Confused Sexual Identity Among Adventist Youth: Case Study

elimir Stani

21/09/2011

Newbold College in partnership with the University of Wales Lampeter

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CONTENT

Introduction ...................................................................................................................1

Description and Analysis.......................................................................................................3

History of Confused Sexual Identity..3

Behind the Seen: Contextual Analysis ....5

Guidelines and Application................................................................................................9

Theological-Critical Response ..9

Application in Real Life ...12

Personal Identity ..12

Freedom of Choice ..13

Gods Power Through Holy Spirit .13

Family Relationship .14

Church Support ...15

Cultural Influence 15

Mentoring .16

Conclusion......................................................................................................................18

Bibliography....................................................................................................................19
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Introduction

Sexual identity confusion is not uncommon among adolescents and young adults as

sexual desire can be directed both toward members of one's own sex and the other sex.1

This is reality in Adventist church too.2 Many of our Adventist youth, and even adults, are

grappling with the issues of homosexuality.3 The purpose of this paper is to explore that

kind of experience among adventist youth through one specific case study.

One particular experience from my early pastoral service will serve as case study. Through

it I will try to expound theological method which will show how to found a solution to all the

problems connected with this experience. What will be the starting point? Where we can

find information and resources? How to put in practice all information that we can get

through analysis? All these would be the questions that I will try to answer in this paper.

Due to the complexity of the issue and high moral values held by Adventist denomination

there is no much papers about it. This paper will fill that vacuum and attempt to give

practical guidelines for pastors and christian counselors facing similar occurrences.

For my methodology I will use Osmers method of practical theological interpretation. The

first chapter will cover descriptive-empirical and interpretive task. The next chapter will

deal with normative and pragmatic type of approach. At the end I will give the final

conclusion of the analysis.

The size of the paper allows only a limited scope of the topic. I will not go into details

presenting biblical picture or denomination doctrine according to which I will compare this

specific experience of same-sexual attraction. In addition, by giving practical applications I

1Lisa Graham McMinn, Sexual Identity Concerns for Christian Young Adults: Practical Consideration for
Being a Supportive Presence and Compassionate Companion, Journal of Psychology and Christianity, Vol.
24, No. 4 (2005) 368-377 (p. 368).
2It is not easy to demonstrate this because there is not much talk about it and there is even less in written
materials. However, some websites show this as reality in our church even though they are not part of official
church data. See, for example, http://www.sgamovie.com, http://www.itgetsbetterforadventists.org,
3Barrington H. Brennen, Homosexuality: Hope or Dilemma? in Sounds of Encouragement, 7.8 (2003)
<http://www.soencouragement.org/homosexuality-hope.htm> [accessed 16. September 2011] (para. 2 of 16).
 !2

will not cover all possibilities. The question regarding nature of homosexuality and debate

between scientific-religious approach are not included in the analysis.

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Description and Analysis

Daniel (not his real name) was in his early teenage years when I first met him. I was

appointed to work as an apprentice with an older pastor in the church the boy attended

with his family. Actually, he was coming with his father and two younger sisters; his mother

was not a church member. My first job in the church was work with youth, so I had a lot of

opportunities to get to know him. He was very active in the church and present at almost

every meeting of the youth group even though his home was rather far away from the

church. That was another possibility of fostering our friendship: I oftenly drove him home in

the late hours and we became very good friends.

Three years later, I asked him about his baptism: does he plan to make baptismal vow

and when? He said that he was thinking about it, but he knew that before that a person

needed to study Bible with pastor. So, we agreed to start Bible study. During that time, I

realized the fact that he had a problem with same-sex attractions.

His behaviour was normal and there was no big deviation which someone can noticed.

Yes, someone could have seen see the lack of male attitude (for example, in hand

shaking) in his personality at certain moments, but for those who knew him very well

(youth in the church) it was his natural way of behaving. In the course of time, while we

studied Bible together, he started to open himself to me.

