By Peter Smith, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Wesley Hill is convinced that taking a road less traveled doesn’t have to be a lonely journey.
Mr. Hill, a professor at Trinity School for Ministry in Ambridge, and a small corps of other writers around the country have churned out a small library of books and blog posts, united in a single premise.
They believe gay Christians can and should affirm their sexual orientation — but should also commit to celibacy.
The stance runs counter to the growing American majority that supports legalized same-sex marriage among Americans, including religious progressives, as the U.S. Supreme Court weighs a landmark case on whether to legalize it nationwide.
But it also challenges many of his fellow Christian conservatives who still oppose any affirmation of being gay, even in celibacy.
“I sometimes joke that my life would be easier if I were a more straightforwardly ex-gay approach or a more straightforwardly same-sex marriage approach,” said Mr. Hill.
Mr. Hill, an associate professor of biblical studies, remains convinced of the traditional Christian interpretation of Scripture that limits valid sexual expression to marriage between a man and a woman. He said he’s known from his early teens, when he recognized an innate attraction to other men, that such a marriage was never going to be for him.
He said Christians — not just gay celibates, but everyone from isolated young mothers to mobile professionals in strange new cities — would do well to recover their own forgotten religion’s traditions of deep, committed friendships from centuries past.
“I want celibacy to be something that can be joyful for me and for others,” he said. “I don’t want it to be a sentence of loneliness.”
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Has Professor Hill signed a contract vowing not to engage in homosexual acts with students and others he has influence over? Does Hill have a $5 million insurance policy to cover legal expenses, restitution, and other criminal and civil court action if, or when, he ‘slips’ and falls off the wagon? I read stories in the newspapers about both hetero and homosexual ministers, etc. who ‘slip up’ from time to time. In my state, this is called criminal/civil abuse and results in very expensive criminal action, coupled with civil action. Prosecutors and personal injury lawyers pay for their second and third homes with these types of cases.
I could be misinformed, but I’ve not heard of a case against a college professor as you’ve described. This would seem to apply more to high school teachers.
I applaud Mr. Hill for standing for truth. While I thoroughly agree that many churches have rejected God’s Word by accepting gay marriage and non-celibate homosexual relationships, many traditional/conservative members tend to reject homosexuals as a whole based on the activists that demand redefinition of marriage and irrelevance of Scripture. We are all drawn to sin and must daily trust God and recommit ourselves to living according to His principles. Ironically, some stone throwers look the other way when it comes to heterosexual fornication. I pray that all believers learn to love others, while still holding each other to God’s clear standards. God bless you, Mr. Hill.
Are these sorts of contracts required of heterosexual teachers?
I hope so. This is serious busines
Tim, they are not required of heterosexual.