LGBTQ+ Advocacy
- "Does God love LGBTQ+ people?"
- "Can queer people be Christians?"
- "What does the Bible say about Homosexuality?"
- "Can Homosexuality be Cured?"
- "How can you be a pastor and also be gay?"
I frequently hear questions like these from people who have been taught that one can't be both a Christian and queer. Often, they come from hurting members of the LGBTQ+ community who have been alienated by the Church and are searching for a word of hope. When they come from people who are not LGBTQ, they are frequently spoken with accusing tones of combative disbelief or even yelled in anger and fear. Nevertheless, these questions — and many more like them —call for honest, straight-forward, well-reasoned responses. As a United Methodist pastor, I will address these questions from a perspective that will be distinctly "Methodist" in character, however much of what I say will be true across most Christian traditions … even those which don't agree with my conclusions.
Grace Incarnate is dedicated to proclaiming the Good News of the love of God revealed in the life, teachings, death, resurrection, and continued real presence of Jesus the Christ. This incarnate love of God is available to all, without exception or limitation, and occasions from us a response of faith. This is just as true for those who are on the LGBTQ+ spectrum as it is for everyone else.
VIDEO
- "Does God love LGBTQ+ people?"
- "Can queer people be Christians?"
- "What does the Bible say about Homosexuality?"
- "Can Homosexuality be Cured?"
- "How can you be a pastor and also be gay?"
I frequently hear questions like these from people who have been taught that one can't be both a Christian and queer. Often, they come from hurting members of the LGBTQ+ community who have been alienated by the Church and are searching for a word of hope. When they come from people who are not LGBTQ, they are frequently spoken with accusing tones of combative disbelief or even yelled in anger and fear. Nevertheless, these questions — and many more like them —call for honest, straight-forward, well-reasoned responses. As a United Methodist pastor, I will address these questions from a perspective that will be distinctly "Methodist" in character, however much of what I say will be true across most Christian traditions … even those which don't agree with my conclusions.
Grace Incarnate is dedicated to proclaiming the Good News of the love of God revealed in the life, teachings, death, resurrection, and continued real presence of Jesus the Christ. This incarnate love of God is available to all, without exception or limitation, and occasions from us a response of faith. This is just as true for those who are on the LGBTQ+ spectrum as it is for everyone else.
VIDEO
"Does God Love LGBTQ+ People?"
Absolutely yes! There is no one who has ever lived, is living now, or who will ever live that God does not love. God is love, and so it is in God's very nature to love us. God's love can be seen in the creative genius of the universe: the brilliance of its complexity, the beauty of its simplicity, and the very fact that it is intelligible to us … all of this reveals that God's love knows no bounds and is inclusive of all people. In other words, if in the enormity of Creation God made room for us, then God must truly love us.
Many Christians will readily admit that God loves LGBTQ+ people, just not our sexual orientations. They will say things like: "God hates the sin but loves the sinner," an idea which fails to realize that a person's sexual orientation is an inseparable element their humanity. I cannot be separated from my sexual orientation anymore than I can be separated from my nervous system: both are integral to who I am. If God loves me — and God does — then God also loves me as a gay man. Indeed, God loves everybody, including Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, Transgender, and queers. God even loves straights!
VIDEO
Absolutely yes! There is no one who has ever lived, is living now, or who will ever live that God does not love. God is love, and so it is in God's very nature to love us. God's love can be seen in the creative genius of the universe: the brilliance of its complexity, the beauty of its simplicity, and the very fact that it is intelligible to us … all of this reveals that God's love knows no bounds and is inclusive of all people. In other words, if in the enormity of Creation God made room for us, then God must truly love us.
Many Christians will readily admit that God loves LGBTQ+ people, just not our sexual orientations. They will say things like: "God hates the sin but loves the sinner," an idea which fails to realize that a person's sexual orientation is an inseparable element their humanity. I cannot be separated from my sexual orientation anymore than I can be separated from my nervous system: both are integral to who I am. If God loves me — and God does — then God also loves me as a gay man. Indeed, God loves everybody, including Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, Transgender, and queers. God even loves straights!
