I read your response to Ivan, and I would like to encourage you to consider the plight of your pedophile brothers. I am involved with a Christian pedophile community called Christian Boylove Forum, a group of men who are struggling to find God’s will in their lives.
These men have been cast out of churches across our country in the name of protecting children, when the best protection would be to seek understanding and openness about a sexual attraction that is most difficult to manage in our society.
You said to Ivan: “You have been told that we are child molesters and perverts”, and I say to you: Christian pedophiles who live with an attraction to minors do not molest children. Having this attraction does not mean that we must act on it. There is a difference between acting on your attraction and controlling your sexual urges.
We have been marginalized by the mainstream Christian Gay movement and I hope that you would come and visit us, the lepers of Christian society today.
Peace of Christ,
Bach
Christian Boylove Forum Webmaster
Dear Bach,
Thank you for your letter. I must admit that this whole issues causes my skin to crawl. I appreciate your ministry to folks who no doubt carry a horrible burden. I have gone to your site and read it fully.
However, I must tell you, in my mind, there is a clear difference between attraction and action. As I understand “pedophilia” it is about power and control issues which manifest themselves in sexual contact with a child who has no ability nor expectation of understanding sex or of speaking for themselves. Children need to be protected from that at all costs. I see “pedophilia” no differently then rape. It is a crime of violence and has little to do with physical attraction.
While your site seems to deal with the attraction which, by your own words, needs to be controlled then my position of protecting the children from such acts is not marginalizing but rather serving the needs of those who cannot give their consent.
While this group of folks may have indeed been marginalized I think it is with good reason. The safety of children is the first priority. After all how close do we draw the line between attraction and action bearing in mind that action in these cases is far too late and the damage is life long?
I affirm the work you are doing since it gives one a safe place to deal with these issues before it is too late for them and the victim.
God Bless,
Pastor Paul
Editor-in-Chief of Whosoever and Founding and Senior Pastor of Gentle Spirit Christian Church of Atlanta, Rev. Paul M. Turner (he/him) grew up in suburban Chicago and was ordained by the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches in 1989. He and his husband Bill have lived in metro Atlanta since 1994, have been in a committed partnership since the early 1980s and have been legally married since 2015.