LGBTQ Support

Tomorrow is national coming out day.  And I think that deserves some comment. 

Until very recently, I believed that my faith mandated opposition to alternative sexual orientations.  I have since been convinced that this interpretation is not in line with the broader truths I find in scripture and the traditions of the Christian faith, and I am in support of loving and accepting members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, and queer communities.  At the same time, I know that this newer interpretation of my Christian faith is something not shared by many fellow Christians.  Though I wish all Christians joined me in a new understanding regarding the appropriate Christian response to alternative sexual orientations, I know this is unlikely.

Though I wouldn't mind getting into a discussion about why I changed my mind, and why I now think that acceptance, love and compassion are the appropriate Christian responses to LGBTQ lifestyles, I think something needs to be said about why Christians disagree with the LGBTQ lifestyle.  All too often, Christians who are opposed to the LGBTQ lifestyle are painted with the same brush as bigots like Fred Jones.  Oddly enough, characterizing these Christians as bigots is often done out of ignorance and intolerance.

All too often, Christians who are opposed to LGBTQ lifestyles are torn about their position.  Opposition to these lifestyles is usually due to an interpretation of scripture, coupled with a commitment to obeying the authority of those scriptures.  In short, they have good, and dare I say, honorable reasons for their opposition.  The Bible does in fact state in a handful of places that homosexual orientations are not acceptable.  Christians who are committed to the authority of scripture are required to respond to these verses, and often conclude that these verses mandate that their opposition to LGBTQ orientations.  These Christians aren't bigots, they aren't judgemental, they aren't hateful and angry homophobes.  They are simply trying to have integrity in their belief that scripture is authoritative.  And, even though such opposition is regularly and emphatically frowned upon by the greater culture, many Christians remain opposed because they are committed to submitting to the authority of scripture.  Rather than demonizing them for being intolerant, judgmental and bigoted, I honestly think that such Christians deserve credit for trying to maintain integrity in their beliefs concerning the Bible, even though I think these beliefs are mistaken.

I disagree with their interpretation of scripture.  I could spend a lot more time talking about why I am no longer opposed to the LGBTQ lifestyle—why I still accept the authority of scripture, but no longer accept that scripture mandates my opposition to LGBTQ communities—but that's my point here.  My point here is not why Christians should accept the LGBTQ lifestyle, my point rather is that many Christians who are opposed to the LGBTQ lifestyles are trying to do what they think is the right thing.  As much as I wish they were more tolerant and understanding, I similarly wish that their interpretation was more widely understood and tolerated.  I wish we could see these people not as judgmental bigots, but as people trying to the right thing even when that means doing something deeply unpopular.