In his latest On the Square column , Russel E. Saltzman addresses sexual identity and identity in Christ:
Over the course of the eighteenth through twentieth centuries homosexuality came to be viewed as a biological or psychological anomaly. What was once regarded as an unusually nasty sin became a pathology to be cured. This generated some genuinely horrific quack “cures,” like testicular transplants and electro-shock therapy.
Considering the violence inflicted on gays as a punishment for sin or an attempted cure, it’s not surprising that they reject both classifications of their behavior. They have adopted instead, Selmys says, a “homosexual identity” producing today’s gay subculture and a wider acceptance of the gay life. “[H]omosexual identity cements same-sex attraction”—an otherwise transient bit of normal human experience—“as a crucial element of personality.”
Dear Reader,
Can I be direct with you?
War abroad. Socialists on the rise. AI upending human life. Endless uproar online. The modern attention economy doesn’t want readers — it wants users enslaved to the tyranny of the present.
First Things is the antidote: literary excellence, timeless truths, and a fixed point of reference in a culture that has lost its bearings.
But we can’t do it without readers like you.
Our goal: Raise $150,000 by November 1 to sustain First Things in the year ahead.
Your gift anchors readers in the permanent things.
Make your Fall Campaign gift now using the button below.
If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Giovanni Del Piero, Director of the Editor’s Circle, at gdelpiero@firstthings.com or 212-627-1985.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
The Church in the Age of Therapy
In 1966, Philip Rieff wrote in The Triumph of the Therapeutic that “Religious man was born to…
Canada’s Deadliest Blind Spot
On September 20, the Daily Mail ran a story with the provocative headline, “Our 83-year-old Christian grandmother…
The Faithful Joy of Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen
Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen seem to have had little in common. She favored rhinestones; he wore…