VIDEO
"Can Queer People be Christians?"
Absolutely yes! According to Jesus, being a Christian means loving God with all of our being and loving our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 22:34-40). Put another way, one's salvation isn't determined by being straight or not being queer, it is actualized by love: God's love for us, our love for God, and our love for others. As the author of Ephesians says:
Since salvation is rooted in God's grace, made alive in us through faith, one's sexual orientation is immaterial to the question. Those who say otherwise are rooting salvation not in God's grace, but in a person's ability to approximate certain behaviors while abstaining from others.
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Absolutely yes! According to Jesus, being a Christian means loving God with all of our being and loving our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 22:34-40). Put another way, one's salvation isn't determined by being straight or not being queer, it is actualized by love: God's love for us, our love for God, and our love for others. As the author of Ephesians says:
By grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God…." (Ephesians 2:8 NRSV)
Since salvation is rooted in God's grace, made alive in us through faith, one's sexual orientation is immaterial to the question. Those who say otherwise are rooting salvation not in God's grace, but in a person's ability to approximate certain behaviors while abstaining from others.
VIDEO
"What Does the Bible Say About Homosexuality?"
Absolutely nothing! While this may come as a surprise to many, it is nevertheless a fact that the Bible says nothing about what we, in the 21st Century, understand to be homosexuality. Granted, there are several passages that many claim address same-sex practices, however none of them are clear in terms of their context, meaning, or application for people today.
The two verses in the Hebrew Bible which appear to address same-sex practices are Leviticus 18:22 and Leviticus 20:13. Upon closer examination of their context, however, it becomes clear that these verses do not refer to loving homosexual relationships between consenting adults, but rather reference cultic prostitution in the worship of Dagon, a East-Semitic fertility deity. Additionally, since Christians tend to disregard most of the ritual, dietary, and interpersonal regulations found in Leviticus, selectively applying just these verses while ignoring all the rest seems rather problematic.
Some will claim that the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, found in Genesis 19:1-11, contains a reference to homosexuality, but a close reading of the story doesn't support this assumption. Indeed, other biblical references to the city and its sinful practices (for example, see the remark in Ezekiel 16:48-50) make it clear that the "sin of sodom" was actually inhospitality to strangers and attempted gang-rape.
In the New Testament, there are only three passages that apply to homosexuality. Two of them (1 Corinthians 6:9-10 and 1 Timothy 1:10) contain translation problems, with the meaning of one word which Paul invented being uncertain, and his use of an idiom being ambiguous. The other passage (Romans 1:26-27) is problematic because in it Paul asserts that same-sex attraction is God's punishment for idolatry, something that we know simply isn't the case. People are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender because they're born that way, not because God is punishing them for worshipping other gods. Indeed, if such were the case, then how would this passage even apply to homosexual Christians? For more on all of the translation problems in these New Testament verses this, see here.
Some might say: "But my Bible uses the word "homosexual," and if it was good enough for Paul it's good enough for me!" The English word "homosexual" wasn't introduced to the Bible until the Revised Standard Version was published in 1946, and to this day it's not used by many modern translations (see here for a sampling of how the verses in question are rendered). So, it wasn't "good enough for Paul." For more information on the history of the use of the word "homosexual" in the Bible, see here.
Additional Resources:
VIDEO
Absolutely nothing! While this may come as a surprise to many, it is nevertheless a fact that the Bible says nothing about what we, in the 21st Century, understand to be homosexuality. Granted, there are several passages that many claim address same-sex practices, however none of them are clear in terms of their context, meaning, or application for people today.
