Update: Queer Affirmation Writings (Story Pause)
And a happy mother's day to all the moms out there! Shout out!
First Off, Happy Mother’s Day to my Readers!
While this certainly is a happy day for many moms, we also recognize it can be unbearably painful for others. After all, life is unfair and life is hard. For those who feel troubled this weekend (for whatever reason), I’m reminded of God’s tender-heartedness toward you and these beautiful words from Scripture also come to mind:
“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” - Psalm 34:18
May you find peace and rest, an inner quietness from the Spirt of God, this weekend!
Progress Report: The Bible and LGBTQ+ Affirmation
As I was trying to write this next chapter of our family story, I knew it would be challenging to condense everything into 2,000 - 3,000 words (the typical range for the chapters up to this point). I knew I was not going to be able to say everything I wanted to say within that framework. And I certainly knew I would not be able to answer every question that people might raise on the heels of such an article. Impossible Task 101. If that was the goal, I would drive myself absolutely crazy in the progress. For there are so many interpretations and perspectives drawn from the richness of the biblical text! Entire books have been written about the subject of Christianity and queer affirmation, for example. And going a step further, entire books have been written solely on Romans chapter 1, for example, let alone the whole of Scripture. Therefore, the material I’m drawing from is vast. So I’m now trying to step back, take some deep breaths, and ask the questions, “What do I want to say about my unique journey? What has influenced me to change my mind on this critical issue, one that involves real people who stand in front of me. What moved the needle for me; what gave me theological peace?”
In the middle of the week, therefore, I changed my approach on this next chapter of our family story. I will now break it into two chapters, The Bible and LGBTQ+ Affirmation (part 1) and The Bible and LGBTQ+ Affirmation (part 2). This is what I’m thinking for the next couple chapters:
The Bible and LGBTQ+ Affirmation (part 1) - The first part will deal with how and why I came to the place of being open-minded enough to even relook at Scripture. To revisit the Biblical passages on this issue. Back in 2023-2024, why was I open to reexamining the Word of God pertaining to LGBTQ+ people? As I reflected on this, there were actually 8-10 things that helped me to eventually say, “Okay, I’m going to relook at the text and study this subject more deeply.” Keep in mind, nobody is changing the Biblical narrative (“the Bible is what the Bible is”), but based on our experiences with real people and based on new understandings along the way, we can look back at the Bible with a fresh perspective. When we do this, we sometimes see things we never saw before. When we do this, we sometimes learn things we never learned before. That’s part 1.
The Bible and LGBTQ+ Affirmation (part 2): The second part answers the question: What about the verses? What do affirming Christians do about the pertinent verses, which some call the clobber passages, that seem to speak directly against same-gendered sexual activity? Again, this is an impossible task for one short chapter in the family story, but I will attempt to give the cliff notes version of what helped me to have theological peace along the way. I will attempt to speak briefly to the individual verses (in part, not in full), along with looking at the grand narrative and the beautiful mission of God throughout the Bible. That’s part 2.
Part 1 will be dropped next week, if everything goes along as expected.
Now, Recommended Video:
While you wait for those chapters to reach your inbox, I highly recommend listening to Dr. David Gushee’s journey of what led him to change his mind. If you’ve been following my Substack closely, you likely know Gushee’s story. This video was particularly helpful to me a couple years ago, along with so many other insightful videos, podcasts and books. The reason I’m highlighting this video today is because I listened to it again this week and enjoyed it all over again. I think Gushee makes some great points pertaining to what God is doing in the world today. Among other things, he gives this controversial take:
I noticed that there was a growing gap opening up between cultural acceptance of LGBTQ people and Christian refusal to change our mind… between cultural acceptance and Christian lack of acceptance. And what Christians were saying was, “That’s because the culture is going to hell, and we need to stand firm.” But I began to wonder whether the culture was actually, more likely, getting it right. You know, if there is a gap between increasing tolerance and acceptance, and increasing intolerance and lack of acceptance, which most reflects the Spirit of Jesus? It reminded me of Luke 15:1, where the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him and the Pharisees and scribes were grumbling, saying, ‘This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.’ Jesus was known for inclusive love, reaching out toward those on the margins. And the church is known for exclusive contempt. So, who has got the Spirit of Jesus? That became an open question for me.
Below is the video link for Dr. David Gushee entire presentation, called, “Full Inclusion for LGBTQ Christians.” Much peace to you are you discern next steps for you and your family!
YouTube video link: Dr. David Gushee: Full Inclusion for LGBTQ Christians
I’d love to hear from you in the comments below, even sharing some of your story. Let’s compare notes and grow together in the love of God. However, so we’re clear, unkind or accusatory comments will not be tolerated on this forum. We welcome civil dialogue and questions asked in good faith. Comment, share insights, add additional stories, ask real questions. If you have a question or a thought that you’d rather not ask publicly, feel free to message me directly.
Looking forward to the next chapters and thanks for the video recommendation!