I have been grappling with how to say this for many months now. Do I say it in a social media post? In a blog? In a newsletter? In face to face meetings with friends and supporters? Does it need to be said at all? (I decided yes, it does). Instead of picking one option, I’ve had face to face and phone or text conversations with some friends, but I know it won’t be feasible to tell everyone this way, and I also know some people will want a deeper explanation that I can give most clearly in writing. (I am also happy to follow up with meetings, if you would like!)
So…here it is. I have come to a place in my faith journey with Jesus where I am comfortable and confident taking an LGBTQ affirming position. What does this mean? It means I affirm all people are created in God’s image and deeply loved by God regardless of our gender identity or sexual orientation. I think most of us would agree with God’s unconditional love, but many Christians believe that in order to enter into a relationship with God (identify as a Christian) and to be fully engaged in the church community, including positions of leadership, that LGBTQ people should practice abstinence and actively struggle against their sexual orientation and/or gender identities. This is a position I held for many years, but I have now changed my position. I believe LGBTQ persons should be fully welcomed and accepted in the church community as they are (as God created them to be), and that they should be encouraged to enjoy sex within marriage relationships just as heterosexual Christians are.
I understand many people – people who I love, respect and want to continue to be in fellowship and friendship and family with (perhaps many of you who are reading this!)- will disagree and think I have abandoned key teachings of the Bible. This may cause you pain and discomfort. This is the most painful part of declaring affirmation, and if I am honest, what has held me back for a long time. I am afraid of rejection and the rupturing of life-giving relationships with people I love. If you disagree with me and also love me, I hope you will offer me grace in this place of disagreement, and I want you to know that my belief in and reverence for Scripture has not changed, my love for you remains the same and I do not intend to pressure you to change your convictions.*
While one blog post or newsletter isn’t enough to fully explain my journey, I do want to offer some brief thoughts.** I love the Bible and believe it is God-inspired. I am also a student of history and know that humans have historically struggled with how to interpret and apply the Bible. It is a holy book that is a living expression of God's words, and it is also a divine revelation fare beyond our human understanding. Wrong human interpretations of the Bible have had destructive consequences across human history, many of which we only become aware of in hindsight. The church has at times reviewed, repented of, and then revised interpretations of the Bible, acknowledging the harm these interpretations have caused.
Some examples of this wrong interpretation include racist interpretations (i.e. Eph. 6:5, Col. 3:22, 1 Pet. 2:18-20, etc.) used to support the institution of slavery and absolve slave owners of horrendous crimes and violence; patriarchal interpretations (i.e. 1 Tim. 2:12) that limited women’s opportunities to be fully involved in church and in ministries God has called them to; interpretations (i.e. Matt. 5:31-32, Tit.1:6-9, 1 Tim. 3:1-7, etc.) that considered divorce a justifiable reason to exclude persons from fellowship and especially from leadership in faith communities; interpretations (i.e. Gen. 1:28) that led to missions work tainted by colonialism, the destruction of countless cultures and people groups, and even to supposedly “holy” wars (Crusades) and genocides (i.e. European invasion and murder of Indigenous peoples in North America). There are other examples – I am sure you could think of some as well.
I am very thankful the church has been humble enough to review, repent of, and revise these interpretations and do what can be done to heal wounds from them. I have benefited from these reinterpretations because I have been encouraged to pursue ministry even though I am a woman. I don’t believe any institution or individual is free from mistakes and negative patterns (sin) – including the church, and including me. The best we can do is stay open to the voice of God and be willing to move when God’s Spirit leads us to move, even when it is hard work to step outside of what we have always thought or believed. This moving of positions on this issue has been hard for me. I understand the Bible addresses gender and sexuality. I believe there is space to study these passages in the Bible deeper and to review, repent, and revise harmful interpretations. I chose to step into this space in college and wrestled (and studied) for more than 10 years.**
And that is very much the story of how my stance on LGBTQ persons being affirmed and fully included in Christian community shifted. It wasn’t a quick or angst-less change, and I don’t have an exact moment where I crossed an invisible line from one side to the other. It was a gradual (10+ years) process, and it was influenced by close friendships with LGBTQ persons; my grief over their absence from church communities I have been a part of; an awakening to the mistreatment and abuse of the LGBTQ community by Christian people and institutions (and my own involvement and complicity in this); and finally, by wrestling through prayer, reading Scripture, and reading / listening to Christian scholars and teachers with different understandings and experiences from me, some of whom are Christian and LGBTQ.
More recently, what has motivated me to be more public in my affirmation is two things: first, I have observed the thriving and fruitful Christian lives and ministries of LGBTQ persons –and I find it impossible to deny the presence and fruit of the Holy Spirit in them; second, I have increasingly come into contact with LGBTQ young people in my ministry, and this has led to deep reflection on God’s call for me to shepherd and love them well. I am often one of the first representations of Jesus these kids will encounter. Many of them are waging enormous internal and external battles to survive (the suicide rate for LGBTQ youth is astronomically high). I want them to find a safe place to land with Jesus and His ragtag group of disciples (us!), and with God, who is Protector and Warrior, mother and father, sheltering them under wings and fighting battles on their behalf (Ps. 91), calling out to them, “Stand still! I will fight for you” (Ex. 14:14).
In the coming months, I am going to establish a youth mentoring organization called Baton Rouge Charge (more on that to come soon!). My heart is for BR Charge to be Christian and LGBTQ affirming. BR Charge will meet each kid exactly where they are in their life and spiritual journey, and we will point them all toward Jesus and toward an abundant life in God’s family. We will challenge them to see themselves and others as created in the image of God and beloved by God. My hope is that people, organizations, and community stakeholders from a variety of Christian denominations and backgrounds will become partners in this endeavor.
My hope is for a collective willingness to enter into tension and wrestle with hard questions and conversations because of our love for one another and because of our larger shared purpose (i.e. Col. 3:14-15, Eph. 4:3, Rom. 12:16, Phil. 1:27, Rom. 14:19, Jn. 17:23, etc.) to be Kingdom ambassadors. Our love for every kid who joins the BR Charge family and the ways we welcome and celebrate these young people will have a significant bearing on whether or not they decide to follow Jesus and be a part of the church, and whether they turn to us (Jesus’ family) or to something/someone else as they continue to grow up. On this, I think we can all agree, and around this point of solidarity – that every kid is worth loving and welcoming and celebrating and that God is magnified when Christians do this work of loving, welcoming, and celebrating well – I believe we can labor together for God’s Kingdom to come in Baton Rouge and beyond.
*I would ask that conversations (comments, messages, etc.) that follow do not center on disagreements and debate. I have shifted my position but maybe you haven’t, and that is OK. For those who have invested and are investing in my ministry, I understand if this revelation means you are unable to continue supporting me financially. Please feel free to follow your conscience and God’s guidance and please know that losing financial support does not, for me, equal losing friendship.
**If you would like me to share more about the readings and teachers I consulted as I wrestled with LGBTQ affirmation, please let me know and I am happy to send a list and some links; I didn’t include those here because the purpose of this post isn’t to argue / convince. It is just to share my heart.
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