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Christian Physicians on Conversion Therapy: What Faith-Focused Doctors Tell Their Own Patients
Faith-focused physicians and Christian professional bodies who have gone on record draw a clear line: coercive, clinical conversion therapy is not something they recommend, but reaching that conclusion has not required them to set scripture aside
Faith-focused physicians and Christian professional bodies who have gone on record draw a clear line: coercive, clinical conversion therapy is not something they recommend, but reaching that conclusion has not required them to set Scripture aside.
The Christian Medical Fellowship, a UK organization representing thousands of practicing Christian physicians, has stated it would support banning “abusive and coercive practices” while calling for “love and acceptance for an individual as a person created by God.” A physician ethics commentary published in the American Medical Association’s Journal of Ethics, written by three doctors, instructs physicians to tell parents that conversion therapy is “ineffective and even psychologically damaging.” For Christian parents, the message from doctors who share their faith is consistent: the coercive practice does not hold up, and compassionate, faith-centered care for their child still can.
Quick Takeaways
The Christian Medical Fellowship, representing thousands of practicing Christian physicians, has stated it would support banning “abusive and coercive practices” tied to conversion therapy while distinguishing them from ordinary pastoral prayer and conversation.
A 2014 physician ethics commentary in the American Medical Association’s Journal of Ethics, written by three MDs, instructs doctors to tell parents requesting conversion therapy for their child that the practice is “ineffective and even psychologically damaging.”
The Association of Christian Counsellors signed a formal agreement in 2017 stating conversion therapy “is unethical and potentially harmful,” and stating plainly that same-sex attraction and questions about personal identity are not, by themselves, signs of a mental disorder.
None of these faith-focused professionals are asking Christian families to set scripture aside. They draw a line between the coercive clinical practice and pastoral counseling, prayer, and ordinary faith-based support.
What shows up in the professional record is not a doctor abandoning faith to reach this conclusion. It is a doctor holding faith and medical training together and arriving at the same place.
What Christian Physicians and Counselors Have Actually Said on the Record
The Christian Medical Fellowship represents thousands of practicing Christian doctors. When conversion therapy legislation came up for public debate, the organization did not defend the practice these physicians are declining to endorse. It drew a distinction instead. The Fellowship said it “would of course support a targeted ban on abusive and coercive practices,” while raising concerns that broadly written laws might sweep in ordinary prayer and pastoral conversation alongside genuinely harmful interventions. Its stated priority throughout was “love and acceptance for an individual as a person created by God,” not a defense of coercive treatment. That is a meaningfully different position than defending conversion therapy itself, and it comes from doctors who hold a traditional view of scripture.
What a Physician Ethics Journal Tells Doctors to Say to Parents
In 2014, three physicians, Philip Zachariah, MD, Gregory Blaschke, MD, and Melissa Weddle, MD, published a case commentary in the American Medical Association’s Journal of Ethics addressing exactly this situation: a parent asking a doctor to refer their child for conversion therapy. Their guidance was direct. Doctors should tell families the practice is “ineffective and even psychologically damaging,” a conclusion grounded in the same research base cited throughout the medical field and in nonmaleficence, the medical principle of doing no harm. The commentary also told doctors to keep the relationship with the family intact, to speak privately with the young patient, and to point families toward supportive resources rather than ending the conversation. Respecting a family’s beliefs and declining to refer a child for a discredited treatment were treated as compatible, not opposed.
Drawing the Line Between Conversion Therapy and Ordinary Pastoral Care
The Association of Christian Counsellors reached a similar conclusion in 2017, when it signed a formal agreement stating that conversion therapy “is unethical and potentially harmful” and that same-sex attraction and questions about personal identity are not, on their own, evidence of a mental disorder. This distinction matters for families trying to sort out what is actually being offered. A pastor praying with a struggling teenager, or a counselor helping a young person process their faith and their feelings without a predetermined outcome, is not the same thing as a clinical program promising to change who a child is attracted to.
