I am praying for you

I get unsolicited emails from time to time telling me what I “should” do. This one is a classic telling me I should humble myself, return to my wife (not sure she or her husband would be happy with that) and that I need to join sex addicts anonymous.

I was very happy to see that you were an evangelist, and worked with Youth Alive. I was a teenager seeking God in the late 1980’s. However, as Billy Graham was saddened by seeing his friend, Chuck Templeton, declaring he had become an agnostic, I fear that your rejection of the idea sexuality of any kind is ‘lust’ counters your good works as a Pentecostal Pastor.

In seeing your PowerPoint Presentation, we see only the fruits of Homosexual activists since the 1960’s; and the great pressure placed on the Psychiatric Associations and the Psychological Associations. I am saddened that you write letters to persons struggling with their homosexuality, to be true to self; many of those letters leading to the pain a wife and child feels when abandoned by their husband and told “they were never really loved”.

I cry out, with Paul when speaking to the Galatians, when he asked them ‘who has bewitched you’ ? (Gal 3:1). You have set up websites, spoken to Sixty Minutes, and have engaged the leaders of liberal theological organisations around Australia; on the path you have decided.

Maybe you have come to believe the reasonings of the readings from a variety of pro-same sex literature. You have read 1 Corinthians 6:9-10; but then decided to gloss over ‘men who practice homosexuality’ as a sin; along with sexual immorality. Yes, heterosexual lust is included in that lust list. You probably forget organisations such as ‘Sex Addicts Anonymous’ have persons attending because, not only do they find lust controlling their lives; but also see it as just as destructive as alcoholism and gambling.

Mr Venn Brown, you are still alive. You have the opportunity to search scriptures, humble yourself before God, and acknowledge that you are in the same boat as the woman who was searching for living water. Jesus fulfilled that thirst, and revealed her search after several divorces and a defacto relationship. Her desire was to be loved; but she tried to fulfil her need for God by allowing herself to be lusted over, to be used by many men; and to enter into that all-familiar merry-go-round we see happening every day in Australia and the world. To date, to lust and to be lusted over; and to “do what was right in their own eyes.”

Don’t be like Charles Templeton. Humble yourself and discover again the God of your youth. You have been hurt by many people, but forgive. You still have an opportunity to examine what God would want you to do with regard to lust, sexuality and your current direction. Use your final years to serve the God of your youth. Return to your wife and encourage those struggling with same sex desires to surrender their lusts to God. Join ‘Sex Addicts Anonymous’, or similar, who use the ‘Twelve Steps Program’ to understand how many heterosexual and homosexual lust addicts learn to control their lifestyles.

I am praying for you.

Jeffrey  P–

This e-mail was sent from a contact form on A WordPress Site (https://www.abbi.org.au)

I responded to Jeffrey

“Hi Jeffrey

Thank you for taking the time to write and your obvious concern for me.

I do think it a shame that you have made certain assumptions about me and my morality without actually knowing me personally. I believe Jesus’ words are pretty clear here about this kind of thing. Matthew 7:1-3. It appears to be a common theme in the unsolicited emails I get from time to time. Not too often I’m pleased to say.

“Return to your wife and encourage those struggling with same sex desires to surrender their lusts to God” you suggest. I think this comment once again suggests that you have no understanding of my journey. My wife and I separated over 20 years ago. She remarried 12 months after that and has been happily married ever since. I hope you understand that your suggestion is quite ridiculous. And I’m sure my wife would not want to with a gay man again. It didn’t work the first time.

You appear to be under the misapprehension that myself and all gay people suffer from lust. This would reflect two things Matthew 7:1-3 once again and also a lack of understanding about sexual orientation. You can read more about that here if you like https://www.abbi.org.au/2014/04/sexual-orientation/

Our orientation is a fundamental part of all our lives. It steers us towards love.

I hope this helps with your understanding.”