I come from a very conservative Christian background. When I come out to my Christian friends they often ask me about my theology. This is because for years I was a leader in the church and was training to be in ministry, so I think people want me to explain my position. The problem is I still have a conservative interpretation of the bible. I believe Jesus is Lord and still believe in sin (that we must strive every day to be more like Christ). I don't believe being gay is a sin because it is who I am and many of the verses in the bible that condone homosexuality talk about the sexual aspects of it and not the relationship aspect of it. I believe the examples of homosexuality in those times were not the loving gay relationships we see today. I am having a lot of trouble finding like minded people. I watched Matthew Vine's video and he hit the nail on the head! I agree with his views completely and love his use of scripture in his arguments. So what other resources can I find to help educate myself on being a gay christian that don't completely discredit the bible? I'm not attracted to more loose interpretations of the bible. This has also made it hard for me to find a church because I still have a very evangelical belief system. I visited a Unitarian church and the leaders didn't talk about the bible at all. So I knew this church wasn't for me. I also need to go to a church where people believe Jesus is divine. That is a big must for me. So do you have any good gay christian book recommendations? What about churches? Have you found a church and how do you feel about your church? What is their view of the bible and Jesus?
I really think you're barking up a dead tree. I'm sure there are others like you out there. However, you're just VERY outnumbered. Do you need church? I think that seems like the best option. I think you're just going to have to create what you want, you know?
If you are a Christian, then you follow Jesus. Jesus regarded many of the old testament laws as obsolete. In his teachings, the old testament is obsolete. While I don't have any references, I can say that people often misinterpret Jesus' teachings; the trick is to follow Jesus, but not through another person.
A lot of LGBTQ people have spiritual beliefs so I'm not quite sure what you mean by this. I've been seeing a therapist for a while and she thinks finding a house of worship will help me a lot. I don't think you really understand. When I came out I lost my job, my friends, and church family. I had to say goodbye to my greatest passion. I'd like to restore some of that. ---------- Post added 10th May 2013 at 11:42 AM ---------- I agree. Jesus' teachings are the teachings I hold most dear. I hope to find other like minded people to share this with and have a community though.
EC isn't the friendliest place to LGBTQ Christians in my opinion. We LGBTQ of faith are certainly not alone, but there are less of us on here than I would like there to be. As a bisexual christian, I have not really properly dealt with my spiritual life vs my sexuality. I don't believe being LGBTQ is a sin, but I was raised in a conservative christian background and therefore I have a lot of fear around the matter.
Yeah, the UU church is more of a spiritual Church, so it doesn't surprise me that you didn't think that it is right for you. Have you looked into open-affirming Churches in your area? I know that some Presbyterian and Anglican Churches are very open affirming. I also found this list on wikipedia, so it might help you some as well. If you ever see anything that you think crosses the line, let somebody on staff know or report the post and we will look into it for you.
I am a Christian and a lesbian and I've done a bit of research into the whole thing but I am not going to start "the biblical debate" but the documentary "Fish Out Of Water" is a great thing to watch because it breaks down the bible verses that people use to condemn homosexuality with theologians and pastors and experts. So I would suggest checking that out. I found it on Netflix. But I personally believe that God loves everyone and Jesus would never want us to hate others for being different because that is not what he did. LGBTQ people aren't hurting anyone by loving the same gender or because they were born in the wrong body and such. I'm not saying everyone has to agree with me here but that's what I believe. Hope that helped.
Frankly, when I came out and accepted myself as gay, I felt much happier, like the God I worship was happy with me for accepting the truth.
I don't believe I said anything against being LGBT and Christian. I didn't say "you can't be." I thought that you had already looked around. People assume there are affirming churches....I live in a conservative area, and that just doesn't exist. There's more open churches, yes...but you might not find one that is strictly pro LGBT. I just was giving my opinion... I personally think that if you can have the spirituality within you, you might be better off. I'll say this; I'm going through this line of reasoning because I've had very bad experiences in church. I don't care to even try to go back. I'm just trying to make it easier on you. Again, I'm not saying you should give religion up. If you think that, then I'm sorry. In terms of EC and LGBT Christians....well, what did you expect? I don't think we mean to be rude, but the gay Christian RELIGIOUS population is small, at least with how I see it. For the sake of this comment, religion and spirituality are separate. For those living in bigger cities, it's totally different because LGBT affirming is something that is possible. Most of us, though, don't live in big cities where it's possible. Maybe I'm just a silly goose. I just know a lot of us have tried before, and I think that it sometimes becomes a bigger hassle than it should be.
Since you've already seen the Matthew Vines video, I won't link to it but I agree that it is an amazing source. I have yet to find anything else that covers as much ground as Matthew did. Have you tried the United Church of Christ (don't forget the word united. Church of Christ is a different denomination)? The United Church of Christ has some congregations that are GSM (gender or sexuality minority) friendly. I attended one church where the pastor was a married lesbian yet the majority of the congregation was heterosexual. Also, if you look around online, you can find a directory of churches that support the GSM community. I was able to find on in my area by using gay church
You're not out numbered at all! There are a lot of us who are red and gay or Christian/faith based people who are gay too! You just have to know where to look. =) You can, and should go to church if it makes you happy! There are many churches that embrace every member of their congregation regardless of what they do outside of church. There are sites for gay Jews, so I'm pretty sure there are sites for gay Christian's too (and probably a gay bible study in your area, I know there are quite a few near me). To be more specific in answering your questions, the Episcopalian's, Non-Denominational, Lutheran, and Pedestrian (a few Methodist) denominations are well known for their open hearts and minds, so you may check out one of those. I recommend Episcopalian's cause they're pretty awesome. The Episcopalian church near my old house in TX was holding gay support groups back in the early 90's before being gay was such a huge issue in the media. I, myself am Conservadox and practice at home because the old testament says you don't need to go any specific place to pray or be close to God. I'm pretty by the book on most things, though I don't do the dietary restrictions as they're outdated imho. I wish you luck on finding a new faith based home and community! =D
One small point: the Lutheran you probably want to check out is ELCA. They are the more liberal version of Lutherans. Fortunately, ELCA is common--most Lutheran churches in my area are ELCA. Home - Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
This is a long read, but after reading this it helped me understand how some people, such as my girlfriend, that are able to accept their sexuality and follow the Christian faith. God Made Me Gay: A Letter to Louise I never learned how to make hyperlinks so sorry :3
I myself am an ELCA Lutheran (I was actually raised one, too). And we do bless gay unions and are a mainstream Protestant denomination. Secondly, closetprofessor on blogspot has some really interesting posts about being gay and Christianity, so I'd check that out.
Thankyou for this post. Its amazing to see there are more Gay individuals who do love God. I know God loves me and I do him. I would love to find a church I can go to so I can learn about Jesus and feel comfortable. I also someday hope to find a partner who loves God and will attend church as well. I haven't been in a debate about the bible and gays however I do know there are gay couples in the bible. PROUD TO BE A GAY CHRISTIAN
