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WordAlone Board member
—writes ELCA about sexuality
by Stephanie Olson (WordAlone board member)
August 20, 2004
I would like to share my personal testimony on this issue, and how my Christian faith and instructions by my Lutheran church in my teen years helped me deal with my sexuality at a vulnerable moment in my life 26 years ago.
I was 23 years old, recently graduated from college, and happily married for three years. I was (and still am) an avid and eclectic reader. 
Because of this, I often picked up a book and skimmed a section to determine if the book was worth reading further. Once, I picked up a mystery, romance paperback novel and started reading. I happened to open the book to a section that graphically described one woman bringing another woman to orgasm. I was stunned, but could not stop reading. I was aroused, and disturbed by my arousal.
But I never acted on the temptation. Why? Because I was and still am a committed Lutheran, Christian woman. I was instructed in Luther's Small Catechism, and learned the deeper meaning of the Ten Commandments. I knew the Bible said homosexual sex was morally wrong. I had been inadvertently aroused and tempted, but because of the moral code that had been set by my confirmation instruction, an understanding of God's Word and my personal relationship with my Lord Jesus, I did not act on the temptation or the arousal.
The current national debate on homosexual marriage and the "Journey Together Faithfully" study on sexuality presented by the ELCA national office has brought back the memory of that incident.
Twenty-six years ago I did not act on what I read or how I felt; and the temptation faded into oblivion. Now, as I look back, I thank God for the foundation of faith and Bible instruction that had grounded my life on God's standards and set the moral code in my heart (credo) for such decisions. If I had not had these, I may have submitted to the temptation, experimented with homosexual sex and lost all that is most precious to me now, my husband (who after 29 years is still my best friend and lover) and my two girls (who had not yet been conceived and who are a joy and blessing to my life).
I have been listening to the debate, both sides, and have heard the pain, loneliness and emptiness expressed by persons who "perceive themselves as homosexuals." I could have been one of them, but am not because of the moral code taught by my family and my church. Because of my personal experience, I understand our vulnerability to sexual temptation and am very aware of how dangerous it is for us to "play" with sex in any form outside of marriage (man and woman).
I feel for our young people today and our church. It is very difficult to teach the moral code of abstinence until marriage and faithfulness in marriage in a world that bombards us with sex in the media in all shapes and forms, and tries to show us how "harmless" it all is. It is difficult to stand firm on God's standards in our time, and easier to "feel compassionate" with those who have been tempted and/or aroused to seek sexual gratification in a homosexual manner.
My prayer is that the ELCA would continue to protect people like myself. My prayer is that we as a church would continue to teach God's moral code—designed not to condemn us, but to show us not to “play in traffic"—guiding us when we need to make decisions in the face of temptations such as the one I shared above. I pray that we will fight against the media that throws temptation in the face of our youth daily. I pray that we will teach abstinence, lift up the blessings of faithful marriage and trust that the God—who designed us male and female—truly knew what He was doing when He said, "It is good."
Sincerely in Christ,
Stephanie Olson