Dealing with Sexual Brokenness, and Where the Church is Still Missing It

I just saw this article on CBN News:

From Ravi Zacharias to Josh Duggar, Why Leaders Fall toSexual Brokenness

It was written by Josh McDowell and Ben Bennett. They are two powerhouses of the faith, especially in the realms of apologetics and doctrine, especially to a secular age overwhelmed with anti-Christian sentiment.

The headline poses a worthy question: why are leaders in Christendom falling into sexual sin? Why is there this explosion of sexual perversion in the church, or at least so it seems?

Ravi Zacharias, Carl Lentz, Josh Duggar ... the list goes on. Why do leaders continue to fall into extramarital affairs, sexual abuse, and porn?

Why is this happening? Some research suggests that 40% of Christians are still struggling with porn addiction. This is in the Body of Christ! What is going on?

The aftershocks have been devastating, causing feelings of betrayal, deep pain, and trauma that make life in this new normal even more unbearable, uncertain, and confusing. This pain has led many into skepticism resulting in abandoning their faith.

I do understand the feelings of pain, but betrayal? Honestly, fellow believers in the Body of Christ need to stop putting their hope and trust in their pastors, in other people. This is a magnified problem. We are called to One Person: Jesus Christ. We are not called to princes, pastors, or potentates. We are called to One Prince of Peace.

Are these crises simply a matter of broken human nature, and might we be just a moment away from similar acts? Or is the reality more complex?

We would like to propose that many people suffer from a significant growth gap—a tendency to focus more on spiritual activity than spiritual identity. Many churches have a typical growth model where people are thought to grow primarily by external activity–-serving in church, praying, and Bible reading. There is a better way: one of internal maturation spiritually, emotionally, and relationally. We must deal with our pain and the unhealthy relational and family dynamics we grew up in, move from isolation to connection, and grow into who God has made us to be so that we will be able to love Him and others.

This is a profoundly correct assessment. Too many of us will think that someone is spiritually mature because they are doing a lot of "stuff." The issue is indeed identity! Who are we?

Do we see ourselves as Beloved Children of the Living God?

"And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God." (Romans 9:26)

Do we know that we are accepted (highly favored) in the Beloved Son, Jesus Christ? (Ephesians 1:6)

I submit that many Christians do not know this, or they do not believe it:

"And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him." (1 John 4:16)

How often do we hear about God's love for us preached? How often do we hear about Jesus in our churches and in our pulpits?

After being sexually abused as a child and experiencing pain from my dysfunctional family, I (Josh) harbored deep hurts. When I became a Christian many things did improve, but eventually my unresolved pain caught up to me. Even though my ministry thrived, I didn't. I found myself exhausted, angry, and struggling to cope with unhealed emotional wounds. For example, whenever my mom complained about the abuse she received from my father, I bore the responsibility for stopping him and carrying the burden of my mom's emotional distress. Rescuing loved ones became one of the few ways I could gain my family's acceptance and love. Unfortunately, this behavior continued into my adult life; the world's problems were mine to solve. I remember this growth gap well. Do you find this familiar?

Notice how Josh McDowell talks about trying to earn acceptance and love. That is so contrary to the Gospel. We ARE already accepted in Christ Jesus! That is amazing! It takes time for our minds to be renewed to othis revelation. (Romans 12:2)

Although rescuing gave me temporary value and a counterfeit version of the acceptance God longed for me to experience, I was emotionally a wounded little boy in many ways. I had not outgrown that survival mechanism even when I was well into my fifties. My emotional growth was stunted because I hadn't dealt with unresolved parts of my story; this inhibited my relationship with God, myself, and others. Angry, exhausted, and struggling to go on, I needed serious healing.

Abuse in childhood leads to so much wrong believing in adulthood. Yes, indeed.

Similarly, I (Ben) grew up struggling with deep wounds, confusion, and trauma. I felt that I couldn't meet my dad's expectations, and I often faced his disapproval and intense anger. In addition, I was constantly bullied for being overweight and a Christian. Despite the decision I made to follow Christ at a young age, somehow I became a hostage to spiraling fear, anxiety, and depression that, at times, caused me to dissociate from the present.

There is so much condemnation, even in churches. There is such a focus on getting people to change their behavior (i.e. spiritual activity) rather than metanoia, i.e. change one's beliefs, one's thinking (i.e. spiritual identity).

Then came my struggle with food, porn, and alcohol, which unfortunately lasted through my first couple of years in full-time ministry. Although I constantly prayed, studied Scripture, and faithfully served at church, my struggles only escalated. Suicidal thoughts joined the cacophony of chaos inside my head. Could God really heal me and set me free? Could things ever really improve?

Yes, but He changes us, not we ourselves.

Our stories aren't anomalies. After 75+ years of combined ministry, we've seen so much brokenness, hurt, and addiction. The world is in crisis, and we need a radical move of God to heal our brokenness and bring about abundant wholeness. However, we won't experience this better life until we confront the root cause of this widespread brokenness. This is one of the reasons we developed the Wholeness Apologetic Model. Through research and biblical truth, this model details how we heal, experience freedom from unhealthy behaviors, and mature spiritually, emotionally, and relationally. Together, we are on a mission to help others break Free to Thrive—to live the abundant Christian life.

Now here come my concerns. There is all this talk about our living the Christian life. Christ is our live. We are called to a Person, folks. Not to principles, precepts, or programs.

Though I (Josh) had a theological degree, best-selling books, and a global ministry that reached millions annually, my own spiritual growth was stunted. On the outside I may have looked like a spiritually mature Christian leader, but that was a superficial appearance. A key principle of the Wholeness Apologetic Model explains that our spiritual maturity isn't determined by our level of knowledge about God nor by the number of good things we do or how much we pray, read the Bible, serve, or go to church. Rather, spiritual maturity is a product of our love for God, ourselves, and others, unmistakably resulting in Christ-likeness. Stated another way, mature Christians are emotionally and relationally whole Christians.