History of Confused Sexual Identity

Daniel said that he noticed this strange feeling about himself very early: it was easier for

him to have girlfriends in play games. He spent a lot of time with girls and was very rarely

with boys. In the meantime, he made more friends with girls than boys, if anyone. He

developed aversion toward all group sports and he found that he was very interested in

flowers and plants.

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In the age of 13 he started to feel something toward one of the boys from his class,

something that he could not explain to himself. It was not just wish to play or to spend time

together, it was something more. But at the same time, he could not understand what it

was and what it would look like. To make matters worse, that particular young boy was not

interesting in him, not even as friend. That makes him very sad and he withdraw more

from male company to female.

After he finished primary school (in his country, that means 9. grade) he was not able to

see that particular young boy any more, but his friendship habits were the same: his friend

circle was bigger, but there were still more girls than boys. Only difference was in the

church where he has no problem to make friends with boys. So church members did not

notice any problems with him, not even pastors, so they did not offer him any support or

help. And he alone did not asked for it.

In his late teenage years, in the time when boys of his age show interest for girls,

nothing changed. He had couple of very good friends among girls, and they were very

open and frank with him, so they started to talk about boys, about their look and their

attraction. After some time, he was able to entrust himself, his feelings, to one of them.

She was confidential and trustful, so their talk on that issue continued. By talking openly

and frequently about this topic, his whole personality started to reshape and he began to

believe that kind of personality was his real one and not the one that he was showing

during the time he spend in church with other youth and in his family home.

At the time he shared his story with me, he was considerably shaped by that picture. He

had a problem every time he came to church because there he knew that something with

him was wrong, but he did not know what to do about that. He could not find trustworthy

person to share his problem. So he tried to pretend that everything was normal. Outside of

the church he was free to be what he thought to be his real identity. And outside of the

church it was not problematic at all, moreover it was very cool and trendy. So he found
 !5

unspoken support and verbal admiration among some friends at school, but also on TV

(shows like Will&Grace) and especially MTV (he was big fan of the channel).

It is very important to add that he did not have any sexual experience. He stated that it

was not what he was looking for in other boys and he never thought of that kind of sexual

experience (between males) as pleasant and nice. However, his feelings toward same sex

were more than just platonic love, but he could not describe them exactly.

When we finished Bible studies and came to the point when we talked about baptism

and its date, he was not reluctant. He knew from the beginning what was the goal of Bible

studies so he agreed. But one week before baptism, he called me and asked if we could

talk about it. He came to the church and asked: Is it okay for me to be baptized even

though I still have the same feelings toward same sex? My answer was another question,

this time for him: Do you think you can change it alone? What will change if you postpone

your baptism? He said that there was no guaranty that time would make change and that

he could not do it alone. He was baptized on the very first Sabbath.

Behind the Seen: Contextual Analysis

After he described his temporary situation, he was unable to explain why it happened,

even though he was sure that it was not biblical ideal long before we studied that topic.

And he was not the only one who had a problem with answering this question.

Theologians, psychologists and all others who explore this field are still not quite sure what

the causes of this condition are.4 Their answers are very often based upon their previous

moral values (or/and prejudices). Some of those who are based on scientific method very

often states that church can no longer hold to the traditional moral judgment regarding

4It is difficoult to say with great certainty how many people, particularly adoscents or young adults,
experience confusion about their sexual identity (Mark A. Yarhouse and Erica S. N. Tan, Sexual Identity and
Being Christian, Journal of Psychology and Christianity, Vol. 24, No. 1 (2005) 60-64 (p. 60).)
 !6

homosexual practice and, some from religious area are holding on traditional beliefs.5 But

after first description we tried to find something that could be seen as a root of the

condition, or at least something that contributed it.

