One of the most puzzling and frustrating battles for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender equality is not marriage equality. Rather, it’s the fight for the most basic rights that every person in America enjoys — employment, housing, and other common sense non-discrimination laws. Yet, for some bizarre reason, this is controversial.
As usual, the most ardent and outspoken opponents to these basic rights are Christian leaders, ministers, and pastors. The rank and file within the Churches also tend to lean toward opposition as well. I know full well that I can’t judge the hearts of people who oppose LGBT equality, but it’s very easy to go with the flow when you know the numbers are on your side.
Full circle. It’s a phrase that denotes a kind of personal completion that a person rarely achieves, but is a momentous occasion when they do. That’s how I felt after watching the newly released documentary, This is What Love in Action Looks Like. The film chronicles the story of Zach Stark, who was forced by his parents into Refuge, a live-in program that was centered around the concept of reparative therapy.
Zach’s story is one that spoke to me years ago when I first heard about it in the summer of 2005. At the time, we were in the process of forming a new PFLAG (Parents, Friends & Families of Lesbians and Gays) chapter, and it was a poignant reminder of just how much we need to support each other:
Got your attention? Good. Because it’s true. Homosexuality is not a sin. Oh, I know. You’re running scriptures in your mind. Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13. First Corinthians 6:9-10. Genesis chapter 19. Romans 1:26-27. Some of you are already looking for the comment section to start an all-too-expected, “IS TOO!” post to show me up. Let’s take a moment, though, and talk about this for a second. If you’re THAT sure that homosexuality is a sin, just what is “homosexuality?”
Preachers and pastors (and yes, there’s a difference) all across the country will sometimes have whole sermons dedicated to the topic of damning “homuh-SEX-shuality” as being the end-all and be-all of the worst kind of sinner in America today. Thankfully, people are beginning to educate themselves a little more on the topic, but that doesn’t mean that people use the word “homosexuality” to paint a broad stroke of something that should be very, very specific.
Reconciliation between LGBT Christians and the Church is a process that requires a lot of time, patience, healing, prayer, and more love than any of us are capable of at the moment. It requires the kind of love that only comes from the Holy Spirit Himself. A love that’s like fire shut up in our bones. The kind of love that is driven by compassion for people and passion for God. The kind of love that Jesus had for us.
The process that we must all go through toward reconciliation must start with God Himself, then with the church, and finally with the LGBT community. Unfortunately, a lot of people within the church assume that I’m talking about those really mean people who keep writing and saying bad things about gay people. Not so.
One of the not-so-pleasant realities for those of us seeking to reconcile the LGBT Christian community with the Church at large is the fact that those of us who are LGBT — need to play a role in that reconciliation as well.
In the last couple of days, I’ve gotten a lot of support from people who are thrilled that I’m pointing fingers at the Church for the decades of abuse they’ve hurled toward us. They’ve aligned themselves with anti-gay hate groups who have added insult to injury by complaining that our government has a new policy to withhold aid to countries that imprison, torture, or even kill people just for being gay.
So yes, they have much to answer for — and with good reason.
Gay Christians exist. Only a few years ago, this opening sentence would have been met with complete ridicule and abject rejection. Not so much today. However, plenty of reconciliation skeptics still question the concept, and wonder where they fit in the overall grand scheme of things.
Still, it’s a great bit of progress — going from complete pariahs to asking the all-important questions of where LGBT Christians can fit in to the church as a whole. I could go with the snarky obvious and say, “well, who do you think has been leading your choirs all this time?” But that wouldn’t necessarily be productive. The question remains, though.
I’ve come to a couple of conclusions that have kind of rocked my day so far. First, I need to take a break from bitching about hate groups. Second, I’ve been bitching about hate groups so much that I’m letting their bile affect me — and my writing. I can think of a few times in my life where I’ve recognized that God is speaking right to my heart with a staggering amount of conviction. This is one of those times.
Throughout the last few years, my primary goal has been to help people understand that gay Christians are not only true Christians, but we have a deep, passionate, love for the Lord Jesus that drives our very existence. With every goal, there’s always resistance. For me, that resistance comes from at least two fronts. First, from the evangelical and fundamentalist community that is steadfast in their belief that gay relationships are completely sinful. The second is from the gay community at large, wondering why the hell I would want to be a part of a club that doesn’t want me.
As the quest for full equality for LGBT Americans continues its long march toward inevitability, the “religious right” has beefed up its newest and most powerful weapon: lies. Sadly, this new arsenal of multiple abject falsehoods is nothing new, and has been employed for decades. Worse yet, these baldfaced concoctions are blended with half-truths and cunning deception, leaving their supporters with little clue just how vile these groups really are.
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