Born into a Jewish family in New York City, Alex Haiken came to faith in Christ at age 29 after trying to disprove the bible. He found so much evidence in support of the claims of Christ and the bible that it required more faith to reject it than to believe it. Alex holds master’s degrees from Westminster Theological Seminary and from Brooklyn College, and a bachelor’s degree from New York Institute of Technology. He spent 23 years on staff at the United Nations, planning and managing complex and high visibility information technology projects, and 5 years as a Lifeline phone counselor at the Trevor Project, the leading national provider of crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to LGBTQ young people. He’s also been a presenter, teacher, and blogger with a focus on the intersection of faith and LGBTQ identity and has spoken and taught at multiple churches and other venues.
Alex came out as gay as a young teen but was taught when he came to faith that he could not be both Christian and gay. Eager to grow in his new faith, he initially got involved in the ex-gay movement but shifted his views after recognizing that when the few passages of Scripture generally appealed to in this debate are examined closely and in context, the traditional anti-gay position becomes exegetically unsupportable. Seeing the immense need for education in this area, he began to speak and write about his experience and new-found convictions. With the many changes we see in the political climate today, Alex believes such education could not be more acute.
Alex is not afraid to adopt unfashionable positions when integrity requires him to do so. The evangelical community loved him when he joined the ex-gay movement. But they weren’t so happy when he went on a serious exegetical journey that led him to denounce one of their prized beliefs. As he was rejected by the Jewish community when he concluded Christ is the Jewish Messiah that the Hebrew prophets pointed to, so too was he rejected by the Church for turning away from what he came to understand was a teaching that did not hold up to scrutiny.
Alex’s Jewish heritage has profoundly shaped his understanding of the gospel. In addition to helping other gay people integrate their faith with their sexuality, he is passionate about helping the Church better understand her rich Jewish roots, and helping other Jewish people understand Jesus as their Jewish Messiah. Alex also developed and taught from a 13-week course on Old Testament messianic prophecies that were fulfilled at the first coming of Christ. He remains strongly committed to the authority of the bible and has been dedicated to full LGBTQ inclusion in the Church for over 20 years.
It is Alex’s hope that you find new food and drink here on your journey to God. May these posts prompt you to explore the paths they suggest, leading to your own more sound thinking, exploration and action. If you like, feel free to visit the “Contact” page and let Alex know what you think.
On Being Jewish, Christian and Gay 