March 25, 2003
JEFFERSON CITY – Christine Sneeringer isn’t a homosexual.
But you couldn’t say that about Christine a few years ago.
In fact, she was a practicing lesbian involved in several illicit relationships with women in Florida. It’s not something Christine is proud of today because a friend introduced her to Jesus and her life has changed.
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| Christine Sneeringer, an escapee from the world of homosexuality, says Christians should acknowledge the holiness of God and forget their own agenda. |
But Christine’s past does qualify her to talk about the homosexual movement from a different standpoint. And that’s what she did on a recent visit to Missouri, sharing her testimony at churches in St. Louis and Jefferson City..
While in Missouri, Christine also sat down with The Pathway to share her views about the sin that once had a stronghold on her life. First and foremost, she said, Missouri Baptists should not be deceived by homosexuality.
A pro-homosexual agenda on the William Jewell College campus has provoked an inquiry by a subcommittee of the Missouri Baptist Convention’s Executive Board.
Concerning the William Jewell situation, Christine said she was not familiar with happenings at the Liberty campus. She added, however, that she is not surprised and attributed the pro-homosexual viewpoints at William Jewell to deception.
"I haven’t heard anything about what is happening at William Jewell, but that sort of thing is not uncommon," she said. "That kind if thing is happening all across the country where people are reinterpreting the Scriptures to affirm homosexuality. There is a pro-gay theology that is sweeping even some denominations, so I am familiar with this particular issue.
"I think people are just deceived to believe in the lies," added Christine, who now heads up Worthy Creations in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. " We have an enemy who is very cunning and, unfortunately, has convinced a lot of people on this particular issue that there is nothing wrong with it.
"A lot of scholarly people try to reinterpret Scripture and say, wait a second, that’s talking about a different day, a different age. It’s not talking about us who were born this way. It’s only talking about people who weren’t born homosexuals.
"I don’t believe we can do that with Scripture. I believe that we need to recognize the holiness of God and take all Scripture, not just a part of it. It’s not our job to come up with any kind of an agenda except for acknowledging that God is holy. We need to forget our own agenda and ask God, ‘What are you saying to me?’"
"Their thinking is that we are who we are and this is God’s gift to us. We need to celebrate that. They have reinterpreted Scriptures," Christine said.
"They have slanted it so that their bias can fit with their god. It’s like they have a new god and a new theology so that everything works for them."
It was about 18 years ago when Christine bought into the lie.
"Asleep in the darkness of my bedroom, a real nightmare unfolded," she writes in a recent issue of the LifeWay publication Christian Single. "I woke to the touch of a man’s hand on my body. It was my 17-year-old cousin, an unwelcome visitor, coming for the second time under the cover of night to take advantage of a 12-year-old girl.
"Feeling ashamed and embarrassed, I pretended to be asleep while his hands roamed freely. Inside I seethed with anger, wondering why this was happening to me and how to make him stop. I prayed for him to go away, but God did not answer."
This was the start, she said, of a road that led to the homosexual adventure.
"For years I hid my secret in my heart. Meanwhile it took its toll on my mind, shaping my beliefs about men and women. Life had already taught me that men are only interested in sex and that being a woman was a liability. Being sexually abused only reinforced my already warped view of men," she said.
Christine began looking up to her older brother and wanted to be strong and tough like him.
"I emulated him in every way and even wore his hand-me-down clothes," she said. "Unlike my sister, I shunned playing with dolls and excelled at sports, mastering everything from tennis to little league baseball to sandlot football. I developed masculine qualities and found acceptance as one of the guys."
Christine entered school with a twisted view of men, believing all were sexual predators. "With my masculine appearance and mannerisms, some people assumed I was gay, including my best friend, Kim. She thought we would be perfect for each other," Christine said.
The homosexual days included relationships with several women, the first a 17-year-old girl when Christine was 15 and the last a married woman.
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Tips for ministering to someone dealing with homosexuality
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The masculine tendencies possessed by Christine directed her toward the homosexual world, but the tendencies also put her in a position to be delivered from homosexuality.
‘I was a lesbian for six years and thought I would always be gay," she said. "I never knew that change was possible. But in my early 20s, I met some Christians who showed me an even better love – the love that God had for me. Still in a homosexual relationship, I joined a friend’s church softball team. I just wanted to play ball, but God had other ideas."
It was because a Christian friend befriended Christine that she is no longer a homosexual. And this is why she thinks Baptists today should not be so distant from the sin.
"Let me tell you one thing," she said. "I wanted to change, but it was the hardest thing I have ever done … A homosexual has to want freedom, and it takes tenacity. Like any other lifestyle management thing, you have to be committed and tenacious enough to get through something that has been cultivated for years.
"Something like Exodus International is one of the best kept secrets in the church, and sometimes even Christian leaders are the biggest obstacles because they think we don’t have that problem here or we shouldn’t be talking about these things in church.
"I think that is tragic," Christine said. "because the world is talking about sex from its fallen perspective, so I think it is time the church talks about these issues from God’s perspective. I find that Christians are believing the same things the world believes – that people are born this way and that they cannot change.
"They may hear a message on homosexuality condemning them, but it’s not a message of redemption. That message is not widely heard, so that is why I love to share."
Here’s how Christine describes how she heard the message of redemption.
"For 18 months, I played on the women’s softball team for Idlewild Baptist Church in Tampa. Fla. During that time, I was drawn by the love my fellow teammates had for one another and for me. It seemed so pure and so right.
"They knew I was different because of my foul language and unsportsmanlike conduct on the field. But they never treated me like an outsider. Their attitude made me want what they had – a relationship with Christ. I started going to church regularly and became a Christian in November 1989."
At the time, Christine thought she had been born as a homosexual.
"I didn’t know change was possible. I didn’t know it was an option for me. I thought that was just who I am. I hadn’t known anybody who had changed. I wasn’t looking to change, but when my life intersected with God through Jesus Christ is when I realized that this is not who He made me to be and that He had something better for me."
Christine remembers the day.
"It was a girl I had been playing softball with on the church team. It was about the second week and we were going through a book that talks about the assurance of salvation. I didn’t have any assurance of my own salvation," Christine said.
"It was in my dorm room at the University of Tampa. I kneeled and prayed right there. I didn’t hear angels singing or the Hallelujah chorus, but I knew that a transaction had taken place. It was a very intimate moment.
"I didn’t know what I was getting in for, but I knew at that point that I did want God in my life."
Christine doesn’t know if she would have come out of the homosexual world any earlier if someone had approached her in Christian love. But she does think other homosexuals might come out if Christians did not possess such a derisive attitude toward the sin.
"The world and the media have stifled the message that exodus is possible and available," Christine said. "I think we (Christians) have been labeled as hateful, bigoted, hurtful and prejudiced because a segment of the church has responded, unfortunately, to the militant gay agenda in anger.
"When people say you’re gay and God hates you and hates what you do, that is the wrong message," Christine said.
"I don’t try to recruit people or browbeat people into change. I don’t have time to deal with people who really don’t want out," she said. "That would be a waste of my time and their time. You’ve got to want out. That’s the only way you’re ever going to be able to walk in freedom."