Accompanying those with Same-sex Attractions


Book Description

“Author David Prosen speaks generously and with wisdom out of his own experience of same-sex attractions: without love, all the rules and commandments in the world fall flat. It is not for us to fix or change the person with same-sex attractions; our place is simply to love them. Just like anyone else, people with same-sex attractions first need to hear that their heavenly Father cares for them. Prosen reminds us of the power of affirming love in our own experience. When someone takes the time to just be with us and tells us the truth in a compassionate way, we are more likely to receive it. Each of us, then, as spiritual mothers and fathers, may be a vehicle for Christ’s affirming love shining in the loneliness of same-sex attractions.” — Suzanne Baars, PhD, Catholic psychotherapist and founder of the Baars Institute “David Prosen has written a powerful booklet that I wish every Catholic adult would read. With incredible authenticity and transparency, he takes the reader into the interior reality — so often marked by wounds and pain — of those who experience same-sex attraction. Yet he also points the way to hope and healing in Christ, and the ways the Body of Christ can be a source of healing. This book will change the way you see the world.” — Dr. John Bergsma, PhD, Catholic Bible scholar, author, speaker “With compassion and honesty, David Prosen reveals an empowering vision for sharing the liberating love of Jesus Christ with men and women trapped in the culture’s false messaging and still longing for authentic love.” — Lisa Mladinich, host of Shalom World TV’s WOMAN: Strong Faith, True Beauty About the Author David Prosen is a graduate of Franciscan University of Steubenville with an MA in counseling. He has worked as a counselor in both secular and Catholic settings, treating many different conditions, including depression, anxiety, and more. David was featured in Blackstone’s film The Third Way: Homosexuality and the Catholic Church and has had several articles published in Lay Witness, Crisis Magazine and LifeSiteNews. He has given numerous presentations across the country on same-sex attractions from a Catholic perspective.




Same-sex Attraction


Book Description




Living the Truth in Love


Book Description

Living the Truth in Love grew out of the desire to provide answers to the questions posed for the Synod on Marriage called by Pope Francis: How can the Christian community give pastoral attention to families with persons with same-sex attraction? While avoiding any unjust discrimination, how can the Church give such persons pastoral care in light of the Gospel? How can God's will be proposed to them in their situation? People who want to be instruments of Christ's love to those who experience same-sex attraction (SSA) seek guidance on how best to do so. They need to listen to the stories of those who experience SSA and the stories of those who have accompanied them on their journeys. They also need to ground their responses in a genuine Christian understanding of the human person and of human sexuality. This volume includes essays that lay out the Christian view of the human person and of human sexuality, essays that challenge the bifurcation of sexualities into "heterosexual" and "homosexual". Topics include an explanation of the meaning of the word "disorder", a discussion of the therapeutic power of friendship, and an application of Saint John Paul II’s personalism to the question of same-sex attraction. Psychologists and counselors explain various ways of affirming those who experience SSA and of leading them to experience the power of Christ’s healing love. Several of those who experience SSA tell their touching and inspiring stories.




Homosexuality and the Catholic Church


Book Description

As the founder and director of the Courage and Encourage support groups, Fr. John Harvey is aware of the sensitive nature of homosexuality. With his extensive experience ministering to those with same-sex attraction, Fr. Harvey presents the Church’s teaching in an objective and pastorally-sensitive manner. Priests, religious, and laity alike will benefit from the many questions considered here, including: -What is the basis of the Church’s teaching regarding homosexuality? -What do many consider to be the cause of same-sex attraction? -Can a person overcome same-sex attraction? -Why is it important for civil law to limit marriage to one man and one woman? -How can a person live the virtue of chastity joyfully?




