Singleness https://www.truefreedomtrust.co.uk/ en Review: “The Meaning of Singleness” by Dani Treweek https://www.truefreedomtrust.co.uk/review-meaning-singleness-dani-treweek <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--article.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span property="schema:name">Review: “The Meaning of Singleness” by Dani Treweek</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-image--article.html.twig * field--node--field-image.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--field-image.html.twig * field--image.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_formatter' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/fields/image-formatter.html.twig' --> <div class="item-image"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/system/templates/image.html.twig' --> <img property="schema:image" loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/articles/meaning%20of%20singlness%201170%20x%20330.png" alt="Meaning of singlness" typeof="foaf:Image" /> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/system/templates/image.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/fields/image-formatter.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--article.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span rel="schema:author"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> <span lang="" about="/user/92" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="">Owen</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--article.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span property="schema:dateCreated" content="2024-05-10T14:19:04+00:00">Fri, 10/05/2024 - 15:19</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--article.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <div property="schema:text" class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"> <p>As I give my testimony when delivering speaking engagements on behalf of TFT, I often find myself sharing what the reasons were that I decided to contact TFT and pursue membership in the first place. One of those reasons related to a struggle over what seemed like an accepted evangelical narrative – one that said I must marry and have children if I’m ever to advance into spiritual adulthood. Probably many TFT members have felt that, at times, the Church has told them that singleness is second best.</p> <h3>Theology of singleness</h3> <p>Dani Treweek serves as a theological researcher in the Anglican Diocese of Sydney. In this scholarly book, she seeks to demonstrate what she calls “the unique intelligibility and privileged inhabitability of singleness” in the lives of God’s people, and in the Church. Treweek presents a theology of singleness that is rooted in the age that is coming on the other side of Christ’s return, arguing that singleness in this age allows us to anticipate the completion of our union with Christ in a way that is distinct from, but equal in beauty to, biblical marriage.</p> <p>This is an academic book, coming out of Treweek’s doctoral studies. It is extremely well researched, and would make a great starting place for anyone wanting to do a significant study of their own on the topic. That shouldn’t put off other types of reader though, as church leaders and those with a more casual interest in the topic would likely find it quite readable. The book is helpfully broken down into four parts, and chapters can be read independently of each other.</p> <h3>History and culture of singleness</h3> <p>Treweek opens the book in part one by looking at perceptions of singleness through history in both church and culture. Want to know how unmarried women went from being thought of as the epitome of purity and beauty to being thought of as ‘spinsters’, or worse, a threat to traditional family values? The first part of the book has you covered. The second part of the book turns to address some of the missteps the church has taken in its attitude towards singleness. This was one of my favourite parts of the book, as it gave language to the narrative that has been heard by many of my single brothers and sisters. That singleness is characterised by lack, inadequacy and unfulfillment. Treweek provides a critique of this view.</p> <p>Part three is the lengthiest and most academically dense part of the book. Treweek recognises that Christianity hasn’t always thought the same way about singleness as it does today. Here, she seeks to mine the riches of Christian thought through history, to see what lessons there might be for the modern age. Attention is given to three fields of study: church history, biblical exegesis (focusing mainly on Matthew 22 and 1 Corinthians 7) and the thought of four noteworthy theologians. The final part of the book weaves all that has gone before together and paints a positive vision of singleness as a gift for both individual disciples and the wider Church. </p> <h3>Emotional breadth</h3> <p>A strength of this book, which you don’t often see in academic works, is that Treweek is acutely aware of the complex gamut of emotion that comes with talking about these subjects. It actually made me think about something I said at a recent speaking engagement about the temporality of human marriage; owing to Matthew 22 teaching there will be no marriage in the age to come, as perhaps sounding a little insensitive towards those in the room who are happily married. Here, Treweek helpfully points to RC Sproul, who reminds us that while legal/covenantal relationships of that type between believers will not exist in the new creation, our love for one another will be made perfect and, therefore, will only increase.</p> <h3>God’s design</h3> <p>This isn’t an especially practical book. If you’re looking for some punchy, handy hints on how to make the most of your singleness as a Christian, or how to facilitate the best conditions for Christian community, this won’t be for you. What this book will give you is a deeper understanding of the significance of singleness and how it relates to other areas of theology (particularly eschatology). As theoretical as that sounds, understanding God’s design can help us to live at ease with our circumstances and know our place in His plans and purposes. For the person who struggles with their own singleness, that just might be the reassurance needed to keep going and press into the Lord. <br />  </p> <hr /><p>This article was originally published in the Spring 2024 edition of the TFT magazine, <em>Ascend</em>. Click the button below to download your copy.</p> <p>&#13; <style rel="stylesheet"> <!--/*--><![CDATA[/* ><!--*/ #button-gk5vxcf9lmuw{background:#fff;color:#000;border-color:#00599c;} #button-gk5vxcf9lmuw:hover{background:#00599c;color:#fff;border-color:#00599c;} /*--><!]]>*/ </style></p><div class="clearfix"></div>&#13; <a href="https://truefreedomtrust.co.uk/sites/default/files/newsletters/2024Q1ascend.pdf" class="gsc-button medium " id="button-gk5vxcf9lmuw">&#13; Download the Spring 2024 edition of Ascend </a> &#13; &#13; </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'links__node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * links--node.html.twig x links.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/navigation/links.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/navigation/links.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-post-format--article.html.twig * field--node--field-post-format.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--field-post-format.html.twig * field--list-string.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-post-format field--type-list-string field--label-hidden field__item">Article</div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-post-category--article.html.twig * field--node--field-post-category.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--field-post-category.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-post-category field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/bible" hreflang="en">Biblical Teaching</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/singleness" hreflang="en">Singleness</a></div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-more-information--article.html.twig * field--node--field-more-information.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--field-more-information.html.twig * field--text-long.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-more-information field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"> <p><em>Please note that any external resources below are intended to complement the main answer given above and may not entirely match TFT's position.</em></p> <p>***for FAQs ONLY, replace this text with links to further articles, books, audio and video. Examples below for each media type.</p> <p> </p><div class="widget gsc-icon-box left text-dark">&#13; <div class="highlight-icon"><span class="icon fa fa-link"></span></div>&#13; <div class="highlight_content">&#13; <a href="***URL LINK"> <h4>Living Out article: 'Is it ok to be gay?' '</h4>&#13; </a> <div class="desc">This article (click link above) goes into more of the biblical passages.</div>&#13; &#13; </div>&#13; &#13; </div> &#13; <p> </p><div class="widget gsc-icon-box left text-dark">&#13; <div class="highlight-icon"><span class="icon fa fa-video-camera"></span></div>&#13; <div class="highlight_content">&#13; <a href="***URL LINK"> <h4>ERLC video: 'Is it ok to be gay?' </h4>&#13; </a> <div class="desc">***CHANGE VIEW MODE TO SOURCE HTML AND INSERT SHARED EMBED CODE FROM YOUTUBE HERE, BUT CHANGE WIDTH TO 100% TO MAKE IT MORE RESPONSIVE*** This video sets out some more arguments on the matter.</div>&#13; &#13; </div>&#13; &#13; </div> &#13; <p> </p><div class="widget gsc-icon-box left text-dark">&#13; <div class="highlight-icon"><span class="icon fa fa-headphones"></span></div>&#13; <div class="highlight_content">&#13; <a href="***URL LINK"> <h4>UCB podcast: 'Is it ok to be gay?' </h4>&#13; </a> <div class="desc">This podcast (click link above) details...</div>&#13; &#13; </div>&#13; &#13; </div> &#13; <p> </p><div class="widget gsc-icon-box left text-dark">&#13; <div class="highlight-icon"><span class="icon fa fa-book"></span></div>&#13; <div class="highlight_content">&#13; <a href="***URL LINK"> <h4>IVP book: 'Satisfaction Guaranteed' </h4>&#13; </a> <div class="desc">This book (click link above) details...</div>&#13; &#13; </div>&#13; &#13; </div> &#13; </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-author-information--article.html.twig * field--node--field-author-information.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--field-author-information.html.twig * field--string.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-author-information field--type-string field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item">Written by Simon</div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> Fri, 10 May 2024 14:19:04 +0000 Owen 661 at https://www.truefreedomtrust.co.uk Designed for Happiness https://www.truefreedomtrust.co.uk/designed-happiness <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--article.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span property="schema:name">Designed for Happiness</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-image--article.html.twig * field--node--field-image.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--field-image.html.twig * field--image.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_formatter' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/fields/image-formatter.html.twig' --> <div class="item-image"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/system/templates/image.html.twig' --> <img property="schema:image" loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/articles/designed%20for%20happiness%201170%20x%20330.png" alt="painted stones" typeof="foaf:Image" /> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/system/templates/image.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/fields/image-formatter.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--article.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span rel="schema:author"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> <span lang="" about="/user/92" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="">Owen</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--article.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span property="schema:dateCreated" content="2024-03-27T12:12:54+00:00">Wed, 27/03/2024 - 12:12</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--article.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <div property="schema:text" class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"> <p>Happiness begins and ends in Jesus Christ. That’s it. Full stop. Surely it can’t be as simple as that? We all have friends and family who will encourage us to think something quite different. The argument is often that happiness can only truly be found in the arms of another person, in a sexual union of some sort. We hear voices saying that having Jesus is all well and good, but in this life, you can’t just rely on Him. You need something or someone else that is more tangible and immediate. Someone, or something that will give you that dopamine rush of excitement, that helps you forget your troubles and, even if it is just for a short while, gives a sense of being OK, normal and feeling loved. </p> <p> </p><div class="widget gsc-quote-text no-border" style="background:#59adc4;">&#13; <div class="widget-content">&#13; <div class="content" style="color:#fff;"><i style="color:#fff;" class="icon fa fa-quote-left"></i>We have been designed to be happy God's way</div>&#13; </div>&#13; </div> &#13; <p>I don’t want to be trite. I acknowledge that being human in our world means experiencing sin and sinfulness in all its diverse shapes and sizes. This pervasiveness of sin influences our minds far more than you and I fully grasp. We find ourselves drawn to false ways of thinking that promise happiness. Brothers and sisters, it may often feel tough and counter-cultural, but I want to argue for the better way, the way of happiness in Jesus Christ. It is a way that is healthier for mind and body and prepares us for heaven. </p> <p>My argument in this brief article will begin with the reality that we have been designed to be happy God’s way. Secondly, and drawing on the work of Andrew Fellows in his excellent book “Smuggling Jesus Back into the Church” (IVP, 2022), I will consider the influences that encourage us to believe less about Jesus as our source of happiness. Finally, I want to encourage us to conform our thinking Christ-wards rather than to the world.</p> <h3>Designer happiness</h3> <p>The Bible tells us that God is happy. He is full of joy. It’s in His very nature to be so. The first chapter of Genesis tells us that God experienced happiness as he made the world and us. He saw it was good (e.g. Genesis 1:4,10,12). His creation brought joy to His heart. It still does. He is the unchanging joyful God (e.g. 1 Kings 10:9, Matthew 25:21, John 17:3, Hebrews 12:1-3, 1 Timothy 1:11). Eternity for the Christian will be enjoyed in the presence of a joyful God (e.g. 1 Chronicles 16:27, Psalm 16:11, Romans 14:17). We are made in His image, and so we have in our DNA a desire for lasting happiness that can only be met in one person - this person is Jesus (e.g. John 15: 9-11, Colossians 3:10, Ephesians 4:24, James 3:9).