David Bennett was attracted to other boys from the age of 14, and so had issues with Christianity because he felt if he was to become a Christian he couldn’t act on his romantic inclinations. He became a gay activist in Australia in support of gay marriage. But, “Jesus did not stay tidily out of [his] life.”
Some people who are single and/or attracted to the same sex find that physical touch is something they feel they lack. Therefore, feelings I began to have a few years ago took me somewhat by surprise. I became aware that I felt acutely untouched. I felt like I had a craving for physical intimacy.
Celibate same-sex attracted Christians, while accepting that they need to say “no” to their desires for sexual intimacy with another person of the same sex. They often long for healthy and godly ways of meeting their God-given hunger for connection and intimacy with others that will ease loneliness and physical isolation.
In his introduction, Paul Mallard shares with us some of the weighty family situations and disappointments his family have faced. His aim is to take us on a journey through the “Land of Disappointment” and onwards to a place of forgiveness, restoration and hope in Christ.
Keith recalls feeling envious of girls during my childhood - prior to adolescence - and seeking to mimic their play and appearance; he would have preferred to be a girl rather than a boy. In this honest article, Keith describes his journey through several marriages and mental health battles to eventually finding peace in his identity as a Christian.
This autobiography is a deeply personal and honest picture of a man who wants to find fulfilment in Christ and pursue a life of celibacy by taking up his cross. He shows us that there is beauty and joy in sacrifice. Celibacy is a call to longing for something greater than sex.
Although I have always been attracted to girls, I have never wanted a same-sex relationship. Choosing to be single used to seem like a ‘forced choice’ – and the loneliness and isolation that accompanied it were things that just had to be endured. Now, I see my singleness as a profound opportunity.
You may have more than a hint of jealousy in your heart when you look at the lives of those in committed same-sex relationships. Whatever the reasons, it looks like their relationships produce good fruit and you’re missing out. With that in mind, a question we are often asked is, “why does God seem to bless same-sex relationships?”
We can feel very alone at any time in our lives. Many single people, looking to the future, begin to worry about growing old. How will we cope as we become frail and perhaps ill? Our minds can fill with concerns about mobility, suffering pain and being unable to do simple things for ourselves.