Born Again This Way


Book Description

Addresses some of the questions raised by Christians with same-sex attraction. As a Christian who experiences same-sex attraction, is it possible to live a life that's both faithful and fulfiling? Rachel Gilson wants to show you that it is and that it's not just a case of limping to the finish line, it's possible to run the race with joy. In this powerful and personal book, she describes her own unexpected journey of coming out and coming to faith... and what came next. As she does so, she addresses many of the questions that Christians living with same-sex attraction are wrestling with: Am I consigned to a life of loneliness? How do I navigate my friendships? Will my desires ever change? Is there some greater purpose to all this? What comes next, and next, and next? Drawing on insights from the Bible and the experiences of others, Born Again This Way provides assurance and encouragement for Christians with same-sex attraction, and paints a compelling picture of discipleship for every believer. Whatever your sexuality, this book is an inspiring testimony of how a life submitted to Jesus will be fulfilling and fruitful, but not always in the ways we might expect.




Why I Don't Call Myself Gay


Book Description

Daniel Mattson once believed he was gay. Raised in a Christian family, and aware of attractions to other boys at age six, Mattson's life was marked by constant turmoil between his faith in God and his sexual attractions. Finding the conflict between his sexual desires and the teachings of his church too great, he assumed he was gay, turned his back on God, and began a relationship with another man. Yet freedom and happiness remained elusive until he discovered Christ and his true identity. In this frank memoir, Mattson chronicles his journey to and from a gay identity, finding peace in his true identity, as a man, made in the image and likeness of God. Part autobiography, part philosophy of life, and part a practical guide in living chastely, the book draws lessons from Mattson's search for inner freedom and integrity, sharing wisdom from his failures and successes. His lifelong search for happiness and peace comes full circle in his realization that, above all else, what is true about him is that he is a beloved son of God, loved into existence by God, created for happiness in this life and the next. Mattson's book is for anyone who has ever wondered who he is, why he is here, and, in the face of suffering, where to find joy, happiness, and the peace that surpasses all understanding.




Made for Love


Book Description

In Made for Love, Fr. Michael Schmitz presents the Catholic teaching on same-sex attraction and same-sex "sexual" relations. He begins by giving background information regarding the different worldviews of the human person, the philosophical ideas of nature and purpose, the differences between objective and subjective truth, the principal of non- contradiction, and the fallen human nature that resulted from Original Sin. He then discusses in great detail the nature and ends of human sexuality and the nature of true love, while, in a compassionate and non-judgmental way, explaining the flawed nature of same-sex "sexual" relations. While this book is intended primarily for those who have same-sex attraction and their family and friends, its presentation of the compassionate truth of Catholic teaching on same-sex attraction will be of great benefit to everyone in today's society.




Single, Gay, Christian


Book Description

In an age where neither society nor the church knows what to do with gay Christians, Greg Coles shares his story—a story about a boy in love with Jesus who, at the fateful onset of puberty, realized his sexual attractions were persistently and exclusively for other guys. This honest, hopeful account shows life through one man's eyes and assures all people: "You are not a mistake."




The Heart of Female Same-Sex Attraction


Book Description

The fruit of years of training, research and counseling experience, Janelle Hallman has drawn together a comprehensive resource for those who are interested in understanding and counseling women in conflict with same sex attraction. In this ground-breaking work, Hallman sets forth the unique dimensions of struggle that women experience through the presentation of research, interviews and clinical experience. This is an indispensable guide for understanding and a manual for counseling adult women seeking to ''mature in giving and receiving love in all of [their] relationships, and no longer be restricted by destructive relational patterns.''




Same-Sex Attractions: Now What?


Book Description

If you're a young Christian dealing with unwanted same-sex attraction, you need guidance from someone who has been in the same predicament. Gary Michaels, a former missionary and founder of Be Equipped Ministry, shares his own struggles with same-sex attraction in this guide for anyone trying to navigate a road paved with sexual brokenness. Full of practical advice and resouces, the guide answers questions such as: Can admitting sin lead to freedom and recovery? Do your attractions and feelings define who you are? Why doesn't God answer your prayers to stop unwanted attraction? Does God really care about your sexuality? Whether you've acted upon your attraction to someone of the same sex or have only thought about it, this book offers hope. The God of the universe loves you and longs to meet with you right where you are. He desires to walk beside you even in the middle of your brokenness. This book is rooted in Scripture and will bolster your understanding of your identity in Christ, help you find biblical truth, and give you practical guidance in dealing with unwanted attractions.