Have you ever met someone who hides behind a veil of Christianity? I have and it makes my skin crawl.

My neighbor/church friend/sister-from-another-mother and her husband could potentially be con-artists.

They’ve packed up their world and left without saying a word about where they’d be relocating or a goodbye. FYI - friends don’t do that to friends.

The day before the ‘planned’ move a conversation was had and some 18 ice lolly’s was given to them during this time. But not one word about a move escaped my friends lips. I was furious because it felt like I was nothing more than the neighbour who was there when ginger, olive oil, money, a hanger, yeast, popcorn kernals etc. was needed. But we live and we learn right?

Interestingly enough, it is my neighbour’s husband who is the main catalyst behind today’s post.

I have been researching and educating myself a lot about homophobia and churches. How religion has punished the men and women of our society for the longest time, and how preached tolerance has percolated emotionally and manifested intolerance on a grand scale, because of our built-in prejudices.

Buckle in.

Keep in mind always, that I am specifically talking about homosexuality and the Christian church. And that the intention of my post is not to cause division but to gently remind Christians to erase boundary and imaginary line that has manifested between ‘us and them’.

I want to categorically say I don’t believe that there is an ‘us and them’. We are all people. If anyone gives their lives to Christ, they are Christian in my eyes. Their relationship with Christ is their business.

Religion has over the years been weaponized to belittle, dehumanize and box the LGBTQI community into a realm of ‘us and them’. And for this reason, according to most religions, ‘they’, weigh greater than me on an imaginary scale of sin.

I don’t make these statements lightly because I have listened to many sermons, have engaged with experts and have sat in a classroom with a theology boff and questioned him. I have challenged people in my church who have taught me in side bar courses.

Their thoughts and some exchanges have left me shaking not with confusion, but with utter despair.

According to Christianity being homosexual is a sin, but I refuse to believe that God is homophobic.

The Bible preaches it and Pastors globally continue to condemn from the pulpit.

“But aren’t we all sinners? Yes.

Are there Christians in the LGBTQI community? Yes.

What community do I belong to? The church.

Why can’t ‘they’ belong to our community? They’re sinners.

But, why? Because God is love right. Jesus preaches tolerance. How do you know for sure that God doesn’t condone homosexuality? The Bible is very clear.

But how do you know for sure, God doesn’t condone homosexuality. I’m not sure.

The diatribe above is pretty much every conversation I’ve had when I’ve questioned the homosexuality stance of the church.

Glen Stanton says, “To identify someone by their sexuality is to reduce someone to their sexuality.”

I do believe that gender dysphoria has always been around.

It may not have been discussed and as openly recognized as much as it has in 2020, but it’s been there. Let’s not trick ourselves into believing that gay and lesbians didn’t exist when Jesus roamed this earth.

Christianity preaches love above all else and the church doesn’t mince it’s words.

But the rhetoric and the belief that homosexuality is forbidden by God is poor biblical scholarship and a cultural bias.

Let me explain my view;

1. Biblical interpretation and the study of it is called hermeneutics.

2. When you read from the Bible, your brain interprets information.

3. People attracted to others of the same sex regularly get judged and told that they are rejecting the authority of Christ in their lives.

4. Is there only one way to interpret the Bible?

5. If there is, who decided that?

Myles Markham, an author, Christian educator and a Master of Arts of Practical Theology wizzard from Columbia’s Theological Seminary. He so aptly explains, “It is important to remember that throughout church history, new information about people and the world have frequently led Christians to reconsider their beliefs. This need not be a reason to distrust Scripture, but rather should serve as an invitation to wrestle with the contexts of the biblical writers and our own lived experiences.

Christians today would do well by the tradition of the apostles and our current witness in the world to recognize that theological abstractions aside, God has already clearly embraced LGBTQ people into full communion, and it is now the church’s responsibility to simply honor that reality and rejoice (Luke 15).”

No excuses.

Jesus loved everyone, including the sinner. I am a sinner, you are a sinner - we are all sinners.

Love above all else. Remember this always. Be kind.