A Platform to Display God’s Infinite Love

At some point in middle school, Cole Atkinson realized he was different from his friends. Although he had been raised in a Christian home and loved Jesus, he was attracted to men. He struggled to reconcile his sexuality with his Christian faith, so he kept his feelings a secret for many years.

“I was really depressed and didn’t want to disappoint my parents, so I swept it under the rug,” Cole recalls.

By the time he got to college, his faith was falling apart. He tried to run away from God, embracing same-sex attraction as his true identity, but he discovered that life without God was unbearable. He turned back to Christ and decided to ask others for help.

Cole’s search for help led him to Portland Fellowship, an organization that helps Christians find freedom from homosexuality and transgender confusion through the love and mercy of Jesus Christ. He joined their residential program in Portland, participating in group discipleship, counseling, and one-on-one mentoring. Over time, he came to grasp that his identity was rooted in Christ and not his sexual desires.

“In my depression and addictions, even when I walked away from the Lord, he never stopped pouring out his love and grace on me,” says Cole. “God is constantly redeeming my struggle and turning it into a platform to display his infinite love.”

When he finished the program at Portland Fellowship, Cole remained involved as a group leader. As he began helping others journey towards sexual freedom, he soon realized he needed greater confidence to engage with God’s Word faithfully in such a challenging ministry context. That realization prompted him to enroll at Western Seminary.

In Cole’s first class at Western, he remembers tears filling his eyes as his professor gave an example of how hermeneutics could be applied practically to a sermon. He was stunned that a subject that sounded so academic could help others grasp the beauty of the gospel.

“I think a misconception about seminary is that it is too academic and won't prepare people for actual ministry,” says Cole. “Western has shown me the opposite. As I have come to understand the Bible and theology better, I have increased confidence to engage with people in any sort of ministry context.”

Cole graduated in 2024 with his MA (Biblical and Theological Studies) and continues to serve at Portland Fellowship. He also works for Western as the Outreach Specialist, helping to find ways for the seminary to provide more resources for pastors and ministry leaders.

“I see a growing need for theological education in the church. A lot of my classmates are now pastors, and I get to hear how Western has helped them thrive in ministry as they deal with the messiness of humanity inside the church.”