Transforming Homosexuality: What the Bible Says about Sexual Orientation and Change (Burk & Lambert)

Faithful Christians today agree that the Bible forbids homosexual behavior. But when it comes to underlying desires, the jury is out. Some Christians view homosexual desire as morally neutral, while others believe it calls for repentance and gospel renewal.

Is same-sex attraction sinful, even if it is not acted on? How we answer this urgent question determines how we counsel brothers and sisters who wrestle with same-sex desires. Denny Burk and Heath Lambert challenge misconceptions on all sides as they unpack the concepts of same-sex orientation, temptation, and desire. They show that ultimately a biblical view gives hope for profound personal change, with patterns remolded and rethought in faithfulness to Christ.

Table of Contents:

Part One: The Ethics of Desire

1. What Is Same-Sex Attraction?

2. Is Same-Sex Attraction Sinful?

Part Two: The path of Transformation

3. Myths about Change

4. A Biblical Path to Change

5. How Evangelicals Can Change  

Authors

Denny Burk (PhD, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is professor of biblical studies at Boyce College. He has served as the editor of The Journal for Biblical Manhood & Womanhood and blogs at www.dennyburk.com, where he frequently deals with gender and sexuality from a biblical perspective.

Heath Lambert (PhD, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is executive director of the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors and professor of biblical counseling at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and Boyce College. 

Endorsements

“Denny Burk and Heath Lambert have written a clear, compassionate, and thought-provoking book on how the gospel brings transformation to those struggling with homosexuality. Our hope is not the heterosexuality-or-bust shtick of reparative therapy, but the wondrous prospect of growing in holiness and Christlikeness that comes through repentance and faith. This is essential reading for every pastor and for any seeking to bless and minister to those with same-sex attraction in our churches.” — Sam Allberry, Associate Minister of St Mary's Church, Maidenhead UK; author of Is God Anti-Gay? and James For You

“In Principles of Conduct, John Murray reminds us that ‘the line of demarcation between virtue and vice is not a chasm but a razor’s edge.’ In Transforming Homosexuality, Denny Burk and Heath Lambert shine scholarly and pastoral light on that razor’s edge, helping Christians to discern the difference between sexual temptation and sexual lust as it bears on same-sex attraction. This is a bold and provocative book. It will also likely be a controversial book. But it is predominantly a loving book that seeks to help people with unwanted homosexual desires be transformed by the full knowledge that God’s grace for us in Christ is sufficient for all our various struggles and sins.” — Rosaria Butterfield

“Under pressure from worldly trendsetters, many in the church (including several key evangelical leaders) have adopted the position that homosexual desire may in some sense be ‘normal.’ Homosexual acts are sinful, they say, but a homosexual orientation is not inherently unrighteous. In Transforming Homosexuality, Denny Burk and Heath Lambert address that idea with biblical clarity and godly wisdom. This is an important book about an issue that has overwhelmed our culture.” — John MacArthur