The
Hope of the Believer . . . Restoration Review, Vol. 31, No. 8, October 1989
Thank
you for your excellent article about Carl Ketcherside. The personal
anecdotes you included were inspiring tome, and others have told me they,
too, were encouraged by what you wrote to us all.Diane Kilmer,
Integrity Magazine (If
you would like to see the piece I did on Carl Ketcherside for Integrity,
write and ask for that issue, which can serve as a sample copy in case
you are not acquainted with that journal, one that you should be reading.
Address: 2919 Lafayette Ave., Lansing Mi. 49696. Ed.) I have been reading
Restoration Review
since I married
Virgil in 1983. He's been taking your paper since the 1950's. I love reading
about your wife's help and how sweet it is for both of you to care for her
mother. We devour the paper whenever it comes. Fern
Stapleton, Tucson, Az. I
have only recently been exposed to your publication. I have enjoyed it
immensely. I have been so excited because after reading it, I realize there
is hope for the Church of Christ. I have been disillusioned with the church,
for I had to go through a horrible marriage which ended in divorce, only to
believe that I was doomed with no hope. Gradually I have come to see that
God loves me anyway, that I am a good person, and that I can be saved. I
like the way you present the different subjects, with Scriptures combined
with good, common sense. It makes it all seem so simple, which it should be. Orange, Tx. I
have moved from Barton W. Stone's home in Jacksonville, Illinois to Walter Scott's old stomping grounds on
the Western Reserve. I pray that we will see
another I
have read your writings so much over the years. I have especially enjoyed
the I
loaned some back issues of your paper to my landlord. He's never returned
them, and he is hooked on your writings. He recently subscribed on his own.
So there, I got you another subscriber who is an avid reader of all you
write. Vallejo, Ca. (Some
of our most appreciate readers come to us this way. Why don't you share this
paper with a friend? The results might be similar. Ed.) I will
no longer listen to a preacher who has to apologize for preaching on grace.
It is pathetic how such little things divide us. In my community of 55,000
there are at least six Churches of Christ, one of which is known for not
eating in the building. Clear Creek,
In. I
have long been troubled by a question that apparently no one can answer:
When does God cut off a congregation from His fellowship? Your article on
"What Difference Do Differences Make" raised the question again.
Lock haven, Pa. GAY
CHURCH (Responses
to my article on the gay church in the last issue provided some insightful
and helpful observations on the complex subject of homosexuality. We offer
some of them here, along with a general mix of what was in the mailbag.
Since this is such an emotional issue I am withholding names and addresses.
Ed.) Several
years ago I visited a gay church and since that time the services at the
straight church seem so empty. We righteous churches could learn a lot from
those sinners about effective ministers and worship. Thank
you for the subscription I have enjoyed until now. It would be hard for me to
overstate my dismay at the position you have assumed in your treatment of
sexual perversion. Please do not send Restoration
Review any
longer Memphis, Tn. I
want to present you with a holy kiss through the mail. Your article has to
be the most astounding expression of open acceptance ever to come out of the
Church of Christ. I am not homosexual but I understand their love. My
chosen path is to be a wife, mother, school teacher, but why is it so
difficult for us to understand that not all are made alike and will not
choose paths similar to ours? Auroro,
Colorado It
is distressing to see how far a person can drift from Christ when once he
adopts error. To go so far as to say that Jesus accepted and
associated (fellowshipped or There
are several good review articles in
scientific literature concerning homosexuality which conclude that
sexual orientation is largely influenced by prenatal brain hormonalization,
but is also strongly dependent on postnatal socialization, which may become
incorporated into the brain's immutable biology . In light of recently
developed / new perspectives from historical, Biblical and scientific
research, it seems to me that we need to expand our dialogue on such issues
within the churches. Your article may hopefully stimulate such. Thanks for
your courage and integrity! a
psychiatrist
in Texas I
cannot believe that God made most of us heterosexual and a minority
homosexual. As
a recovering homosexual (in orientation, not in practice) I have done
considerable research in the area of re-orientation. The best material I have
seen on re-orientations the August (1989) issue of Christianity
Today.
From my earliest recollection I thought of myself as female. I took the
female parts in our play as children. I was Mommy, super-girl, or wife. I
dressed as a female. When I reached puberty I was rejected by my peers for
being effeminate. I considered suicide all through my teen years. I was
sexually attracted to males, both children and adults. Sometimes I admitted
this, sometimes I denied it. I married at age 22. When my first child was
born I abused him, and through this I came to realize how I had been abused
as a child, even sexually abused by my father. My mother wanted a girl and I
realized I had been used as a
substitute. At age 27 I began therapy. I am now 3l. I see myself as now recovering
from homosexuality. I am now
not as depressed and am more confident in my heterosexuality. It could not
have happened without the help of God. My current theory is that male
homosexuality is a subset of narcissism with origins at age 17-18 months and
before. One does not completely recover, but is always working on it. I have
helped one man to overcome his homosexual behavior and am currently
counselling with another. It is essential that we not require recovery, but
rather to require effort. This is one of the principles of God's grace. I
enjoy your paper and send it to a few people in the congregation where I
preach. from a minister While
I appreciate your attitude of love toward gays and lesbians, I am not sure I
agree with you that they are born that way. Why would the Bible speak so
strongly against homosexuality if one cannot help being gay? a minister in Texas John
Boswell's book, Christianity, Social Tolerance, and
Homosexuality, is the most scholarly work of which
I am aware on the subject, particularly in reference to arsenokoitai
in 1 Cor. 6:9 and 1 Tim. 1:10. As a professor at Yale, Boswell has good
credentials. He does not believe that either of the two passages refers to
homosexuality. Another fine book that you would find informative is The
Vatican and Homosexuality, which consists of articles about the recent
Vatican letter on homosexuality which created so much controversy. In this
book one writer stated well the frustration and pain of the lesbian and gay
community: "We have been deprived of jobs and places to live, refused
health care, abused in public, beaten in the streets, killed by drunks and
you want to deny us the protection of the law? The sins of society and the
Church against gay people are far greater than any sin that can be committed by two people trying to express their love for one another."
We continue to appreciate your writings. You have been a blessing to
thousands of people |