Christian professionals who have studied this closely keep those two things separate, in line with the wider medical consensus their statements point back to, and families deserve to as well. A solution that divides a family is not a solution at all, and neither the Fellowship nor the Counsellors are describing conversion therapy as a path toward keeping a family whole. That conclusion rests on the documented risks these statements are responding to, not on politics.
What This Means If Your Family’s Doctor Shares Your Faith
A Christian doctor telling you that conversion therapy will not help your child is not asking you to leave your faith at the door. It means that a doctor is applying the same medical evidence the rest of the field relies on, while still respecting where you are coming from. Parents do not have to choose between trusting scripture and trusting their pediatrician on this particular question.
CT4F’s guide to faith-based alternatives to conversion therapy is built for families looking for that middle ground.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Christian physicians support conversion therapy? The Christian physicians and counselors who have gone on record, including the Christian Medical Fellowship and the Association of Christian Counsellors, have stated they would support restricting the coercive versions of the practice rather than defending it.
What is the difference between conversion therapy and pastoral counseling, according to Christian professionals? Pastoral counseling and prayer support a young person without a fixed outcome. Conversion therapy sets changing a minor’s attraction or personal identity as the goal of treatment, which is the piece Christian medical and counseling bodies have said does not hold up.
What does the American Medical Association’s ethics guidance say doctors should tell parents? A 2014 physician commentary in its Journal of Ethics tells doctors to explain that conversion therapy is “ineffective and even psychologically damaging,” while staying in relationship with the family and pointing them toward supportive resources.
Has any Christian medical or counseling organization gone on record against conversion therapy? Yes. The Christian Medical Fellowship and the Association of Christian Counsellors have both published statements distancing themselves from the coercive practice while standing firmly on their Christian convictions.
Can a Christian parent trust a doctor’s advice on this without giving up their faith? Yes. The physicians and counselors cited here reached their conclusions from within their faith, not by setting it aside, and they frame their guidance as compatible with a traditional Christian view of scripture.
Sources and Further Reading
Christian Physician and Counselor Statements
‘Conversion Therapy’ Ban: A Review of the Issues -- Christian Medical Fellowship
Christian Counselors Condemn Gender ‘Conversion Therapy’ -- The Christian Post
Physician Ethics Guidance
CT4F Resources for Families
Why Do Major Medical Associations Oppose Conversion Therapy -- Conversion Truth for Families
Conversion Therapy Explained -- Conversion Truth for Families
Mental Health Research on Conversion Therapy -- Conversion Truth for Families
Risks and Harms of Conversion Therapy -- Conversion Truth for Families
Recent posts
Christian Physicians on Conversion Therapy: What Faith-Focused Doctors Tell Their Own Patients
Faith-focused physicians and Christian professional bodies who have gone on record draw a clear line: coercive, clinical conversion therapy is not something they recommend, but reaching that conclusion has not required them to set scripture aside
Faith-focused physicians and Christian professional bodies who have gone on record draw a clear line: coercive, clinical conversion therapy is not something they recommend, but reaching that conclusion has not required them to set Scripture aside.
The Christian Medical Fellowship, a UK organization representing thousands of practicing Christian physicians, has stated it would support banning “abusive and coercive practices” while calling for “love and acceptance for an individual as a person created by God.” A physician ethics commentary published in the American Medical Association’s Journal of Ethics, written by three doctors, instructs physicians to tell parents that conversion therapy is “ineffective and even psychologically damaging.” For Christian parents, the message from doctors who share their faith is consistent: the coercive practice does not hold up, and compassionate, faith-centered care for their child still can.
Quick Takeaways
The Christian Medical Fellowship, representing thousands of practicing Christian physicians, has stated it would support banning “abusive and coercive practices” tied to conversion therapy while distinguishing them from ordinary pastoral prayer and conversation.