</p> <h3>Thinking happy</h3> <p>I grew up with very difficult emotions. I realise now that what I experienced were severe attacks of anxiety. As a child, I found different ways of what we might now call ‘acting out’ in order to soothe my anxious feelings. As I grew older, these became sexualised and I found that my feelings could temporarily be calmed by sexual behaviour and habits. These patterns became entrenched. My thinking was focussed on how I might hide these behaviours from others. Now I realise that my thinking was the source of my anxiety. I had wrongly assumed that my feelings would drive my thinking. Does this make sense? And I now see that it is really the other way around. I have come, very slowly, to realise that what I think and believe triggers my feelings, including feelings of happiness. Feelings do not just come out of thin air, nor do they simply resolve and go away. Paul hits the nail on the head when he says in Romans that we need to be “transformed by the renewing of our minds” (Romans 12:2). It is in renewing our minds that our whole selves will be transformed. What will this transformed self look like? We will think and look more like Jesus. In doing so we will also experience the happiness of Jesus. Speaking of Jesus, the writer of the letter to the Hebrews says of Him:<br /><em>“You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions” - Hebrews 1:9</em></p> <p>As we follow Jesus in loving good and turning away from sin, so the oil of gladness will overflow in our lives.<br /> Therefore, if you or I want to be happy, we need to stick close to Jesus, to steadily become more like Him in the joy we feel. Jesus teaches in John 15:<br /><em>“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”- John 15:9-11</em></p> <h3>Distracted from happiness</h3> <p>When our thinking is distracted from considering Christ as our joy, churches and individuals may be tempted to think that happiness lies elsewhere. This, in a nutshell, is Andrew Fellows’ argument. I’m using some of his insights as the basis for my own reflections on how happiness goes wrong. </p> <p>Firstly, we think of ourselves first and foremost. We assume that we are at the centre of our world - what Fellows calls egoism. Our faith in Christ is essentially a self-improvement programme. We think that the more we do the ‘right’ things, the more we will find satisfaction in life and so happiness and positivity will be our daily experience. Once we have achieved our full potential, we will be happy. This is a big lie. We are tempted to replace trusting God with our ego. Far from joy or happiness, this is a way of thinking that leads to joylessness. We can never deliver to ourselves that which we are spiritually lacking. Nothing we try is ever enough.</p> <p>A second lie is what Fellows terms naturalism. We are tempted to believe that the only real things are those we can see and touch. In effect we lose sight of God, who is spirit. Our thinking focuses on how we can make the most of the material world. We believe that somehow, we will find happiness from the world. This is a distraction from Jesus and He gets excluded from our thinking. Ultimately, if we are honest with ourselves, we are left feeling hollow. The joy of a wonderful sunset can never eclipse the joy of meeting the Creator who made that sunset for our pleasure. </p> <p>Thirdly is the lie of hedonism. This is the idea that the best life, the happiest life we can lead, is to have our senses gratified. The end result is a craving for more and more sensations from what we can see and touch. We seek out sex from whomever and whenever, we seek love from men and women, and we crave the next dopamine high to flood our minds with warm fuzzy feelings. It does not matter where the buzz comes from because here is all we have and we deserve to be made happy. Does this sound familiar? A friend of mine recently turned his back on Christ. The reason he gave (albeit dressed up with more words) is that sex with men delivers happiness where Christ does not. Does that shock you? My guess is that most of us know people who have said and done something similar. In a hedonistic mindset, feelings are king/queen and everything else is to be subjugated to them.</p> <p>Finally, Fellows talks of politicism, the quest for justice and meaningful change in society as a route to life satisfaction. I feel happiness in my healthcare work when I think I have made a difference for people. Activism can offer a sense of happiness and joy. However, when we see this as our primary role in the world, and the source of our greatest joy, we quickly lose sight of Jesus. We become busy, distracted and ultimately disillusioned. </p> <h3>Walking back to happiness</h3> <p>How do we do this? We come back to Jesus. We engage in the spiritual disciplines of worship, prayer, listening to God speak through His word and joining with God’s holy people in the local church. We repent of sin and we seek to obey. As the great old hymn says: <br /><em>“Trust and obey, for there's no other way<br /> To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.”</em></p> <p>As you reflect on this article, maybe you can take some time out to think about your thinking! Does that sound odd? It’s called reflexivity and is the practice of stepping back from thoughts, feelings and habits and asking questions. How come I think this way? How do these thoughts serve me in my walk with Jesus? What purpose has this habit had in my life? What fresh, more Christ-like ways of thinking can I adopt? What support do I need to change my thinking? Building reflection into your routines can help you stay alert to the many temptations to think wrongly. </p> <p>As Paul said in the letter to the Philippians:<br /><em>“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things” - Philippians 4:8</em></p> <p>He is pointing us to Jesus. Happiness begins and ends in Jesus Christ!<br />  </p> <hr /><p>This article was originally published in the Spring 2024 edition of the TFT magazine, <em>Ascend</em>. Click the button below to download your copy.</p> <p>&#13; <style rel="stylesheet"> <!--/*--><![CDATA[/* ><!--*/ #button-67tb8ddy91eo{background:#fff;color:#000;border-color:#00599c;} #button-67tb8ddy91eo:hover{background:#00599c;color:#fff;border-color:#00599c;} /*--><!]]>*/ </style></p><div class="clearfix"></div>&#13; <a href="https://truefreedomtrust.co.uk/sites/default/files/newsletters/2024Q1ascend.pdf" class="gsc-button medium " id="button-67tb8ddy91eo">&#13; Download the Spring 2024 edition of Ascend </a> &#13; &#13; </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'links__node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * links--node.html.twig x links.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/navigation/links.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/navigation/links.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-post-format--article.html.twig * field--node--field-post-format.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--field-post-format.html.twig * field--list-string.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-post-format field--type-list-string field--label-hidden field__item">Article</div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-post-category--article.html.twig * field--node--field-post-category.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--field-post-category.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-post-category field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/contentment" hreflang="en">Contentment</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/identity" hreflang="en">Identity</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/singleness" hreflang="en">Singleness</a></div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-more-information--article.html.twig * field--node--field-more-information.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--field-more-information.html.twig * field--text-long.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-more-information field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"> <p><em>Please note that any external resources below are intended to complement the main answer given above and may not entirely match TFT's position.</em></p> <p>***for FAQs ONLY, replace this text with links to further articles, books, audio and video. Examples below for each media type.</p> <p> </p><div class="widget gsc-icon-box left text-dark">&#13; <div class="highlight-icon"><span class="icon fa fa-link"></span></div>&#13; <div class="highlight_content">&#13; <a href="***URL LINK"> <h4>Living Out article: 'Is it ok to be gay?' '</h4>&#13; </a> <div class="desc">This article (click link above) goes into more of the biblical passages.</div>&#13; &#13; </div>&#13; &#13; </div> &#13; <p> </p><div class="widget gsc-icon-box left text-dark">&#13; <div class="highlight-icon"><span class="icon fa fa-video-camera"></span></div>&#13; <div class="highlight_content">&#13; <a href="***URL LINK"> <h4>ERLC video: 'Is it ok to be gay?' </h4>&#13; </a> <div class="desc">***CHANGE VIEW MODE TO SOURCE HTML AND INSERT SHARED EMBED CODE FROM YOUTUBE HERE, BUT CHANGE WIDTH TO 100% TO MAKE IT MORE RESPONSIVE*** This video sets out some more arguments on the matter.</div>&#13; &#13; </div>&#13; &#13; </div> &#13; <p> </p><div class="widget gsc-icon-box left text-dark">&#13; <div class="highlight-icon"><span class="icon fa fa-headphones"></span></div>&#13; <div class="highlight_content">&#13; <a href="***URL LINK"> <h4>UCB podcast: 'Is it ok to be gay?' </h4>&#13; </a> <div class="desc">This podcast (click link above) details...</div>&#13; &#13; </div>&#13; &#13; </div> &#13; <p> </p><div class="widget gsc-icon-box left text-dark">&#13; <div class="highlight-icon"><span class="icon fa fa-book"></span></div>&#13; <div class="highlight_content">&#13; <a href="***URL LINK"> <h4>IVP book: 'Satisfaction Guaranteed' </h4>&#13; </a> <div class="desc">This book (click link above) details...</div>&#13; &#13; </div>&#13; &#13; </div> &#13; </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-author-information--article.html.twig * field--node--field-author-information.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--field-author-information.html.twig * field--string.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-author-information field--type-string field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item">Written by Stefan</div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> Wed, 27 Mar 2024 12:12:54 +0000 Owen 655 at https://www.truefreedomtrust.co.uk Review: "Naked Truth project" https://www.truefreedomtrust.co.uk/review-naked-truth-project <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--article.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span property="schema:name">Review: &quot;Naked Truth project&quot;</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-image--article.html.twig * field--node--field-image.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--field-image.html.twig * field--image.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_formatter' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/fields/image-formatter.html.twig' --> <div class="item-image"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/system/templates/image.html.twig' --> <img property="schema:image" loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/articles/naked%20truth%20new%201170.png" alt="naked truth" typeof="foaf:Image" /> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/system/templates/image.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/fields/image-formatter.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--article.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span rel="schema:author"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> <span lang="" about="/user/92" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="">Owen</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--article.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span property="schema:dateCreated" content="2024-02-28T15:44:07+00:00">Wed, 28/02/2024 - 15:44</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--article.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <div property="schema:text" class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"> <p>The Naked Truth Project, <a href="https://nakedtruthproject.com/">nakedtruthproject.com</a>, is a UK charity “committed to changing minds and changing lives through awareness, education and recovery programmes.” The website opens with a video of a powerful poem; this  beautifully depicts their goal to teach about the harmfulness of porn and provide a vision for life, human flourishing and restoration. Toward that end, they offer a variety of resources to help parents, spouses, teachers, schools and churches understand and address issues of pornography. While those are all valuable, this review will focus on the opportunities specifically for individuals who are actively struggling with pornography. </p> <p> </p><div class="widget gsc-quote-text no-border" style="background:#59adc4;">&#13; <div class="widget-content">&#13; <div class="content" style="color:#fff;"><i style="color:#fff;" class="icon fa fa-quote-left"></i> The group discussions encourage both personal application and developing tools towards change</div>&#13; </div>&#13; </div> &#13; <h3>Kick-starting recovery</h3> <p>The primary programme on offer is called Click to Kick. A small group of participants meet weekly with a trained facilitator on Zoom, to complete an 8-week course focusing on understanding addiction, positive sexuality and healthy lifestyles. The group discussions, as well as some assignments between meetings, encourage both personal application to those topics and developing tools towards change in one’s own thinking and behaviour. The material is well written, educates without sounding too academic and is thoughtfully and graciously related to the real lives of the participants. There are men’s and women’s groups. Overall, I would recommend this programme for someone looking to kick-start their recovery. </p> <h3>Caveats</h3> <p>My main hesitation or caution stems from the lack of emphasis on faith and spiritual aspects of recovery. The organisation itself is created and run by Christians. They have the perspective that we are more than bodies and brains, but also are spiritual beings with souls; what we are yearning for is ultimately God and that prayer and spiritual components should play a role in recovery. However, they want their groups to be accessible to everyone, so therefore most references to faith-based subjects are mentioned more as an aside or in optional activities. My Click to Kick group was only comprised of Christians, so we did include discussion based around the gospel, but that’s not always the case. Also, they welcome LGBT+ people to these groups, without regard for creed or practice. While the focus is pornography, not sexual orientation, there is enough overlap of possible conversation that a TFT member might find it triggering or uncomfortable to be in a group with a sexually active gay person. </p> <h3>Cost</h3> <p>Click to Kick is free with donation giving as an option. After completing that course, one who shows commitment to sexual sobriety has the option to join the Whole Life programme, which incurs a monthly fee (currently £50/month). Whole Life allows you to continue your recovery in community with ongoing support groups, encouragement and discussion for those who want to go deeper into recovery and restoration.