Celibate gay theology–which claims to uphold a traditional biblical view of sexuality– believes the “born this way” lie and has become the default compromise in evangelical churches and parachurch ministries. Celibate gay theology embraces homosexual orientation and identity but disallows gay sex. It categorizes homosexual desire as a morally neutral temptation. It mangles the gospel, replacing repentance and faith with victimhood and “brokenness.” Instead of repenting of sin, the celibate gay Christian is called to steward his sinful desires in supposedly meritorious ways. Built upon Freudian psychology and critical identity theory, celibate gay Christianity embraces sin and demands that others do so as well. Celibate gay Christian Wesley Hill capstones this movement like this: “The experience of same-sex desire may be the divinely appointed way in which celibate gay Christians discover the power of Christ made perfect in their lives” (Washed and Waiting: Reflections on Christian Faithfulness and Homosexuality (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2010: 201). Did you catch that? Homosexuality, no longer a sin of the flesh to be mortified, is now a divinely appointed grace.

In what religion could this be true?

Not the Christian one.

Celibate gay theology emerged in the 2000s, with a desire to rally the church to support and care for people with unwelcome homosexual desires. I share this desire. As someone who lived as a lesbian for a decade, I benefited from the loving care of a pastor and church to guide me through repentance and faith in Christ. But the difference between what I experienced from the Syracuse Reformed Presbyterian Church in 1997-1999 and the celibate gay Christian movement is profound–and reveals competing gospels and different religions.

When I lived as a lesbian, a faithful pastor, Ken Smith, and the church he led, met me as an unbeliever and presented the gospel over dinners and informal gatherings. Pastor Ken led me to Jesus through repentance and faith and guided me in seeking the means of God’s grace to forsake sin and cultivate holiness. He encouraged me to make a private profession of faith and then a corporate one, taking covenant vows in a faithful church. When my life got hard, my pastor and elders were there to help me. Right after my conversion, elders led Bible studies for curious friends and angry students in my living room. When a graduate student of mine survived a suicide attempt, she recovered at my pastor’s home. Read more»

Rosaria Butterfield, “Celibate Gay Theology Believes The Born This Way Lie,” Ref21 (July 27, 2026)

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