Married Pastor Admits to Having Homosexual Attractions; 'We All Have Part of Our Desires We Choose Not to Act On'
A Pennsylvania pastor who struggles with same-sex attraction has come forward to talk about his marriage to his longtime friend and wife who says their challenges are no different that every other married couple.
Allan Edwards, a pastor at Kiski Valley Presbyterian Church in Leechburg, married his wife, Leanne, who he met at a Christian summer camp. The couple is now expecting a baby in July, and despite having feelings for men, Edwards insists that he's happily married.
"It was a pretty immediate realization that it [his attraction to the same sex] was in conflict with my faith," Edwards told NPR in a report that was broadcast on Sunday. "I didn't know anyone else who experienced same-sex attractions, so I didn't talk about it much at all." However, he did find acceptance at one of the places he least expected it — a small, Christian liberal arts college.
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Edwards explained that he also considered entering into a denomination that would allow for a homosexual relationship as well as his being an ordained minister.
"I studied different methods of reading the Scripture and it all came down to this: Jesus accepts the rest of the Scripture as divined from God. So if Jesus is who He says He is, then we kind of have to believe what He believes," he said.
Edwards and his wife had a frank discussion about his sexuality and same-sex attraction, and decided it wasn't necessarily a factor that would keep them from being together. As a result, they've been happily married and are expecting their first child.
"There's always going to be situations where a partner is sexually attracted to someone else and isn't necessarily dealing with sexual attraction with their partner," Leeanne explained.
When it came to applying to a pastoral position at Kiski, Edwards said he was open and honest.
"The first question a congregant asked in my interview in front of the whole church was, 'What is your biggest struggle in life?' and I shared this part of my story with the church," Edwards told Mail Online. "I preach on issues of sexuality when they come up in the Scripture text that day, but it's not a hobby horse of mine. I think we all have part of our desires that we choose not to act on, right? So for me, it's not just that the religion was important to me, but communion with a God who loves me, who accepts me right where I am."
The Christian Post contacted Edwards and Kiski Valley Presbyterian Church for comment but didn't receive a response at the time of this publication.