</p> <h3>Online videos and resources</h3> <p>For someone not quite ready to jump into the Click to Kick programme, there is a free online video course called Ctrl-Alt-Del. This series of 28 short videos presents similar content as the Click to Kick programme, but more abbreviated and without the discussion and accountability. Still, the videos are engaging and informative and they do suggest some questions for reflection or resources for further study. This course also contains four optional videos about faith and the spiritual impact of porn and recovery. One of these describes two hindrances to holy living: forgetting who we are and whose we are and fracturing or compartmentalising our lives. These are good reminders for all believers, not just those who struggle with pornography. </p> <h3>Benefits and drawbacks</h3> <p>Because it’s undertaken independently online, one can complete the course at one’s own pace. This can be beneficial for some, but could also be detrimental for those who would either rush through, without truly engaging with the material, or would take too long between videos and lose any momentum or retention of the contents. This course is designed for men and women. However, there is one video specifically for men, discussing the relationship between porn and erectile dysfunction. That is announced at the beginning of the video, so women can skip that video. I wish there was a similar video discussing things unique to women.<br /> In addition to these courses, individual coaching and counselling is offered, as well as some in-person intensives and retreats. More information can be found on the website. <br />  </p> <hr /><p>This article was originally published in the Winter 2023 edition of the TFT magazine, <em>Ascend</em>. Click the button below to download your copy.</p> <p>&#13; <style rel="stylesheet"> <!--/*--><![CDATA[/* ><!--*/ #button-ynln13hupw9k{background:#fff;color:#000;border-color:#00599c;} #button-ynln13hupw9k:hover{background:#00599c;color:#fff;border-color:#00599c;} /*--><!]]>*/ </style></p><div class="clearfix"></div>&#13; <a href="https://truefreedomtrust.co.uk/sites/default/files/newsletters/2023Q4ascend.pdf" class="gsc-button medium " id="button-ynln13hupw9k">&#13; Download the Winter 2023 edition of Ascend </a> &#13; &#13; </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'links__node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * links--node.html.twig x links.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/navigation/links.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/navigation/links.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-post-format--article.html.twig * field--node--field-post-format.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--field-post-format.html.twig * field--list-string.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-post-format field--type-list-string field--label-hidden field__item">Review</div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-post-category--article.html.twig * field--node--field-post-category.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--field-post-category.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-post-category field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/accountability" hreflang="en">Accountability</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/self-control" hreflang="en">Self Control</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/singleness" hreflang="en">Singleness</a></div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-more-information--article.html.twig * field--node--field-more-information.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--field-more-information.html.twig * field--text-long.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-more-information field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"> <p><em>Please note that any external resources below are intended to complement the main answer given above and may not entirely match TFT's position.</em></p> <p>***for FAQs ONLY, replace this text with links to further articles, books, audio and video. Examples below for each media type.</p> <p> </p><div class="widget gsc-icon-box left text-dark">&#13; <div class="highlight-icon"><span class="icon fa fa-link"></span></div>&#13; <div class="highlight_content">&#13; <a href="***URL LINK"> <h4>Living Out article: 'Is it ok to be gay?' '</h4>&#13; </a> <div class="desc">This article (click link above) goes into more of the biblical passages.</div>&#13; &#13; </div>&#13; &#13; </div> &#13; <p> </p><div class="widget gsc-icon-box left text-dark">&#13; <div class="highlight-icon"><span class="icon fa fa-video-camera"></span></div>&#13; <div class="highlight_content">&#13; <a href="***URL LINK"> <h4>ERLC video: 'Is it ok to be gay?' </h4>&#13; </a> <div class="desc">***CHANGE VIEW MODE TO SOURCE HTML AND INSERT SHARED EMBED CODE FROM YOUTUBE HERE, BUT CHANGE WIDTH TO 100% TO MAKE IT MORE RESPONSIVE*** This video sets out some more arguments on the matter.</div>&#13; &#13; </div>&#13; &#13; </div> &#13; <p> </p><div class="widget gsc-icon-box left text-dark">&#13; <div class="highlight-icon"><span class="icon fa fa-headphones"></span></div>&#13; <div class="highlight_content">&#13; <a href="***URL LINK"> <h4>UCB podcast: 'Is it ok to be gay?' </h4>&#13; </a> <div class="desc">This podcast (click link above) details...</div>&#13; &#13; </div>&#13; &#13; </div> &#13; <p> </p><div class="widget gsc-icon-box left text-dark">&#13; <div class="highlight-icon"><span class="icon fa fa-book"></span></div>&#13; <div class="highlight_content">&#13; <a href="***URL LINK"> <h4>IVP book: 'Satisfaction Guaranteed' </h4>&#13; </a> <div class="desc">This book (click link above) details...</div>&#13; &#13; </div>&#13; &#13; </div> &#13; </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-author-information--article.html.twig * field--node--field-author-information.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--field-author-information.html.twig * field--string.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-author-information field--type-string field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item">Written by Sarah</div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> Wed, 28 Feb 2024 15:44:07 +0000 Owen 649 at https://www.truefreedomtrust.co.uk My battle for freedom from porn https://www.truefreedomtrust.co.uk/my-battle-freedom-porn <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--article.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span property="schema:name">My battle for freedom from porn</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-image--article.html.twig * field--node--field-image.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--field-image.html.twig * field--image.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_formatter' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/fields/image-formatter.html.twig' --> <div class="item-image"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/system/templates/image.html.twig' --> <img property="schema:image" loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/articles/my%20battle%20for%20freedom%201170%20x%20330.png" alt="men talking over coffee" typeof="foaf:Image" /> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/system/templates/image.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/fields/image-formatter.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--article.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span rel="schema:author"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> <span lang="" about="/user/92" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="">Owen</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--article.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span property="schema:dateCreated" content="2024-01-29T14:58:51+00:00">Mon, 29/01/2024 - 14:58</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--article.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <div property="schema:text" class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"> <p>I have been battling with porn for most of my life. My first encounter with hard core porn came between the ages of 11 and 12. I never thought at the time how much this would destroy me. Years passed and I would regularly watch videos or look at magazine images. At the age of 18, I made a commitment of faith, but, sadly, not very much changed in my behaviour. A week before my 21st birthday, my life with Jesus took a big step forward. I began getting help with my alcohol dependency, but my issue with porn remained unaddressed. The subject would come up in church but, as with many people, I would say, “Not me - I don’t do that sort of thing.”</p> <p> </p><div class="widget gsc-quote-text no-border" style="background:#59adc4;">&#13; <div class="widget-content">&#13; <div class="content" style="color:#fff;"><i style="color:#fff;" class="icon fa fa-quote-left"></i> I now better understand how this addiction takes hold of my mind </div>&#13; </div>&#13; </div> &#13; <h3>Slipping back</h3> <p>Sometime later, my old life re-surfaced. I moved away from following God and began a same-sex relationship - this came to end in 2008. In finding my way back to Christian fellowship, I began to pray for help with my porn addiction. My drinking had stopped and I had been dry for 8 or 9 years, which is still the case today. But porn remained a big issue - I would pray for help, but would keep on slipping back into using it; I think I only managed about 6 months of freedom from it. An accountability partner was recommended, yet knowingly I hid things - I would just have two computers and show my accountability partner the computer that I didn’t use for porn! Even with  the best intentions to stop, the addiction felt unbreakable. </p> <h3>Finding help</h3> <p>More recently, I was going through the “Your Version” Bible study guides and came across a 30-day guided programme called “Freedom from Porn”, so decided to sign up. When the 30 days were completed, I also found the related free app online (search on Apple or Android for “The Freedom Fight” or find the website <a href="https://thefreedomfight.org/">thefreedomfight.org)</a>. With help from the app, I have finally broken free from porn for an extended period. The recommendation to engage with an accountability partner, in order to be open with another person, became so important to me. Sharing this desire for support with the men’s group that I meet with monthly was not easy, but the benefits I have received from being honest in this area have encouraged me so much.  Since writing this review, I have been free from porn usage for over 150 days. What has also helped is daily Bible reading and praying. Nevertheless, there have been a few close calls with temptation to view porn; I can only say that God has strengthened me to resist. </p> <h3>Benefits of using software </h3> <p>How does the app work? Well, you need to be committed to a daily check-in. Firstly, you write down a few words about how you are feeling. There is a checklist to tick the word that best describes your mood. Then there are short videos to watch, which give you helpful information about the effects of porn; that leads to a better understanding of the way this addiction takes hold of your mind.  There is also the option to link up to an accountability friend, or to join a group, so that you can invite others to support you in this struggle.</p> <p>If this is your battle too, I do hope that you find an end to the fight. May I ask for your prayers in the temptations that I have, as I pray for all who read this, to take up the challenge to stop themselves? You can be free. </p> <h3>Ongoing challenges</h3> <p>The biggest thing that has changed in starting this process of release is how dangerous I see porn as, even “light” porn. Adverts for men’s clothing or fragrance can be triggering to me. God has pinpointed other issues since my victory, that I need to work on, like controlling my swearing. God’s ongoing mercy is essential in every area of my life, but I know that God is good.</p> <hr /><p>This article was originally published in the Winter 2023 edition of the TFT magazine, <em>Ascend</em>. Click the button below to download your copy.</p> <p>&#13; <style rel="stylesheet"> <!--/*--><![CDATA[/* ><!--*/ #button-kqsz5mv021nq{background:#fff;color:#000;border-color:#00599c;} #button-kqsz5mv021nq:hover{background:#00599c;color:#fff;border-color:#00599c;} /*--><!]]>*/ </style></p><div class="clearfix"></div>&#13; <a href="https://truefreedomtrust.co.uk/sites/default/files/newsletters/2023Q4ascend.pdf" class="gsc-button medium " id="button-kqsz5mv021nq">&#13; Download the Winter 2023 edition of Ascend </a> &#13; &#13; <p>  </p> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'links__node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * links--node.html.twig x links.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/navigation/links.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/navigation/links.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-post-format--article.html.twig * field--node--field-post-format.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--field-post-format.html.twig * field--list-string.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-post-format field--type-list-string field--label-hidden field__item">Personal Story</div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-post-category--article.html.twig * field--node--field-post-category.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--field-post-category.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-post-category field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/accountability" hreflang="en">Accountability</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/self-control" hreflang="en">Self Control</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/singleness" hreflang="en">Singleness</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/supporting-others" hreflang="en">Supporting Others</a></div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-more-information--article.html.twig * field--node--field-more-information.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--field-more-information.html.twig * field--text-long.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-more-information field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"> <p><em>Please note that any external resources below are intended to complement the main answer given above and may not entirely match TFT's position.</em></p> <p>***for FAQs ONLY, replace this text with links to further articles, books, audio and video. Examples below for each media type.</p> <p> </p><div class="widget gsc-icon-box left text-dark">&#13; <div class="highlight-icon"><span class="icon fa fa-link"></span></div>&#13; <div class="highlight_content">&#13; <a href="***URL LINK"> <h4>Living Out article: 'Is it ok to be gay?' '</h4>&#13; </a> <div class="desc">This article (click link above) goes into more of the biblical passages.</div>&#13; &#13; </div>&#13; &#13; </div> &#13; <p> </p><div class="widget gsc-icon-box left text-dark">&#13; <div class="highlight-icon"><span class="icon fa fa-video-camera"></span></div>&#13; <div class="highlight_content">&#13; <a href="***URL LINK"> <h4>ERLC video: 'Is it ok to be gay?' </h4>&#13; </a> <div class="desc">***CHANGE VIEW MODE TO SOURCE HTML AND INSERT SHARED EMBED CODE FROM YOUTUBE HERE, BUT CHANGE WIDTH TO 100% TO MAKE IT MORE RESPONSIVE*** This video sets out some more arguments on the matter.