This paragraph is completely wrong. Our maturity is not based on our love for God. 

Spiritual maturity is based on our revelation of God's love for us! We need to understand more of how much He loves us!

This theme could not be made any clearer in Scripture, throughout the New Testament!

"We love because He first loved us." (1 John 4:19)

and

"Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." (1 John 4:10)

and

"Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not." (1 John 3:1)

Notice that John wants us to behold the Father's love for us! It's not about our love for Him. It's all about His love for us.

And consider -- if someone is bogged down in addictions of some kind, John gives the reason why:

"15Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world." (1 John 2:15-16)

Why do men and women in ministry still struggle with all kinds of issues, hardships, mental anguish, bondages, and addictions? The love of the Father is not in them.

It's not "The Love for the Father." It's about His love for us!

I am so frustrated that there are so many men and women of the Faith who are not focusing on Jesus and all that He is providing for us. There is such a strong insistence on putting more effort, more work, more struggle on the believer. "You need to love God more!" "You need to do more for God, and not just do more!"

And all this time, they are still missing the basic, wonderful wisdom of God's Word to resolve all these issues.

And let us never forget that Christ is our Wisdom, too, first and foremost! (1 Corinthians 1:30)

In the Bible, we see this model illustrated by Jesus in Luke 2:52: "And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man." In addition, Jesus shows the direct connection between our relationship with God (spiritual), ourselves (emotional), and others (relational) when he sums up the law: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind ... And ... 'Love others as much as you love yourself'" (Matthew 22:37, 39 CEV).

That is the law. That is not grace. That is not the New Covenant. Oh, foolish and slow of heart to believe! (Luke 24:25) It's so frustrating that so many preachers do not rightly divide the Word of Truth (2 Timothy 2:15). We are no longer under law, trying to relate to Daddy God based on rules and regulations. It's about relationship, and it is about reality.

So many Christians do not understand this wonderful movement, this wonderful transformation. They want to live under law, they want to still earn goody-goody points, when that is not of faith!

Bottom line, if we don't deal with our own stuff, other people will have to. What isn't healed will be revealed: Whether we knowingly hide our sins and unhealthy habits or are just unaware of the unresolved, unmet needs and pain from our past, everything will be brought to light—possibly with the devastating consequence of having God's name and our unhealthy brokenness publicly strewn across news headlines. Luke 8:17 conveys this principle best: "For all that is secret will eventually be brought into the open, and everything that is concealed will be brought to light and made known to all" (NLT).

Who said anything about us dealing with our own stuff? If we could deal with our own stuff, Josh and Ben, then Jesus would not have needed to die on the Cross in the first place!

All this man-centered pop-psych is causing the church to go "Pop!"

After constantly feeling on the verge of emotional and physical exhaustion, I (Josh) finally hit my breaking point. I called Dr. Henry Cloud, a close friend and the best psychologist I know, and we began meeting weekly. Dr. Cloud helped me understand my heart's deep, unmet longings, which had been compounded since my childhood. Although I thought I had moved beyond my issues, I discovered problems I had buried alive and the wake of destruction that I had left behind.

Those unmet longings are met in Christ. Do they not see Him as real? Do they not recognize that Jesus is alive and is caring for them actively? We need to see more of Him, and know that He is for us. We need to stop doing more, and ask the LORD to help us see more!

"17That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: 18The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints," (Ephesians 1:17-18)

and

"16That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; 17That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, 18May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 19And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God." (Ephesians 3:16-19)

I thank God for providing a friend and therapist to kickstart my journey toward healing and freedom. Henry helped me quench these unwanted behaviors in healthy, satisfying ways. Over several years, God healed me and gave me eyes to see myself as He did. And I also learned how to set healthy boundaries—to give and receive love and acceptance from God and others.

Let me be clear: there is nothing wrong with seeking out a Christian counselor to help deal with serious emotional pain. But connection with other people should at its core and mission point people to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of Faith (Hebrews 12:1-2)

After hitting bottom, I (Ben) also decided to go all in to overcome my past struggles. After years of trauma therapy, recovery groups, and counseling, I saw God bring understanding, healing, and freedom. My hurts from previous relationships found healing in healthy, new relationships as God and others began to meet my hunger for acceptance, safety, and love. Over time, I was set free from lifelong struggles with food, porn, and alcohol.

I submit that more people need to hear about Jesus. They need to hear about His perfect, unconditional unending love for all of us. They need to understand that God's love for us is not based on fancy or feelings, but is a real, rugged, righteous hug from the eternal Loving Father. We are not in love with a vision statement or a principle. We are called into loving family relationship with Jesus!

Jesus's invitation to us is to seek health and healing today. In turn, our goal is to create healthy communities that value who we're becoming over what we're doing. Finally, remember that Jesus's words tell us to not simply make converts but rather create disciples—"teaching them to obey everything I have commanded" (Matthew 28:20). Therefore, let's endeavor to reproduce mature disciples who are growing spiritually, emotionally, and relationally into the full measure of Christ.

Jesus is our health. Jesus is our healing. It shocks me to what extent men and women in the church still talk about all these other ideas and programs for helping people, when the truth is that we need to see Jesus. We need more favor, we need to understand the full extent of our new righteous standing, identity, and future in Christ Jesus.

I agree with both of the authors that the issues facing us in all our hurts and failures has to do with a lack of understanding of our identity in Christ. However, churches and leaders in the United States are still determined to focus people on themselves when we need them to look at Jesus! How are we supposed to know who we are, if we do not know whose we are?

When I started learning about the Gospel of Grace ten years ago, I had no idea how alive and active Jesus is. I did not see Him who has been from the beginning (1 John 2:13). I was so stuck, so caught in wrong thinking, wrong believing. There was so much baggage, indeed so much abuse from what I had endured, especially spiritual intimidation. My parents did not rightly divide the Word of Truth, and they had no knowledge of Old and New Covenants.

