Yes Church, those are your neighbors, too.
In the past six months, I've become more and more unfiltered in my frustration with the American evangelical church's failure to welcome everyone with open arms. If you've been reading for part or all of those six months, you know this well by now. But some of you knew me as a very young, very passionate creative writer who lived in a comfortable bubble of naivety back in 2010. That version of me existed for the first three or more years of this blog. There's a reason I haven't deleted those posts...I want to remind myself of how long I have thought I could write about social issues. I wouldn't recommend clicking back any further than 2015 (I certainly never do), but if you for some reason ignored my warning, I'd like to say that I am proud of my journey towards understanding a world beyond my own space.
On Sunday in church we talked about being unified by the Spirit regardless of our differences. Now, I am not here to tell you that I believe every opinion is a good or healthy one to hold; clearly I have used this space to call out some thoughts that I cannot endorse as valid. Even so, I recognize the danger of shutting out a person because of their views without still seeing them as another piece of God's creative landscape. Maybe it's this neverending empathetic heart of mine, or maybe it's Jesus working in my spirit every day to help me see the potential light in broken people.
So given that I have painted a picture of myself as a progressive who used to be staunchly conservative, a follower of Jesus who continues to fail every day in the simplest and most complex ways...we need to dig up a topic that has been surprisingly quiet on the conservative side of my social media this month. You probably already know where this is going and if you are clicking away...I'm sorry we can't have this dialogue right now.
It's Pride Month. Let me be up front before I move forward here: I will always celebrate people loving and supporting each other, period. Gender and sexuality were two of the very last parts of my social views to shift. I'm not a theologian or any type of scholar, I don't have any degree that qualifies me to talk about these topics at all. So I'm not going to argue the Biblical angle or the biological angle or anything along those lines. I am, however, a follower of Jesus, and I think that does qualify me to speak to the greatest commandments, which are to love God and love our neighbor. That means opening your church doors and your homes and everything in between to be a safe place for people who aren't straight and/or cisgender. I should be able to say "duh" after that statement. Unfortunately I know that I cannot.
Unity in the Spirit. In the words of Pastor Aaron, "diversity in thought and personality." I love it and I will keep throwing myself into the effort towards us reaching that goal of unity. There is no room for bigotry or prejudice in the body of Christ. Love Jesus and love your neighbor. Make yourself a safe person for those who feel unwelcome or afraid. It shouldn't be this damn difficult to see people through the eyes of Jesus if we claim to have been redeemed by His Spirit. Come ON, friends.
When I wrote about women in the church, I was afraid of the pushback. I trembled with every word. I have to say, the response has continued to be that of conversation rather than suppression. Everything I felt about that topic is tenfold in this case, including the fear and trembling. Yet I also believe that because of the transformative love of Jesus, I have found joy in embracing relationships with those who are marginalized or rejected. I cannot be silent while people are rejected based on who they are.
Are you listening? Are you willing to expand your love to reach everyone? Are you ready to seek out those who have slipped through the cracks of your ability to see Jesus in people?
Happy Pride Month, babes. I love each and every one of you, even if we don't see eye to eye. Specifically this month, though, I want to be sure that my LGBTQ+ people know I will always be a safe place for those of you who need it. Let's keep having conversations that lead to loving each other better.
On Sunday in church we talked about being unified by the Spirit regardless of our differences. Now, I am not here to tell you that I believe every opinion is a good or healthy one to hold; clearly I have used this space to call out some thoughts that I cannot endorse as valid. Even so, I recognize the danger of shutting out a person because of their views without still seeing them as another piece of God's creative landscape. Maybe it's this neverending empathetic heart of mine, or maybe it's Jesus working in my spirit every day to help me see the potential light in broken people.
So given that I have painted a picture of myself as a progressive who used to be staunchly conservative, a follower of Jesus who continues to fail every day in the simplest and most complex ways...we need to dig up a topic that has been surprisingly quiet on the conservative side of my social media this month. You probably already know where this is going and if you are clicking away...I'm sorry we can't have this dialogue right now.
It's Pride Month. Let me be up front before I move forward here: I will always celebrate people loving and supporting each other, period. Gender and sexuality were two of the very last parts of my social views to shift. I'm not a theologian or any type of scholar, I don't have any degree that qualifies me to talk about these topics at all. So I'm not going to argue the Biblical angle or the biological angle or anything along those lines. I am, however, a follower of Jesus, and I think that does qualify me to speak to the greatest commandments, which are to love God and love our neighbor. That means opening your church doors and your homes and everything in between to be a safe place for people who aren't straight and/or cisgender. I should be able to say "duh" after that statement. Unfortunately I know that I cannot.
Unity in the Spirit. In the words of Pastor Aaron, "diversity in thought and personality." I love it and I will keep throwing myself into the effort towards us reaching that goal of unity. There is no room for bigotry or prejudice in the body of Christ. Love Jesus and love your neighbor. Make yourself a safe person for those who feel unwelcome or afraid. It shouldn't be this damn difficult to see people through the eyes of Jesus if we claim to have been redeemed by His Spirit. Come ON, friends.
When I wrote about women in the church, I was afraid of the pushback. I trembled with every word. I have to say, the response has continued to be that of conversation rather than suppression. Everything I felt about that topic is tenfold in this case, including the fear and trembling. Yet I also believe that because of the transformative love of Jesus, I have found joy in embracing relationships with those who are marginalized or rejected. I cannot be silent while people are rejected based on who they are.
Are you listening? Are you willing to expand your love to reach everyone? Are you ready to seek out those who have slipped through the cracks of your ability to see Jesus in people?
Happy Pride Month, babes. I love each and every one of you, even if we don't see eye to eye. Specifically this month, though, I want to be sure that my LGBTQ+ people know I will always be a safe place for those of you who need it. Let's keep having conversations that lead to loving each other better.
Well said.
ReplyDeleteLove you.
DeleteBeautiful. Have you listened to The Liturgists podcast yet?
ReplyDeleteI haven't! I have been meaning to get into it. Maybe I'll start and have some of my church friends work through it with me.
DeleteGood on you for these fair words, Justine.
ReplyDelete