One of the important aspects of his life was his relationship with his father. They lack

something that can be described as personal and close relationship between father and

son. His father became an Adventist when Daniel was very young. Father experienced big

behavioral changes after conversion: he changed his job, stopped smoking, started using

only vegetarian food and became a very conservative member of Adventist church, almost

fundamentalist in some question of church teaching and doctrine. His wife did not become

an Adventist even though she occasionaly came with them to the church.

And it seems that Daniel did not like that side of his father personality. If someone would

claim that he looked like his father, we was not satisfied with that comparison. Such

statements would sometimes make him sad or angry. He did not want to become like him,

as he stated. He never talked with father about his feelings or his other problems (although

he did not make some big problems as kid and he was excellent in school). There was

some kind of obstacle between them, and he could not overcome it. They rarely talked

about sexuality, only sporadically when his father made some joke about his son like the

time has come to have a girlfriend. Homosexuality was never topic of family table talk.

Yes, father made his comment on news about gay parade in the town or something similar.

His comments always included condemnation of such life style and accusation of those

who allowed such events.

On the other side, I could not discover from my conversation with his father that he

knew the depth of his sons condition. He always talked about him without any allusion

privately and he behaved the same way in public. Even though he perceived something,

he probably did not want to disgrace himself. Daniels relationship with his mother was

5Stanton L. Jones and Alex W. Kvae, Scientific Research, Homosexuality and Churchs Moral Debate: An
Update, Journal of Psychology and Christianity Vol. 24, No. 4 (2005) 304-316 (p. 304).
 !7

without obstacles but also without deeper closeness and openness. He found this kind of

intimacy among his female friends and in me, his pastor.

Can all these factors be sufficient to arouse same-sex attraction in a young boy? It can

not be answered with certainty. Many authors share the conviction that early years

(childhood) is very decisive period in the formation of our sexual attraction.6 Although we

still can not be 100% sure7 what is precisely responsible for this kind of attraction, Suetter

and Rovers talk about lack of childhood male role model, especially in the area of

intimacy and relationships, or they could speak of the poverty of a present satisfying

emotional connection with the father, needed to promote the development of a healthy

sexual identity.8

But it seems that the roots of confused sexual identity are deeper than just impact of

emotionally absent father. We talked a lot about role of his peers in his experience. Their

acceptance of him led to his acceptance of that kind of identity. Because they accepted

him, he did not feel the need to fight against it. He accepted something that he knew was

wrong because his friends accepted that also. They all believed that experience of same-

sex attraction signal who the person really is.9 His will for change was also different in the

time of vacation, when he was not in the school. Although we can not state that attitude of

his friends arouse homosexual tendency in him, we can clearly see that as negative

component in finding solution for the problem.

Popular culture can also be included in the same area of negative influence. He was big

consumer of popular music on MTV. He never heard on that channel that he needs to

correct his acts or tendency. Moreover, it was something that was celebrated as part of our

6 John F. Harvey, Homosexuality as a Pastoral Problem, Theological Studies No. 1, (March, 1955), 86-108
(p.90).
7Williame E. Hulme, A Pastoral Perspective on Homosexuality, Word & World, Vol. 10, No. 2 (Spring, 1990)
131-139 (p. 131).
8Ray A. Seutter and Martin Rovers, Emotionally Absent Fathers: Furthering the Understanding of
Homosexuality, Journal of Psychology and Theology, Vol. 32, No. 1 (2004) 43-49 (p. 46).
9 Yarhouse, Sexual Identity and Being a Christian, 61.
 !8

diversity. For them sexual orientation was morally neutral and all are called to accept

diversities among them. So MTV was yet another voice that encouraged him in same

direction.

At some moments, he shared with me his will for change but also his doubt that it will

not happen. He felt stuck as in another persons body. His feeling led him to one kind of

behavior and on the ground of that behavior he created his sexual identity. It was obvious

that he needed special pastoral care and more information from the Bible about choices

we make.
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Guidelines and Application

In seeking answer to this problem, I had not much choice neither many options.

