Comments on: Classes @ Willow – Homosexuality: How Do We Respond? (Video)

By: Darren

Darren — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 05:54:10 +0000

Hey there Dave!
Thanks for visiting and even more so for commenting. I’m glad you’ve had positive experiences and have worked to build bridges with others as well. I think the challenge is that – especially in a church cultured – we can be isolated from many much needed experiences that would help us to grow and become better informed. Or the the pastor could be like one that I know who preached over the pulpit about “sissies” and for them not to come around him until they “got some bass in their voice[s]“. Interestingly enough I found out later that he’d never actually talked to someone who was gay – other than to “warn them” or dismiss them. In private he confessed that he really didn’t know anything about the topic.

It’s my hope that the awareness of resources like these can be raised so that people don’t continue to fumble in the dark. I’ll try to do follow-up posts to after I watch the other videos.

And I think you planted a very important seed for that youth you were working with – the scripture is still true: one plants, another waters, but it is God who makes it grow.

By: Dave

Dave — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 05:36:41 +0000

Hey Darren –

Thanks for giving me your card on Sunday and sharing your site with me. Lots of good stuff here.

I watched week 1 of the homosexuality class today. I think Andrew Marin has a lot of good things to say, and I’m glad Willow is addressing this subject. But I think it’s very sad that 1) Willow even has to address this subject, and 2) that it’s taken so long to address this subject. Like Andrew, I was transformed from a suburban-homophobe to a friend-of-homosexuals after friends came out to me – but that was awhile ago. Since then, I guess I’ve spent so much time with friends and family members who are gay that I don’t think about it that much anymore. I don’t really feel that “tension” that Andrew described. A few years ago when I was leading a jr. high group at Willow, one of the kids called everything and everyone “gay”. For 3 years I tried to instill in him a respect for the gay community (and respect for anyone different from him for that matter), but I’m afraid I didn’t succeed.

I may have other comments after watching the other weeks of the class, but that’s enough for now.