Ask me (Almost?) Anything
By Heather Peterson
If you’ve ever been in a conversation with someone about Christianity and been unsure how to respond, join the club ... and read on.
We receive many questions at the Colson Center. You’re likely not surprised that the subject of many of them is how to relate to family members who have claimed an LGBTQ identity.
I get it.
I have a family member who has chosen to be estranged because of his claim to an LGBTQ identity. When I reach out, he only responds to communication about family genetic information. At least it’s something.
As we pray as a family for this relative, I have a hard time expressing to my own children the confusing ideas in our society regarding sexuality and gender. (And God bless them, they are more faithful to call on God for him than I am!)
That’s what our short, animated What Would You Say? videos are for. These approximately 5-minute videos break down complex topics in a clear, succinct format. They answer a question that you’re likely to be asked.
“These approximately 5-minute videos break down complex topics in a clear, succinct format. They answer a question that you’re likely to be asked.”
An example of one question we’ve received is “Should I attend a same-sex wedding?”
In a recent Gallup poll, 41% of those who attend church weekly support same-sex “marriage,” while 67% of those who attend church less frequently do. That’s a lot of pressure to attend. You’re seen as unloving if you don’t. But if you’re like me, your intuition is telling you that you better prayerfully think about what a wedding actually is before you make a decision.
Some people see a wedding as maintaining the beauty of how God designed man and woman to relate at the beginning of creation. They view a wedding as the beginning of a marriage that images Christ and the Church and as a public act they lovingly bear witness to or refuse to bear witness to. This upcoming WWYS video will remind its viewers of the truth of what a wedding is and what it is for— and it is this kind of content we'll be producing more of in the coming year.
Are you ready to get involved with What Would You Say? As we look forward into the next six months, our goal is to produce an additional twelve videos to continue providing simple, accessible answers to complex issues. These videos allow people like me to know how to answer my own children when they ask me honest questions about how to relate to our LGBTQ relative. From conception to production, each video requires the joint efforts of a talented team of writers, animators, and producers — and none of that is possible without your partnership. For example, a single gift of $124 allows 200 new people to be reached with WWYS content — that’s two hundred more questions answered, two hundred more life-bringing conversations happening around dinner tables, and two hundred more people equipped with clarity in chaos.
So, what would you say?
BY HEATHER PETERSON
BY HEATHER PETERSON
Heather Peterson, PhD, is the Senior Editor at the Colson Center. A former associate professor of English, she's written for publications such as Mere Orthodoxy, InterVarsity's The Well, and the Mudroom. She's most inspired by her two remarkably different daughters.