Risking Grace, Loving Our Gay Family and Friends Like Jesus

RISKING GRACE, Loving Out Gay Family and Friends Like Jesusby Dave JacksonAs someone who helped write a book advocating reparativetherapy for gay people back in 1987, it was with gut-wrenching lovethat my wife and I did not let our daughter go when she came out16 years ago. We fi rst prayed that God would change her, then thathe would work out his purpose in her life, and fi nally, "Lord, what areyou trying to teach us?" God answered with insights that led me towrite RISKING GRACE, Loving Our Gay Family and Friends Like Jesus.It's a father's story about my agonizing personal journey of comingto realize that we evangelicals have lost our way when it comes togay people by substituting a works/righteousness requirement forthe clear Gospel message that salvation comes by grace throughfaith alone. I explore alternative interpretations to the "prohibitivetexts," but the main foundation for my change of heart is the lifeand ministry of Jesus, how he embraced marginalized people, andthe way he and the early church dealt with diffi cult issues.I share our story with you, our church family, because many ofus have family members or friends who are gay, and we all needhelp learning how to love like Jesus. I've written with as muchtransparent vulnerability as I can, wrestling with the questionsand presuppositions of the average straight dad (or mom) . . .who loves his daughter and his church but discovers that wehave been driving gay people away from Jesus.