It is almost inevitable that a day will come when an invitation of this nature will drop on your doormat. It’s most likely that you will have been expecting this announcement and now the day has arrived. So, how should a person RSVP to the invitation if they hold strongly to the biblical definition of marriage as monogamous and heterosexual?

I’ve always been pretty open about my struggles with sexuality, so I was up front from the start when I arrived at my church 9 years ago. In those days, there were only a few of us and we met in the minister’s house, so it was very easy to get to know people and build positive relationships.

God knits each of us together in a unique and individual way. In a fallen world, this means that a person’s experience of same-sex temptations will be – at least to some degree – unique to them. Inevitably, then, there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to supporting people.

In "Homosexuality and the Christian: A Guide for Parents, Pastors and Friends", Mark Yarhouse gives honest and accurate answers to parents, pastors and friends who have questions about homosexuality. He carefully develops a useful and clear three-tier distinction between "same-sex attraction", "homosexual orientation" and a "gay identity."

A well-meaning Christian friend put this question to me and I confess that it made me quite angry. I was surprised by the strength of my reaction and have spent some time subsequently reflecting both on the question and my response to it. I want to focus on changing my orientation towards God, towards myself and towards others.

The Bible allows for disagreements on minor issues. There are, however, other truths which are non-negotiable - these are sometimes called 'gospel issues', i.e. significant matters upon which Christians can't simply agree to disagree because they impact our understanding of the gospel and, therefore, our salvation. The question is, into which category does same-sex practice fall?