How to respond:

When a Christian Brother or Sister Opens Up about Their Sexuality

By Dr. Christopher Yuan
Speaker, Author, Bible Professor | Bearer of Christ Ministries | christopheryuan.com
Holy Sexuality and the Gospel: Sex, Desire, and Relationships Shaped by God’s Grand Story
Out of a Far Country: A Gay Son’s Journey to God, A Broken Mother’s Search for Hope

In 1993, I announced to my unbelieving parents that I was gay. This led to massive disruption in our family, to put it lightly. My family fully rejected me, but now with no more secrets, I felt unimpeded to fully embrace “who I was.” This new freedom propelled me down a path of self-destruction. However, this ultimately became the catalyst that led each one of us, one by one, to the Lord.

Contrary to most stereotypes within the church, once my mom discovered God’s love for her, she knew she could do nothing other than love her gay son too. Even though I was expelled from school and working with drug dealers, she understood my biggest sin was unbelief—not my rebellious actions or same-sex behavior. She believed that what I needed more than anything else was God’s gracious gift of faith to believe Jesus.

My mother prayed a bold prayer: “Lord, do whatever it takes to bring this prodigal son to you.” The miracle in answer to her prayers came in an unexpected way: I was arrested for drug dealing. In jail, I received the dark news that I was HIV-positive. That night, as I lay in bed in a prison cell, I noticed something scribbled on the metal bunk above me: “If you’re bored, read Jeremiah 29:11.” So I did, and was intrigued by the promise I read there: “I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”