WHAT SOME OF YOU WERE

[Rev. Jim Cunningham]

From: aussiebuddy (Original Message) Sent: 10/19/2003 12:18 AM

Hey everyone
I just read this book.. "What some of you were", written on behalf of liberty christian missions in Australia. It was an amazing book, and really challenging. Especially for me.. when I still have no idea what direction Im going in, because all I want is for God to use me, and where that will be, he knows.
The book was about 10 different people's struggles with homosexuality and their story. Also stories from a mother's perspective, and wife's etc. It was so heartfelt.
Does anyone know about the book im talking about?

[Rev. Jim Cunningham]

From: Manager Rev. Jim Sent: 10/19/2003 9:36 AM

Hi AussieBuddy,

I am familiar with the book WHAT SOME OF YOU WERE. I am also familiar with Liberty Christian Missions. One of their leaders or founders (I forget which) is friends with my mother.

This book is an "ex-gay" propaganda book, an attempt to convince homosexuals that they can - and should - change to a heterosexual identity through the presentation of "loving" stories of people who have claimed such a change has occured in their lives. I would have to quote our entire website to show the errors in this.

I understand that you are struggling with this issue in your life, but I would like to present a question to you:

Is your struggle with homosexuality
A) based on real internal confusion as to whether or not you are gay?
or
B) based on a fear that being gay is a sin against God?

I may be totally wrong, but I get the impression that you are still under the belief that God does not want you to be gay, and that He wants you to be straight in order to accomplish His will. Hopefully I've presented enough data from the Scriptures to show that God's will for your life is no more dependent upon your sexual identity than it is dependent upon your skin color or nationality or eye color. BEING homosexual is who you are, not what you do, just as BEING Australian is what you are, not what you do. Let me give you an example.

I could say that being Australian is a sin against God because many Australians hate and discriminate against Aboriginese people. But if I say this, then I would be confusing what an Australian IS with what some Australians DO.

It's the same with homosexuality.

I could say that being homosexual is a sin against God because many homosexuals live sexually promiscuous lives. But if I say this, then I would be confusing what a homosexual IS with what some homosexuals DO.

What another Australian does with his life has no bearing or reflection on your life as a Christian Australian. If another Australian wants to be a Nazi bigot in his feelings toward Natives, that does not mean that YOU are that way too simply because you are also Australian. And just so, what another homosexual does with his life has no bearing or reflection on my life as a gay Christian. If another homosexual wants to be a heathen and a whore in regard to God and sex, that does not mean that I am that way too simply because I am also a homosexual.

If you are married to a woman, I would have to say that your attractions to males (vs. females) is completely irrelivant, because it is no different from a heterosexual married man who has attractions for females other than his wife. Marriage is a permanent, binding tie. Biblically, the issue is not up for debate. Unless one of you dies or one of you commits adultery, marriage is undesolvable for ANY reason (Jesus' words - not mine). Therefore the issue is not "what do I do with these gay feelings?" but rather, "what do I do with these attractions for anyone other than my wife?"

Let me explain how serious God considers the issue of marriage: It is such an important issue that God included "adultery" among the other nine chief commandments, making adultery (and therefore divorce) EQUAL TO murder, theft, lying, idolatry, covetousness, dishonoring of parents, Sabbath violation, etc. And all of these sins have one major thing in common, which puts them all on equal footing, and that is that the violation of these laws calls for an immediate trail, judgement of condemnation, and punishment by death - in THIS world. Adultery is such a grievous sin that God required the sinner to be instantly blotted from the face of the earth. Jesus clearly equated divorce to adultery saying that whoever divorces his wife causes her to commit adultery and the one who divorced her also commits adultery. We cannot have ANYONE ELSE, sexually, except the person with whom we have entered a marriage covenant with.

So, being married to a woman and having feeling for other women or men is merely a matter of control OF THE BASIC SEX DRIVE OF THE BODY.

Of course, in the New Testament age the death penalty for adultery is handled a bit differently - but ONLY because Jesus already paid the penalty for this crime. The offense of adultery is no less great merely because we are in the New Testament age. Someone still MUST DIE for adultery. The gift of salvation offers a sinner the chance to claim the death penalty as already having been paid for by Christ. Adulterers - and all other sinners - will pay this penalty on judgment day if they have not accepted that gift.

If you are single, then you must live the same lifestyle commanded to single straight men; and that is, to live a chaste life until the day you enter a lifetime covenant union with someone. We are commanded in Scripture to be virgins until we enter such a covenant, and then we are never to experience sex with anyone on earth except that one person. Of course, many of us have failed in this, both before and AFTER we became Christians. However, everyday is a new day with the Lord through His Son, so we can seek forgiveness for the past and walk in obedience from this time forward with the purpose and goal of never committing that sin again.

With love in Christ,
Rev. Jim

[Rev. Jim Cunningham]

From: aussiebuddy Sent: 10/29/2003 9:13 PM

wow thanks for that Jim. You wrote a lot, and really addressed an issue for me, which i am thinking about right now. Is there a more direct way to write a message to you, like privately, cause i just got some questions, that are rather private, and wanna seek help and maybe answers to them. nothing wierd or something, just yeah, would prefer it to remain private. thanks again for all that. u got some good points that God has set in your heart.
Aussiebuddy

[Rev. Jim Cunningham]

From: Manager Rev. Jim Sent: 10/30/2003 9:20 AM

AussieBuddy,

You are always welcome to email me. I keep all of my mail private between me and the writer. You can contact me at [e-mail]

Rev. Jim