A 2014 physician ethics commentary in the American Medical Association’s Journal of Ethics, written by three MDs, instructs doctors to tell parents requesting conversion therapy for their child that the practice is “ineffective and even psychologically damaging.”
The Association of Christian Counsellors signed a formal agreement in 2017 stating conversion therapy “is unethical and potentially harmful,” and stating plainly that same-sex attraction and questions about personal identity are not, by themselves, signs of a mental disorder.
None of these faith-focused professionals are asking Christian families to set scripture aside. They draw a line between the coercive clinical practice and pastoral counseling, prayer, and ordinary faith-based support.
What shows up in the professional record is not a doctor abandoning faith to reach this conclusion. It is a doctor holding faith and medical training together and arriving at the same place.
What Christian Physicians and Counselors Have Actually Said on the Record
The Christian Medical Fellowship represents thousands of practicing Christian doctors. When conversion therapy legislation came up for public debate, the organization did not defend the practice these physicians are declining to endorse. It drew a distinction instead. The Fellowship said it “would of course support a targeted ban on abusive and coercive practices,” while raising concerns that broadly written laws might sweep in ordinary prayer and pastoral conversation alongside genuinely harmful interventions. Its stated priority throughout was “love and acceptance for an individual as a person created by God,” not a defense of coercive treatment. That is a meaningfully different position than defending conversion therapy itself, and it comes from doctors who hold a traditional view of scripture.
What a Physician Ethics Journal Tells Doctors to Say to Parents
In 2014, three physicians, Philip Zachariah, MD, Gregory Blaschke, MD, and Melissa Weddle, MD, published a case commentary in the American Medical Association’s Journal of Ethics addressing exactly this situation: a parent asking a doctor to refer their child for conversion therapy. Their guidance was direct. Doctors should tell families the practice is “ineffective and even psychologically damaging,” a conclusion grounded in the same research base cited throughout the medical field and in nonmaleficence, the medical principle of doing no harm. The commentary also told doctors to keep the relationship with the family intact, to speak privately with the young patient, and to point families toward supportive resources rather than ending the conversation. Respecting a family’s beliefs and declining to refer a child for a discredited treatment were treated as compatible, not opposed.
Drawing the Line Between Conversion Therapy and Ordinary Pastoral Care
The Association of Christian Counsellors reached a similar conclusion in 2017, when it signed a formal agreement stating that conversion therapy “is unethical and potentially harmful” and that same-sex attraction and questions about personal identity are not, on their own, evidence of a mental disorder. This distinction matters for families trying to sort out what is actually being offered. A pastor praying with a struggling teenager, or a counselor helping a young person process their faith and their feelings without a predetermined outcome, is not the same thing as a clinical program promising to change who a child is attracted to.
Christian professionals who have studied this closely keep those two things separate, in line with the wider medical consensus their statements point back to, and families deserve to as well. A solution that divides a family is not a solution at all, and neither the Fellowship nor the Counsellors are describing conversion therapy as a path toward keeping a family whole. That conclusion rests on the documented risks these statements are responding to, not on politics.
What This Means If Your Family’s Doctor Shares Your Faith
A Christian doctor telling you that conversion therapy will not help your child is not asking you to leave your faith at the door. It means that a doctor is applying the same medical evidence the rest of the field relies on, while still respecting where you are coming from. Parents do not have to choose between trusting scripture and trusting their pediatrician on this particular question.
CT4F’s guide to faith-based alternatives to conversion therapy is built for families looking for that middle ground.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Christian physicians support conversion therapy? The Christian physicians and counselors who have gone on record, including the Christian Medical Fellowship and the Association of Christian Counsellors, have stated they would support restricting the coercive versions of the practice rather than defending it.
What is the difference between conversion therapy and pastoral counseling, according to Christian professionals? Pastoral counseling and prayer support a young person without a fixed outcome. Conversion therapy sets changing a minor’s attraction or personal identity as the goal of treatment, which is the piece Christian medical and counseling bodies have said does not hold up.
