Christians what do you think of this mans ministry,could you do what he did?

[Wellll... hello then!]

‘The Cross in the Closet’: Religious man goes ‘undercover’ as gay for one year to learn empathy
By Jordana Divon | Shine On – Mon, 15 Oct, 2012 3:08 PM EDT
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Timothy Kurek lived as a gay man for a year to overcome his own prejudices. (Facebook)
"Walk a mile in someone else's shoes" is a phrase often said to those who show prejudice toward an individual or a group. And empathy is seen as the first step toward abolishing those very same hatreds and stereotypes.
In Timothy Kurek's case, however, the analogy would be closer to running an entire marathon in the shoes of the gay community he had been taught to hate by his conservative Christian upbringing.
"You learned to be very afraid of God," Kurek tells ABC News of his church. "The loving thing to do is to tell my friend who is gay, 'Hey, listen, you are an abomination and you need to repent to go to heaven.' I absolutely believed in that lock, stock and barrel."

As he documents in his book, The Cross in the Closet, the 26-year-old man decided to go "undercover" for one year as a gay man living in Nashville, Tenn. — part of the American South known as the "Bible Belt" for its strong evangelical demographic.
He says he was spurred to action after a church friend confided that her family had kicked her out when she revealed she was a lesbian.
"I feel God really kicked me in the gut," he continues. "She was crying in my arms and instead of being there for her, I was thinking about all the arguments to convert her."
This time, Kurek decided to go on a spiritual quest to learn empathy and understanding.
"In order to walk in their shoes, I had to have the experience of being gay. I had to come out to my friends and family and the world as a gay man," he tells the Observer.
Kurek, who studied at Virginia's Christian Liberty College, let three people in on his plan: his liberal-minded aunt and two friends.
One of those friends, a gay man named Shawn, pretended to be Kurek's boyfriend in order to shield him from unwanted advances from other men.
During his acclimation, Kurek went to gay bars, took a job in a gay café and joined gay sports teams.
Though he struggled — particularly through the loss of "95 per cent" of his friends and the disdain of his mother — Kurek persevered and stuck to his task.

In the process, he made tons of new gay friends, overcame an initial "revulsion" to the lifestyle and even attended gay rights protests against the Vatican.
But he also saw the ugly side of humanity, the side that routinely hurtled derogatory and abusive slurs at him and made him feel excluded.
"When I was first called [faggot] for real, I lost it. I saw red. I felt so violated by that word," he tells the paper.
By the end of his project, Kurek's views had completely changed.
"I want this seen as a people issue," he writes in his book. "When we are shunning people, we are shunning Fred and John and Liz and Mary. These are human people."
Just as importantly, his mother, who initially wrote in her journal that she would rather have "terminal cancer" than a gay son, is now a fervent supporter of LGBT rights.

[HOLYROLLER]

we are to show Christ in us,not pretend something else,sin is sin,no need to undercover it to know this,God will send to us those he wants saved,if we shine the light of God.

[T68]

Told you it was a choice! Just kidding, I had to let that one out. I choose to be less rude for the rest of this answer:

This is a pretty daring "experiment", but it doesn't produce empathy. Sympathy maybe, but not empathy. Empathy sees your pain wants to help you OUT of your rut. Sympathy jumps in and wants to join you in complaining and sharing the pain. See the difference?

[dee D]

These folks who think God will love them less because if their sexuality are going to the wrong Church.
I really have my doubts that many US Churches are actually Christian as they are closer to money making organizations than adherents to Christian doctrine.
As a practicing Christian I know my God loves all of his children regardless of their colour, race, sexual orientation, so if God can love a lesbian or gay how can a man or woman disown their child and still claim to be a Christian.
I'm a supporter of God but really not too keen on some of his fan club

[seekingwidow]

That's just sad. There have been many people that acted out a lifestyle that was considered out of the "norm" Fat people are discriminated against, people of all races and depending where you go
Americans are frowned on. Discrimination is wrong but so is lying. You really proved nothing new. You did not, I assume, have the feelings of attraction or have sexual relations with another man so you could not possibly understand the sexual issue involved and that is that main issue, the sin. Most gays I know are normal acting men in public and I have great respect for them as humans and friends. I do not condone their make a sexual display or declaration
God clearly states His view in Leviticus 20:13 "If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them." Thankfully we have grace through Christ, but as He said to many "go and sin no more".
We need to Love one another but we do not have to accept the sin or expose our family to the sin. I can love you and have a good relationship with you until you act out your sin in my presents, no matter what your sin is. If I truly love you I would do all I could to get you help no matter what your sin.
I worry that the pastor commited sin to try to understand a sin. I think I would find another church.

[Forrest Toney]

I love everybody more than most people love their own family . But , I tell the difference between stupidity and intelligence . Gay people most likely were never brought up by an opposite sex parent in love . Besides the main reason for sex is for a blue man to blend with a red woman so they both can achieve a more royal purple color , like God had to .

[Tristen]

It's a pity he needed to go to these lengths to figure it out.

The reality of the gospel is "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16)

"the world" includes gays. Jesus loves these people so much that he suffered the cross in order to make reconciliation with God (or salvation from sin) available to them. That doesn't mitigate the fact that homosexual practice is a sin, and it indicates a rejection of God's offer. But it does logically mitigate any right we have to treat any non-Christian with disrespect. My Lord loves these people so much. How can I claim to be honoring Him whilst deriding those for whom He died.

[Madghost524]

There is no reason to. He was a liberal before he began his task. He may have also been closet.

The Bible is very clear we are not to harass or treat those who practice certain sins differently than any other sinner.

I have found the reception of the Gospel by a practicing homosexual or lesbian is equivalent to the long-term drug addict. It is almost impossible for them to listen at all. Preaching to them is analogous to a dog chasing it's own tail.