The first time I saw him he was loud, fashionably dressed, clearly the life of the party, and surrounded by girls and another “flaming” boy. He travels in a pack of 5. When I speak to him, he avoids eye-contact, compliments me on my clothes and plays with the beads he wears around his neck. I spot him and his crew at various places around the school, in the lunch room, and walking on campus. I am drawn to him. My heart aches for him. I turn my back to keep my composure and whisper a prayer for him every time I see him.

What on earth are we doing to our boys? He is only 16 and has already given in to a homosexual identity. The working definition of a homosexual for New Hope Ministries is “One who is motivated, in adult life, by a definite preferential erotic attraction to members of the same sex and who usually, but not necessarily, engages in overt sexual relations with them.” So, how can a child know if he is gay or not? Does he know? Was he born gay? Clearly, his behavior in public and his obvious pleas for attention are symptomatic of a much deeper issue he is dealing with in private. And, I can see right past the mask he wears. Who hurt this child? Who does not love this child the way he should be loved? He is searching for something that only God can fill.

Homosexuality is sin (Leviticus 18:22). People are not born gay. Christians need to stop accepting everything that everyone does in the name of Christian love. “Doom to you who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness in place of light and light in place of darkness, who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!” (Isaiah 5:20 MSG). Stop giving our children over to Satan’s grip by allowing the media to determine our doctrine and influence our moral barometer. Satan knows that our boys will grow up to be heads of governments, leaders of churches, and priests of homes. If he can pounce on, abuse, and/or confuse our boys at a young age, it is more likely that our boys will not become men who grow into Biblical manhood.

We need more men to come from behind the walls of churches and find the boys who are roaming the halls of schools, in the malls, or lost in the streets. We need men of God who are committed, secure in their manhood, and willing to allow God to use them to reach out to a generation that blurs the line between male and female. We can no longer ignore the lies being taught in gay churches, the normalcy of gay lifestyles bombarding us in the media, or the lie that homosexuals cannot be changed.

”Don't you realize that this is not the way to live? Unjust people who don't care about God will not be joining in his kingdom. Those who use and abuse each other, use and abuse sex, use and abuse the earth and everything in it, don't qualify as citizens in God's kingdom. A number of you know from experience what I'm talking about, for not so long ago you were on that list. Since then, you've been cleaned up and given a fresh start by Jesus, our Master, our Messiah, and by our God present in us, the Spirit” (I Corinthians 6:9-11 MSG).

There is hope. Homosexuals can be changed if they allow Christ into their lives. Are you willing to introduce those who are crying out for help (no matter how unreceptive they are) to a Savior who loves unconditionally, heals every affliction, and wipes the slate clean no matter what the sin is? It is our responsibility, Christians, to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with all. We simply cannot afford to allow any generation of our boys to go up in "flames."

Note: “Flaming” is not the preferred description of the author for homosexuals. It is a term that is widely used by students and co-workers at my school to describe the population of boys who are openly gay.