Christian men struggling with homosexuality often feel alone in their plight, but the storytelling project "Your Other Brothers" hopes to connect these individuals and comfort them in the fact that they are not the only ones struggling with unwanted sexual desires.
Two millennial men Tom Zuniga, 29, and Elliott Gladwin, 28, were total strangers who Googled "Christians struggling with homosexuality." The search led them to a blog called Xanga where several Christian men who have the same issue are sharing their personal stories and struggles.
Zuniga and Gladwin became friends through that blog, and their friendship helped them cope with their issues. When Xanga went defunct in 2013, the two launched their own website "Your Other Brothers" in November 2015 to send this positive message to homosexual Christian men: "You don't have to experience this alone."
"We are saying to other believers out there who struggle with their sexuality, 'We are your other brothers, you're not alone, there are others just like you." Gladwin explained to The Christian Post. "You have brothers in the faith who are like you."
Zuniga said they feel a burden in their hearts because of their sexual attractions. At the same time, they uphold the Bible's teachings on traditional marriage being between man and woman only. He said their website seeks to help people let go of their fears and darkest secrets to enable them to move on.
"The reality is that they will probably find just a bunch of heated articles or debates from both sides of this issue, and voices yelling at them. But nobody really hearing honest, genuine stories of what it's like to pursue God in light of wrestling with these struggles," said Zuniga.
The two also reject the idea currently being promoted by authors, bloggers, and even intellectuals that the Christian faith affirms certain kinds of same-sex relationships. "I think their views are completely unfounded biblically," Gladwin said. "Look into the language, it's always male and female."
It's true that Jesus and John or David and Jonathan have close male friendships, but that does not mean they are homosexuals. "It is just because we have this wrong lens," said Gladwin. "We need to understand what their true, biblical male intimacy meant, what real covenant relationships look like, what healthy, godly expressions of love look like. Because men are starving for it."