Without the revelation that we are no longer under law, and that the grace of God is superabounding fully in our lives, we are doomed, inevitably, to trust in our own efforts, to think that we struck, left to our own devices. For the longest time, I was convinced that I had to do my part, watch my thinking, feeling, and actions. I had to make sure that I did not lose focus on the Lord. I also did not know how to reconcile my new standing as the righteousness of God in Christ, yet I would still see bad actions, behaviors, and thoughts in my life.

This goes back to spiritual identity. Remember, I give Josh McDowell and Ben Bennett where they deserve it. I did not realize that who I am in Christ does not change, regardless of my behavior. Too many Christians today still judge their standing by their actions, rather than judging their actions by their standing. Worse yet, they do not realize that God is active and alive in their actions and lives. They think that God is still some figment of their imaginations, off somewhere far, far away, not interested in the so-called trivial matters of our lives.

None of this true. God our loving Father is deeply in love with each of us. He wants to commune with us so deeply, so intimately. He is working hard in every aspect of our lives. A life of faith is not about feelings, but it is not fantasy, either. Let's never forget that.

Most importantly, though, our new life in Christ is a new identity. We are now sons and daughters of the Living God. This does not change based on how we feel or what we think. Amen!

If people in the Body of Christ are still suffering with sexual addictions, the answer is Jesus. He is the end of our struggles. We need a greater revelation of Himself and His Finished Work. We need to continue preaching and delivering the grace of God to a heavily-laden, law-weary world stuck in their own efforts and failures.

Final Summary

Yes, the Church has an identity. Christians don't know who they are. But the solution to this problem is not to focus on themselves. If we want to know who we are, we need to focus on Jesus. 

"Herein is love perfected among us, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world." (1 John 4:17)

People really need to start meditating on this revelation. We need to focus on Jesus, not ourselves. Focus on His Finished Work, not our sins. Focus on what He has made us, not what we must do to remake ourselves.

True Conservative Influencer: Porn Destroyed My Life, Jesus Set Me Free

Kangmin Lee has been establishing a true, conservative, most importantly CHRISTIAN profile on social media.

He has been open about his faith, unashamed of the Gospel:

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek." (Romans 1:16)

He started denouncing the spread and promotion of pornography to youth. Recently, he criticized TPUSA for allowing a "conservative" porn start to attend one of their events in Florida.

He wanted to make it very clear that he was not standing on some throne of sanctimonious self-righteousness when he condemned this porn star's appearance at an event with kids.

Check out what he shared below. This is the kind of conservative influencing we need to see in our culture today:

I am not speaking out against pornography as if I’m some righteous Pharisaical paradigm of purity.

I was addicted to pornography for 10 years. God radically delivered me from it last year.

It is destructive, dehumanizing, and degrading.

— Kangmin Lee 🇰🇷✝️🇺🇸 (@thekangminlee) July 19, 2021

It takes a great deal of courage for someone to come out about such a struggle. For someone like this young man to talk about the great pains, dangers, and losses which follow from pornography is truly inspiring. These are the young men and women whom we should cherish and support. We need to encourage more young people to realize that they are not alone in this world, but that in Christ, they have everything that they need. 

Dear Gay People: Stop Playing Victim, Stop Victimizing Former LGBT People

The pro-LGBT blogsite based in Singapore "Dear Straight People" loves to play victim, all while victimizing Christians, conservatives, pro-family activists, and anyone with common sense, i.e. people who recognize the scientific facts that people are not born gay nor born in the wrong body.

Of course, they had to target TrueLove.Is, a ministry (also based in Singapore) which helps Christians struggling with LGBT issues and behaviors. They started a fight, and then faced considerable backlash for doing so.

Surprise!

Here's their blog post, relating their interview with the founder of TrueLove.Is and one of its first testimonials, Jason Lim, aka Jason Yolt. As expected, they play victim while painting TrueLove.Is and all former LGBT individuals as the bad guys. It's really stunning, the amount of shameless, brazen bravado that LGBT militants tend to manifest to justify themselves.

To make the post below easier to read, please keep in mind the following:

1. Anything written in plain type, as I am writing now, is my commentary.

2. Anything in bold type is from the "Dear Straight People" blog.

3. I will also indicate in [brackets] who is speaking/writing when I quote from the "Dear Straight People" blog.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Straight People,

On 10 July 2020, Facebook and Instagram announced that they will ban content promoting conversion therapy. In response, Dear Straight People published a post asking if Truelove.is should come under this ban.

It's not "conversion therapy" for the record. It's called reparative therapy or reintegrative therapy or therapeutic choice. Pretty straightforward. It sounds like religious extremism that LGBT activists like Sean Foo insist on calling this therapy a religious sounding name. 

For context, Truelove.is is an initiative by 3:16 Church that seeks to reach out to LGBTQ+ Christians. While Truelove.is does not engage in practices commonly associated with conversion therapy such as electrocution, the platform has often been accused of being modern day conversion therapy that represses the sexuality of its members.

Big mistake once again. Many of the story-sharers for TrueLove.Is are not LGBT. They do not identify with their feelings or their past behaviors. Why does the LGBT movement insist on trying to turn this into something essential and unchangeable? 

As expected, Dear Straight People’s post drew quite a reaction. What I did not expect however, were the many testimonies from LGBTQ+ Christians who felt like their voices were being invalidated.

Most active (and activist) homosexuals do not care about other people. They do not care about the feelings of others. They want to promote themselves and meet their own needs, while ignoring the needs of others. It's really quite shameful, but not surprising, all in all.

[Sean Foo:] I decided to reach out to the founder of 3:16 Church, Pastor Ian Toh, as well as a former feature of Truelove.is, Jason Lim, to better understand their perspectives.

If I’m going to be honest, the conversation did not get off to the best start.

Of course it didn't! Sean Foo wanted to silence people who want to break free of the lies of the LGBT agenda. The obtuseness is stifling.