The two verses in the Hebrew Bible which appear to address same-sex practices are Leviticus 18:22 and Leviticus 20:13. Upon closer examination of their context, however, it becomes clear that these verses do not refer to loving homosexual relationships between consenting adults, but rather reference cultic prostitution in the worship of Dagon, a East-Semitic fertility deity. Additionally, since Christians tend to disregard most of the ritual, dietary, and interpersonal regulations found in Leviticus, selectively applying just these verses while ignoring all the rest seems rather problematic.
Some will claim that the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, found in Genesis 19:1-11, contains a reference to homosexuality, but a close reading of the story doesn't support this assumption. Indeed, other biblical references to the city and its sinful practices (for example, see the remark in Ezekiel 16:48-50) make it clear that the "sin of sodom" was actually inhospitality to strangers and attempted gang-rape.
In the New Testament, there are only three passages that apply to homosexuality. Two of them (1 Corinthians 6:9-10 and 1 Timothy 1:10) contain translation problems, with the meaning of one word which Paul invented being uncertain, and his use of an idiom being ambiguous. The other passage (Romans 1:26-27) is problematic because in it Paul asserts that same-sex attraction is God's punishment for idolatry, something that we know simply isn't the case. People are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender because they're born that way, not because God is punishing them for worshipping other gods. Indeed, if such were the case, then how would this passage even apply to homosexual Christians? For more on all of the translation problems in these New Testament verses this, see here.
Some might say: "But my Bible uses the word "homosexual," and if it was good enough for Paul it's good enough for me!" The English word "homosexual" wasn't introduced to the Bible until the Revised Standard Version was published in 1946, and to this day it's not used by many modern translations (see here for a sampling of how the verses in question are rendered). So, it wasn't "good enough for Paul." For more information on the history of the use of the word "homosexual" in the Bible, see here.
Additional Resources:
- Homosexual Christians: What the Bible Does NOT Say
- Notes on the meaning of the Greek words Malakoi and Arsenokoitai
VIDEO
"Can Homosexuality Be Cured?"
Absolutely not! Firstly, homosexuality is not an illness nor has it been considered such for nearly 50 years, hence there is no reason to "cure" it. Secondly, there is no known way of changing a person's sexual orientation or identity. While we still don't fully understand why some people are LGBTQ, what we do know is that sexual orientation and identity are unchosen, immutable, and effectively "hard wired" into people's psyche from before birth. While one's behavior may be modified to conform to cultural norms and expectations, their sexual orientation and identity cannot be changed. It cannot be beaten out of people, argued away, preached away, or prayed away. LGBTQ+ people know this from personal experience, and the American Psychological Association has scientifically confirmed it.
"But, why can't you just pray it way? Surely nothing is beyond God's ability to change!"
While nothing is impossible for God, the experience of hundreds of thousands of LGBTQ+ people is that God doesn't consider our sexual identities to be a problem. Many of us — perhaps most? — have begged God to change us; I did for many years while trying to pretend I was straight, but to no avail. God has loved me, saved me, and changed my desires regarding a whole host of unhealthy sins that have been a problem in my life; but God has never, ever, changed my sexual orientation. If anything, the more I have grown in accepting who I am as a gay man, the more peace I have found with God! The struggle to "pray away the gay" did far more damage in my life, and in the lives of other LGBTQ+ people, than our sexual identities ever have.
The harm that trying to change one's sexual orientation can do has been well-documented in the Netflix original film "Pray Away". This documentary focuses on Exodus International, which was an organization of Christian “ex-gay” ministries that attempted to change, convert, or “heal” LGBTQ people. While Exodus no longer exists, there are similar ministries still functioning in the United States and around the world. Back in the early 1980s, when I was in Junior High School, my parents forced me to go through an Exodus International program in hopes that it would change my sexual orientation. In that program I was taught that, while God loves all people, God won’t love us while we’re gay. At least, that’s how it was explained me when I was a vulnerable 14 year-old boy. Specifically, I was told:
"Being gay is one of the worst possible sins a young man can commit. In order to be forgiven and loved by God, and to prove that you really love God yourself, you must stop being gay."