</div>&#13; &#13; </div>&#13; &#13; </div> &#13; <p> </p><div class="widget gsc-icon-box left text-dark">&#13; <div class="highlight-icon"><span class="icon fa fa-headphones"></span></div>&#13; <div class="highlight_content">&#13; <a href="***URL LINK"> <h4>UCB podcast: 'Is it ok to be gay?' </h4>&#13; </a> <div class="desc">This podcast (click link above) details...</div>&#13; &#13; </div>&#13; &#13; </div> &#13; <p> </p><div class="widget gsc-icon-box left text-dark">&#13; <div class="highlight-icon"><span class="icon fa fa-book"></span></div>&#13; <div class="highlight_content">&#13; <a href="***URL LINK"> <h4>IVP book: 'Satisfaction Guaranteed' </h4>&#13; </a> <div class="desc">This book (click link above) details...</div>&#13; &#13; </div>&#13; &#13; </div> &#13; </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-author-information--article.html.twig * field--node--field-author-information.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--field-author-information.html.twig * field--string.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-author-information field--type-string field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item">Written by Colin</div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> Mon, 29 Jan 2024 14:58:51 +0000 Owen 646 at https://www.truefreedomtrust.co.uk Jesus took my guilt and shame https://www.truefreedomtrust.co.uk/jesus-took-my-guilt-and-shame <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--article.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span property="schema:name">Jesus took my guilt and shame</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-image--article.html.twig * field--node--field-image.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--field-image.html.twig * field--image.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_formatter' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/fields/image-formatter.html.twig' --> <div class="item-image"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/system/templates/image.html.twig' --> <img property="schema:image" loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/articles/Jesus%20took%20my%20guilt%20and%20shame%201170%20x%20330.png" alt="holding a light bulb" typeof="foaf:Image" /> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/system/templates/image.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/fields/image-formatter.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--article.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span rel="schema:author"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> <span lang="" about="/user/92" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="">Owen</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--article.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span property="schema:dateCreated" content="2024-01-19T14:45:10+00:00">Fri, 19/01/2024 - 14:45</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--article.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <div property="schema:text" class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"> <p>One morning, while still in bed, I had a big light bulb moment. I suddenly realised that I had got myself into a big hole. I was drowning, and I wasn’t really sure how I got there. I had become addicted to pornography.</p> <p> </p><div class="widget gsc-quote-text no-border" style="background:#59adc4;">&#13; <div class="widget-content">&#13; <div class="content" style="color:#fff;"><i style="color:#fff;" class="icon fa fa-quote-left"></i> My moral compass was gradually eroded </div>&#13; </div>&#13; </div> &#13; <p>I was, I like to think, a respected Christian. I had a good life, a good job and dreams for the future. So, how come I ended up in this place of despair? It had begun, as so many things do, many years before, in a place of loneliness and pain, depression and fear, and, to be honest, stupidity. It started slowly; my moral compass was gradually and incrementally eroded. None of which is an excuse, but (following years of counselling and support) gave me some explanation for what led up to the moment of sinking in the Slough of Despond, and what the triggers were. The guilt and the shame were my own, but there were reasons. If only I had dealt with them earlier and been honest about the fear, anxiety and depression I was living with, then maybe… although you can’t go back in time. All you can do is make sure you never go there again and (hopefully) help others. I was brought up learning that all pornography was wrong. Once I had crossed that line, sitting alone in secret, the slow, painful movement towards the chat rooms and addiction grew. I shouldn’t have been anywhere near it. I knew that. But my repentance and remorse came too late. </p> <h3>Opening up</h3> <p>Honesty is everything. Telling my family, closest friends and church leadership where I had got to was the most painful thing I had ever done. If only I had gone to them earlier. If only I had sought advice. But I was a Christian with supposedly everything together, and admitting I had issues would be a failure. I was not allowed to fail. So, I had to bottle it all up. And my problem became a very dark, hidden thing. I would not have got through it all without the brilliant care of those I confessed to, my counsellor and even my very understanding doctor. The entire process, from the light bulb moment to now, has taken over four years. The depression and thoughts of suicide would have overwhelmed me if it wasn’t for the brilliance of those who looked after me, going above and beyond anything I deserved. I was given the right advice and care, undertook courses and am standing now. </p> <h3>Receiving forgiveness</h3> <p>Those around me helped me understand that I had done something that was damaging me, but that it shouldn’t define the rest of my life. As Brené Brown puts it, “Shame is ‘I am bad.’ Guilt is ‘I did something bad.’” Or, as the US rapper Lecrae puts it, “Guilt says, ‘You failed.’ Shame says, ‘You’re a failure.’ Grace says, ‘Your failures are forgiven.’” I had done something bad, but that did not mean I had to live with the shame for the rest of my days. Isaiah 61:7 says, “Instead of your shame, you will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace, you will rejoice in your inheritance. And so you will inherit a double portion in your land, and everlasting joy will be yours.” Jesus came to take my guilt and shame. I had to repent and take responsibility for where I had got to, but forgiveness means not living in that darkness anymore, and I need to learn to forgive myself for my failures. If God can forgive me, then I should seek to do the same. As Isaiah 43:25 states, “I am the one who blots out your transgression for my sake, and I‘ll remember your sins no more.”</p> <h3>Moving on</h3> <p>I still have anxiety attacks and suffer from depression. I still live in fear of others finding out about this deep sin and some of the worst of me. I still struggle to accept the forgiveness shown by those around me, let alone my Saviour. But I am (slowly) getting there. However, I hold on to my faith and those around me. Thinking about it, maybe it would be more honest to say that God, and those around me, hold on to me. </p> <hr /><p>This article was originally published in the Winter 2023 edition of the TFT magazine, <em>Ascend</em>. Click the button below to download your copy.</p> <p>&#13; <style rel="stylesheet"> <!--/*--><![CDATA[/* ><!--*/ #button-9d1ll92q0r8w{background:#fff;color:#000;border-color:#00599c;} #button-9d1ll92q0r8w:hover{background:#00599c;color:#fff;border-color:#00599c;} /*--><!]]>*/ </style></p><div class="clearfix"></div>&#13; <a href="https://truefreedomtrust.co.uk/sites/default/files/newsletters/2023Q4ascend.pdf" class="gsc-button medium " id="button-9d1ll92q0r8w">&#13; Download the Winter 2023 edition of Ascend </a> &#13; &#13; </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'links__node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * links--node.html.twig x links.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/navigation/links.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/navigation/links.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-post-format--article.html.twig * field--node--field-post-format.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--field-post-format.html.twig * field--list-string.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-post-format field--type-list-string field--label-hidden field__item">Personal Story</div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-post-category--article.html.twig * field--node--field-post-category.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--field-post-category.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-post-category field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/self-control" hreflang="en">Self Control</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/singleness" hreflang="en">Singleness</a></div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-more-information--article.html.twig * field--node--field-more-information.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--field-more-information.html.twig * field--text-long.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-more-information field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"> <p><em>Please note that any external resources below are intended to complement the main answer given above and may not entirely match TFT's position.</em></p> <p>***for FAQs ONLY, replace this text with links to further articles, books, audio and video. Examples below for each media type.</p> <p> </p><div class="widget gsc-icon-box left text-dark">&#13; <div class="highlight-icon"><span class="icon fa fa-link"></span></div>&#13; <div class="highlight_content">&#13; <a href="***URL LINK"> <h4>Living Out article: 'Is it ok to be gay?' '</h4>&#13; </a> <div class="desc">This article (click link above) goes into more of the biblical passages.</div>&#13; &#13; </div>&#13; &#13; </div> &#13; <p> </p><div class="widget gsc-icon-box left text-dark">&#13; <div class="highlight-icon"><span class="icon fa fa-video-camera"></span></div>&#13; <div class="highlight_content">&#13; <a href="***URL LINK"> <h4>ERLC video: 'Is it ok to be gay?' </h4>&#13; </a> <div class="desc">***CHANGE VIEW MODE TO SOURCE HTML AND INSERT SHARED EMBED CODE FROM YOUTUBE HERE, BUT CHANGE WIDTH TO 100% TO MAKE IT MORE RESPONSIVE*** This video sets out some more arguments on the matter.</div>&#13; &#13; </div>&#13; &#13; </div> &#13; <p> </p><div class="widget gsc-icon-box left text-dark">&#13; <div class="highlight-icon"><span class="icon fa fa-headphones"></span></div>&#13; <div class="highlight_content">&#13; <a href="***URL LINK"> <h4>UCB podcast: 'Is it ok to be gay?' </h4>&#13; </a> <div class="desc">This podcast (click link above) details...</div>&#13; &#13; </div>&#13; &#13; </div> &#13; <p> </p><div class="widget gsc-icon-box left text-dark">&#13; <div class="highlight-icon"><span class="icon fa fa-book"></span></div>&#13; <div class="highlight_content">&#13; <a href="***URL LINK"> <h4>IVP book: 'Satisfaction Guaranteed' </h4>&#13; </a> <div class="desc">This book (click link above) details...</div>&#13; &#13; </div>&#13; &#13; </div> &#13; </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-author-information--article.html.twig * field--node--field-author-information.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--field-author-information.html.twig * field--string.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-author-information field--type-string field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item">Written anonymously</div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> Fri, 19 Jan 2024 14:45:10 +0000 Owen 645 at https://www.truefreedomtrust.co.uk Art and sexuality podcast https://www.truefreedomtrust.co.uk/art-and-sexuality-podcast <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--article.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span property="schema:name">Art and sexuality podcast</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-image--article.html.twig * field--node--field-image.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--field-image.html.twig * field--image.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_formatter' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/fields/image-formatter.html.twig' --> <div class="item-image"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/system/templates/image.html.twig' --> <img property="schema:image" loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/articles/ros%20cushion%20for%20podcast.png" alt="ros cushion" typeof="foaf:Image" /> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/system/templates/image.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/fields/image-formatter.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--article.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span rel="schema:author"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> <span lang="" about="/user/92" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="">Owen</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--article.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span property="schema:dateCreated" content="2023-12-15T14:06:02+00:00">Fri, 15/12/2023 - 14:06</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--article.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <div property="schema:text" class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"> <p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwOML5mtNeI"><img alt="video" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="08a1d3af-7e9f-41cb-9907-4818696f4d3a" hspace="20" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/my%20story%20matters%20too%20video%20still%202.png" class="align-right" width="343" height="193" loading="lazy" /></a>In this conversation, Ruth talks with Ros Clarke about how she uses art and craft to consider matters of sexuality, celibacy and singleness. She explores how art has been a way of bringing a message of biblical truth about sexuality to the church. She also shares how being single and celibate is challenging, but how she has ultimately found it to be a joyful way of living. </p> <p>Ros speaks about her video you can view it <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwOML5mtNeI">here</a> or by clicking on the "<em>my story matters too</em>" image.</p> <p>Below are a few examples of Ros' craft that address issues around sexuality and singleness. This includes the famous "Christ is better than sex" kneeler!</p> <p><img alt="marry in faith cushion" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="5aa0f989-5b26-4783-b491-038b6cbe453d" height="321" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/ros%20cushion%201.png" width="459" class="align-left" loading="lazy" /><img alt="Christ is better than sex cushion" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="74325358-fcca-4f80-b151-d2633a0d3c27" height="312" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/ros%20cusshion%202.png" width="447" class="align-right" loading="lazy" /></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p><img alt="all good in the spinsterhood cushion" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="fa174bfb-1e82-42c8-83d4-af87c3742212" height="289" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/Ros%20cushion%203.png" width="457" class="align-left" loading="lazy" /><img alt="all the single ladies cushion" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="65ed8862-e16f-4b5e-a85e-73d77bd29463" height="293" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/ros%20cushion%205.png" width="417" class="align-right" loading="lazy" /></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <hr /><p>This podcast was originally published with the Winter 2023 edition of the TFT magazine, <em>Ascend</em>. Click the button below to download your copy.