Pastor Ian Toh was unhappy about Dear Straight People’s post, which rode on the back of many others who wanted Truelove.is to be banned. I retorted by pointing out that religious institutions in Singapore have a long history of cancelling the LGBTQ+ community.

Notice right away how Sean Foo plays victim. He is the one who started the social media by suggesting that TrueLove.Is should be cancelled. When Pastor Ian rightly called him out for wrongly attacking his ministry, Sean didn't take responsibility for his Internet temper tantrum, but then projected his failures onto the society as a whole. For all the times that the so-called "LGBT community" has been cancelled, Pastor Ian Toh and TrueLove.Is are not responsible for those outcomes. Besides, for the record, LGBT behaviors should be "cancelled". They should not be promoted to the public because they are based on lies, the inadvertently (or purposefully) seduce confused and at-rish children into those destructive behaviors, and they harm public health.

When we finally got the underlying tension out of the way, all parties came to an agreement on what this perspective piece will aim to do.

This article that you are about to read, will give Truelove.is the chance to present their perspective fairly. As such, both Ian and Jason will get ample opportunity to clarify their views and ensure that nothing they say gets taken out of context.

What this article will not be however, is a PR piece for Truelove.is. As such, neither Jason nor Ian will have any say over my own views on the matter.

This article was meant to be a PR piece for "Dear Straight People", to cover up for their bigotry.

Ultimately, the aim of this article will be to provide a conducive platform for both sides to better understand one another, which is especially important now in light of recent events.

Sure!

THE ORIGINS & AIMS OF TRUELOVE.IS

Religion and the LGBTQ+ community have always been at loggerheads. Fundamentally, this can be attributed to religious text denouncing same-sex acts to be a sin. While there are many other sins such as adultery, the LGBTQ+ community have always attracted an exceptional amount of opposition from religious groups.

First of all, there is no "LGBT community" as properly understood. People are not born gay, and behaviors do not create a final identity. So let's cut the crap right there.

The reason why LGBT behaviors have attracted considerable outrage and attention is that the people who engage in these behaviors want to normalize them at great length, whereas people who engage in adultery or fornication do not rally for special rights or demand parades to flaunt their specific brand of sexual depravity.

Launched in 2018, Truelove.is by 3:16 Church is co-founded and run by Pastor Ian Toh. When I ask Pastor Ian why he decided to focus on the LGBTQ+ community specifically, he explains:

[Pastor Ian Toh:] The Church of Singapore is a whole body and she reaches out on many fronts, like special needs children, youth at risk, depression etc.

3:16 Church has a small role to play in the Church of Singapore and it happens to be on LGBTQ matters. Our hope is that this will play a small role in making the church a safer place for the micro-minority to come out to.

These precious Christians often offer to share their testimonies knowing full well that they may face double pressure from both activists and some well-meaning but wrong positioning Christians – they are a minority of minorities. So, it is especially important to us that their life-stories are well and excellently told.

Christians who still struggle with these sexual issues deserve to seek help and know that they can get the help that they need without further shame, reproach, or confusion. This ministry is essential to the Body of Christ to stand up to the wiles and wickedness of a fallen world.

One such member of this minority within a minority is Jason Lim.

Incidentally, Jason was actually how I came to know about Truelove.is. On 27 October 2018, Jason was featured on a Truelove.is video. In the video, Jason recounts how he first felt same-sex attraction at the age of 14 after stumbling upon some gay porn. It was also during this time that Jason was first introduced to Christianity.

I find it quite interesting that Sean Foo of "Dear Straight People" does not recognize that Jason Lim (aka Yolt) started struggling with same-sex attraction syndrome when he was introduced to gay porn, then got hooked.

I must stress this point a second time: how is it that "Dear Straight People" owner Sean Foo can just skip over the damaging effects of pornography on young people, without a second thought? Encounters and later addiction to pornography describe the challenges of many people who struggle with homosexuality or transgenderism.

This a serious problem in the so-called LGBT "community": pornography and objectification of the body. These exploitative practices are rampant among homosexuals and transgenders. It's just unconscionable how Sean Foo and other LGBT militants in Singapore--and around the world--insist on turning a blind eye to this very disturbing trend in their "community."

Jason Yolt's testimony continues below:

[Jason Lim:] As I matured in the faith, I learned that identifying as a Christian had responsibilities as well. Despite that, I continued to “experiment” (if you know what I mean) until my “wake up call” at 24.

That ‘wake up call’ was a motorbike accident. His near death experience would go on to play a pivotal role in his life.

[Jason Lim:] I was given a miraculous second chance at life and had an encounter and revelation about who God is; He is unconditional love and at the same time, holy. That moved me to give up my own desires – to live in His way, not mine.

I gave up my right to self-gratification and many of my own desires that were not in alignment with God’s vision for my life. That wake-up call was my death certificate from a motorbike accident.

I am grateful for it. I found a sense of peace, joy and resolution in my life that was not there during the days when I explored my sexuality without boundaries.

Sexuality really has no joy or pleasures without those boundaries. This is a growing revelation for many people. Jason's story should be a learning experience for people who still struggle with LGBT issues/

Soon after, Jason found solace at 3:16 Church.

HOW TRUELOVE.IS SERVES THE LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY

Jason is one of many LGBTQ+ Christians who found a home in 3:16 Church. If you trawl through the many other stories on Truelove.is, you will notice a similar narrative. Truelove.is members have all found a sense of peace and community at Truelove.is after struggling with same-sex attraction. As Pastor Ian Toh explains,

[Pastor Ian Toh:] Truelove.Is focuses on Bible-believing Christians, and hopes to create a safe space for LGBTQ individuals within this group, plus those who are simply curious about what alternative there might be if they feel uncomfortable with living out their sexual attraction.

What sets Truelove.is apart from other religious institutions is that they do not condemn same-sex attraction itself. Although Truelove.is have shared stories of gay-turned-straight subjects before, Truelove.is does not coerce anyone to change their sexuality.

