The start of a new year means many Americans are taking up resolutions like working out regularly or starting a diet. But imagine committing yourself to abstain from one thing you really want, every day for the rest of your life. That's what one Pennsylvania man is doing, by ignoring his physical attraction towards other men in order to adhere to his strict interpretation of Christianity. Allan Edwards, pastor of Kiski Valley Presbyterian Church, is so committed to his faith that he married a woman and the pious couple are expecting a baby in July. Scroll down for video . Devoted to his faith: Allan Edwards (right) says he is sexually attracted to men, but does not act out on the urges because of his faith. Pictured above with his wife Leanne (left). The couple are expecting a baby in July . The 31-year-old, who doesn't consider himself gay, says he first noticed he was attracted to men in the mid-90s. 'It was a pretty immediate realization that it was in conflict with my faith,' he told NPR. He decided to be more open with his feelings when he started at Grove City College, though he feared he would be ostracized at the small Christian liberal arts school. Surprisingly, Edwards says he was overwhelmed by support. Edwards considered joining a Christian denomination that accepted gays but ultimately decided against it since he couldn't reconcile his fundamentalist beliefs with homosexuality. 'I studied different methods of reading the scripture and it all came down to this: Jesus accepts the rest of the scripture as divined from God,' he told NPR. 'So if Jesus is who he says he is, then we kind of have to believe what he believes.' Acceptance: Edwards first started feeling attractions toward men when he was an adolescent, but wasn't open about his feelings until college. He says he was accepted at Grove City College, a small Christian liberal arts school in Pennsylvania . Edwards and his wife Leeanne first met each other at Christian summer camp, but only started dating several years later when they both applied to be the camp's director. Leeanne got the job, and Edwards later invited her to lunch when she was getting ready to leave the position. It was at that meeting that the two started falling in love, Edwards said. 'We got off talking about the job and started talking about our experience of the last couple years,' Edwards recalled. 'I don't want to be gushy or romantic, but I just melted inside, and thought, this is someone who understands graciousness. This is someone who understands acceptance, and this is someone I want to spend as much time with as possible.' Edwards clarifies that even though he is attracted to men, does not mean he is not physically attracted to his wife. Quite the contrary. 'I'm not universally attracted to all men, nor am I universally attracted to all women. I am physically, emotionally, and spiritually attracted to my wife,' he told Daily Mail Online. Edwards adds that while physical attraction is important in a marriage, he believes it's not the most important part and that sexual activity is 'best experienced in marriage between a man in a woman'. Leeanne knew about his attractions before marriage, and confesses that she was curious how it would impact their relationship. However, she now considers his attractions normal, comparing them to the same kind of temptations heterosexual couples experience in their own marriages. 'There's always going to be situations where a partner is sexually attracted to someone else and isn't necessarily dealing with sexual attraction with their partner,' Leeanne said. Edwards was just as forthcoming with these feelings when he first applied to the the pastor at Kiski Valley Presbyterian Church. Pious man: Edwards is now the pastor at Kiski Valley Presbyterian Church in the western part of Pennsylvania. He says he was open with his same-sex attractions through the interview process to be pastor at the church, and preaches about his own experiences on occasion . 'The first question a congregant asked in my interview in front of the whole church was "What is your biggest struggle in life?" and I shared this part of my story with the church,' Edwards told Daily Mail Online. 'I preach on issues of sexuality when they come up in the scripture text that day, but it's not a hobby horse of mine.' In the end, Edwards says he believes his devotion to God is more important that his earthly desires towards men. 'I think we all have part of our desires that we choose not to act on, right?' he said. 'So for me, it's not just that the religion was important to me, but communion with a God who loves me, who accepts me right where I am.' However, marriage isn't something that he recommends for all Christian men who experience the same same-sex feelings as himself. 'I'm blessed to have a couple friends who also experience same sex attraction and chose to marry, some who chose to remain celibate, and some who came to disagree with me and believe that there's nothing wrong with their attraction and entered homosexual relationships. I can honestly say that all the Christians I know who experience same sex attraction have different ways of talking about their sexuality, sometimes in small nuances and shades, sometimes with significant differences,' he told Daily Mail Online.
Allan Edwards, pastor of Kiski Valley Presbyterian Church, first noticed he was attracted to men in the mid-90s but doesn't consider himself gay .
Edwards married a woman, Leeanne, and the two are expecting a baby in July .
Leeanne is accepting of her husband's feelings, comparing them to the temptations heterosexual couples experience to cheat on their spouses .