</p> <p>&#13; <style rel="stylesheet"> <!--/*--><![CDATA[/* ><!--*/ <!--/*--><![CDATA[/* ><!--*/ <!--/*--><![CDATA[/* ><!--*/ #button-ifwrsz8qo8ui{background:#fff;color:#000;border-color:#00599c;} #button-ifwrsz8qo8ui:hover{background:#00599c;color:#fff;border-color:#00599c;} /*--><!]]]]]]><![CDATA[><![CDATA[>*/ /*--><!]]]]><![CDATA[>*/ /*--><!]]>*/ </style></p><div class="clearfix"></div>&#13; <a href="https://truefreedomtrust.co.uk/sites/default/files/newsletters/2023Q4ascend.pdf" class="gsc-button medium " id="button-ifwrsz8qo8ui">&#13; Download the Winter 2023 edition of Ascend </a> &#13; &#13; <p>To give space to discuss certain articles in greater depth, the TFT staff team will be recording occasional podcasts under the banner “Ascend Higher”, covering the issues raised in a more conversational style. To hear it for yourself, you can use the audio player below.</p> <p><iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1690513971&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true" width="100%"></iframe></p> <div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/true-freedom-trust" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="True Freedom Trust">True Freedom Trust</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/true-freedom-trust/ascend-higher-episode-15" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Ascend Higher Episode 15">Ascend Higher Episode 15</a></div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'links__node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * links--node.html.twig x links.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/navigation/links.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/navigation/links.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-post-format--article.html.twig * field--node--field-post-format.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--field-post-format.html.twig * field--list-string.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-post-format field--type-list-string field--label-hidden field__item">Ascend Higher</div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-post-category--article.html.twig * field--node--field-post-category.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--field-post-category.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-post-category field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/church" hreflang="en">Church</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/culture" hreflang="en">Engaging Culture</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/singleness" hreflang="en">Singleness</a></div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-more-information--article.html.twig * field--node--field-more-information.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--field-more-information.html.twig * field--text-long.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-more-information field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"> <p><em>Please note that any external resources below are intended to complement the main answer given above and may not entirely match TFT's position.</em></p> <p>***for FAQs ONLY, replace this text with links to further articles, books, audio and video. Examples below for each media type.</p> <p> </p><div class="widget gsc-icon-box left text-dark">&#13; <div class="highlight-icon"><span class="icon fa fa-link"></span></div>&#13; <div class="highlight_content">&#13; <a href="***URL LINK"> <h4>Living Out article: 'Is it ok to be gay?' '</h4>&#13; </a> <div class="desc">This article (click link above) goes into more of the biblical passages.</div>&#13; &#13; </div>&#13; &#13; </div> &#13; <p> </p><div class="widget gsc-icon-box left text-dark">&#13; <div class="highlight-icon"><span class="icon fa fa-video-camera"></span></div>&#13; <div class="highlight_content">&#13; <a href="***URL LINK"> <h4>ERLC video: 'Is it ok to be gay?' </h4>&#13; </a> <div class="desc">***CHANGE VIEW MODE TO SOURCE HTML AND INSERT SHARED EMBED CODE FROM YOUTUBE HERE, BUT CHANGE WIDTH TO 100% TO MAKE IT MORE RESPONSIVE*** This video sets out some more arguments on the matter.</div>&#13; &#13; </div>&#13; &#13; </div> &#13; <p> </p><div class="widget gsc-icon-box left text-dark">&#13; <div class="highlight-icon"><span class="icon fa fa-headphones"></span></div>&#13; <div class="highlight_content">&#13; <a href="***URL LINK"> <h4>UCB podcast: 'Is it ok to be gay?' </h4>&#13; </a> <div class="desc">This podcast (click link above) details...</div>&#13; &#13; </div>&#13; &#13; </div> &#13; <p> </p><div class="widget gsc-icon-box left text-dark">&#13; <div class="highlight-icon"><span class="icon fa fa-book"></span></div>&#13; <div class="highlight_content">&#13; <a href="***URL LINK"> <h4>IVP book: 'Satisfaction Guaranteed' </h4>&#13; </a> <div class="desc">This book (click link above) details...</div>&#13; &#13; </div>&#13; &#13; </div> &#13; </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-author-information--article.html.twig * field--node--field-author-information.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--field-author-information.html.twig * field--string.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-author-information field--type-string field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item">Written by Ruth</div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> Fri, 15 Dec 2023 14:06:02 +0000 Owen 650 at https://www.truefreedomtrust.co.uk My singleness celebration https://www.truefreedomtrust.co.uk/my-singleness-celebration <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--article.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span property="schema:name">My singleness celebration</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-image--article.html.twig * field--node--field-image.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--field-image.html.twig * field--image.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_formatter' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/fields/image-formatter.html.twig' --> <div class="item-image"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/system/templates/image.html.twig' --> <img property="schema:image" loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/articles/singleness%201170.png" alt="singleness celebration" typeof="foaf:Image" /> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/system/templates/image.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/fields/image-formatter.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--article.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span rel="schema:author"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> <span lang="" about="/user/92" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="">Owen</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--article.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span property="schema:dateCreated" content="2023-11-19T10:35:35+00:00">Sun, 19/11/2023 - 10:35</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--article.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <div property="schema:text" class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"> <p>This August I will be having a ceremony to dedicate myself to a life of singleness. A ceremony like this is not a common thing. I’ve heard of one or two people who have done something similar, most notably Kate Wharton, who was on the leadership team of New Wine for some years. </p> <p>But it’s certainly unconventional, so I’d like to talk about why I’m doing this, by telling you some of my story. What I am describing here is my personal sense of calling to lifelong singleness. Other single people will be called to singleness for a time, so I'm not advocating that every single person follows my example.</p> <p>When I was growing up, I thought that I needed to be in a romantic relationship to be a complete person. I assumed that one day I would meet a girl who was “The One”, we would eventually get married and then all of my problems, insecurities and struggles would go away. My upbringing was Christian and I knew that God had a good plan for my life; I assumed He was fully on board with this idea. After all, marriage is a good, God-ordained thing, so surely, He would want me to have it, right? </p> <p> </p><div class="widget gsc-quote-text no-border" style="background:#59adc4;">&#13; <div class="widget-content">&#13; <div class="content" style="color:#fff;"><i style="color:#fff;" class="icon fa fa-quote-left"></i> I want to publicly show people that a single life is a valid option </div>&#13; </div>&#13; </div> &#13; <h3>The big plan</h3> <p>In my younger teens, I noticed that I was physically attracted to (very few) boys/men, but didn’t think much of it. When I was about 15, these feelings extended to romantic attraction as well. I didn’t feel any conflict with this and my relationship with God at any point though. I felt as close to God as ever, when I was figuring these feelings out, despite never hearing any teaching about same-sex relationships. I didn’t think same-sex attraction really affected the “grand plan” for my life. I just thought “The One” for me would be a man instead of a woman, but my future would be mapped out the same.</p> <p>My desire to be in a romantic relationship became a bit of an obsession and I ended up developing a crush for one of my friends at school. At the age of 16-17, neither of us handled it particularly well. We fell out, but eventually made up, yet I still felt this massive emptiness inside. I thought that only a boyfriend could fill it and bring me happiness. The fact that I wasn’t in a relationship was really disappointing to me, together with the subsequent realisation that I was enslaved by this need. Interestingly, nobody explicitly told me “You are incomplete without a partner” or “If you are single, you are ‘less than’”, but those were the beliefs that I’d embraced over the years. </p> <h3>Happy ever after</h3> <p>Some of what I’m describing may be familiar to you; after all, most films and TV shows involve a romance for the main character (though this has started to improve in recent years), and almost all pop songs are about romance (or sex). I don’t think it is just the media, or even the secular world which promotes relationships. There is also an underlying belief in Christian circles that everybody is on a path that will one day lead to marriage and children. If you don’t fit into that ideal, then something has gone wrong.  I personally desired the rosy picture of a perfect marriage that would mean a ‘happily ever after’ scenario (because that’s a completely realistic picture of what marriage is like!). Without that, it felt like I had all this love to give to someone, but nobody wanted it. </p> <h3>Freedom</h3> <p>When I was 18, during the summer after leaving school/college, I was finding singleness really difficult. At a Christian festival, I called out to God, asking how much longer I could take living like this. Suddenly, God said that all this stuff I was worrying about didn’t really matter. I was so loved by Him, by my family and friends, and a complete person as I was. This love inside me could be directed towards others, and, most of all, towards the God who loves me more than I could ever comprehend.</p> <p>That was a real turning point in my life. There was an amazing sense of freedom. I was no longer enslaved by this need to be in a romantic relationship. It was great to have experienced that before I went to university, because it meant I could be myself and make friends without feeling the need to scout out a future husband to try and fill a hole. Being single was the right and best thing for me and the way I could fulfil God’s ministry. How glorious!</p> <p>I’ve been living with that revelation ever since. I admit it has been challenging and I have developed romantic feelings for someone over that time. Nevertheless, singleness is my calling. </p> <h3>Public recognition</h3> <p>So, why have a ceremony? There are three main reasons I want to do this. </p> <p>The first is that although I’ve been living this way for a few years, I want to make a formal commitment before God to say this is the life that I’m going to lead for Him. </p> <p>Secondly, I can have an opportunity to show my non-Christian friends what God has done for me. With some of my Christian friends and family who have had weddings, they’ve invited people who usually wouldn’t set foot inside a church. They came to church for a wedding and experienced love and welcome. <br /> I’d be delighted to invite my friends to the church I’ve grown up in and pray that they will feel the Holy Spirit through the service. </p> <p>The third reason I want a ceremony is to publicly show people that a single life is a valid option. Our culture tends to say (and has for many years) that having a single life is the worst possible thing, “dying alone” is something to be avoided at all costs, even if that means you have to “settle” and get married just for the sake of not staying single. And yet, for some people being single is the right and best thing for them as a lifelong calling. Remaining single does not mean being alone; I’ve been able to cultivate friendships, in a way I don’t think I would have done, if I  weren’t single. </p> <h3>Lifelong commitment</h3> <p>Am I too young to be making such a big decision? What if something changes down the line and I meet someone who is a “perfect match” for me? Isn’t this a really big sacrifice? Those are valid points - it will involve sacrifice and is not a decision I’ve taken lightly. I see this commitment as the equivalent one in marriage. If I met someone when I was 18, and we started a relationship, and now at the age of 26 I said I want to marry them, that would probably be considered quite normal. And yet marriage means putting another person first for the rest of your life, saying to that person “I won’t ask ‘what if someone better comes along’ - I choose you now and will continue to every day of my life”. But despite all the challenges of marriage, it is no doubt completely worth it - a beautiful sacrament blessed by God. In the same way, I’m choosing to live a life of commitment to Jesus, which will involve great sacrifice, but will also bring me untold riches and joy. God has taken me on a wonderful adventure so far, and I’m looking forward to seeing what else He has in store for me, as I enter the next chapter of my life. </p> <hr /><p>This article was originally published in the Autumn 2023 edition of the TFT magazine, <em>Ascend</em>. Click the button below to download your copy.</p> <p>&#13; <style rel="stylesheet"> <!--/*--><![CDATA[/* ><!--*/ #button-swsbtngoqo5r{background:#fff;color:#000;border-color:#00599c;} #button-swsbtngoqo5r:hover{background:#00599c;color:#fff;border-color:#00599c;} /*--><!]]>*/ </style></p><div class="clearfix"></div>&#13; <a href="https://truefreedomtrust.co.uk/sites/default/files/newsletters/2023Q3ascend.pdf" class="gsc-button medium " id="button-swsbtngoqo5r">&#13; Download the Autumn 2023 edition of Ascend </a> &#13; &#13; </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'links__node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * links--node.html.twig x links.