Picking on the wrong guy

Dr. Warren Throckmorton is taking it from all sides now.

Throckmorton, an associate professor of psychology at Grove City College, has long been outspoken on the subject of homosexuality. He has been one of the few voices in academia and in professional associations such as the American Psychological Association to uphold the biblical view on homosexuality. For these positions, he is something of a pariah in those academic and professional circles---all the while continuing to participate in their conferences and publish in their journals.

(Disclosures: Warren Throckmorton has written for WORLDmag.com, my daughter graduated from Grove City College, and I have served on the board of an Exodus-affiliated ex-gay ministry.)

Now, however, he is taking shots from the conservative side. When Uganda considered a law that would punish homosexual behavior with the death penalty, Throckmorton spoke out against it. Some conservative activists in this country spoke out in favor of the law, or said that Americans should be silent on the issue and let Ugandans decide without U.S. interference. These same activists saw Throckmorton's opposition to the law as an indication that he was going "soft" on homosexuality, a charge Throckmorton denies. He told me, "I believe that homosexual behavior is a sin, but I simply think it is wrong to execute people for engaging in homosexual behavior."

Throckmorton's position upset conservative activist Peter LaBarbera, who told OneNewsNow, the news service of the American Family Association, that Throckmorton has lost his faith in "God's ability to change people."

Again, Throckmorton denies the charge. He said LaBarbera's accusation is "flat wrong" and "ignores the body of my work and efforts to bring evangelical concerns to the professions. I have been working to make the professional bodies aware that religious identity is powerful and for many evangelicals so vital that it overwhelms all other considerations."

But Throckmorton's position is nuanced. He does believe in change, but added that the data are clear that change comes more easily for some than for others. Throckmorton also said he knows there are many people who have ceased homosexual behavior and are now either celibate or live in faithful, married, heterosexual lives. But he added that even these people sometimes experience same-sex attractions.

"Homosexual behavior is sin," Throckmorton said. "All sexual behavior outside of marriage violates God's teaching. But acknowledging this doesn't mean that all desire and temptation suddenly go away. An honest look at the scientific data simply don't support that conclusion."

I have served on the board of an ex-gay ministry, I have written about the issue for almost two decades, and I have many gay friends and ex-gay friends. I have looked at this issue from many sides, and I have come to appreciate the position of men like Peter LaBarbera, who believe that there is a "gay agenda" and a very fierce and ugly ideological and political and cultural war underway. This is the fight that LaBarbera is waging.

But it is also true that there are many wounded and struggling gay people and their families. They are not fighting a cultural war; they are fighting a war against depression, suicide, and emotional and spiritual pathologies. This is the fight that Warren Throckmorton is waging.

I've been involved in both fights. They are both important fights. And they are related fights. But they are different fights.

The Peter LaBarberas of the world want the Warren Throckmortons to say things like: "Quit your homosexuality and embrace Jesus. It's as simple as that." The Warren Throckmortons of the world respond: "It may be as simple as that, but it's not as easy as that."

I'm not vouching for every jot and tittle of what Throckmorton thinks, has written, or believes, but I interviewed him at some length after this controversy broke, and in addition to the statements I have already cited, he concluded with this: "There is no way you can look at my plain statements on biblical orthodoxy and call me gay-affirming. But I believe that many who engage in the culture war regarding homosexuality stigmatize and demonize struggling homosexuals. They are hurting our ability to reach gay people for Christ. I believe homosexual behavior is sin. But so is failing to tell the truth. So is blaming every conceivable social pathology on gays."

Again, I appreciate the work of Peter LaBarbera and others who have fought the "gay agenda" for years. But I don't know how much more a biblically orthodox person could want from Warren Throckmorton than these clear and unambiguous statements. Peter LaBarbera and his fellow travelers in the "pro-family movement" are picking on the wrong guy.