Professional counselors (in the country where all this happened) still have atheistic-secular

world view without any or with very little appreciation for spiritual help and issues. Inside

the church, this topic is generally treated only from the negative aspect, so there was not

much help either. Therefore, my first source of information was the Bible; as Malony

states, pastoral counselors ground their opinions on the ideal will of God for life10. Later

on I found some additional articles. Due to the personal and denominational view on this

issue, I treated only the authors who did not view homosexuality as a biblical option for the

lifestyle of a believer.

Theological-Critical Response

Even without some big theological explanation, Daniel said that he knew that those

feelings were not according to biblical ideal. During our Bible study, we repeated basic

truths what he already knew and accepted. Human sexuality is part of good Gods creation

(Gen. 1:27). It is not something that we need to discover, it is already given to us. Bible

does not agree with our self-created sexuality, although Bible records deviation from this

biblical ideal throughout whole human history. It is called a sin (Lev. 18:22, Romans

1:26-27). But at the same time, Daniel and me were sure that his case was a little bit

different from those described in the Bible. Biblical ideal was a goal toward he was focused

even though some differences existed in his experience. I found one of the best

descriptions of this state in the words of Yarhouse: This time of questioning of identity is

sometimes characterized by the subjective state of confusion young persons who face

10H. Newton Malony, Pastoral Counseling and Sexual Identity, Journal of Psychology and Christianity Vol.
24, No. 4 (2005) 361-67 (p. 362).
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the dilemma of how to sort out the complexities of identity and self-knowledge in light of

religious faith and same-sex attraction.11

One of the topics we also needed to discuss was biblical picture of personality. In our

culture (Balkan Peninsula) is common to separate personality on two elements: soul and

body (dualistic view). If you follow this logic, you can separate your real self from your

behavior. You can do something that everyone considers wrong, but still some of them will

recognize you as someone who has good soul. This kind of dichotomy is also possible

among those who face sexual identity problem. It is very often in the lives of the persons

with religious affiliation or background. They create their public sexual identity and private

sexual identity.12 Public refers to how one identifies oneself to others, while private refers

to how one thinks of oneself.

Opposed to dualism is biblical monism, the position according to which all expression

of the inner life depend on the whole of human nature, including organic system. The

components of a human being function as a unit.13 Based on this view is the call to

establish balance between his feelings and his thoughts. He needed to equalize his public

and private sexual identity. Continuing to operate in the present mode, soon or later, he

may face with serious psychological issues.

And if the brain drives every part of who we are as human being14 then thinking and

reasoning about biblical ideal is not something merely abstract. The Bible teach us that it is

impossible with men, but with God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26), so doing all this

with prayer can really be of big help in overcoming these strange and unwanted feelings.

11Mark A. Yarhouse, Heather L. Brooke, Paula Pisano and Erica S. N. Tan, Project Inner Compass: Young
Adults Experiencing Sexual Identity Confusion, in Journal of Psychology and Christianity, Vol. 24, No. 4,
(2005), 352-360 (p. 352).
12 Yarhouse and Tan, 60.
13
Aecio E. Cairus, The Doctrine of Man, in Handbook of Seventh-day Adventist Theology, ed. by Raoul
Dederen Vol. 12 (Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 2000), 205-32 (p. 212).
14William J. Carl III, Brain, Bodies, Beliefs, and Behavior, Cross Currents 57 No. 1 (Spring, 2007), 51-68 (p.
52).
 !11

Very close to this is biblical concept of freedom of choice. While all humans are affected by

sin (Romans 3:23), all humans have possibility of cooperation with the power of Holy

Spirit. Many calls for special kind of actions or deeds in the Bible would not have sense if

there is no freedom to choose and to follow our decisions. Even though Daniel maybe can

not choose his feelings toward another human being, he can choose what to do with his

feelings. He can not choose his orientation, but he can choose his behavior. And all

sexual behavior is a choice.15

Relationship with parents, especially with his father, was another issue that we covered

during our Bible studies. Respect and obedience to parents is very important and one of

Gods commandements (Ex. 20:12). The New Testament calls parents, especially fathers,

to show understanding toward their children (Eph. 6:4, Col. 3:21). Mutual love, respect and

understanding is essential in home for healthy development and growth of children.