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/navigation/links.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/navigation/links.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-post-format--article.html.twig * field--node--field-post-format.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--field-post-format.html.twig * field--list-string.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-post-format field--type-list-string field--label-hidden field__item">Personal Story</div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-post-category--article.html.twig * field--node--field-post-category.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--field-post-category.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-post-category field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/self-control" hreflang="en">Self Control</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/singleness" hreflang="en">Singleness</a></div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-more-information--article.html.twig * field--node--field-more-information.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--field-more-information.html.twig * field--text-long.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-more-information field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"> <p><em>Please note that any external resources below are intended to complement the main answer given above and may not entirely match TFT's position.</em></p> <p>***for FAQs ONLY, replace this text with links to further articles, books, audio and video. Examples below for each media type.</p> <p> </p><div class="widget gsc-icon-box left text-dark">&#13; <div class="highlight-icon"><span class="icon fa fa-link"></span></div>&#13; <div class="highlight_content">&#13; <a href="***URL LINK"> <h4>Living Out article: 'Is it ok to be gay?' '</h4>&#13; </a> <div class="desc">This article (click link above) goes into more of the biblical passages.</div>&#13; &#13; </div>&#13; &#13; </div> &#13; <p> </p><div class="widget gsc-icon-box left text-dark">&#13; <div class="highlight-icon"><span class="icon fa fa-video-camera"></span></div>&#13; <div class="highlight_content">&#13; <a href="***URL LINK"> <h4>ERLC video: 'Is it ok to be gay?' </h4>&#13; </a> <div class="desc">***CHANGE VIEW MODE TO SOURCE HTML AND INSERT SHARED EMBED CODE FROM YOUTUBE HERE, BUT CHANGE WIDTH TO 100% TO MAKE IT MORE RESPONSIVE*** This video sets out some more arguments on the matter.</div>&#13; &#13; </div>&#13; &#13; </div> &#13; <p> </p><div class="widget gsc-icon-box left text-dark">&#13; <div class="highlight-icon"><span class="icon fa fa-headphones"></span></div>&#13; <div class="highlight_content">&#13; <a href="***URL LINK"> <h4>UCB podcast: 'Is it ok to be gay?' </h4>&#13; </a> <div class="desc">This podcast (click link above) details...</div>&#13; &#13; </div>&#13; &#13; </div> &#13; <p> </p><div class="widget gsc-icon-box left text-dark">&#13; <div class="highlight-icon"><span class="icon fa fa-book"></span></div>&#13; <div class="highlight_content">&#13; <a href="***URL LINK"> <h4>IVP book: 'Satisfaction Guaranteed' </h4>&#13; </a> <div class="desc">This book (click link above) details...</div>&#13; &#13; </div>&#13; &#13; </div> &#13; </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-author-information--article.html.twig * field--node--field-author-information.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--field-author-information.html.twig * field--string.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-author-information field--type-string field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item">Written by Tim</div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> Sun, 19 Nov 2023 10:35:35 +0000 Owen 633 at https://www.truefreedomtrust.co.uk Hearing the truth in Love https://www.truefreedomtrust.co.uk/hearing-truth-love <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--article.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span property="schema:name">Hearing the truth in Love</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-image--article.html.twig * field--node--field-image.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--field-image.html.twig * field--image.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_formatter' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/fields/image-formatter.html.twig' --> <div class="item-image"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/system/templates/image.html.twig' --> <img property="schema:image" loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/articles/testimony%201170%20x%20330.png" alt="2 women having coffee" typeof="foaf:Image" /> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/system/templates/image.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/fields/image-formatter.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--article.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span rel="schema:author"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> <span lang="" about="/user/92" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="">Owen</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--article.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span property="schema:dateCreated" content="2023-11-07T10:21:26+00:00">Tue, 07/11/2023 - 10:21</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--article.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <div property="schema:text" class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"> <p>I’m proudly South African and I recently came to the UK as a seasonal farm worker - at least that is the reason on my visa application and what pays for my food! I have come to realise, though, that God brought me to Britain for so much more than picking fruit and driving tractors. The following testimony may be a testament to my stubbornness - that God had to bring me to a different continent for me to listen to Him - or rather a statement of God’s faithfulness to His children. The change that has occurred in me is undoubtedly all to the glory of our loving and faithful Father and His lavish, abundant grace. </p> <p> </p><div class="widget gsc-quote-text no-border" style="background:#59adc4;">&#13; <div class="widget-content">&#13; <div class="content" style="color:#fff;"><i style="color:#fff;" class="icon fa fa-quote-left"></i> God loved me and was speaking truth to me </div>&#13; </div>&#13; </div> &#13; <h3>My searching question</h3> <p>As a woman with same-sex attraction, I have a history of running away from God and suppressing the conviction of adhering to biblical holiness that He graciously placed on my heart. In my country, same-sex attractions are neither generally spoken about, nor properly addressed in churches,. Therefore, it’s quite easy to not only to compromise belief, but to avoid accountability for ungodly living and keep under the radar. There is a global movement towards embracing same-sex relationships and it feels like the majority of those left disapproving prefer to ignore the issue, rather than address it. Therefore, the question I have recently been faced with is this: “how is the church, as the body of Christ, living differently to the world to live distinctively regarding sexual activity between those of the same sex?”</p> <h3>Compromise and conviction</h3> <p>I need to go back at this point and put this question into the context of my life. In 2021, four years into my university degree, living far away from home, I was trying to keep my head above water with my never-ending studies. I’d made a handful of good friends and one day decided to share some news with them that I believed was wonderful - I’d entered into my first same-sex relationship. My friends reacted with boisterous support and even elation. I received statements of affirmation like “love is love” and “Ah, don’t worry. The Bible is an old book that is no longer relevant today”. They obviously felt that this was worthy moral support. I wanted to be ecstatic at their response - my close friends were loving and kind, rejoicing that I had found a partner.  And yet, something jarred within me. I was constantly and uncomfortably aware of a small voice of conviction of sin in my heart, but I ignored it. My friends, who professed to be Bible-believing Christians like me, told me that my choices and lifestyle were perfectly acceptable and to be celebrated. They endorsed my wrong thinking and I just tolerated the prodding of the Holy Spirit within me.</p> <p>A few weeks later, I sat with my aunt at the dinner table and shared with her about my same-sex relationship. The words came out much more carefully than with my friends. Being from an older generation, I was worried that she would condemn me into the fiery pit for my behaviour. To my relief, she listened intently and patiently. Then she slowly said: “Thank you for opening up to me. I can imagine this must be hard for you. I want you to know that we love you no matter what. Our door is always open with a warm welcome waiting inside. We will not be treating you any differently than before. Yet, I believe it’s important that I stand on the truth of the Word of God. It tells me that engaging in same-sex relationships is wrong.” At this, my shoulders relaxed, as my stomach tied itself in knots. </p> <h3>Truth and grace</h3> <p>These words were uncomfortable and challenging, but to that constant quiet voice inside me, they were like honey. They were the sweet sound of amazing grace. God loved me and was speaking truth to me. My conviction was calmed and momentary peace was brought to the spirit in me, because the Holy Spirit shared the same truth, the truth I had yet to step into. From that point onwards, I then started to lean much more on my aunt’s support, and her advice on responding to my same-sex feelings, than that of my friends. I knew I needed the truth, despite not being ready to step into it. </p> <p>In hindsight, I am so grateful that my Aunt’s statement was loving in its truth. It was evident that explaining scripture was more loving toward me, than saying she loved me a hundred times. This question has been answered for me – “how am I, and how is the church, to live distinctively?”. We are called to abide in God’s word, seeking to flourish in truth and grace. We are called to stand on the truth and still show up.  We are called to love our neighbour as we ourselves want to be loved. I am both inspired and challenged by what people from one gay community had to say about Pastor Edward Dobson after he’d reached out to them in service: “We understand where you stand, and know that you do not agree with us. But you still show the love of Jesus, and we’re drawn to that.” Can the world say that of us today? Are we committed to being a people who display the same love that Jesus showed, regardless of our cultural, political or sexual orientation? </p> <hr /><p>This article was originally published in the Autumn 2023 edition of the TFT magazine, <em>Ascend</em>. Click the button below to download your copy.</p> <p>&#13; <style rel="stylesheet"> <!--/*--><![CDATA[/* ><!--*/ #button-hofv4kgal7i0{background:#fff;color:#000;border-color:#00599c;} #button-hofv4kgal7i0:hover{background:#00599c;color:#fff;border-color:#00599c;} /*--><!]]>*/ </style></p><div class="clearfix"></div>&#13; <a href="https://truefreedomtrust.co.uk/sites/default/files/newsletters/2023Q3ascend.pdf" class="gsc-button medium " id="button-hofv4kgal7i0">&#13; Download the Autumn 2023 edition of Ascend </a> &#13; &#13; </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'links__node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * links--node.html.twig x links.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/navigation/links.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/navigation/links.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-post-format--article.html.twig * field--node--field-post-format.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--field-post-format.html.twig * field--list-string.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-post-format field--type-list-string field--label-hidden field__item">Personal Story</div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-post-category--article.html.twig * field--node--field-post-category.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--field-post-category.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-post-category field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/contentment" hreflang="en">Contentment</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/identity" hreflang="en">Identity</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/singleness" hreflang="en">Singleness</a></div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-more-information--article.html.twig * field--node--field-more-information.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--field-more-information.html.twig * field--text-long.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-more-information field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"> <p><em>Please note that any external resources below are intended to complement the main answer given above and may not entirely match TFT's position.</em></p> <p>***for FAQs ONLY, replace this text with links to further articles, books, audio and video. Examples below for each media type.</p> <p> </p><div class="widget gsc-icon-box left text-dark">&#13; <div class="highlight-icon"><span class="icon fa fa-link"></span></div>&#13; <div class="highlight_content">&#13; <a href="***URL LINK"> <h4>Living Out article: 'Is it ok to be gay?' '</h4>&#13; </a> <div class="desc">This article (click link above) goes into more of the biblical passages.</div>&#13; &#13; </div>&#13; &#13; </div> &#13; <p> </p><div class="widget gsc-icon-box left text-dark">&#13; <div class="highlight-icon"><span class="icon fa fa-video-camera"></span></div>&#13; <div class="highlight_content">&#13; <a href="***URL LINK"> <h4>ERLC video: 'Is it ok to be gay?' </h4>&#13; </a> <div class="desc">***CHANGE VIEW MODE TO SOURCE HTML AND INSERT SHARED EMBED CODE FROM YOUTUBE HERE, BUT CHANGE WIDTH TO 100% TO MAKE IT MORE RESPONSIVE*** This video sets out some more arguments on the matter.</div>&#13; &#13; </div>&#13; &#13; </div> &#13; <p> </p><div class="widget gsc-icon-box left text-dark">&#13; <div class="highlight-icon"><span class="icon fa fa-headphones"></span></div>&#13; <div class="highlight_content">&#13; <a href="***URL LINK"> <h4>UCB podcast: 'Is it ok to be gay?' </h4>&#13; </a> <div class="desc">This podcast (click link above) details...</div>&#13; &#13; </div>&#13; &#13; </div> &#13; <p> </p><div class="widget gsc-icon-box left text-dark">&#13; <div class="highlight-icon"><span class="icon fa fa-book"></span></div>&#13; <div class="highlight_content">&#13; <a href="***URL LINK"> <h4>IVP book: 'Satisfaction Guaranteed' </h4>&#13; </a> <div class="desc">This book (click link above) details...</div>&#13; &#13; </div>&#13; &#13; </div> &#13; </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-author-information--article.html.twig * field--node--field-author-information.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--field-author-information.html.twig * field--string.