‘And such were some of you’—says the apostle Paul to the Corinthians—‘but you have been sanctified’. Yes, some of us were fornicators, idolaters, homosexuals, covetous, drunkards, among many other sorts of sinners, but the Spirit of God has spoken into our consciences and empowered us to abandon these ways of life. Nobody coerced us. What we once loved, we now abhor, because now we know Christ. The love of Christ is transformative, and no threat, no ban, and no amount of persecution will ever stop us, his Church, from proclaiming him, that he may transform many others as well. Sanctification does not always entail a change towards heterosexual attraction or the disappearance of feelings of discomfort with one’s own body, but it always results in a genuine desire to live in a God-honouring manner despite all obstacles. This is the cross that we, Christians, bear with joy. Those who seek pastoral support to live in chastity or to embrace their sex must be able to receive it in the Church, regardless of whether the state deems it legal or illegal.
On 29 January 2026, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) passed a resolution for a ban on ‘conversion practices on LGBTQ+ people’, following a Citizens Initiative. Their definition of conversion practices encompasses both coercive methods—which we condemn—, as well as ‘psychological or behavioural counselling, [and] spiritual and religious rituals’. If there is any abusive or coercive method that is not yet outlawed in the EU, we would gladly support its prohibition, but this definition regrettably puts pastoral care in the same category. If this resolution is implemented, the solemn duty of the Church to offer biblical counselling to repentant sinners and pray for them would become a crime. The organisers of the initiative consider all these practices inhuman because they are ‘based on the false belief that such core aspects of a person’s identity [sic.] are pathological or undesirable or somehow able to change’.
Are same-sex attraction and gender dysphoria core aspects of a person’s identity? We beg to differ. Have, then, those of us who no longer indulge in homosexuality—and gladly so—lost their identity? Are those of us who reject their bodies no more, and have peace by embracing their biological sex, lesser men or women? By no means. For the true core element of a human’s identity is to be made in the image of God as male or female. It is grievous both to boast on one’s sex and to reject it, just as it is grievous both to distort the covenant of marriage and to break it. But in Christ Jesus we find forgiveness and grace and power to live a godly life. Our neighbours who are affected by these conditions deserve our respect—as all our neighbors do—, but they also deserve to know this news. And if this very article becomes a crime in the eyes of man, so be it, for it is loving to both God and man.
One of our partners in Germany, the Alliance for Church Support (Gemeindehilfsbund), released a statement one day after the resolution was passed, where they skillfully exposed its fallacies and even its illegality. At Crossbearer, we fully support this statement, in accordance with our 95 theses. We encourage Christians in all of Europe to stand for the principles outlined in it. Please pray that the Lord have mercy and thwart this impious initiative. You may download the official English translation on the link below:
