LGBTQ Christians

“You know one of the Psalms says, ‘God gave wine to cheer up people’s hearts,’ so even the prayer book of the Old Testament sees that this is a gift from God.”

A dozen parishes met this week to consider splitting from the church and forming a new conservative “shadow synod.”

We should exercise a little “religious freedom” of our own, and begin to see and proclaim just how queer the Christian tradition really is.

PRAIRIE VILLAGE, Kan. — A Kansas man whose online lecture about the Bible and same-sex relationships gained considerable attention has gathered about 50 Christians from around the country to delve into his belief that the Scriptures do not condemn homosexuality as a sexual orientation.

Hi, I’m a Christian. As a gay man, I understand all too well why those words conjure up fear, loathing, and dramatic eye rolls among my LGBT friends. But I’m proud of my faith. I love its emphasis on grace, mercy, and love. I love Jesus’ teachings about forgiveness, service, putting others first, and giving people more than they deserve. I love that he was known for befriending the outcasts and “sinners” while condemning the religious leaders. We could use a little more of that attitude today! But as much as I love my faith, sometimes my fellow Christians make me want to scream.

“What does the Bible say about loving, same-sex relationships?” Nothing. Not a thing. And in that absence of Biblical direction of support for or condemnation of these relationships, Christians need to follow the general principles of the Bible: love, justice and kindness…

When I left home in the fall of 2008 and started school at Harvard, I was amazed at how much openness and support there was for LGBT students on campus, mainly because it was worlds apart from the conservative Christian church in Kansas that I’d come from. Back home, gay issues were never discussed, every family and every wedding was heterosexual, and the few people who eventually came out waited until they had moved far away. 
The message was largely unspoken, yet crystal clear: If you don’t fit into a heterosexual identity, you aren’t welcome…

“Our pastor is gay! Our pastor is gay! How can we possibly continue being Christians now?!” Okay, fine: I don’t actually know what the two people said to their fellow parishioners at Bethany Presbyterian when, in the spring of 1990, they decided to out their head pastor, Scott Anderson. But they did out Anderson, who […]