Pastoral Approach to Same-Sex Attraction
Written by Janet Smith
Street Date: August 2015 (Ignatius Press).
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.
Janet E. Smith, Ph.D., holds the Father Michael McGivney Chair of Life Ethics at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit.
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