What does the American Medical Association’s ethics guidance say doctors should tell parents? A 2014 physician commentary in its Journal of Ethics tells doctors to explain that conversion therapy is “ineffective and even psychologically damaging,” while staying in relationship with the family and pointing them toward supportive resources.
Has any Christian medical or counseling organization gone on record against conversion therapy? Yes. The Christian Medical Fellowship and the Association of Christian Counsellors have both published statements distancing themselves from the coercive practice while standing firmly on their Christian convictions.
Can a Christian parent trust a doctor’s advice on this without giving up their faith? Yes. The physicians and counselors cited here reached their conclusions from within their faith, not by setting it aside, and they frame their guidance as compatible with a traditional Christian view of scripture.
Sources and Further Reading
Christian Physician and Counselor Statements
‘Conversion Therapy’ Ban: A Review of the Issues -- Christian Medical Fellowship
Christian Counselors Condemn Gender ‘Conversion Therapy’ -- The Christian Post
Physician Ethics Guidance
CT4F Resources for Families
Why Do Major Medical Associations Oppose Conversion Therapy -- Conversion Truth for Families
Conversion Therapy Explained -- Conversion Truth for Families
Mental Health Research on Conversion Therapy -- Conversion Truth for Families
Risks and Harms of Conversion Therapy -- Conversion Truth for Families
Recent posts
Christian Physicians on Conversion Therapy: What Faith-Focused Doctors Tell Their Own Patients
Faith-focused physicians and Christian professional bodies who have gone on record draw a clear line: coercive, clinical conversion therapy is not something they recommend, but reaching that conclusion has not required them to set scripture aside
Faith-focused physicians and Christian professional bodies who have gone on record draw a clear line: coercive, clinical conversion therapy is not something they recommend, but reaching that conclusion has not required them to set Scripture aside.
The Christian Medical Fellowship, a UK organization representing thousands of practicing Christian physicians, has stated it would support banning “abusive and coercive practices” while calling for “love and acceptance for an individual as a person created by God.” A physician ethics commentary published in the American Medical Association’s Journal of Ethics, written by three doctors, instructs physicians to tell parents that conversion therapy is “ineffective and even psychologically damaging.” For Christian parents, the message from doctors who share their faith is consistent: the coercive practice does not hold up, and compassionate, faith-centered care for their child still can.
Quick Takeaways
The Christian Medical Fellowship, representing thousands of practicing Christian physicians, has stated it would support banning “abusive and coercive practices” tied to conversion therapy while distinguishing them from ordinary pastoral prayer and conversation.
A 2014 physician ethics commentary in the American Medical Association’s Journal of Ethics, written by three MDs, instructs doctors to tell parents requesting conversion therapy for their child that the practice is “ineffective and even psychologically damaging.”
The Association of Christian Counsellors signed a formal agreement in 2017 stating conversion therapy “is unethical and potentially harmful,” and stating plainly that same-sex attraction and questions about personal identity are not, by themselves, signs of a mental disorder.
None of these faith-focused professionals are asking Christian families to set scripture aside. They draw a line between the coercive clinical practice and pastoral counseling, prayer, and ordinary faith-based support.
What shows up in the professional record is not a doctor abandoning faith to reach this conclusion. It is a doctor holding faith and medical training together and arriving at the same place.
What Christian Physicians and Counselors Have Actually Said on the Record
The Christian Medical Fellowship represents thousands of practicing Christian doctors. When conversion therapy legislation came up for public debate, the organization did not defend the practice these physicians are declining to endorse. It drew a distinction instead. The Fellowship said it “would of course support a targeted ban on abusive and coercive practices,” while raising concerns that broadly written laws might sweep in ordinary prayer and pastoral conversation alongside genuinely harmful interventions. Its stated priority throughout was “love and acceptance for an individual as a person created by God,” not a defense of coercive treatment. That is a meaningfully different position than defending conversion therapy itself, and it comes from doctors who hold a traditional view of scripture.