[Sean Foo:] Christianity generally adopts a hardline stance against the LGBTQ+ community. By asserting itself as a safe haven for Christians with same-sex attraction, it’s not hard to see the appeal of Truelove.is.

 Notice the essence of identity, false identity. "Christianity generally adopts a hardline stance against the ... community." LGBT behaviors do not really form a community. They are not a self-perpetuating community based on biological truth, but unsound, dangerous practices.

Truelove.is may not condemn experiencing same-sex attraction. But acting on that same-sex attraction is deemed to be sinful. In other words, Truelove.is advocates that people with same-sex attraction must strive to either become celibate, or conform by marrying someone of the opposite sex.

 Yes, acting on any form of same-sex attraction, with the intent to engage in sex, is sinful. Those behaviors are harmful. Any homosexual who is honest about the consequence of their behaviors will have to admit that sodomy and other forms of sexual deviance are ... harmful. Does Sean Foo support people harming themselves?

Jason himself, is the living embodiment of that belief. When I ask him if he identifies as a gay man, he responds:

[Jason Lim:] My definition of a gay man is someone who is attracted to and is open to being romantically partnered with another man.

I won’t deny that I have same-sex attraction but I’ve decided that I won’t pursue a romantic relationship with one. So by that definition, I do not inhabit the identity of a gay man.

Jason then goes on to elaborate,

Right now I am committed to living a healthy and fulfilling life of singleness, while remaining open to the possibility of pursuing marriage with a woman one day.

COMMON CRITICISM AGAINST TRUELOVE.IS

Truelove.is may have only launched in 2018. But they have already attracted a considerable amount of detractors.

That does not mean that they are doing anything wrong. On the contrary, the fact that LGBT militants are going out of their way to shut them down suggests that they are doing something right, telling the truth about inherently destructive behaviors and an entire agenda that is based on lies.

Truelove.is purports to be a safe space for LGBTQ+ Christians. But critics argue that Truelove.is cannot claim to be all-loving if members are pushed to repress their sexual desires.

There is no repression when you are rejecting thoughts and feelings which do not line up with your true identity. People may get angry, but that does not mean that they have to be a slave to their feelings, does it?

Truelove.is treats same-sex acts as a sin to resist. Succumbing to same-sex attraction is often implied to lead to emptiness or tragedy. In a recent video, Tou Chen recounts having sex with 3 to 4 men every night. In another video, Jamie Wong talks about how her pursuit of a same-sex relationship caused her to fall into depression.

Same-sex attraction syndrome is something to reject, not just resist. Such behaviors do indeed lead to great emptiness. Many of the stories shared in "Dear Straight People" confirm this sad reality.

By painting such a bleak picture of the LGBTQ+ ‘lifestyle’, Truelove.is is often accused of brainwashing its members into rejecting their sexuality. And therein lies my main concern. I couldn’t fathom why anyone would want to choose such a path when there are much healthier ways of reconciling someone’s faith with their sexuality.

There is no brainwashing when telling the truth. There is "metanoia," or repentance because one hears the truth and is set free.

Due to the formidable marketing power of Truelove.is, Christians might not be aware of alternatives to coping with unwanted same-sex attraction. For example, Free Community Church is Singapore’s only LGBTQ+ affirmative church that encourages its members to form healthy normal same-sex relationships. Oogachaga also offers affirmative counselling for the LGBTQ+ community. Pastor Ian clarifies,

[Pastor Ian Toh:] They are all aware of a church in Singapore that teaches that homosexual acts are not wrong. Why don’t they all flock there? Would not that be problem solved for them? But they would not and could not!

One reason is that they do not believe that Free Community Church’s teaching square with their sincere understanding of the Bible.

Jason goes on to elaborate,

[Jason Lim:] I have a friend who attends Free Community Church… My gay affirming friends and I are clear about the differences in our life choices; like having boyfriends or clubbing at Tanjong Pagar… or in my case, not choosing those.

We respect each others decisions and connect, complain and bond over many other things.

[Sean Foo:]By rejecting his sexuality, Jason has inadvertently committed himself to a life of celibacy and solitude. Jason has never had a relationship before. And he probably never will. Although he hopes to marry a woman one day, he acknowledges that he rarely feels attraction to the opposite sex.

Notice the false premise. "Dear Straight People" insists that Jason is rejecting "his sexuality" because he doesn't want to engage in homosexuality. The truth is that Jason is restoring his sexuality!

[Jason Lim:] In all honesty, having same sex desires and seeing my gay friends attached does have me feeling some level of FOMO.

But every time I come to that crossroad between having a boyfriend or not, I find myself more eager to have an intimate relationship with God. This comes from my own experience of dating guys – I find it satisfies my emotional need but no more than that.

In the end, I don’t really feel I’m “missing out” that much after all!

Whatever men need emotionally, they will not find in a false sexualized relationship with another man. Men were not designed to fulfill such a need in that fashion for other men.

[Sean Foo:] It’s a fair point. And the more I talk to them, the less rebuttals I have. Truelove.is members consciously choose not to act on their same-sex attraction. That is their choice and their religious freedom. And we should respect it.

Then "Dear Straight People" gets into a confused tirade about religious freedom v. religious extremism:

RELIGIOUS FREEDOM IS NOT THE SAME AS RELIGIOUS EXTREMISM.

After talking to both Pastor Ian and Jason Lim, I believe that they are genuine in wanting to help LGBTQ+ Christians.

Again with the gaslighting and misleading comments. There are no "LGBT Christians." There are Christians, that is all. No person is defined their personal feelings or preferences. Let's stop with this nonsense.

The overarching principle of Truelove.is is that homosexual practices is a sin to be resisted. Consequently, Truelove.is views Christian LGBTQ+ people as precious souls that need care and understanding. That is why they always profess to come from a place of love.

