In the controversy about same sex marriage there is one group whose views have received little publicity. There are gay people who believe the Bible and agree with its teaching that marriage is only between a man and a woman. Some of them have started a blog called spiritualfriendship.org to publicize their beliefs.
Spiritual Friendshipwas created by Ron Belgau and Wesley Hill out of frustration with the prevailing narratives about homosexuality in orthodox Christian circles. We believe that both the focus on political activism against same-sex marriage and the Freudian psychology behind reparative therapy distracted from providing an adequate, Christ-centered pastoral response to LGBT Christians. We believe in a traditionally Christian sexual ethic: that God created human beings male and female, and that any sexual intimacy outside of a faithful, lifelong marital union of a man and woman is contrary to His plan. But we also believe that marriage is not the only way of life God calls us to, and so we seek to explore different ways of serving God in celibacy. And Christ-centered friendship is, we believe, essential to that task. In trying to create a new approach to homosexuality, we have drawn on the wisdom found in the broader Christian tradition. We explore God's calling, the nature of the Church, celibacy, our nature as embodied souls, and related topics. Thus, what began as questions addressed to our situation as celibate gay Christians has led to answers which may be of interest to a much larger Christian audience.
