Now more than ever, the U.S. is witnessing a major push of the LGBT agenda with up to 21% of Generation Z members born between 1997 to 2003 identifying themselves as part of the LGBT community, a new survey found.
So how does Christianity push back against this movement and how can parents respond in addressing kids with same-sex attraction?
Theology professor and apologist Sean McDowell recently had a conversation with CBN's "Faith vs. Culture," in which he spoke about how parents "could respond with grace" when addressing kids with same-sex attraction. According to Faithwire, McDowell said, "I try to get parents to think ahead of time with some wisdom that my dad gave to me."
McDowell recounted how his own father "through, just very wisely, what would he do if us kids came to him...and said, 'Dad, I'm gay or I'm a lesbian,' how would he respond?" The theology professor explained that his father "tried to think through ahead of time and rehearse in his mind so, if that situation happened, he could respond with grace."
McDowell highlighted that the struggle often falls upon parents who do not realize how much sexual messages their children are receiving on the daily and are aloof to the fact that their children may be privately struggling with same-sex attraction and their sexuality. He argued, "Preparing to respond with grace if this happens, I think, is one of the best things we can do to have a long term relationship and impact on our kids."
The theology professor's thoughts on addressing kids with same-sex attraction came after a recent conversation he had on his YouTube channel with author Jim Domen, who wrote a book titled "Not a Mistake: A Parent's Hope for a Gay Son."
Domen is also a pastor who is married and a father of three. He shared his experience with McDowell, recounting the moment he told his parents that he was struggling with same-sex attraction.
Domen admitted that his father "wept" at his revelation. He said, "I didn't know what was going on - I'd never seen him cry before. The beautiful thing, what he told me when he composed himself, he said, 'Son, you have been dealing with this issue for all these years, and we weren't able to help love you. You dealt with this all by yourself.'"
McDowell shared his reaction to Domen's story, adding that when he first heard that the pastor's father "wept," he thought that the father was "so torn up that his son has same-sex attraction" and felt that "he's a failure because of that." McDowell added that a lot of Christian parents will respond that way, by "[looking] within" and "[blaming] themselves, ultimately "[responding] in a way that's not gracious toward their kids."
McDowell said however, that Domen's father's response was "the right response" because he realized that the young man was dealing with same-sex attraction for a long time and that he was merely unaware about it. The professor remarked, "That heart that came through is just moving and is powerful."
ABC News recently reported that a Gallup poll released this month showed how more adults identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender than ever before, amounting to 5.6% of Americans, an increase from the 4.5% recorded in 2017 and 3.5% recorded in 2012.