However, Jaime Wong’s example suggests that these ex-gay members are not merely practicing religious freedom. They may harbour highly radicalised beliefs. And religious extremism should have no place in a secular society.

This is a disgusting smear against TrueLove.Is. This line of thinking is becoming more prevalent in so-called free societies, in which anyone who opposes homosexuality and transgenderism, or embraces Christian, conservative views is listed, defamed, maligned as an "extremist." This is outrageous behavior.

A distinction must be made between religious extremism and someone being extremely religious. Radicalised religious beliefs are dangerous. A simple google search will show you why.

As if Sean "I was born this way" Foo has any business defining one or the other. Frankly, LGBT militants are more Pharisaical and extremist than Christians are by and large. They fight and demean people repeatedly who simply speak the truth and recognize that sexually deviant behaviors are inherently destructive.

If someone wants to turn their back on their sexuality because of religious reasons, that is their religious right. And the LGBTQ+ community should respect their choice.

Similarly, backlash to radical beliefs shouldn’t be misconstrued as an assault on religion. Nor should it be dismissed as cancel culture from the left. If your religious beliefs are radical enough to elicit such a strong response, perhaps there’s a possibility that your religion is being exploited for right-wing extremism.

The belief that marriage is for one man and one woman is not an extreme view. The notion that homosexuality is wrong and should note b promoted, that is not extremism, nor should such views be marginalized or criminalized.

Ultimately, there is no clear evidence that Truelove.is or 3:16 Church perpetuate radical beliefs. In my interviews with both Pastor Ian and Jason Lim, they seem like reasonable people.

Well, TrueLove.Is does share one very important radical view:

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)

But I think it’s important for LGBTQ+ Christians to know what they are signing up for should they choose to join Truelove.is and its affiliates. In the pursuit of religious approval, you may ultimately be committing yourself to a life of solitude and celibacy.

Just be careful that those religious beliefs don’t cross the line into becoming religious radicalisation.

Again, the only real radicalization is the perverse push to normalize sexual perversion. Full Stop.

In summary: Dear Gay People, stop telling Straight People that you are victims. Stop acting like you are victims, start taking responsibility for your lives, and give up the mental illnesses that induce you to think that sexual fantasies with the same-sex will complete you.

Failure of Zoomer "Conservative" Populism: "Sex Should Be Illegal"

 This is a serious policy position from a Zoomer populist:

Sex should be ILLEGAL.

— Luke Kendrat (@Luke_Kendrat) June 11, 2021

Seriously?

This is the answer to the culture wars? Make sex illegal?

Even if this were a joke, it's not very funny or enlightening.

When does this madness cease?

I understand that a growing number of Zoomers, many of whom are embracing more conservative, nationalist, and populist beliefs want to take a stand for the culture wars and help win this fight.

However, these kinds of spasmatic, sporadic spouting-off sentiments are not going to help.

If younger generations want to be taken seriously in the fight for the United States, to Make America First, they need to do a better job of crafting real policy positions and shape the culture.

You cannot shape the culture by tweeting all day, and putting out ludicrous ideas like "sex shouldbe illegal."

Cut the crap, kids, and get real!

Ben Shapiro's Take on Homosexuality, Stanford U Speech, November 7, 2019: A Reflection

"How does anal sex help us win the culture war?"

That's a question which one of the Groypers asked Turning Point USA at The Ohio State University in October, 2019.

Ben Shapiro responded to this question at the outset during his Stanford University Speech on November 7th, 2019.

Here's the entire speech.

Here's the Daily Wire upload of the speech, with the questions that followed. Click here.

Here's the portion of the speech that I wanted to focus on in particular:

"Criminalizing consensual activity without externality is by definition losing the culture war. What helps America win the culture war is freedom, and liberty, and the government not being involved in your life.

"And if you, like me, believe that certain personal activities are a sin, you know how you win that culture war?  By having people join your church, by engaging with your community, by teaching your children your values. That's the way you win a culture war.

"In fact, I'm bewildered by it, there's great irony in watching alt-righters claim that they should use the commanding heights of government to cram down their viewpoints on others, while complaining that the left uses the commanding heights of government to cram down their viewpoints on others. You can't really whine about using the government shutting down your viewpoint if you plan on using the government to shut down everyone else's viewpoint.

"But many folks on the alt-right are playing true believers by suggesting that social conservatives like me, people who wrote entire books on the evils of pornography in American society, or people like David French, who spend their days fighting for religious freedom, are standing ardently in favor of Drag Queen Story Hour at the local library. 

"I also think that in governmental terms, if you allow the library to decide which speech to ban, it's much more likely to ban the Bible than drag queen story hour. I'm for limited government, because I do not trust the government to decide what kind of speech it wants to ban."

The biggest point of departure for me in this speech occured when Shapiro declared the following:

"Criminalizing consensual activity without externality is by definition losing the culture war."

This standard, this metric is deeply flawed. If we apply it fully, that means that prostitution should be legal. For many intents and purposes, prostitution is a consensual activity between adults, right? The externalities are not flagrant or manifest are they?

Actually they are, because fundamentally sexual conduct, even between two consenting adults, automatically has externalities. Sexual activity leads to the conception and birth of children, for example. There are the mental and emotional and psychological consequences which follow after two people have sex. The impact on human capital, the integrity of the family, the effects on public health--all of those outcomes are clear-cut externalities.

Yes, indeed, the government can, does, and should regulate what behaviors happen in the bedroom. The question is "which ones?" Again, prostitution should not just be regulated, but it is both necessary and proper to criminalize the conduct. The unintended society and cultural consequences cannot be ignored. Beyond the potential spread of venereal disease and unintended pregnancies, there is the degradation of the moral culture, the public health problems which ensue, and the inevitable rise of sex trafficking, human trafficking, and drug trafficking which ensues. Legalizing everything is not going to solve the problems. There are corrosive aspects of human nature which need to be confronted fully, not pandered to. 

