For at the heart of Christian ministry must always be the molding of people into the image of Christ, and the full and faithful teaching of God's truth is the means the Spirit uses to accomplish this goal.
Douglas Moo

Orientation Dead End

Orientation Dead End

ORIENTATION:

Psychological and Theological Dead End

Although there is a need for distinguishing between homosexual orientation and homosexual behaviour, the well-meaning Christian authors and psychologists who do so lay a subtle trap which perpetuates the individual’s struggle for freedom by affirming that “homosexual orientation” is a given, relatively unchangeable factor in one’s life.

Defining Terms

Homosexual behaviour is the acting out of sexual desires through various forms of physical intimacy: cuddling, necking, petting, anal and oral sex with members of one’s own gender. Individuals who are not normally disposed to homosexual behaviour have been known to engage in it. Conversely, some individuals have only been familiar with homosexual desire yet have never engaged in overt sexual expression with other members of his or her own gender.

The accepted definition of homosexual orientation is the condition of having a preference, emotionally and sexually, towards members of the same gender. As an orientation, homosexuality becomes the core characteristic of the individual, colouring human relationships. All of life is then understood and interpreted through this “orientation.”

Although I disagree with the use of the term “orientation,” making this distinction between homosexual behaviour and orientation is important because the first steps in finding freedom from sin is by controlling sinful behaviour. For the person who is just beginning to deal with his homosexuality, we must break down the sin problem into smaller, more manageable parts. Dealing with the entire condition of homosexuality is too overwhelming a place to begin.

The Problem

The distinction made implies, however, that only homosexual behaviour can be overcome. This is false. The desire or drive to engage in such behaviour or emotional relationships, which equally manifests the fallen state of mankind, can also be overcome.

Secondly, the term orientation suggests a “state of being.” “that is just the way things are,” or, more simply, “an unchangeable condition.” When applied to the person struggling with homosexual actions and desires, wellmeaning authors and counsellors are telling the individual, “You may be able to stop the behaviour, but you must accept the fact that you are a homosexual, and you will always be a homosexual.”

In David Field’s book, The Homosexual Way: A Christian Option? 1/, the author states that it is sometimes not God’s will for change to occur in a particular person. While not completely dismissing the possibility of change, Field errs in suggesting that it is not God’s will to always change the person. It seems unreasonable to me that God would condemn a behaviour and not provide a means of escape. He surely knows that behaviour is not the only issue to be dealt with regarding this particular sin.

My search for freedom from homosexuality was actually hindered by my acceptance of my denomination’s statement on homosexuality. It was good that I was told to stop the behaviour. It was a major stumbling block for me to accept their teaching that I would have to live with a homosexual orientation throughout my life, “due to conditions to a large extent, if not entirely, beyond [my] responsibility”.2/ and because “to expect the means of grace and power and prayer to redirect a firmly fixed homosexual is to expect a miracle.” 3/

The result was that I did stop the behaviour, but I was stuck with the homosexual orientation. Homosexual: That is the way I am. My understanding of homosexual orientation determined the course of all my interpersonal relationships for the next seven years.

Professional opinion placed me in a box wherein I had to interpret my experience in terms of the homosexual label. As strange as it sounds, I needed to live up to the label — not for my sake, but for the sake of societal expectations. “Homosexual”, even though I stopped the behaviour, continued to define my identity.

It was not possible to take on the label, “new creature in Christ”. How could I be? I was a homosexual. “Forgiven and washed in the blood of Jesus?” How could I be? I was a homosexual. I sank into despair. Maybe God would forgive me of my homosexual sin, but he could never totally freely love me and accept me as His child — my former sin still dominated my life in that I was homosexual by orientation. That was an undeniable and unchangeable fact.

After an attempted suicide, the doctors agreed that “he is strongly homosexually oriented.” They prescribed therapy: “Help him adjust to his homosexual orientation.” Again I was trapped. I had to continue wearing the homosexual label. Even the Christian psychologists said that the orientation was unchangeable.

A Solution in Sight

Labels are dangerous things. They have the power to determine behaviour and identity. They lock people into invalid states of being. They block the radical, transforming power of God’s new labels and identity.

Kent Paris at the EXODUS International conference in Baltimore in June 1984, taught about labels. 4/ He pointed out that the Scriptures began with “And God saw all that He had made and, behold, it was very good.” (Genesis 1:31) The Bible didn’t begin with “You’re a sinner!” he went on to say. The Scriptures don’t even begin with “Jesus saves.” God’s very first words about mankind are very good. We are valuable because God made us that way. We don’t become valuable when we enter right relationships with God. We are valuable.

That is why God desires all to come to Him: the homosexual, the prostitute, the affluent suburbanite, the criminal, the Ph.D., the high school dropout. We are valuable by purpose and origin, created good and in the image of God. Our world has been distorted by evil, but God became Emmanuel — God with us — to redeem, to restore us back to that original state.

Homosexual orientation is a label with the power to destroy. By definition that means the unchangeable state of being homosexual. It denies the created order — “God made them male and female.” (Genesis 1:26) It denies that heterosexuality is implicit in the make-up of being male and female and capable of complementing each other. It denies the act of redemption — “Behold, I make all things new.” (Revelation 21:5) (See also I Corinthians 6:11, II Corinthians 1:10)

The homosexual orientation is not a label that must be worn. Rather, we need to see ourselves as our heavenly Father sees us: very good.

In counseling individuals struggling with homosexuality, let us rather speak about the components of homosexuality: behaviour and fantasy, lifestyle, false identity, and psychic response. 5/ We can teach individuals to find freedom from all of them. Let us teach them about the nature of temptation and how to gain victory over that instead of sentencing them to carry a cross that doesn’t exist.

  • Douglas A Houck

1/ The Homosexual Way: A Christian Option?, David Field; InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, IL; 1979, pg 46.

2/ Report 42, Acts of Synod 1973; Board of Publications of the Christian Reformed Church, Grand Rapids, MI; 1973, pg 630.

3/ Ibid, pg 627

4/ “Communicating God’s Good News,” Kent Paris; recorded at EXODUS IX, Baltimore, 1984, cost: $4.50. Write to: Business Products, Inc., 11 Federal Blvd., #1, Denver, CO 80219.

5/ Exodus policy statement; EXODUS International, P O Box 2121, San Rafael, CA 94912.

For further information about homosexuality or about other areas of sexual brokenness, please contact:

LOVE IN ACTION
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This article is reprinted by permission from

Metanoia Ministries
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Seattle WA 98133-0039
U.S.A.