Sophomore Kim Cherry went to the Christian Student Foundation'spresentation "Jesus and Homosexuals" seeking answers.
A friend of Cherry was struggling with lesbian feelings, and shesaid that she wanted to learn how to help her friend.
She said that Andrea Replogle's story of her struggle withlesbian feelings and how her Christian friends helped her appealedto Cherry's questions the most.
"I thought about Andrea and the ladies that talked to her, theytalked to her and they didn't even talk about the issue ofhomosexuality," Cherry said. "She said it didn't matter. Whatmattered is that she knew God. It seems like every time I talk withmy friend, it's about her struggle with homosexuality."
Mark Pike, senior campus minister of the Christian StudentFoundation, said that Christians should show compassion andunderstanding to people struggling with gay feelings in the waythat Jesus helped the "ritually unclean."
"Jesus does not hate homosexuals," he said.
Pike used the Bible to convey the message that Jesus was morestrict than his contemporaries.
"Christians today believe that actions are sin," Pike said."Jesus says that the thoughts of sin are sinful. Jesus in no wayhates sinners. He would help homosexuals as people struggling witha sin and he would help them with grace and compassion."
Brad Grammer, executive director of Hope and New Life Ministriesin Indianapolis, said he struggled with gay feelings as a boy andan adolescent.
"I never sought to change my sexual desires," Grammer said.
After thinking of suicide, he turned to a youth pastor at hiscollege as a last resort.
"Sharing helped me to realize that I'm not the only one withproblems," he said.
Grammer said that after years of working on his struggles, hewas able to confront his problems with men and resolve thoseproblems.
"I experienced a complete change in my sexual desires," hesaid.
Replogle, part-time campus minister for The Revolution, said shefelt a change in her sexual desires after she worked on problemswith her parents that she said led to her lesbian behavior.
"God changed my life dramatically," Replogle said.
Students and community members at the event said that thespeakers were very respectful of all perspectives.
"I thought it was good that they gave us a chance to askquestions," Steve Adams, member of the Jesus Metropolitan CommunityChurch in Indianapolis, said. "I think they gave honest answers, soI was happy about that ... I appreciate that they were respectful."
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