Evangelicals, gay persons, and hospitality.

This project addressed how the evangelical Church can maintain biblical and theological integrity while showing intentional hospitality to gay persons. The qualitative research occurred in two phases. The first phase involved a survey of evangelical pastors ascertaining their church’s practices and attitudes toward welcoming gay persons into their churches. The second phase involved an intervention with a sample group of lay persons at First Baptist Church, Scottsdale, Arizona, to test a framework by which an evangelical Church might offer hospitality to gay persons. This included an initial assessment of their pre-existing attitudes, a course of study, individual interviews and a post-study assessment.