Classroom Controversy: Christianity and Gay Rights 

In developing a lecture on the controversial issue of Christian responses 
to same-sex sexual behavior, the author employs strategies to minimize tensions 
and foster learning. Pedagogy includes a step by step unfolding of the issue. 
One step acknowledges that the official positions of Christian churches on the 
issue of homosexuality vary greatly. Some consider gay men and lesbians a threat 
to faith and family; others are tolerant and even accepting. These divergent 
conclusions are reached largely due to different methods of interpreting the Bible. 
In addition, a variety of responses can be made to an ethical position which runs 
counter to one’s religious views. Even if one personally holds to the 
incompatibility of same-sex behavior with one’s faith, there remains the wider 
issue of how one might implement this view in a multicultural and multireligious 
world.