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-author-information field--type-string field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item">Written by Ansunel</div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> Tue, 07 Nov 2023 10:21:26 +0000 Owen 632 at https://www.truefreedomtrust.co.uk Is the Bible positive about singleness? https://www.truefreedomtrust.co.uk/bible-positive-about-singleness <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--article.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span property="schema:name">Is the Bible positive about singleness?</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-image--article.html.twig * field--node--field-image.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--field-image.html.twig * field--image.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_formatter' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/fields/image-formatter.html.twig' --> <div class="item-image"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/system/templates/image.html.twig' --> <img property="schema:image" loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/articles/bible-says-about-singleness-1700-x-330.jpg" alt="looking at the bible" typeof="foaf:Image" /> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/system/templates/image.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/fields/image-formatter.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--article.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span rel="schema:author"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> <span lang="" about="/user/92" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="">Owen</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--article.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span property="schema:dateCreated" content="2023-06-08T11:51:26+00:00">Thu, 08/06/2023 - 12:51</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--article.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <div property="schema:text" class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"> <p>When looking at this question, “is the Bible positive about singleness?”, it’s easy for us to jump straight to the Apostle Paul’s verdict, <em>“I wish that all men were [unmarried] as I am”</em>– 1 Cor 7:7. But how do we reconcile this with the consistent emphasis on marriage and filling the land throughout the Old Testament? This seems to be one of God’s priorities from the start, beginning with God’s command to Adam and Eve to <em>“be fruitful and multiply”</em> – Gen 1:28.</p> <h3>Old Testament view on singleness</h3> <p>The Old Testament is almost silent on singleness. Instead, it focuses on the goodness of marriage and children. For example, God’s verdict on Adam was that he needed a fellow worker to help him look after the garden: “it is not good for man to be alone”– Gen 2:18. The first book of the Bible is preoccupied with “offspring” (eg Genesis 3:15) and is has genealogies (long lists of “X was the son of Y...”) dotted throughout. Before Jesus, singleness was exceptional – for example, the prophet Jeremiah was commanded not to marry, perhaps using the unusualness of this situation to make a particular prophetic point (Jeremiah 16:1-4).</p> <h3> ‘Offspring’ promised</h3> <p>Central to the narrative of the Old Testament are God’s promises to Abram, which focused on entering the land and being blessed with many descendants:<br />  <em>“Look toward heaven, and number the stars... So shall your offspring be.” </em>– Genesis 15:5. In Deuteronomy 28:1-14, Moses expanded upon God’s promises to Abraham. Moses explained to the Israelite people that, if they obeyed God’s laws, then He would bless them with land, livestock and children. The Old Testament norm was that people would marry and have children. We are interested in whether the Bible stays with this emphasis.  Indeed, as they read these verses, modern-day single Christians might be thinking along these lines: <em>“I’m not married. I can’t afford to get on the housing ladder. I don’t have children. Is God withholding His blessing from me? Have I done something to displease him?</em>”</p> <h3>New Testament view on singleness</h3> <p>In contrast to sexuality and gender, where the Bible’s teaching is consistent from beginning to end, there is clear movement on how singleness is viewed as we progress through the Bible into the New Testament. It’s not that God realises he got something wrong and changed his mind, but rather that the emphasis in the Old Testament on bearing children had a particular purpose for a particular time.</p> <h3>Jesus is the ‘offspring’</h3> <p>In Matthew 1 we encounter the genealogy to end all genealogies. Here we are invited to trace the line of ‘offspring’ from Jesus back to David and then all the way back to Abraham, to whom the great promises were given. Jesus is presented by Matthew as the ultimate ‘offspring’ (Gen 3:15, 12:7). He is the ultimate son of David (2 Samuel 7:12, Matthew 1:1). Arguably, the greatest work of the Jewish people was to keep the generations of God’s people going until the coming of Jesus, so that we could understand that he fulfils all these promises. But that work is now complete. Getting married and having children continues to be a good thing, but it is no longer instrumental to God’s purposes for the salvation of humanity! From this point on in the Bible, <em>“be fruitful and multiply”</em> (introduced in Genesis 1:28) has a spiritual meaning: God calls us to have many spiritual children, which we’ll come back to a bit later.</p> <h3>Singleness vs marriage</h3> <p>A classic passage on singleness is found half way through Paul’s first letter to the Corinthian church. Paul is writing, as a single man himself, about whether believers in Corinth should marry or stay single:<em>“I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord’s affairs —how he can please the Lord.  But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world—how he can please his wife — and his interests are divided.” </em>– 1 Corinthians 7:32-34. There are very similar words for unmarried women in the verses that follow (1 Corinthians 7:39-40). In these verses, Paul is unreservedly positive about the single life for the Christian: he was living proof that an unmarried person can live in undivided service to the Lord, and he commends others to live like him.</p> <h3>Jesus the single man</h3> <p>Few would dispute that Jesus was unmarried. But was he isolated and lonely and wanting his own family? Well, in chapter 3 of Mark, Jesus responds to someone telling him that his mother and brothers were standing outside waiting for him: <em>“[Jesus] looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”</em> – Mark 3:34-35</p> <p>What he was saying sounds very controversial in the culture of the day, when family was seen as very important. But Jesus here is emphasising the importance of family. He’s just telling us that, when we become Christians, the definition of family expands beyond our blood relatives. Our fellow believers are to our new family – they will be our new brothers, sisters and mothers! In a similar passage in Mark 10, Jesus adds ‘children’ to this list. </p> <p>Whether or not we have children of our own, we can have godly input into the lives of the children within our church fellowships. We can look for opportunities to teach and guide them, perhaps informally or as we serve in children’s ministry. Indeed, using Jesus’ language from these passages in Mark, there is a sense in which we spiritually adopt them and become like godparents to them. We might be thinking of under-18s, in particular, or we might guide and disciple younger adults. Paul did this with younger believers as he adopted them as his spiritual children (eg <em>“Timothy, my beloved child”</em> – 2 Timothy 1:2). Although our culture says that intimacy is found through sexual relationships, we need to develop communities where people can build real depth of friendship through deep and long-term relationships with people of all ages within their church families.</p> <h3>Summary</h3> <p>The diagram summarises our conclusions as we respond to our original question, “Is the Bible positive about singleness?” In the Old Testament, marriage was the norm. In the New Testament, by contrast, singleness is given a status at least on a part with marriage. Being unmarried was no longer a sign of God withholding His blessing. Great examples of fruitful, single lives were Jesus and Paul. Single people’s lives point towards their future hope, as they wait for the ultimate marriage that will eclipse all earthly marriages. This brings us on to the life to come: in God’s New Creation, Jesus is clear that there will be no marriage (in the way that we now know it): <em>“When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven.”</em> – Mark 12:25</p> <p><img alt="singelness vs marriage chart" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="69a77bcc-a08c-4273-9050-6510a6d4a135" height="458" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/singlness%20v%20marriage%20pink.png" width="183" class="align-center" loading="lazy" /></p> <p>We (together as the church) will be united with Jesus the Bridegroom at the wedding of the Lamb (<em>“For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready”</em>– Rev 19:6-9).</p> <p>In conclusion, there is great encouragement looking at the Bible’s teaching on singleness. It must have been very hard to be a single person before time of Jesus.           </p> <p>For Christians, it certainly still has its challenges. But it is a noble situation, at least equal in status to marriage. This should challenge  church leaders to teach and hold a high view of singleness. And these truths can invite all of us to make our churches places where single people are so connected and welcomed into relationships that they can declare wholeheartedly as they sit with fellow Christians, <em>“Here are my... brothers... and sisters and mothers and children!”</em> – Mark 3:34, 10:30.</p> <hr /><p>This article was originally published in the Spring 2023 edition of the TFT magazine, <em>Ascend</em>. Click the button below to download your copy.</p> <p>&#13; <style rel="stylesheet"> <!--/*--><![CDATA[/* ><!--*/ <!--/*--><![CDATA[/* ><!--*/ <!--/*--><![CDATA[/* ><!--*/ #button-oodkeai3ka3r{background:#fff;color:#000;border-color:#00599c;} #button-oodkeai3ka3r:hover{background:#00599c;color:#fff;border-color:#00599c;} /*--><!]]]]]]><![CDATA[><![CDATA[>*/ /*--><!]]]]><![CDATA[>*/ /*--><!]]>*/ </style></p><div class="clearfix"></div>&#13; <a href="https://truefreedomtrust.co.uk/sites/default/files/newsletters/2023Q1ascend.pdf" class="gsc-button medium " id="button-oodkeai3ka3r">&#13; Download the Spring 2023 edition of Ascend </a> &#13; &#13; </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'links__node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * links--node.html.twig x links.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/navigation/links.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/navigation/links.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-post-format--article.html.twig * field--node--field-post-format.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--field-post-format.html.twig * field--list-string.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-post-format field--type-list-string field--label-hidden field__item">Article</div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-post-category--article.html.twig * field--node--field-post-category.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--field-post-category.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-post-category field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/bible" hreflang="en">Biblical Teaching</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/singleness" hreflang="en">Singleness</a></div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-more-information--article.html.twig * field--node--field-more-information.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--field-more-information.html.twig * field--text-long.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-more-information field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"> <p><em>Please note that any external resources below are intended to complement the main answer given above and may not entirely match TFT's position.</em></p> <p>***for FAQs ONLY, replace this text with links to further articles, books, audio and video. Examples below for each media type.</p> <p> </p><div class="widget gsc-icon-box left text-dark">&#13; <div class="highlight-icon"><span class="icon fa fa-link"></span></div>&#13; <div class="highlight_content">&#13; <a href="***URL LINK"> <h4>Living Out article: 'Is it ok to be gay?' '</h4>&#13; </a> <div class="desc">This article (click link above) goes into more of the biblical passages.</div>&#13; &#13; </div>&#13; &#13; </div> &#13; <p> </p><div class="widget gsc-icon-box left text-dark">&#13; <div class="highlight-icon"><span class="icon fa fa-video-camera"></span></div>&#13; <div class="highlight_content">&#13; <a href="***URL LINK"> <h4>ERLC video: 'Is it ok to be gay?' </h4>&#13; </a> <div class="desc">***CHANGE VIEW MODE TO SOURCE HTML AND INSERT SHARED EMBED CODE FROM YOUTUBE HERE, BUT CHANGE WIDTH TO 100% TO MAKE IT MORE RESPONSIVE*** This video sets out some more arguments on the matter.</div>&#13; &#13; </div>&#13; &#13; </div> &#13; <p> </p><div class="widget gsc-icon-box left text-dark">&#13; <div class="highlight-icon"><span class="icon fa fa-headphones"></span></div>&#13; <div class="highlight_content">&#13; <a href="***URL LINK"> <h4>UCB podcast: 'Is it ok to be gay?' </h4>&#13; </a> <div class="desc">This podcast (click link above) details...</div>&#13; &#13; </div>&#13; &#13; </div> &#13; <p> </p><div class="widget gsc-icon-box left text-dark">&#13; <div class="highlight-icon"><span class="icon fa fa-book"></span></div>&#13; <div class="highlight_content">&#13; <a href="***URL LINK"> <h4>IVP book: 'Satisfaction Guaranteed' </h4>&#13; </a> <div class="desc">This book (click link above) details...</div>&#13; &#13; </div>&#13; &#13; </div> &#13; </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-author-information--article.html.twig * field--node--field-author-information.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--field-author-information.html.twig * field--string.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-author-information field--type-string field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item">Written by Stuart</div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> Thu, 08 Jun 2023 11:51:26 +0000 Owen 612 at https://www.truefreedomtrust.co.uk A brief look at single “heroes of the faith” https://www.truefreedomtrust.co.uk/brief-look-single-heroes-faith <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--title--article.html.twig x field--node--title.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--title.html.twig * field--string.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <span property="schema:name">A brief look at single “heroes of the faith”</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--title.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-image--article.html.twig * field--node--field-image.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--field-image.html.twig * field--image.