Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Progressive Christian
An Affirming Pastor’s Letter to GLBT Christians

An Affirming Pastor’s Letter to GLBT Christians

Last updated on: June 23, 2014 at 9:57 am by Susan Cottrell

An Affirming Pastor’s Letter to GLBT Christians 2014-06-23T09:57:32-05:00 Susan Cottrell

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

“Let me begin by begging your forgiveness for the way you have been mistreated…”

Wonderful readers, I share this pastor’s letter which resonates with my heart, echoing my ongoing blogs, showing us Jesus’ love. Please enjoy and take great courage from pastors like this — and there are plenty of them! – Susan

An open letter to my GLBT Christian sisters and brothers and those supporting family members or friends who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender:

On behalf of Christian pastors and leaders everywhere, as an ordained minister with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and committed follower of Christ, let me begin by begging your forgiveness for the way you have been mistreated, ignored, abused, neglected, shunned, and otherwise treated poorly by the very people called to serve you and share with you the steadfast love of God. May the One Who Has Always Loved Us have mercy on all of us who fall short in our call to be conduits of God’s love to ALL of God’s children.

Secondly, let me make it clear that no one, regardless of how many degrees he or she has earned, how many years he or she has served the church, or how faithfully he or she has studied the Bible, can rightly declare that the Bible clearly states ANYTHING about committed relationship between gay or lesbian people. References to homosexuality in the Bible all refer to practices we would all find abhorrent, including rape, subjugation, pagan Temple prostitution, and cross-over sex (where heterosexual males married to women indulge in sex with each other.) There are no references to committed same-sex relationship in the Bible because there was no social or cultural room for the open practice of such relationships.

Any reference to Biblical condemnation of homosexuality as though such a reference condemns you or your loved ones, therefore, is making an unwarranted inference unimaginable to the original author. Condemning gay and lesbian people by referencing Scripture is a misuse of Scripture and, more importantly, is a violation of very clear commands that we are to refrain from judgment and love our neighbor as ourselves. When Jesus gives the great command that we must love one another, he does not offer exceptions that will allow us to condemn those who make us uncomfortable or uneasy.

Church leaders who single out sexually active gay and lesbian people as engaging in sin are misinterpreting Scripture, but even if their errant interpretation were correct, they would still be engaging in forbidden behavior. The Bible actually does explicitly condemn a number of behaviors. (Spend a little time reading Leviticus!) Why do you suppose your church leaders overlook all these other behaviors and dwell on a misinterpretation of a very few verses that seem to address homosexuality?

Here’s my thought on the subject: Human beings are naturally repulsed by the thought of sexually coupling with those toward whom they feel no attraction. Straight folks find it repulsive to think of coupling with members of the same sex and gay and lesbian people are equally repulsed by the idea of coupling with someone of the opposite sex. This is nature at work. Since most human beings are straight, this natural impulse serves to continue the human race. Your church leaders are mistakenly projecting their natural impulses on everyone else.

Following Christ is about overcoming our natural, selfish impulses so we might be transformed into people who accept, love, and serve one another. Jesus continually challenges us to cross all boundaries that would divide Gentile from Jew, clean from unclean, man from woman, accepted from outcast. This is the heart of the gospel. We who follow Christ must all grow to the point where we recognize that our natural repulsions should not be projected on everyone else. We find some people attractive and others unattractive, and we are powerless to change that reality. God can and will bring us to accept and love others whose attractions and repulsions are different from ours, though, if we are willing to surrender our will to the will of God in Christ.

We must all decide for ourselves, based on what Scripture DOES address, how Scripture would address committed gay or lesbian relationship if it actually spoke to the issue. As for me, I can come to no other conclusion than this: Jesus reveals God’s universal love for humankind and God’s determination to draw all of humanity into deep relationship with God and with each other. God loves the world–all of the world, and yes, all means ALL. There is nothing about you, about your family member, or about any of us that could ever cause God to give up on us. God believes in us even when we can no longer believe in ourselves. God forgives even when we would condemn. God IS love (1 John 4:8), and God’s love can and does transform all of us who surrender to God through Christ.

Amongst the holiest expressions a human being can make are those associated with intimate, loving relationship. The decision to give oneself fully and completely to one’s beloved is, at its best, a reflection of God’s invitation to all of us to surrender our lives to God. In loving one other person as fully as we are capable, we begin to experience the invitation to lose ourselves in the all-encompassing love of our Creator. May you all know the depth of God’s love for you and share that awareness with everyone God brings into your circle.

Peace,

Rev. Darrell McGowan

First Christian Church of Fullerton (Disciples of Christ), Fullerton, CA, USA

First Christian Church Treatise of the Bible and Homosexuality

christian parents gay child

christian parents of gay children

christians with gay children

coming out story

first christian church

gay christian charity

gay christian community

homosexuality and sin

homosexuality and the bible

homosexuality and the church

how to respond to a gay child

parent of a gay child

parents of gay children

parents of gay kids

Rev Darrell McGowan

Susan Cottrell

to christian parents of gay children

what do you do when your son is gay

what to do if your son is gay

what to do when your son is gay

when your family rejects you

Previous Post

June 20, 2014

A Coming Out Story

Next Post

June 24, 2014 Family Relationships: The Fine Line Between Hope & Denial

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Church & Religion Dear Susan Family Support Gay Weddings & Marriage GCN Conference Jesus Blog LGBTQ Support Parenting Personal Stories Suicide The Real Jesus Theology Transgender Uncategorized X Archived Posts

Select a Month August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 January 2025 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 June 2022 December 2021 May 2021 February 2021 November 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 May 2019 March 2019 January 2019 November 2018 March 2018 January 2018 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who was thrown into a fiery furnace but survived?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Noah Daniel Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego Joseph

Support this
Column