ABSTRACT

I am a bom-again Christian and sought help through prayer and the church, but I am still gay. Could it be possible God accepts me as I am? (letter to Good News)

Such disbelief is no surprise when a person’s spiritual roots are grounded in a heritage that quite rightly emphasizes the Bible as the Word of God written, and not just a random collection of outdated writings. So when confronted with traditional cultural bound interpretations of supposed anti-gay passages, the Bible honoring gay is thrown into a whirlwind of spiritual confusion. It’s a joy, then, to share with these people that they can indeed reconcile bom-again faith with their lifestyle, (a leader of Good News in the newsletter)1

For many Evangelical Christians, a homosexual life-style and a conservative religious identity are simply incompatible. According to a majority of conservative Christians, there is no such thing as a gay Christian, nor a biblical justification for such a lifestyle.2 Yet, for members of one gay Evangelical group, this option is not only a possibility, it is also a reality and an imperative. This group, called Good News, formed specifically for the purpose of

1 All the quotes used in this without specific references are taken from Thumma (1987) and other field notes from this study.