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image_formatter' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/fields/image-formatter.html.twig' --> <div class="item-image"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'image' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/system/templates/image.html.twig' --> <img property="schema:image" loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/articles/history-1170-x-330.jpg" alt="john wycliffe statue" typeof="foaf:Image" /> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/system/templates/image.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/fields/image-formatter.html.twig' --> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--uid--article.html.twig x field--node--uid.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--uid.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <span rel="schema:author"> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'username' --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> <span lang="" about="/user/92" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="">Owen</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/user/templates/username.html.twig' --> </span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--uid.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--created--article.html.twig x field--node--created.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field--created.html.twig * field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <span property="schema:dateCreated" content="2023-05-21T11:24:46+00:00">Sun, 21/05/2023 - 12:24</span> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'core/modules/node/templates/field--node--created.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--body--article.html.twig * field--node--body.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--body.html.twig * field--text-with-summary.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <div property="schema:text" class="field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"> <p><em>“I want to talk about sex and relationships</em>” said Dr Helen Roseveare as we interviewed her at the Keswick Convention as part of the 19-24s stream back in 2011. She continued. “<em>Being single is a gift from God and we can use it to serve Him. We don’t need to go chasing a life of romance and sex”</em>. I found that deeply challenging in a world that was telling me otherwise. I’ll come back to Dr Roseveare. </p> <p>This is an article on the history of single church leaders.  I obviously can’t expound on every single one, and I acknowledge there are others who I could have written about. Not all of these are church leaders, but are single people who left a legacy in one way or another. </p> <p> </p><div class="widget gsc-quote-text no-border" style="background:#59adc4;">&#13; <div class="widget-content">&#13; <div class="content" style="color:#fff;"><i style="color:#fff;" class="icon fa fa-quote-left"></i> Although he struggled with loneliness, he developed as many friendships as possible </div>&#13; </div>&#13; </div> &#13; <h3>Defending the faith </h3> <p>We begin with Irenaeus who was born around 130AD and was a student of Polycarp. Polycarp was a Bishop in Smyrna, where he passed on to Irenaeus what he had learnt from the apostle John.  It is believed they travelled to Rome together, where Irenaeus met Justin Martyr, who was a big influence on him. It is well documented that both Polycarp and Justin were martyred probably within 10 years of each other.  After those significant deaths,  Irenaeus released his popular works <em>“Against Heresies”</em> and <em>“The Demonstration of the Apostolic Preaching”</em>. It is believed that Irenaeus was also martyred in 202AD under a wave of persecution by the first Severen Dynasty Emperor of Rome - Septimius Severus. </p> <p>Irenaeus’s <em>“Against Heresies”</em> was a work criticising Gnosticism, which had infected the church in the 2nd century. The most popular of these heresies was Valentinianism, which believed 30 angelic beings made up the spiritual realm. </p> <p>Irenaeus held 3 things in defence of biblical truth: Scripture itself, tradition and the teaching of the apostles. Irenaeus held to Gospel truth, commended it and used it against heresy. He was bishop in Lyon and was an advocate of the worldwide church, including asking Pope Anicetus not to ex-communicate churches in Asia Minor. He was one of the first people to hold all 4 gospel accounts of Jesus’ life as equally important and was one of the first people to explain Jesus as the new Adam, taken from the apostle Paul’s writings. </p> <p>He truly was a good example of a single church leader who put Christ first and defended truth. It’s not known why Irenaeus remained single, but it is documented that the friends he had spurred him on to experience all that God wanted to do with his life as a single man. </p> <h3>Bible translator</h3> <p>We move on to the 1300’s and to one of Britain’s most important figures in church history, John Wycliffe (statue in the picture).  Wycliffe was a forerunner of Martin Luther, a pre-Reformer. He was an educated man and, for a brief time, was Vice-master of Balliol College, Oxford. His writings reveal that he both professed caution about clerical marriage and articulated a culturally traditional theology of sexuality, which he lived out as cleric himself. Wycliffe realised that the medieval church was going seriously astray. He spoke out against 3 things: transubstantiation; the hierarchy of the church, as regards not needing to confess sins to a priest but directly to God; and finally, and possibly his legacy to us today, he translated the Bible in a way that lay people could read for themselves, knowing that they didn’t understand Latin. This caused major upset within the church. Thankfully Wycliffe had a friend who protected him, John of Gaunt, a younger son of King Edward III. </p> <p>Wycliffe was a big influence on the Czech, Jan Hus, who also followed and believed what Wycliffe had said on various Reformation points that later would be picked up by Martin Luther.</p> <p>Wycliffe also survived the Black Plague, which is said to have a had a lasting impression on him, leaving him gloomy. His reformed theology is best summed up by these words <em>“Trust wholly in Christ; rely altogether on his sufferings; beware of seeking to be justified in any other way than by his righteousness. Faith in our Lord Jesus Christ is sufficient for salvation.”</em></p> <p>Wycliffe’s desire for people to be able to read the Bible for themselves started a whole movement that 200 years later led to Martin Luther’s 95 theses and the beginning of the Reformation.</p> <h3>Mission and Grace </h3> <p>Next, we jump to the last 100 years or so and 3 leading women who have impacted mission around the world, Gladys Alyward (1902-1970), Corrie Ten Boom (1892-1983) and Dr Helen Roseveare (1925-2016). </p> <p>Gladys Alyward was a missionary in China. In the 1930s, she travelled the trans-Siberian railway, where she was arrested by Russians before being allowed to continue to China. Gladys was not one to give up easily and was driven by a compassion for human suffering. In 1938 she helped take children to safety over the mountains as the Japanese invaded China, despite being wounded. Although she fell in love during the Sino-Japanese war she never married, but she did adopt one of the Chinese children, called Gordon. She always told the children about Jesus and many came to faith.</p> <p>Corrie Ten Boom is well known for her book “The Hiding Place”. It tells the story of the Nazi occupation of Holland, the way her family hid Jews and were caught and what life was like in a concentration camp for her and her sister Betsy. Finally, after her release, she came face-to-face with one of her captors, for whom she had to pray for God to help her forgive. Corrie spent the rest of her life telling people about Jesus and forgiveness. She believed she was set apart by God to be single to do his work. Her life centred on Christ, who kept her balanced and able to follow Him.</p> <p>Dr Helen Roseveare worked in Congo as a missionary and helped set up a hospital there. She struggled with male leadership at the hospital and put this down to her being single. Having met someone who she hoped she would marry, it never happened. From then on, she learnt to see God in the details of her life and to trust Him more fully.  She was taken prisoner by rebels who held her captive for 5 months, beat and raped her. After coming home, she then went back to Congo and rebuilt many of the hospitals that had been destroyed. At all times, she displayed the fact that Jesus was enough for her life, witnessing to Him at every turn. She had bouts of depression, but used her experience to minister to those who feared they would lose their purity in the mission field. Helen helped them see their relationship with God would not be damaged, as was true for her.</p> <p>These three women were dedicated to their mission fields. Their sacrificial service for the gospel is a great example of how we can serve Christ both at home and abroad. Roseveare’s book <em>“Enough</em>” is a great reminder that Jesus is truly all we need.</p> <h3>The advocate of singleness</h3> <p>John Stott was renowned for his singleness. He believed that both marriage and singleness were a gift from God. Unlike some early church fathers, Stott never wanted to exalt singleness over marriage and was helped by 1 Corinthians 7:7: “I wish that all of you were as I am. But each of you has your own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that.”</p> <p>Stott recognised that he wouldn’t have been able to do the things he did, writing or travelling to speak, if he had the responsibilities of a family. Although he struggled with loneliness, his advice was to develop as many friendships as possible, with various ages and both sexes, knowing it wouldn’t deaden the occasional pangs of loneliness, but would help. He was well aware that single people are exposed to sexual temptation, but also spoke of the danger of being self-centred. He lived his life in service of God and wrote many books, including “The Message of Thessalonians” where he wrote: <em>“Alongside a natural loneliness, accompanied sometimes by acute pain, we can find joyful self-fulfilment in the self-giving service of God and other people.”</em></p> <h3>Conclusion</h3> <p>There is much that could have been said about other single figures in church history, such as Patrick of Ireland, Amy Carmichael, Augustine and Charles Simeon. We can learn much from Church history and be inspired by those who have gone before us. We can see how they contended for the faith, stood firm and held onto the truth. Some you could argue “changed the world” for God’s glory.<br />  </p> <hr /><p>This article was originally published in the Spring 2023 edition of the TFT magazine, <em>Ascend</em>. Click the button below to download your copy.</p> <p>&#13; <style rel="stylesheet"> <!--/*--><![CDATA[/* ><!--*/ #button-hm56khy8x0bt{background:#fff;color:#000;border-color:#00599c;} #button-hm56khy8x0bt:hover{background:#00599c;color:#fff;border-color:#00599c;} /*--><!]]>*/ </style></p><div class="clearfix"></div>&#13; <a href="https://truefreedomtrust.co.uk/sites/default/files/newsletters/2023Q1ascend.pdf" class="gsc-button medium " id="button-hm56khy8x0bt">&#13; Download the Spring 2023 edition of Ascend </a> &#13; &#13; </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'links__node' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * links--node.html.twig x links.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/navigation/links.html.twig' --> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/navigation/links.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-post-format--article.html.twig * field--node--field-post-format.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--field-post-format.html.twig * field--list-string.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-post-format field--type-list-string field--label-hidden field__item">Article</div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-post-category--article.html.twig * field--node--field-post-category.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--field-post-category.html.twig * field--entity-reference.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-post-category field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/church" hreflang="en">Church</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/contentment" hreflang="en">Contentment</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/singleness" hreflang="en">Singleness</a></div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-more-information--article.html.twig * field--node--field-more-information.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--field-more-information.html.twig * field--text-long.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-more-information field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"> <p><em>Please note that any external resources below are intended to complement the main answer given above and may not entirely match TFT's position.</em></p> <p>***for FAQs ONLY, replace this text with links to further articles, books, audio and video. Examples below for each media type.</p> <p> </p><div class="widget gsc-icon-box left text-dark">&#13; <div class="highlight-icon"><span class="icon fa fa-link"></span></div>&#13; <div class="highlight_content">&#13; <a href="***URL LINK"> <h4>Living Out article: 'Is it ok to be gay?' '</h4>&#13; </a> <div class="desc">This article (click link above) goes into more of the biblical passages.</div>&#13; &#13; </div>&#13; &#13; </div> &#13; <p> </p><div class="widget gsc-icon-box left text-dark">&#13; <div class="highlight-icon"><span class="icon fa fa-video-camera"></span></div>&#13; <div class="highlight_content">&#13; <a href="***URL LINK"> <h4>ERLC video: 'Is it ok to be gay?' </h4>&#13; </a> <div class="desc">***CHANGE VIEW MODE TO SOURCE HTML AND INSERT SHARED EMBED CODE FROM YOUTUBE HERE, BUT CHANGE WIDTH TO 100% TO MAKE IT MORE RESPONSIVE*** This video sets out some more arguments on the matter.</div>&#13; &#13; </div>&#13; &#13; </div> &#13; <p> </p><div class="widget gsc-icon-box left text-dark">&#13; <div class="highlight-icon"><span class="icon fa fa-headphones"></span></div>&#13; <div class="highlight_content">&#13; <a href="***URL LINK"> <h4>UCB podcast: 'Is it ok to be gay?' </h4>&#13; </a> <div class="desc">This podcast (click link above) details...</div>&#13; &#13; </div>&#13; &#13; </div> &#13; <p> </p><div class="widget gsc-icon-box left text-dark">&#13; <div class="highlight-icon"><span class="icon fa fa-book"></span></div>&#13; <div class="highlight_content">&#13; <a href="***URL LINK"> <h4>IVP book: 'Satisfaction Guaranteed' </h4>&#13; </a> <div class="desc">This book (click link above) details...</div>&#13; &#13; </div>&#13; &#13; </div> &#13; </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <!-- THEME DEBUG --> <!-- THEME HOOK: 'field' --> <!-- FILE NAME SUGGESTIONS: * field--node--field-author-information--article.html.twig * field--node--field-author-information.html.twig * field--node--article.html.twig * field--field-author-information.html.twig * field--string.html.twig x field.html.twig --> <!-- BEGIN OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> <div class="field field--name-field-author-information field--type-string field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item">Written by Owen</div> </div> <!-- END OUTPUT from 'themes/custom/gavias_charityplus/templates/field.html.twig' --> Sun, 21 May 2023 11:24:46 +0000 Owen 610 at https://www.truefreedomtrust.co.uk