True Freedom Trust (TFT) is a "UK-based teaching and pastoral support ministry that holds to the orthodox biblical view of sex, gender and relationships". It takes the view that homosexual activity is

sin In religious context, sin is a transgression against divine law or a law of the deities. Each culture has its own interpretation of what it means to commit a sin. While sins are generally considered actions, any thought, word, or act considered ...

ful, but being

homosexual Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between people of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" exc ...

is not sinful in and of itself and, therefore, advocates celibacy for those of its gay and lesbian members who do not consider marriage to someone of the opposite sex to be a viable option. While this view is usually strongly rejected by LGBT organizations and individuals, there are some LGBT-identified Christians who emphatically support and practice it.

History

True freedom Trust was founded in 1977 by

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

clergyman Canon L. Roy Barker and Martin Hallett, a man who had been "involved in a homosexual lifestyle" for nine years. Chris Medcalf, who founded the Turnabout UK organisation and ran the London office of True Freedom Trust after Turnabout merged with it, had to resign when his improper conduct with male clients was made public in 1995. Canon Barker died in 2004, and the organisation was led by Martin Hallett until his retirement in 2009. In 2001, when UK ex-gay ministry Courage UK announced it was now gay-affirming, TFT Director Martin Hallett told supporters that TFT would not be following suit, and that it retained the belief that homosexual "genital activity" was always wrong. In 2004, the Holy Trinity Church in Barnet pledged to give £5,500 a year to the True Freedom Trust to encourage sexual transformation. In October 2009, Jonathan Berry was appointed as the new Director. Berry says that he was converted out of homosexuality at the age of 24. In January 2018, Stuart Parker was appointed as the new Director.

Description

True Freedom Trust is based in Wirral, UK. In 2018, True Freedom Trust had 1800 members and 14 local support groups for men and women and their families in the UK and Ireland. TFT generally works on a referral basis, where Christians who are "struggling" with their sexuality are put in touch with the main office, assessed, and advised what to do next. Often this involves one-to-one support, or referral to a local "

Barnabas Barnabas (; ; ), born Joseph () or Joses (), was according to tradition an early Christians, Christian, one of the prominent Disciple (Christianity), Christian disciples in Jerusalem. According to Acts 4:36, Barnabas was a Cypriot Jews, Cyprio ...

" group for ongoing support. The Barnabas groups are informal meetings designed for Christians (in theory, both gay and straight) to offer one another support and encouragement. There are several nationwide. TFT has made it clear that it does not advocate conversion therapy, but rather Christian discipleship, as the hope for same-sex attracted Christians."Can sexual orientation be changed?", TFT Website
/ref> TFT does not generally encourage gay Christians to expect to be healed of their orientation, although it says that change is possible. Therefore, although because of its historical affiliations and its stance against homosexual behavior, it is often considered to be a part of the ex-gay movement, but this is actually not the case.

References

External links

{{Portal, Christianity, sexuality
Official website
LGBTQ and Christianity Christian parachurch organizations

History

Description

See also

References

External links