In their book A Parents Guide To Preventing Homosexuality the Nicolosi couple states

that nonconformity in childhood is one of the best predictors of homosexual identification

later in life. The best help for those kids are their parents,16 say authors. No one wants to

blame them for gender identity disorder of their kid, but they need to educate themselves

about it in order to help him. Re-establishment of good relationship between a kid and his

parents, especially father and son, is of great importance for this case.

The Bible is very clear on the fact that our environment (or culture) has very big

influence for our decisions (Psalm 1, Proverbs 1, 9 etc). Choosing the correct one, with

biblical values, is also very important, especially in years when a person forms his

character and identity. Fellowship and acceptance in the church, not just by his peers

among church youth, but also among older church members is something that he needs to

experience. Also, in the same category is need for reduction of TV programs encouraging

15 Malony, 365.
16Mark A. Yarhouse, A Parents Guide to Preventing Homosexuality, Book Review in Journal of Psychology
and Christianity, Vol. 22 No. 2, (Summer, 2003), 177-178 (p. 177).
 !12

certain feelings in him that he wants to get rid of. If he wants to experience some change

in his live, he obviously has to make some changes in his thoughts and behavior.

I would like to add here the words of Muhlestein who said that even our deepest

insights are influenced by culture and the environment. Very few among us are true

prophets or revolutionaries; in fashioning our political and religious views and in deciding

who we are, we generally end up following one or more of the patterns available to us in

the culture of our times. And although I believe that, in an ultimate sense, we are all free

agents, it is clear that our choices and our children's choices are very much influenced by

the culture around us.17

Application in Real Life

Trying to apply biblical ideal to the concrete situation was not an easy task. I suggested

application in several phases. The obtained phases are the result of comparison and was

revealed through the deep discussion and analysis of this case and the biblical ideal as an

expression of Gods revealed will to be followed by everyone. By this comparison we get a

few important concepts which need to be put into practice: personal identity, freedom of

choice, Gods power trough Holy Spirit, family relationship, church support, cultural impact,

and mentoring.

Personal identity

Based on the Bible teaching, a person with SSA needs to learn that he can not split his

personality into private and public appearance. He needs to stand firmly on one side and

experience himself as a complete personality. Then he will recognise a problem that needs

to be solved or he will accept that kind of lifestyle.

Because all counseling is rhetorical, i.e. an intentional change process based on a

point of view. Further, all good counseling is a two-fold process: listening that builds

17Randolph G. Muhlestein, The Case Against Same-Sex Marriage, Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon
Thought, Vol. 40, No. 3, 1-39 (pp. 28. 31).
 !13

understanding and trust followed by the induction of change through recommendation or

insight (Malony, 364) every next element of the application will have rational invitations

that he needs to accept as his own and after that to live by them - to put them into

practice. A significant help in that proces will be understanding of freedom of choice.

Freedom of Choice

How can biblical concept of freedom, i. e. freedom of choice, help in this special case?

What exactly can he choose to do? Probably the most difficult statement would be that he

can change himself. Even though there are some who experience change of their sexual

orientation18, for some this would be far from the truth. But, at the same time, there are

some changes that he alone can stimulate.

So Daniel can change his point of view: how he sees himself. The change of his circle

of friends would be also effective, if they encourage him in different direction than he would

like to attain. At the end, he can choose how to react on these feelings.

Every behavior is choice. The idealistic/moral position clearly affirms the importance of

choice and free will for all persons. Homosexual behavior (and possible homosexual

preoccupation) is a habit problem. Habits are learned behaviors that develop over the

time. They eventually function with conscious intention, feel natural and are similar to

addictions. The difference between addictions and habit is a social one.