Through individual therapy and group counseling sessions, I was scolded into believing that I didn't have enough faith in God. Through moralistic preaching that incorporated large doses of guilt and shame, I was further coerced into believing that if I really loved God I would stop being gay. The most aggressive form of treatment that I underwent involved both aversion therapy and a form of "negative reinforcement" in which I would be shown a series of pictures: photos of girls in various states of modest undress would be accompanied by pleasing sounds and odors, while photos of shirtless young men would be accompanied by a moderate electrical shock applied to me through a cuff around my wrist. I experienced hundreds of these "treatments" across several months, and each time I was hooked up to the machine it was nothing short of torture for me. As horrible as this was, it was really the perverted picture of God as an angry, judgmental, unloving monster that most repelled me. Even at that young age I knew that there was something enormously wrong with what I was being told, and I eventually managed to convince my parents to let me quit the program. None of it worked; indeed, it couldn’t ever have worked, but I didn’t know that at the time. Reparative therapy was a disaster for me; the damage it did took decades to overcome, and some of the emotional scars remain with me to this day. Indeed, it took God’s grace, repeatedly lavished over me by dear friends, bellow clergy, competent clinical psychologists, and church members – and most especially by the wonderful people of St. Stephen United Methodist in Mesquite, Texas – to bring me to God’s true wholeness and all-inclusive love and acceptance
VIDEO
Absolutely not! Firstly, homosexuality is not an illness nor has it been considered such for nearly 50 years, hence there is no reason to "cure" it. Secondly, there is no known way of changing a person's sexual orientation or identity. While we still don't fully understand why some people are LGBTQ, what we do know is that sexual orientation and identity are unchosen, immutable, and effectively "hard wired" into people's psyche from before birth. While one's behavior may be modified to conform to cultural norms and expectations, their sexual orientation and identity cannot be changed. It cannot be beaten out of people, argued away, preached away, or prayed away. LGBTQ+ people know this from personal experience, and the American Psychological Association has scientifically confirmed it.
"But, why can't you just pray it way? Surely nothing is beyond God's ability to change!"
While nothing is impossible for God, the experience of hundreds of thousands of LGBTQ+ people is that God doesn't consider our sexual identities to be a problem. Many of us — perhaps most? — have begged God to change us; I did for many years while trying to pretend I was straight, but to no avail. God has loved me, saved me, and changed my desires regarding a whole host of unhealthy sins that have been a problem in my life; but God has never, ever, changed my sexual orientation. If anything, the more I have grown in accepting who I am as a gay man, the more peace I have found with God! The struggle to "pray away the gay" did far more damage in my life, and in the lives of other LGBTQ+ people, than our sexual identities ever have.
The harm that trying to change one's sexual orientation can do has been well-documented in the Netflix original film "Pray Away". This documentary focuses on Exodus International, which was an organization of Christian “ex-gay” ministries that attempted to change, convert, or “heal” LGBTQ people. While Exodus no longer exists, there are similar ministries still functioning in the United States and around the world. Back in the early 1980s, when I was in Junior High School, my parents forced me to go through an Exodus International program in hopes that it would change my sexual orientation. In that program I was taught that, while God loves all people, God won’t love us while we’re gay. At least, that’s how it was explained me when I was a vulnerable 14 year-old boy. Specifically, I was told:
"Being gay is one of the worst possible sins a young man can commit. In order to be forgiven and loved by God, and to prove that you really love God yourself, you must stop being gay."