What a Physician Ethics Journal Tells Doctors to Say to Parents
In 2014, three physicians, Philip Zachariah, MD, Gregory Blaschke, MD, and Melissa Weddle, MD, published a case commentary in the American Medical Association’s Journal of Ethics addressing exactly this situation: a parent asking a doctor to refer their child for conversion therapy. Their guidance was direct. Doctors should tell families the practice is “ineffective and even psychologically damaging,” a conclusion grounded in the same research base cited throughout the medical field and in nonmaleficence, the medical principle of doing no harm. The commentary also told doctors to keep the relationship with the family intact, to speak privately with the young patient, and to point families toward supportive resources rather than ending the conversation. Respecting a family’s beliefs and declining to refer a child for a discredited treatment were treated as compatible, not opposed.
Drawing the Line Between Conversion Therapy and Ordinary Pastoral Care
The Association of Christian Counsellors reached a similar conclusion in 2017, when it signed a formal agreement stating that conversion therapy “is unethical and potentially harmful” and that same-sex attraction and questions about personal identity are not, on their own, evidence of a mental disorder. This distinction matters for families trying to sort out what is actually being offered. A pastor praying with a struggling teenager, or a counselor helping a young person process their faith and their feelings without a predetermined outcome, is not the same thing as a clinical program promising to change who a child is attracted to.
Christian professionals who have studied this closely keep those two things separate, in line with the wider medical consensus their statements point back to, and families deserve to as well. A solution that divides a family is not a solution at all, and neither the Fellowship nor the Counsellors are describing conversion therapy as a path toward keeping a family whole. That conclusion rests on the documented risks these statements are responding to, not on politics.
What This Means If Your Family’s Doctor Shares Your Faith
A Christian doctor telling you that conversion therapy will not help your child is not asking you to leave your faith at the door. It means that a doctor is applying the same medical evidence the rest of the field relies on, while still respecting where you are coming from. Parents do not have to choose between trusting scripture and trusting their pediatrician on this particular question.
CT4F’s guide to faith-based alternatives to conversion therapy is built for families looking for that middle ground.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Christian physicians support conversion therapy? The Christian physicians and counselors who have gone on record, including the Christian Medical Fellowship and the Association of Christian Counsellors, have stated they would support restricting the coercive versions of the practice rather than defending it.
What is the difference between conversion therapy and pastoral counseling, according to Christian professionals? Pastoral counseling and prayer support a young person without a fixed outcome. Conversion therapy sets changing a minor’s attraction or personal identity as the goal of treatment, which is the piece Christian medical and counseling bodies have said does not hold up.
What does the American Medical Association’s ethics guidance say doctors should tell parents? A 2014 physician commentary in its Journal of Ethics tells doctors to explain that conversion therapy is “ineffective and even psychologically damaging,” while staying in relationship with the family and pointing them toward supportive resources.
Has any Christian medical or counseling organization gone on record against conversion therapy? Yes. The Christian Medical Fellowship and the Association of Christian Counsellors have both published statements distancing themselves from the coercive practice while standing firmly on their Christian convictions.
Can a Christian parent trust a doctor’s advice on this without giving up their faith? Yes. The physicians and counselors cited here reached their conclusions from within their faith, not by setting it aside, and they frame their guidance as compatible with a traditional Christian view of scripture.
Sources and Further Reading
Christian Physician and Counselor Statements
‘Conversion Therapy’ Ban: A Review of the Issues -- Christian Medical Fellowship
Christian Counselors Condemn Gender ‘Conversion Therapy’ -- The Christian Post
Physician Ethics Guidance
CT4F Resources for Families
Why Do Major Medical Associations Oppose Conversion Therapy -- Conversion Truth for Families
Conversion Therapy Explained -- Conversion Truth for Families
Mental Health Research on Conversion Therapy -- Conversion Truth for Families
Risks and Harms of Conversion Therapy -- Conversion Truth for Families