Gods Power Through Holy Spirit

On this step, pastoral counseling differs from every other type of counseling. It is not

just based upon different assumptions, it believes in different form of assistance: divine

help that can do what human efforts can not.

A person who struggles with any form of behavior (or even feelings) that he wants to

change, should be convinced in Gods power and His will to act in his behalf. Faith is

18Can some gay man and lesbian change their sexual orientation? Two hundred participants reporting a
change from homosexual to heterosexual orientation (Malony, 367).
 !14

prerequisite for such things to happen. After baptism I continued with occasional meetings

and their main purpose was to encourage and establish his earlier decision.

For this goal, spiritual literature was of big help, such as book Steps to Christ. On its

pages I found some of the most encouraging words19 that give not only power but also

hope that the desired change can be achieved not by force nor by strength but by Gods

Spirit.20

Family Relationship

For good and healthy development of every kid, good relationship with his parents is

crucial. It is even more important in the cases like this, where there are problems in

development and relationship.

Both sides must realize that they have only one option: to be a family or not to be at all.

This is especially important for parents to know because they may be the ones who will

have problems to maintain relationship with their kid after they discover some of his

unpleasant secrets. In this case, it is Daniel's same-sex attraction. It is not rare in

religiously affiliated families, especially with individuals who have fundamentalistic

tendencies, that they break parent-child bonds because of violation of moral values.21

In this regard, it is useful to talk to parents and the boy. My plan was to talk first with his

father. Because of his religious background, it is important that he has a full picture. If he

gets angry after getting these information, it is also better to be alone than in the presence

of his wife. After that, they need to be together and to openly talk about the situation. The

19It is impossible for us, of ourselves, to escape from the pit of sin in which we are sunken. Our hearts are
evil, and we cannot change them Education, culture, the exercise of the will, human effort, all have their
proper sphere, but here they are powerless. They may produce an outward correctness of behavior, but they
cannot change the heart; they cannot purify the springs of life. There must be a power working from within, a
new life from above, before men can be changed from sin to holiness. That power is Christ. His grace alone
can quicken the lifeless faculties of the soul, and attract it to God, to holiness (Ellen G. White, Steps to
Christ, on <http://www.ted-adventist.org/sites/default/files/Setps%20to%20Christ-EGW.pdf> [accessed 16.
September 2011] (para. 3 of 4).)
20 Zachariah 4:6.
21Martine Gross, To Be Christian and Homosexual, Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative and Emergent
Religions, Vol. 11 No. 4 (2008) 77-101 (p. 81).
 !15

conversation has to impress the boy with feelings of trust and confidence. It will help him to

move forward in his struggle. And this time, he will know that he is not alone.

Church Support

Although it is not often in Adventist church to have public disclosure of personal

struggle, especially something intimate as sexual identity, it is possible to teach the church

how to react to similar circumstances. In this particular case, my first step was a debate at

youth afternoon worship. Most believers have had very negative opinions toward persons

with same-sex attraction, especially if they come to church. The smaller percentage of

them was restrained and did not share openly their comments on this issue. The smallest

number of them identified themselves as people who understand the depth of the problem

and pain through which such person is likely to pass.

The result of such approach was not primarily the change of the church's opinion. For

something like that it is necessary to have a longer period of time and more conversation

on given topic. But the positive result of this was the detection of individuals who might be

good supportive mentors in the absence of pastor and professional advisers.

Cultural Influence

No one supposes that culture is the one who is only responsible for creating this

confusion in the lives of the contemporary youth. But, it can play a great role in their

development by the way it presents this lifestyle on media and shapes their attitude

through the media. Cass recognized six-stage model of sexual identity development and

synthesis.22 Negative role of culture is found especially in third and fourth phase of the

development. The culture is already created acceptance of this lifestyle. And not only that.

