Andrew Marin - Love Is an Orientation Participants Guide: Practical Ways to Build Bridges with the Gay Community

H omosexuality is one of the most divisive issues in the global church today and people usually are firmly planted on one side of the rift or the other. The result is two diverse communities, often at odds. The Love Is an Orientation video curriculum is designed to assist churches, universities, seminaries, nonprofits, government agencies, and discussion groups discover how to build bridges across this rift with the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community. Increasing numbers have expressed a desire to understand and love their LGBT neighbors, but have lacked either the knowledge or the experience to engage in the bridge-building process.

Love Is an Orientation is based on Andrew Marins award-winning book of the same name (InterVarsity Press, 2009), as well as the work of The Marin Foundation, a nonprofit organization that since 2005 has sought to build bridges between the LGBT community and the church through scientific research, biblical and social education, and diverse community gatherings (www.themarinfoundation.org).

As a participant in this curriculum, there may be times when you will be challenged to go beyond your comfort level and other times when you may or may not agree with everything said on the video. The hope is that you will continue to move through places of discomfort and become a bridge builder for the sake of Christ.

The curriculum is divided into six hour-long sessions. Each session includes:

The starter question is intended to orient your thinking toward the session topic. You may decide to answer the question as a group at the beginning of the discussion time or you may wish to reflect on the question prior to the group gathering.

During the video, you are encouraged to follow along or take notes using the basic outline printed in this participants guide. (Session videos average 23 minutes.)

Following the video are several questions to help facilitate the discussion of the material and also to help you reflect and act on what you are learning.

Next, you will explore one of the Scripture passages presented in the video (or other passages related to the topic).

If your group has time, please view one of the stories on the Real Stories section of the video. (These bonus videos vary in length from 711 minutes.)

The session ends with a concluding thought or prayer suggestion. Discussion about a topic such as homosexuality can be very personal and generate numerous emotions. Use this time to check in with each other and make sure everyone feels at least some degree of closure. Perhaps it would be appropriate to pray for someone or apologize to someone at this time.

Each session features action steps to continue the learning process between meetings. Consider discussing the results of the previous weeks efforts during each group gathering. Or you may choose to keep a journal of your next steps. Discussions are important, but never let them take the place of active living, learning, and implementation in your everyday life and local community.

In this ebook edition, please use your devices note-taking function to record your thoughts wherever you see the bracketed instructions [Your Notes] or [Your Response]. Use your devices highlighting function to record your response whenever you are asked to checkmark, circle, underline, or otherwise indicate your answer(s).