Church ,
Homosexuality ,
and America
The
By Michelle Ramaker
M
Y NAME IS MICHELLE, and I celebrate recovery
from same-sex attraction through the power of the
Holy Spirit. I am a happily married mother of four and a
grateful believer in Jesus Christ. I grew up in a loving Chris-
tian home and was taught right from wrong. I knew what I
believed and why.
Even with that solid foundation, it didn’t take long in a
school with a secular worldview before my own worldview
started shifting in ways that were unknown to me consciously.
Spending eight hours a day in an environment that pushes
acceptance and “open minds” sent ripples through my
young, spiritually immature biblical worldview. I knew that
on Sundays when the subject was spoken of there was not
enough explanation or real teaching. The verses used to
teach on it (when taught) showed Christ’s contempt for the
act. Then, Monday through Friday in hallways and class-
rooms, students are told this is how some people are and
that we must love and accept them.
At 15-years-old, I realized I was beginning to struggle
with same-sex attraction. The only person in whom I felt
comfortable confiding was one of my teachers, and I will
never forget how that conversation went. She told me that I
30
was normal and perfect just the way I was. She knew I came
from a Christian home, and she explained, “If your parents
find out and overreact, just hang in there. Eventually, they
will have to accept it.” I was confused by this. I knew I didn’t
wake up one morning and decide to ruin my life and hurt
my family. I also knew the Bible was very clear on this topic.
There were three basic questions I needed answers to in
order to find freedom:
1. Was I born this way?
2. Am I really choosing this?
3. Can I be a born again Christian and battle with this
temptation?
Those questions hung over me like a fog. I wasn’t able to
turn it over to God until I felt I had an answer. I would like
to share with you the answers God revealed after ten years of
battling same-sex attraction.
Was I born this way, and am I really choosing this attrac-
tion? Yes and no. Now, before alarm bells start going off, let
me explain. From the beginning, God created male and
female, and he designed them to complement each other in
a perfect way. They are uniquely different in so many ways