Welcome to Pilot Light!  

Welcome to Pilot Light! How appropriate that we launch our first issue just after Easter. Even though His disciples had seen and touched the Risen Lord Jesus, they still feared what others could do to them. It wasn't until the Holy Spirit came upon them that they develop a fearlessness to boldly preach the Good News of Christ's sacrifice and God's love. While I certainly do not compare our efforts to those of the Holy Spirit, our mission is designed to spark change across our land.  At ROCK, we are motivated by Jesus' words in Luke 12:49: "I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!"
 

While ROCK serves many people, some of whom do not belong to a community of faith, we also recognize the trust and responsibility you have to lead those under your care. Pilot Light will be a valuable tool to serve you in that role. This newsletter is designed to help ordained and lay leaders talk about issues important to the individuals and families they serve as well as the community at large.

We have been so pleased to build abiding relationships with clergy and ministry leaders.  Many of you have told us how difficult it is to talk about s*xuality and p*rnography in the church setting. "If I open that door," we've heard you say, "what will I do if someone comes to me with deep s*xual brokenness? I don't know how to handle that." This is an honest response that other leaders also share.

Each month we will be addressing these issues head on by sharing relevant research and online resources to equip you in your goal to better serve your community. It is also my hope that Pilot Light will provide the opportunity for an open a dialogue where we can hear from you to better understand your needs and learn from your perspective. ROCK is thrilled to partner with you in your important work of bringing truth and hope to those in your congregation and community.

If you think this newsletter would be of interest to your colleagues, please forward it and invite them to sign up as well. Thank you for joining in the battle for hearts and minds challenged by a culture that would be impossible to navigate without those dedicated to shining the light of truth and compassion.  Please let us know your thoughts of this first addition. I look forward to hearing from you.

MaryAnn Gramig

President

The redemption of sexuality

 Recognizing the joy of Easter, we wanted to share some resources that speak to Christ's redemption of our s*xuality. This is one area of belief and practice that impacts everyone but is often neglected by theologians and church leaders. Given the very public battles over s*xual ethics in our culture today, we feel the Church needs to spend more time on these matters than it has.
 
One way the Church has been influenced by the world, perhaps, is in seeing s*xuality as something people "do" rather than something people "are." Genesis teaches that human were made male and female in God's image and likeness. Our genderedness is not a social construct, as the world wants us to believe, but is an integral aspect of our design. Therefore, being male or female is critical to our identity. Identity drives behavior. We act in a certain way because of how we conceive of ourselves.
 

While we can agree with the world that we are s*xual beings, we differ in that the world views sexuality as a means to serve one's self. Christians, on the other hand, understand that our s*xuality is a way we serve others and God. Jesus' model of sacrificial, self-giving love guides the proper stewardship of our s*xuality. That is not to put God's love in a s*xual context, but to place our s*xuality in the larger picture of God's plan for us. To begin to talk about s*xuality in the Church is to start with our identity.

The good news is that some church and parachurch organizations are beginning to address human s*xuality. In the column to the right we highlight four online statements of belief about God's design for human s*xuality. We are not promoting one above the others, but include them for your personal study and reflection. Bookmark these and delve into them as you are able. Also, if you know of other such teaching resources, please pass them along to us at pilotlight@myrocktoday.org. We'd love to hear your thoughts about these resources or how you have addressed s*xuality in your church. Please drop us a line at the same address above.

Daniel Weiss

Director of Research and National Outreach