Incest can also be construed as consensual conduct between adults. Yet too this behavior should be criminalized. Such abominable conduct has larger, initially unforseen consequences which cannot be ignored. Allowing for relentless sexual license does nothing but harm for a community. With the collapse of sexual mores comes the collapse of the entire civilization. This sad pattern has repeated itself from one empire to the next. The United States has fallen into that same pattern, as well.

So, prostitution should remain criminalized, along with incest. One can make the stronger argument for recriminalizing sodomy, as well. Shapiro was dismissing the notion that the state should take a stronger role in disapproving of this conduct because "consensual conduct without externalities." 

However, the normalization of homosexuality has led to all kinds of problems in the public sphere. As Paul Johnson documented in his autobiography "The Quest for God", homosexuals have been able to form militant lobbies that push their agenda into every facet of the public square. They are now eroding the natural rights of all while redoing the whole purpose of government to please themselves and grant them a place of prominence, at the expense of everyone else.

Indeed, it's time for conservatives to restore moral order in the public square, and it is appropriate to use government sanction to discourage and restrain evil. Consensual activities and their consequences do not stay in the bedroom, and it is wrong to believe in this libertarian "Live and Let Live" naivete as an answer to many of society's ills.

Colorado MassResistance: Stop HB19-1032, Perverse Sex-Ed Bill

Colorado MassResistance:

We need to fire up our activism.

We can stop this perverse sex-ed bill, but we need people calling the CO Senate Health Committee Members right away.

Here is the contact information for theat committee. You can also use the template letter which I provided to email them or when you call them,

Please ask them to VOTE NO on HB19-1032.

SENATE HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE5 Members (3 Dems -2 GOP)

Sen. Rhonda Fields               ChairSD 29  Democrat
303-866-4879
rhonda.fields.senate@state.co.us
Twitter Handle: @RepRhondaFields 

Sen. Brittany Pettersen         Vice-Chair [RECENTLY ELECTED -- Call her especially!!]
SD 22  Democrat
303-866-4859
Brittany.pettersen.senate@state.co.us
Twitter Handle @Petterson4co 

Sen. Larry Crowder              SD 35  
Republican
303-866-4875
 larry.crowder.senate@state.co.us
Twitter Handle: 
@SenatorCrowder 

Sen. Jim Smallwood             SD 4    
Republican
303-866-4869 
senatorsmallwood@gmail.com
Twitter Handle: @jimsmallwood 

Sen. Faith Winter
SD 24  
Democrat
303-866-4863
Faith.winter.senate@state.co.us
Twitter Handle @FaithKWinter

Here are their emails in one list:

rhonda.fields.senate@state.co.us

Brittany.pettersen.senate@state.co.us
larry.crowder.senate@state.co.us
senatorsmallwood@gmail.com
Faith.winter.senate@state.co.us

The hearing takes place on February 28^th, 2019, 1:30pm

Location: Senate Committee Hearing Room 257 

Colorado General Assembly

200 E Colfax Avenue

Denver, CO 80203

Contact me if you have any questions – (310) 793-8647

Email: Arthur@massresistance.org

Arthur Schaper, Organization Director

Website: MassResistance.org

Email: arthur@massresistance.org

(781) 890-6001

@MassResistance

@CAMassResistanc

Here is the template letter which you can send out:

Dear CO State Senate Health Committee:

My name is ______, and I am a Colorado Resident and member of MassResistance.

We are the international pro-family group that makes the difference.

Our Colorado Chapter has informed us of grave concerns regarding a bill which will be brought before your committee tomorrow afternoon.

I am urging each of you to reject HB19-1032, legislation which has been termed "comprehensive sex-ed" and which would overrule the right of individual school districts to teach only abstinence to their students.

Here are the reasons why:

1. It erodes local control for city and county school boards.

2. It infringes on parental rights.

3. The legislation will teach students that they can engage in high-risk, deviant behaviors without consequence, when such pronouncements are patently false.

4. This sex-ed will normalize deviant behaviors which will short the lifespan of young people and harm them mental as well as physically.

Please vote no. This bill should not even leave committee at 1:30pm on February 28^th, 2019.

Please contact me for more information. 

My cell is -------

My email is -----------

Sincerely,

"I Don't Have to Choose!" New Kids' Book Fights Transgender Lies with Truth

Ellie Klipp of MassResistance has written a wonderful children's book: "I Don't Have to Choose."

This message doesn't seem like a positive one, at first.

Isn't life all about making choices?

Yes, but those choices have to be geared toward making choices about things that can change.

Being born a boy or a girl--that is an immutable aspect of each person.

And the good news is that boys and girls do not have to choose!

In fact, when children are expected to choose whether they become boys or girls, they grow anxious, fearful, and confused.

In this instance, when it comes to gender, it's good to know that you do not have to choose or change.

And that's what Ellie Klipp teaches children in her new book!

Check out these Spanish and French translations:

I just received the French version of her children's book yesterday!

While the LGBT Agenda is pushing this perverse ideology onto children in school and library settings, we should recognize that more outraged parents are speaking out against this immoral insanity and taking great strides to comfort children to embrace their male or female identity--They Don't Have to Choose!

Please consider purchasing a copy and sharing it with friends and family, or even your local library.

Organizing of Action: Dangerous Group Imperiling the American Republic?

The article below has been circulating all over the Internet, especially on Facebook. A friends have tagged me with posts of this article.

I decided to repost and comment on it.

For the record, I researched whether Charles Krauthammer, the conservative columnist for the Washington Post, actually wrote the article below, and there is nothing to support that conclusion.

For now, I will recognize Krauthammer as the author for now.

By Charles Krauthammer (Attributed)

I do not understand how living in a country with its democracy established over 200 years ago, and now, for the first time in history, suddenly we have one of our former presidents set up a group called "Organizing for Action" (OFA).

Organizing for Action was designed to push the rigorous, unflinching, progressive agenda of President Barack Obama, and the whole movement dragged down the Democratic Party, since OFA was obsessed with Obama only but paid no attention to future leaders.

