XXX Church.com
The provocatively named XXX Church (love it!) website features the testimony of a Christian man, Adam Balkcom, who is on a post-gay journey. Adam’s story is a compelling witness to God’s love and mercy. He covers a lot of ground in his testimony but here is the section that really stood out as an example of the Church operating in grace:
My second night out in the club scene in Atlanta I met Jordan, he seemed to be ‘the guy of my dreams’. He had everything I thought I ever wanted. I was extremely attracted to him and he was a Christian who had spent the majority of his life struggling like me. We thought we could have a Christian relationship and maybe the Lord had brought us together. We couldn’t even keep the purity in our relationship one week. Within three months we were flying around the US hitting all the big gay parties and doing lots of drugs. Within a year I didn’t know who I was. I had everything I thought I wanted; a good job, lots of money, and an attractive “Christian” boyfriend. But I was miserable!!
This is when the change first started to happen. Jordan and I had been out at a club all night and as the sun started to come up, in our drug induced state, we thought it was a good idea to go to church. We made our way to a church and after the service one of the pastors came up to say hello. Jordan came right out and said this is my boyfriend and we just came in from the club. And the pastor’s response was, “Well I am glad you are here.” I was floored!! I was rejected from the church I grew up in when I came out my senior year of high school. This is when I started to open myself to the Lord again.
Let me ask you a question … how would you respond to two gay men who had been clubbing all night before showing up at your church service? Who may even still be high on XTC? How would you your church respond?
Gratefully the Church has come a long way in ministering to those who struggle with any number of sexual and relational issues. However, there is more that could be done.
Adam, thank you for sharing your story so boldly. I pray all of His best for you and your life. I also pray for more of us with similar testimonies to step forward and be heard.
About Randy Thomas
I love XXXChurch! Me and my mates were on it when it first kicked off! The guys who run it are fab! They used to have puppets (sock puppets I think) and would do ads that were even on mainstream news channels. They had a message and people wanted to hear it!
My church in Blackpool, a male couple came in steaming drunk, went up to the vicar mid-preach and shook hands and went and took a pew. No issue! But that was a vicar in the gay capital of the North (oh yes, the North!) who had spent years becoming more of a decent human/vicar towards people with SSA.
Where I live now, there is NO mention of SSA in churches. Where my friend lives 1 1/2 hours by bus away, she is not allowed into some churches, and is made to feel unwelcome in most others, and she’s been single and celibate for 11 years now. Another woman I met is banned from every church in every town near her own and in her own because she is gay. Young Christians with SSA are self-harming and trying to commit/committing suicide because their churches teach all gay people go to hell, that they are evil etc. Three years ago, the leaders of a church drove me out cos I’ve got SSA. So, with you guys in the US of A, you’re all doing great, attitudes in churches are improving, God bless you all. Over here, we’ve gone backwards big time. They happiness and openess and welcome we had 10 years ago is now no longer here. Because TfT is not a campaign group, neither is Living Waters, help is not advertised in many churches, or even known about.
S’why I’m going to approach my section of churches here, and ask if I can advertise TfT, do any talks, talk with church leaders etc, if they say yes. If not, hmmm, TfT posters, paste, bicycle and me out at midnight around the local towns???
I love XXXChurch! Me and my mates were on it when it first kicked off! The guys who run it are fab! They used to have puppets (sock puppets I think) and would do ads that were even on mainstream news channels. They had a message and people wanted to hear it!
My church in Blackpool, a male couple came in steaming drunk, went up to the vicar mid-preach and shook hands and went and took a pew. No issue! But that was a vicar in the gay capital of the North (oh yes, the North!) who had spent years becoming more of a decent human/vicar towards people with SSA.
Where I live now, there is NO mention of SSA in churches. Where my friend lives 1 1/2 hours by bus away, she is not allowed into some churches, and is made to feel unwelcome in most others, and she’s been single and celibate for 11 years now. Another woman I met is banned from every church in every town near her own and in her own because she is gay. Young Christians with SSA are self-harming and trying to commit/committing suicide because their churches teach all gay people go to hell, that they are evil etc. Three years ago, the leaders of a church drove me out cos I’ve got SSA. So, with you guys in the US of A, you’re all doing great, attitudes in churches are improving, God bless you all. Over here, we’ve gone backwards big time. They happiness and openess and welcome we had 10 years ago is now no longer here. Because TfT is not a campaign group, neither is Living Waters, help is not advertised in many churches, or even known about.
S’why I’m going to approach my section of churches here, and ask if I can advertise TfT, do any talks, talk with church leaders etc, if they say yes. If not, hmmm, TfT posters, paste, bicycle and me out at midnight around the local towns???
I’m a little confused by the story and the comments, but I am probably like the church members mentioned. It’s not like we don’t want to help, but we don’t have one clue what to do. We are ‘afraid’ of coming across as condoning something we know is a sin, but we don’t want to turn our backs on it all either. We want to love, we want to help, but not at the wrong cost.
We are trying to start an Exodus chapter in our community as we have a growing SSA community that is building churches that say ‘gay is ok’, and they are performing marriage ceremonies, and the like.
We know hate the sin, love the sinner, but the appropriate actions to take are what we do not know.
Many blessings to the XXX Church & Exodus and all those trying to connect, hope and heal.
Praise the Lord!
I’m a little confused by the story and the comments, but I am probably like the church members mentioned. It’s not like we don’t want to help, but we don’t have one clue what to do. We are ‘afraid’ of coming across as condoning something we know is a sin, but we don’t want to turn our backs on it all either. We want to love, we want to help, but not at the wrong cost.
We are trying to start an Exodus chapter in our community as we have a growing SSA community that is building churches that say ‘gay is ok’, and they are performing marriage ceremonies, and the like.
We know hate the sin, love the sinner, but the appropriate actions to take are what we do not know.
Many blessings to the XXX Church & Exodus and all those trying to connect, hope and heal.
Praise the Lord!