Through individual therapy and group counseling sessions, I was scolded into believing that I didn't have enough faith in God. Through moralistic preaching that incorporated large doses of guilt and shame, I was further coerced into believing that if I really loved God I would stop being gay. The most aggressive form of treatment that I underwent involved both aversion therapy and a form of "negative reinforcement" in which I would be shown a series of pictures: photos of girls in various states of modest undress would be accompanied by pleasing sounds and odors, while photos of shirtless young men would be accompanied by a moderate electrical shock applied to me through a cuff around my wrist. I experienced hundreds of these "treatments" across several months, and each time I was hooked up to the machine it was nothing short of torture for me. As horrible as this was, it was really the perverted picture of God as an angry, judgmental, unloving monster that most repelled me. Even at that young age I knew that there was something enormously wrong with what I was being told, and I eventually managed to convince my parents to let me quit the program. None of it worked; indeed, it couldn’t ever have worked, but I didn’t know that at the time. Reparative therapy was a disaster for me; the damage it did took decades to overcome, and some of the emotional scars remain with me to this day. Indeed, it took God’s grace, repeatedly lavished over me by dear friends, bellow clergy, competent clinical psychologists, and church members – and most especially by the wonderful people of St. Stephen United Methodist in Mesquite, Texas – to bring me to God’s true wholeness and all-inclusive love and acceptance
VIDEO
"How Can You Be a Pastor and Also Be Gay?"
Absolutely I am, and it is all due to God's amazing, unlimited, undeserved and undeservable grace. I am a pastor because God called me to be a pastor; yes, I had to answer God's call, study the scriptures and the theology of the church, be examined an approved by Boards of Ordained Ministry, best tested through a time of probationary ministry, and be ordained by a bishop, but fundamentally I am a pastor because of God's grace. And, yes, I am gay. Here's my coming out story.
No one is a minister of the Gospel by virtue of their own worth, skills, or abilities: it is entirely God's grace that calls pastors into the representative ministry of the church. By virtue of our Baptisms, all Christians are called to many different types and forms of ministry, and God's calling must never be limited by human rules or regulations regarding sexual orientation. Indeed, God's calling is always rooted in, empowered by, and fulfilled through God's grace. This is true for those who are ordained, and for those who are called to lay ministry. For example, my husband has a lay ministry of administration and communications combined with a missional passion for outreach to those in the LGBTQ+ community who have been marginalized by the Church. Because of his gifts and graces, talents and abilities, and because he is willing to apply them in the life of a church, Kade is making a valuable contribution to the mission of the church, which is:
Absolutely I am, and it is all due to God's amazing, unlimited, undeserved and undeservable grace. I am a pastor because God called me to be a pastor; yes, I had to answer God's call, study the scriptures and the theology of the church, be examined an approved by Boards of Ordained Ministry, best tested through a time of probationary ministry, and be ordained by a bishop, but fundamentally I am a pastor because of God's grace. And, yes, I am gay. Here's my coming out story.
No one is a minister of the Gospel by virtue of their own worth, skills, or abilities: it is entirely God's grace that calls pastors into the representative ministry of the church. By virtue of our Baptisms, all Christians are called to many different types and forms of ministry, and God's calling must never be limited by human rules or regulations regarding sexual orientation. Indeed, God's calling is always rooted in, empowered by, and fulfilled through God's grace. This is true for those who are ordained, and for those who are called to lay ministry. For example, my husband has a lay ministry of administration and communications combined with a missional passion for outreach to those in the LGBTQ+ community who have been marginalized by the Church. Because of his gifts and graces, talents and abilities, and because he is willing to apply them in the life of a church, Kade is making a valuable contribution to the mission of the church, which is:
"To make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world."
Kade, who was once an agnostic and entirely unchurched, has heard God's call on his life to ensure that there is a place at the table for all God's children. His dedication in ministry is beyond question, and God's call in his life has become an abundant blessing to me and to my ministry through our marriage.
As for myself, my personal calling as a pastor, preacher, and teacher is to:
"Share the Real Presence of Jesus Christ through Word and Sacrament, creed and deed."
This calling is dependent upon God's grace, and is in no way limited by the fact that I'm gay or that I'm married to an amazing man and partner in ministry. If anything, my identity as a gay man helps to inform my ministry, and provides a critical arena in which to proclaim the gospel, share the sacraments, and be a witness to God's love for all in the church. For more on how all Christian ministry is rooted in God's grace, see here.
Yes, I am a pastor … and I am also gay. Praise God!
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