OFA is 30,000+ strong and working to disrupt everything that our current president’s administration is trying to do. This organization goes against our Democracy, and it is an operation that will destroy our way of governing. It goes against our Constitution, our laws, and the processes established over 200 years ago. If it is allowed to proceed then we will be living in chaos very much like third world countries are run. What good is it to have an established government if it is not going to be respected and allowed to follow our laws?

If you had an army some 30,000 strong and a court system stacked over the decades with judges who would allow you to break the laws, how much damage could you do to a country? We are about to find out in America!

There needs to be more evidence of what OFA is doing to destroy our Constitution. I fear that the bigger threat to our constitutional Republic is not a rag-tag group of angry protesters, but the bureaucratic Deep State in Washington DC which does not want to see its power and control over the federal government finished off.

I do not feel that these dire concerns are irreversibly detrimental to our country, either. The bigger concern is the large number of college students who are attracted to socialism, communism, and government command-and-control intervention.

Instead of going after OFA per se, how about conversing with college students and changing their minds on these contentious issues.

Our ex-president said he was going to stay involved through community organizing and speak out on the issues and that appears to be one post-administration promise he intends to keep. He has moved many of his administration's top dogs over to Organizing for Action.

OFA is behind the strategic and tactical implementation of the resistance to the Trump Administration that we are seeing across America, and politically active courts are providing the leverage for this revolution.

Yes, but let' s not forget George Soros, the Deep State, and the Establishment GOP more interested in holding onto their own power than doing right by the US Constitution.

Looking over the OFA website, it's pretty obvious that their actions and movement is not as strong as other conservative forces fear.

OFA is dedicated to organizing communities for "progressive" change. Its issues are gun control, socialist healthcare, abortion, sexual equality, climate change, and of course, immigration reform.

That weasel phrase "immigration reform" is an insult. The Left wants full-blown amnesty and grants of legal status, even citizenship for illegal aliens. There can be no reform when there has been no enforcement in the first place!

Sexual equality is an insane, Marxist agenda, too. Men and women are distinctly, essentially different. No one is going to change that, no matter how much time or effort is forced into the process. All the hormones and surgical procedures in the world cannot turn a man into a woman, and vice versa.

OFA members were propped up by the ex-president's message from the shadows: "Organizing is the building block of everything great we have accomplished Organizers around the country are fighting for change in their communities and OFA is one of the groups on the front lines. Commit to this work in 2017 and beyond."

Here's more reason to hope, actually. All the organizing (and voter fraud, and government handouts) could not get Crooked Hillary elected. There was no way that 

OFA's website says it obtained its "digital" assets from the ex-president's re-election effort and that he inspired the movement. In short, it is the shadow government organization aimed at resisting and tearing down the Constitutional Republic we know as AMERICA.

Paul Sperry, writing for the New York Post, says, “The OFA will fight President Donald Trump at every turn of his presidency and the ex-president will command them from a bunker less than two miles from the White House."

Whatever fighting they claim to be accomplishing, it isn't working, especially since his party holds the reins of power in both chambers of Congress.

Sperry writes that, “The ex-president is setting up a shadow government to sabotage the Trump administration through a network of non-profits led by OFA, which is growing its war chest (more than $40 million) and has some 250 offices nationwide. The OFA IRS filings, according to Sperry, indicate that the OFA has 32,525 (and growing) volunteers nationwide. The ex-president and his wife will oversee the operation from their home/ office in Washington DC.

Think about how this works.. For example: Trump issues an immigration executive order; the OFA signals for protests and statements from pro-immigrant groups; the ACLU lawyers file lawsuits in jurisdictions where activist judges obstruct the laws; volunteers are called to protest at airports and Congressional town hall meetings; the leftist media springs to action in support of these activities; the twitter sphere lights up with social media; and violence follows. All of this happens from the ex-president's signal that he is heartened by the protests.

The lawfare waged by the ACLU and the Muslim interest groups should be taken far more seriously. If OFA is the money behind all of this, then indeed we need to pay close attention. Tort reform is a must in our political culture, especially when rogue federal judges announce that they can strike down key portions of President Trump's duly empowered executive orders.

If Barack Obama did not do enough to destroy this country in the 8 years he was in office, it appears his future plans are to destroy the foundation on which this country has operated on for the last 241 years.

I say "Good Luck!" to that!

If this does not scare you, then we are in worse trouble than you know.

So, do your part. You have read it, so at least pass this on so others will know what we are up against. We are losing our country and we are so compliant. We are becoming a "PERFECT TARGET" for our enemy!

Charles Krauthammer

Final Reflection

Yes, I am well-aware that President Obama was going to stay hard and heavy in American politics. Unlike other Presidents, he had no intention of retiring from trying to fundamentally transform the United States.

The good news, however, is that men and women across the country are awake and aware, and they are organizing for action of their own against the disgusting attacks and undermining cult of the Left to take down the United States.

The political correctness and the left-wing agendas which tumbled out of the entertainment, education, and information industries has fallen down, crashing and burning. No one is going to stop the American people, now fully enraged with the disgrace and disregard of the Obama Administration against American citizens.

Organizing for Action is a real force, but they are not a strong force. I suggest Americans spend more time focusing on the Deep State and work with local and independent media to expose corrupt politicians and failing, left-wing agenda makers. We should also thank God for Trump, and that he has willing partners in the United States Senate who have brushed aside the arbitrary dilatory tactics of the Democratic minority against judicial nominees. Trump is going to fill up an unprecedented number of vacancies throughout the federal judiciary. Those appointments will stifle OFA's abusive lawfare.

With Hollywood, Big Labor, and left-wing corporations losing revenue, these left-wing operations will struggle to fundraise and carry on their aggressive progressive agenda, too. Let's not forget that Heritage Foundation has set up their own media and organizing efforts, too, and they are succeeding!