Risking Grace, Loving Our Gay Family and Friends Like Jesus

RISKING GRACE, Loving Out Gay Family and Friends Like Jesus
by Dave Jackson
As someone who helped write a book advocating reparative
therapy for gay people back in 1987, it was with gut-wrenching love
that my wife and I did not let our daughter go when she came out
16 years ago. We fi rst prayed that God would change her, then that
he would work out his purpose in her life, and fi nally, "Lord, what are
you trying to teach us?" God answered with insights that led me to
write RISKING GRACE, Loving Our Gay Family and Friends Like Jesus.
It's a father's story about my agonizing personal journey of coming
to realize that we evangelicals have lost our way when it comes to
gay people by substituting a works/righteousness requirement for
the clear Gospel message that salvation comes by grace through
faith alone. I explore alternative interpretations to the "prohibitive
texts," but the main foundation for my change of heart is the life
and ministry of Jesus, how he embraced marginalized people, and
the way he and the early church dealt with diffi cult issues.
I share our story with you, our church family, because many of
us have family members or friends who are gay, and we all need
help learning how to love like Jesus. I've written with as much
transparent vulnerability as I can, wrestling with the questions
and presuppositions of the average straight dad (or mom) . . .
who loves his daughter and his church but discovers that we
have been driving gay people away from Jesus.