and you need to risk getting burnt – if you are not willing to do let people like Phil Barnet and myself get on with the job and stop condemning us.

Phelim McIntyre, UK

Today not only are the British completely and utterly oblivious to those forces attacking them from within, such as the Equality Treatment Directive from Europe, but they have also lost their Christian faith, discernment and moral courage, which, in a national crises, would be the only thing enabling them to stand. It is just a matter of time, before we as a once Christian nation disappear.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/religion/5960817/EU-equality-law-is-an-instrument-of-oppression-Roman-Catholic-bishops-warn.html
http://www.ccfon.org/mediacentre.php?avid=266&avap=1

David Skinner, UK

David Skinner, UK

Ok so what happens when the Muslims criticize homosexuality? Islam has no more tolerance for that behavior than Christianity. So declaring that one cannot criticize Islam OR homosexuality is setting one up for a catch-22.

Nathan Schellinge

David Skinner, UK

I have met Andy Clarke, one of the joint organisers of this Christian witness against Norwich gay pride, which took place outside a Christian book shop as the parade passed by. He encouragingly stood next to Mrs Howe because this was the first time that she, a pensioner, had taken part in such a witness. She was not shouting or yelling. He also told me that the biblical verses being displayed were not specifically aimed at homosexuals but towards all sinners. What actually happened was that one of the gays came up to her and whispered obscenities into her ear. She did not immediately react but was in some state of shock. Consequently she wrote to the police to report a Christianophobic hate crime. She was then visited and intimidated by two police women in her own home. Phil, we are at war.

As for her blaming the collapse of all previous empires on homosexuality, Paul in Romans describes homosexuality as the punishment itself (for idolatry) – not the sin. This is an even stronger statement than that made by Mrs Howe.

What would Christ have done at a Gay Pride march? What would he have done at Drug/Alcohol Pride march or a Racist Pride march? These people are flaunting their lifestyles. So-called LGBT Christians, like Sharron Ferguson describe homosexuality as a gift from God. And those who seek healing are persecuted not only by the gay lobby but by good and kind Christian people just like her. In the following two videos, Phil, whose side are you on?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1nD6N6DY3Q

I know Lisa Nolland personally and I think you misrepresent her. I also know Phelim Mcintyre who appears on the same programme as shown above. In fact I shall be attending a meeting with him next week in London.
http://www.ccfon.org/mediacentre.php?avid=231&avap=1

May I add that we are all born sinners which only compounds the effects of bad stuff that happens to us as children. The context of our becoming liars, thieves, addicts and dysfunctional people is that our natures are already corrupt.

There is implicit in the question put to Jesus by his disciples that the cause of many people’s ailments is sin: John 9:1-121 ‘As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”‘

‘After healing the man at the pool, Jesus said to him “See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.”’ John 5:14.

Thus, Phil, when you say “All my experience tells me that homosexuality is, at its centre, a deficiency born out of relational damage. For so many that damage may have been initiated by church-goers and is certainly very rarely understood by Christians. Restoration will ultimately only come through the establishment of healing relationships (especially with those who know Christ) and reconciliation to God” – when you say this, it sounds as though they are the innocent victims of circumstances. Peter Tatchell fits your profile exactly and up till now he certainly does not want to be healed – though with God nothing is impossible.

Finally Jesus asked lepers and the blind what it was they wanted of him. They wanted to be healed. Were they alive today, they would not want be seen anywhere near “Pride” marches. The grotesque, strutting, parading their shame do not want healing. By all means welcome homosexuals into our churches, along with the rest of us – murderers, adulterers, liars, thieves and sinners; but let them know that there can be no manifestation or the slightest hint that their lifestyle is compatible either with being changed into the likeness of the Lord from one degree of glory to another, or being transformed by the renewing of their minds, so as not to conform to the pattern of this world.

David Skinner, UK

Yes we are hopefully on more or less common ground here.

Of course part of the way we reduce causalities is to reduce overall prevalence rates of the behaviour in the first place. Which is why we especially need the public policy focus to curtail any open slather in our schools and elsewhere where recruiting can take place. There needs to be resistance to all the attempts at normalisation and glamorisation of the lifestyle, and so on.

While unfortunate religious experiences can be part of the mix, far more prevalent, as Moberly, Nicolosi and other experts point out, it is the deficit suffered in the relationship with the same-sex parent. Thus there is this powerful drive to make good this deficit. It is about looking for love in the wrong places. And so often a weak, absent or abusive father is a major contributing factor in all this.

And that is why public policy battles are so important on other levels as well. Seeking to prevent marriage and family breakdown, and the number of children raised in single-parent families (most of which are female–headed) will then also lead to a lessening of the conditions from which homosexuality is likeier to spring.

But again, as any epidemiologist will remind us, prevention is always better than cure. The job at the public policy level is – or should be – to seek to slow down the process of pro-homosexual militancy and activism, in order to deter others from moving into the lifestyle, and to reduce the number of harmful medical, physical, emotional and social consequences of the lifestyle.

Bill Muehlenberg, CultureWatch

I think we are moving closer to a better understanding of each other’s ministry and perspectives; Mrs Howe aside, as neither of us really know the full story there.

I absolutely agree that we do need people to stand up and be counted as far as culture wars are concerned, and generally you and those like Lisa Noland over here in the UK are in my prayers. My concern is that casualties are minimised as much as possible. Lisa is probably a little more used to my words of restraint than perhaps you are.

All my experience tells me that homosexuality is, at its centre, a deficiency born out of relational damage. For so many that damage may have been initiated by church-goers and is certainly very rarely understood by Christians. Restortation will ultimately only come through the establishment of healing relationships (especially with those who know Christ) and reconciliation to God.

with love

Phil Barnett, UK