Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Progressive Christian
Freedom for a Gay Teen

Freedom for a Gay Teen

Last updated on: May 8, 2014 at 10:00 am by Susan Cottrell

Freedom for a Gay Teen 2014-05-08T10:00:08-05:00 Susan Cottrell

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Enjoying the sun

“I’m a Jesus Freak and I’m also gay and that is just the way God made me.”

The following is an email I received from a teenage girl. Her story is tragic and awful and beautiful and inspirational, and I had to share it with you here…

Hi Susan,

I’m a friend of your daughter. I actually think you and I met back at one of the theater shows we were in. But I just wanted to say how much I appreciate your blog and also how much my friends that I have sent it to have been enjoying and also gaining from it as well.

My story is a very odd one. After high school I joined an internship called the Honor Academy that’s run by Teen Mania Ministries because I wanted to be straight. I had thought that going there and solely focusing on God and doing things for God would make me who I am ‘supposed’ to be.

I was wrong, obviously.

I spent two years there and my second year I was on what was called the ministry team. Which is the group that goes from city to city putting on this huge youth conferences called Acquire The Fire. You may have heard of it because Phoenix is our 3rd largest event with usually about 3700 kids. But while I was on tour and even my first year I was so depressed because I couldn’t figure out why God wasn’t ‘fixing’ me. And because whenever our speaker got to the part of the session where he spoke against homosexuality I felt sick to my stomach. (I was a camera operator so I sat through all of the sessions).

During my time there I developed feelings for this girl and, long story short, we kissed once during the summer after tour and we felt so condemned by what we had done that we went and told them what had happened. And because I didn’t seem remorseful enough I was asked to leave and my invitation to go back on tour another year was revoked.

Which sucked. To say the least.

And so I left and came back home and was extremely depressed because I didn’t understand why God let that happen to me so I decided what the heck – God obviously does not love me. So therefore I want nothing to do with him so I came out of the closet and just completely turned my back on God and have basically just been running ever since.

Because i had been told that I can’t be gay and be a Jesus Freak.

Until recently when Natalie posted one of your blogs a couple months ago and I started reading your blogs and they have really helped me come to acceptance of who I am. And realize yeah I’m a Jesus Freak and I’m also gay and that is just the way God made me.

And also because of the fact that after I left the Honor Academy and came out in such a huge flaming way I have had other Honor Academy alumni come and talk to me about how they disagree with my ‘lifestyle choice’ and I have been able to direct them to your blog and I’ve seen some hearts changed.

Also on the flip side I have had some alumni who are gay and have contacted me asking how I have been able to ‘deal’ and i also been able to point them to your blog and have seen several of my friends from there come out of the closet and be proud of who they are.

So I wrote all of that to say thank you and that you are making a huge impact especially in my small circle of life.

My sweet friend… You are brave and bold and stronger than you know. Thank you for blessing me and many others. I am so proud of you.

christian parents gay child

christian parents of gay children

christians with gay children

freedhearts

gay children

gay Christian

gay christian charity

gay christian community

homosexuality and sin

homosexuality and the bible

homosexuality and the church

how to respond to a gay child

parent of a gay child

parents of gay children

parents of gay kids

Susan Cottrell

to christian parents of gay children

what do you do when your son is gay

what to do if your son is gay

what to do when your son is gay

when your family rejects you

Previous Post

May 7, 2014

Do Transgender People Scare You??

Next Post

May 9, 2014 What's Your Stake in the Gay Debate?

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Church & Religion Dear Susan Family Support Gay Weddings & Marriage GCN Conference Jesus Blog LGBTQ Support Parenting Personal Stories Suicide The Real Jesus Theology Transgender Uncategorized X Archived Posts

Select a Month August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 January 2025 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 June 2022 December 2021 May 2021 February 2021 November 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 May 2019 March 2019 January 2019 November 2018 March 2018 January 2018 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who baptized Jesus?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Peter John the Baptist Paul James

Support this
Column