Pastor John Pavlovitz’s Blog Entry “If I Have Gay Children, I’ll Love Them” Sparks Debate Among Christians | Church and ministry news

Pastor John Pavlovitz recently caused a stir with a blog post titled “If I Have Gay Children: Four Promises from a Christian Pastor / Parent,” in which he posted statements of support for his two children if they were homosexuals.

Pavlovitz’s four promises are: “If I have gay children, you will all know it.” If I have homosexual children, I will pray for them, I will love them, and if I have homosexual children, most likely; I have gay children. ”The father-of-two wanted to write the post in response to the children’s stories of pain when they spoke to their parents. He also wanted to provide a Christian response to those seeking reassurance. .

“I wrote this post because I have been in the ministry for 18 years and have seen many LGBT people being abused and damaged by the Church, and with a lack of decency. I wanted to share a different feeling of a Christian and a pastor, ”he told the Christian Post.

Not everyone responded positively to the blog post, with some citing the scriptures and telling Pavlovitz that his handwriting was dangerous and could lead people to hell. However, he is not discouraged and instead focuses on those people “sharing stories of their lives, of the hope they have, and of how they are re-engaging the Church and their faith.” I am grateful to the thousands of people who tell me that they feel seen and loved again. “

To date, the post has received over 2,600 comments from fans and haters. Pavlovitz spent eight years as a pastor at Good Shepherd Church UMC in Charlotte, North Carolina. He currently works at a community house church in Wake Forest. He engaged the readers of his blog in discussions and debates about the publication, and told local news agency WBTV that he often spent “several hours” a day advising and caring for those who did. contacted.

“I was ready for some people to applaud him, and others to condemn him,” he explained. “This is what happens every time you express an opinion. I was perfectly prepared for the waves of support and hostility that accompany any point of view, especially on a controversial subject like this.”