Cool. I’d be interested to hear your thoughts. It’s good to hear from others on the same topic and compare what we heard.

my ears actually pricked when he said we need to relook at the scriptures referring to homosexuality,

he did not have time to do it that night

and to me that is an implication that the church in general may have got it wrong with those scriptures

Hi again everyone

OK now I’ve heard the entire message from Rob rather than just reading part of it on his church website, although that was enlightening too. So here’s what I think:

There were quite a few positives including his correctional teaching and use of Sodom and Gomorrah as well as his highlighting that suicide rates were highest amongst a group of young GLBTI people of faith. Christians need to know about that and feel moved to do somethinng about it. I especially liked when he said that human sexuality is not a simple issue and used the recent example of the South African athlete (hermaphrodite) to illustrate her suffering, commitment to God and the need for compassion.

Things to improve:

With better research Rob would learn that the even more inclusive term to use is GLBTIQ, which then takes into account intersex people as well as those who prefer the more expansive ‘queer’ label.

He mentioned that 3% of society are in the GLBT community but when last I checked it was estimated to be 10%. It may even be more. (Please correct me if I’m wrong on this). This is important to get right as that’s an even greater number of people suffering and in need of healing and unconditional love.

A sticking point for some might be the fact that the message, especially at the beginning, focused very much on sin. And yes, while he didn’t say that homosexuality was/was not a sin, the fact that it was discussed alongside the topic of sin might cause sensitive GLBTIQ listeners (like myself) to make a negative emotional association with that. At the same time I did hear that he was trying hard to emphasise the general nature of sin in a way to draw attention away from negative associations with homosexuality. I got the fact that he was trying to make it a non issue although it was still somewhat confusing. So overall my conclusion on this point is that I think Rob was trying to unify people and make them aware of the common human experiences which is good. I’m not surprised however about mine and some others’ negative responses to that. The very word “sin” is like a branding iron to many of us who have been abused with it, and while I realise it’s a biblical term and therefore appropriate to use in Christian circles, it’s also church-speak that many may not be comfortable with, especially in this forum.

The evangelical message was definitely in there, albeit subtly, and for those of us no longer comfortable with the idea of converting others, that might keep some people away. I admit that my past experiences of extreme spiritual abuse and ex communication from a cult do colour my views here. I can’t help being suspicious of the motives behind his expression that “You can’t influence [GLBTI] people unless you associate with them”. Is he implying or hoping that with God’s love and the power of the Holy Spirit, we might become both pentecostal and heterosexual?

I welcome others’ feedback on this.

Ann Maree

Hi Duronimo

Yes I undertsand that his church is an evangelical one therefore it stands to reason that his message would be evangelical! 😀 It’s just I haven’t been to that type of church for many, many years now and question some of the stuff that goes on. It’s not easy for me to trust.

I also do understand his need to be diplomatic.

And yes you are right, I do have a problem with the word, ‘sin’, as a lot of people do, especially non-churched ones. It’s so negative. I work as a counsellor with people who have mental health and emotional issues. My experiences are that they do well because we focus a lot on their strengths before looking into any problem areas. I’d love the church to take this approach more too.

Intuitively, I feel that Ps Rob does have a heart for people and the GLBTIQ community and that’s why I’m engaging in this dialogue.

You sound like you know him better than I do (I hardly know him) and it’s fantastic to now be informed that he realises we can’t change our orientation. (I didn’t hear that in his message). I agree, this is a huge breakthrough. Can you say how you know this?

Ann Maree

Anne Marie pastor Rob shared the testimony of the guy in his church who is gay. I thought it was very clear that he felt that way. Of course he is not going to be so blatant with his summary on that subject but he is well informed having dealt with a lot of sexually challenged people. I have a disabled son who i would love to be healed but he isnt. We have had him prayed for and we have believed for a complete healing but it hasnt happened. I know gay guys who have had the same prayer but it hasnt happened. Lets be real. I think Pastor Rob would feel the same way ……lets pray that God shows us what to do here? maybe? As I said new territory for him.

Yes i do understand how difficult it has been for you dealing with the area of sin. An unfortunate word i think. We all want to be accepted and loved not humiliated and frightened.