To My Gay Brothers and Sisters,
For too long the Church, Protestant and Catholic alike, has kept the doors of the kingdom of God closed to you. We have ridiculed you and criticized you, and we have asked you to change. We have come to you promising a "cure" from homosexuality, as if it were a disease that made you less of a person. I cannot imagine how that has made you feel. I know that it must be awfully hurtful and degrading.
I want you to know that not everyone in the Church feels this way about homosexuality. Many of us recognize that being gay does not make you any less of a person or any more of a sinner than anyone else in the Church. Many of us do not even consider homosexuality to be a sin. There certainly are passages in the Bible that people point to, to show that your lifestyle is sinful; but those passages are so often taken out of context and misunderstood that Christians use them to wrongfully judge you. I am sorry for this.
I want you to know Jesus in the way that I know him, as someone who accepts you for who you are. I know that when many of you came out to your family and friends as being gay, you were met with intolerance, and judgment, and nonacceptance. I know that many of you lost relationships with people you cared about greatly because you took the courageous step of being honest and truthful with yourself. I know that you have undergone a great deal of hardship and adversity because of this honesty. I am sorry for the pain and hurt you have experienced simply for being true to yourself and others.
I want you to know that if the whole world, Christian and non-Christian alike, disowned you, Jesus would swoop you up in his arms and hold you close, showing you acceptance like none other you have experienced before. You see, you are part of God's beautiful creation, and he loves you in a way that cannot even be expressed in words. Romans 8:37-39 says, "But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." In Jesus Christ, you are more than conquerors against all that comes up against you in this life, including the adversity you face because of your honesty. And there is nothing that you can ever do that will separate you from the love of God. Even when the world turns against you for doing what is right, even when the Church turns its back on you, even when your family shuts the door on you, Jesus remains with you by your side. When I read the stories of Jesus in the New Testament, I do not read about a harsh person that has high demands for you and asks you to change who you are; I read about a person who loves and accepts you as they are, unconditionally, who understands your hurts and wants to heal them. I read of a Jesus who doesn't see people who need to be fixed, but sees people who are hurting that need love, acceptance, and support. This is the Jesus I read about and the Jesus I love and worship.
I want you to know that I am sorry for my brothers and sisters that have misunderstood Scripture and misunderstood the words of Jesus. I want you to know that I love you and accept you for who you are. But most importantly, I want you to know that Jesus loves you. He loves everyone and accepts everyone just as they are. Remember these words about the love of God: "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life."
Blessings,
-Brandon
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Gay Christians
you say "...those passages are so often taken out of context and misunderstood..." but you fail to clarify the "misunderstanding" or show the so called correct context???
ReplyDeleteYou are absolutely right. That will be the task of my next post. Look for it shortly. And thank you for keeping me accountable.
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
-Brandon
Beautiful. Brought tears to my eyes. Statements like this make it easier to live one more day.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I could be of help to you.
ReplyDeleteTheir are people out their who really don't want to be gay. They think that they were born that way. What hope are you offering. While I completely agree that we should love homosexuals, we should also love adulteres, murderer's, thieves, drunkards, etc. God has delivered me from homosexuality, and is continueing to heal me every day. I was always told the lie, that I was born that way, and it was a life sentence. That was a lie from the pit of hell! People need to know the truth! The truth will set them free. (John 8:32) Anyone, who wants out of the Gay lifestyle, Jesus is your only way. You don't have to accept the gay identy. "If the son sets you free, you shall be free indeed!" God Bless.
ReplyDeleteFirst off, homosexuality is something people are born into, it is a proven scientific fact that few people contest anymore. It has also been shown that people who have been "cured" of their homosexuality don't have an easy time and almost invariably fall back into homosexuality. Finally, those who do not want to be gay are usually in that situation because they have been ridiculed and condemned by others for their homosexuality, and they no longer want to be condemned.
ReplyDelete