22 Cass theorized that gay and lesbian identity develops through the six stages: (a) identity confusion
(questioning what one's identity is in light of experiences of same-sex attraction), (b) identity comparson
(reaching the conclusion that one is different based on experiences of same-sex attraction), (c) identity
tolerance (assuming that experiences of same-sex attraction mean that one is probably gay), (d) identity
acceptance (identifying same-sex attraction as signaling that one is gay), (e) identity pride (taking pride in
one's gay identity at the expense of good that might be seen in heterosexuals), and (f) identity synthesis
(reaching the conclusion that one's self-identification as "gay" is one part of who one is) (Mark A. Yarhouse,
Same-Sex Attraction, Homosexual Orientation and Gay Identity: A Three-Tier Distinction for Counseling and
Pastoral Care, The Journal of Pastoral Care and Counseling, Vol. 59 No. 3 (Fall, 2005) 201-12 (p. 206).)
 !16

Gay pride is also something formed by culture and it can be a very big barriere in helping

those who experience same-sex attraction.

In this case, I frequently repeated that he needed to reduce the consumation of media,

especially the music on MTV. It was not possible for him to be fed simultaneously from two

different sources. He needed to choose and allow the access only to those information

which would help him.

Mentoring

The individuals from the church and his family can take a role of D. Ts mentors. I would

suggest them to be what McMinn called compassionate companions. While

compassionate companions may believe homosexual behavior reflects distorted sexuality,

they are not trying to 'fix' those with same sex attraction, but to be a supportive presence

to one experiencing it, and trying to reconcile their sexual identity with their faith beliefs.23

The main question that these compassionate companions need to answer for themselves

is: Can they be supportive in his battle even if they know it is something wrong? Because

sometimes religious24 people (and it is also true of Adventist church) have very big

problems in separating sinner from his sin.

This mentoring should have all characteristic of good counseling. All good counseling,

of whatever variety, has similar qualities: it is affirming, supportive, nonjudgmental and

accepting.25 This does not mean that they agree with homosexual behavior or lower

biblical principles. It just means that these mentors will not repeat all the time how sinful is

his orientation and condition. He already knows and accept that. Due to permanent

negative comments and criticism of homosexual behavior and lifestyle, it is often needed

to remind people with same-sex attractions of Gods unconditional love. Of course, they

23 McMinn, 369.
24Heather K. Mak and Jo-Ann Tsang, Separating the Sinner from the Sin: Religious Orientation and
Prejudiced Behavior Toward Sexual Orientation and Promiscuous Sex, Journal for the Scientific Study of
Religion, Vol. 47, No. 3 (2008), 379-92 (pp. 379-40).
25 Malony, 364.
 !17

need to be reminded of Gods power, which is already stated before. God can do what

humans consider impossible. But it is not always complete change to heterosexual

marriage. Happy life without sexual intercourses is also something that may be seen as a

result.
 !18

Conclusion

In this paper I trace theological method by which a pastor can find solution to

counseling person with same-sex attractions. Through description I got preliminary data

which I used later in deeper analysis and interpretation of the whole event. This was done

by careful questioning and observation of subject and his surrounding.

The next step was looking toward biblical perspective about homosexuality and

homoerotic feelings. Comparison of biblical picture with particular experience resulted in

special issues. The issues needed to be cautiously treated in real life. Personal identity,

freedom of choice, family relationship, cultural impact were some of the views that

requested special interpretation by caregiver. Implemented with clear understanding of

Gods power, proper family relationship and God's mentoring can give significant positive

effects on a person with confused sexual identity.

 !19

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Brennen, Barrington H., Homosexuality: Hope or Dilemma? in Sounds of Encouragement,

7.8 (2003) http://www.soencouragement.org/homosexuality-hope.htm.

Cairus, Aecio E., The Doctrine of Man, in Handbook of Seventh-day Adventist Theology,

ed. by Raoul Dederen Vol. 12 (Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald Publishing

Association, 2000), 205-32.

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