The start of a new year means many Americans are taking up resolutions like working out regularly or starting a diet. But imagine committing yourself to abstain from one thing you really want, every day for the rest of your life. That's what one Pennsylvania man is doing, by ignoring his physical attraction towards other men in order to adhere to his strict interpretation of Christianity. Allan Edwards, pastor of Kiski Valley Presbyterian Church, is so committed to his faith that he married a woman and the pious couple are expecting a baby in July. Scroll down for video . Devoted to his faith: Allan Edwards (right) says he is sexually attracted to men, but does not act out on the urges because of his faith. Pictured above with his wife Leanne (left). The couple are expecting a baby in July . The 31-year-old, who doesn't consider himself gay, says he first noticed he was attracted to men in the mid-90s. 'It was a pretty immediate realization that it was in conflict with my faith,' he told NPR. He decided to be more open with his feelings when he started at Grove City College, though he feared he would be ostracized at the small Christian liberal arts school. Surprisingly, Edwards says he was overwhelmed by support. Edwards considered joining a Christian denomination that accepted gays but ultimately decided against it since he couldn't reconcile his fundamentalist beliefs with homosexuality. 'I studied different methods of reading the scripture and it all came down to this: Jesus accepts the rest of the scripture as divined from God,' he told NPR. 'So if Jesus is who he says he is, then we kind of have to believe what he believes.' Acceptance: Edwards first started feeling attractions toward men when he was an adolescent, but wasn't open about his feelings until college. He says he was accepted at Grove City College, a small Christian liberal arts school in Pennsylvania . Edwards and his wife Leeanne first met each other at Christian summer camp, but only started dating several years later when they both applied to be the camp's director. Leeanne got the job, and Edwards later invited her to lunch when she was getting ready to leave the position. It was at that meeting that the two started falling in love, Edwards said. 'We got off talking about the job and started talking about our experience of the last couple years,' Edwards recalled. 'I don't want to be gushy or romantic, but I just melted inside, and thought, this is someone who understands graciousness. This is someone who understands acceptance, and this is someone I want to spend as much time with as possible.' Edwards clarifies that even though he is attracted to men, does not mean he is not physically attracted to his wife. Quite the contrary. 'I'm not universally attracted to all men, nor am I universally attracted to all women. I am physically, emotionally, and spiritually attracted to my wife,' he told Daily Mail Online. Edwards adds that while physical attraction is important in a marriage, he believes it's not the most important part and that sexual activity is 'best experienced in marriage between a man in a woman'. Leeanne knew about his attractions before marriage, and confesses that she was curious how it would impact their relationship. However, she now considers his attractions normal, comparing them to the same kind of temptations heterosexual couples experience in their own marriages. 'There's always going to be situations where a partner is sexually attracted to someone else and isn't necessarily dealing with sexual attraction with their partner,' Leeanne said. Edwards was just as forthcoming with these feelings when he first applied to the the pastor at Kiski Valley Presbyterian Church. Pious man: Edwards is now the pastor at Kiski Valley Presbyterian Church in the western part of Pennsylvania. He says he was open with his same-sex attractions through the interview process to be pastor at the church, and preaches about his own experiences on occasion . 'The first question a congregant asked in my interview in front of the whole church was "What is your biggest struggle in life?" and I shared this part of my story with the church,' Edwards told Daily Mail Online. 'I preach on issues of sexuality when they come up in the scripture text that day, but it's not a hobby horse of mine.' In the end, Edwards says he believes his devotion to God is more important that his earthly desires towards men. 'I think we all have part of our desires that we choose not to act on, right?' he said. 'So for me, it's not just that the religion was important to me, but communion with a God who loves me, who accepts me right where I am.' However, marriage isn't something that he recommends for all Christian men who experience the same same-sex feelings as himself. 'I'm blessed to have a couple friends who also experience same sex attraction and chose to marry, some who chose to remain celibate, and some who came to disagree with me and believe that there's nothing wrong with their attraction and entered homosexual relationships. I can honestly say that all the Christians I know who experience same sex attraction have different ways of talking about their sexuality, sometimes in small nuances and shades, sometimes with significant differences,' he told Daily Mail Online.
Christianity. Allan Edwards, pastor of Kiski his faith that he married a woman and the pious (left). The couple are expecting a baby in July . The 31-year-old, who doesn't consider himself gay, says he first noticed he was attracted to men in the mid-90s. 'It was a pretty immediate them to the same kind of temptations heterosexual the pastor at Kiski Valley Presbyterian Church in