The July 18-22 national conference in Rogers, Arkansas of Aldersgate Renewal Ministries (supported by the United Methodist General Board of Discipleship) featured a workshop entitled “Compassion Without Compromise” led by the Rev. Karen Booth, director of the Transforming Congregations ministry and a member of UMAction’s Steering Committee. This offered a snapshot of her ministry, whose new motto is “Equipping the Church to Model Sanctified Sexuality.”
Booth said had heard “more than one denominational official” assert that the sexuality issues “are not important” and the church should “move on to other things.” But she countered with some sobering statistics:
- While in 1970 there were some 500,000 cohabiting couples in the U.S., by 2000 it was up to 5 million;
- 52 percent of U.S. women have sex before the age of 18;
- one-fourth of all internet search engine requests are for pornography;
- the average age of a first pornography website visit is 11;
- a Christianity Today survey revealed that one-third of pastors have a pornography problem;
- two-thirds of Americans with STDs are younger than 25;
- 61 percent of Christian college students break premarital abstinence pledges;
- an estimated 6-8 percent of Americans are sex addicts;
- an estimated 1-4 percent of the U.S. population self-identifies as exclusively homosexual;
- Exodus International receives calls from children as young as eight who think that they might be gay.
Booth told workshop participants that “the ultimate question” is “do we believe that Jesus is big enough to handle sexual sin.” She lamented that she was “convinced that most United Methodists don’t believe healing is possible for everything.” While such discussions often get into debates about whether an individual experiencing sexual brokenness is truly saved, Booth stressed that “the issue becomes one of sanctification,” a key emphasis of the Wesleyan tradition. Sanctification must comprehensively include one’s finances, mind, spirit, body, and sexuality. In the words of 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5, it means that believers must “control [their] own bod[ies] in holiness and honor, not with lustful passion like the Gentiles who do not know God.”
On the contentious issue of homosexuality, Booth admitted that she was once on the revisionist side and believed that change from homosexual orientation was impossible. But then “God brought people who had changed into my life,” including one who pointed out that the New Testament church included former homosexuals (I Corinthians 6:9-11). It may be that “the church has forgotten” about the possibility of such transformation, “but God hasn’t,” and He has been changing people for thousands of years. The Bible clearly teaches that homosexual practice, like any other sexual practice outside of monogamous, heterosexual marriage is a sin, but it is “not the only sin” and “not the worst sin.”
She noted the fact that homosexuality correlates to other serious health risks such as alcoholism, depression, and abusive relationships. While some gay activists claim that those problems within the gay community are really the fault of America’s “homophobic” culture, similar correlations exist in very gay-friendly Scandinavian countries.
Rev. Booth uses the acronym P-U-R-I-T-Y in encouraging local churches to intentionally pursue ministry to address all forms of sexual brokenness. She stressed that this was not intended to be a simple “cookie-cutter plan” for all contexts, as “that would be an insult to the Holy Spirit.” Individuals seeking to start such ministry need significant Preparation of evaluating their own personal commitment to purity and the commitment of their church as a whole, questioning their own true motives by asking if one’s “heart breaks” for “people caught in the bondage of sexual sin,” and grounding the effort in prayer. It is also essential to have a good Understanding of biblical principles for human sexuality and of such specific issues people face as pornography, adultery, promiscuity, sexual addiction, same-sex attraction, gender identity confusion, “ex-gay” experiences, and overcoming sexual abuse. One must particularly understand that there are “levels or varieties of ‘gayness,’” that many individuals struggle with same-sex attraction but never act on it, that a number of anti-gay “cultural myths and stereotypes” need to be dispelled, and that transformation is “typically not instantaneous.” Concerned individuals also take care that the Relationships between people in their congregations are characterized by love, respect, honesty, and accountability. Plans for such congregational ministry should have Integration into the life of the congregation, with support from the pastor, lay leadership, and the congregation as a whole. Those pursuing the establishment of such ministries should also be prepared for such Trials and tribulations as resistance, misunderstanding, risk, and a drain of their energy, “time, talent, and treasure.” Nevertheless, the Rev. Booth tells her supporters that “You can do it!” through identifying their target audiences (strugglers within the congregation, family and friends of sexually broken individuals, the local LGBT community, and/or the general surrounding culture), identifying potential co-leaders, reading books on this ministry area, and deciding what specific type of ministries would best fit their context. She also pointed out that people may not have to completely “reinvent the wheel,” but should first see if there local area has such sexual wholeness ministries as Living Waters, Celebrate Recovery, Exodus International, Homosexuals Anonymous, or Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays (PFOX).
Rev. Booth concluded by rhetorically asking “what would our church look like” and “what would our culture look like” if “this kind of ministry was as prevalent as AA.”
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