I’m glad so many folks have read, enjoyed, and shared A Biblical Guide to Debunking the Heterosexual Agenda.

This work is obviously a piece of dark comedy, but like so many good jokes, its humor is based in reality.  We Christians need to be careful about how we use language to express our views to the world.  People are affected by the things we say.  In the case of too many LGBTQ people, our words have led to suffering and death.  How many have closed their eyes for the last time, believing that God would hate and reject them no matter what they did?

Obviously, most liberal Christians reject outright the kind of language and biblical hermeneutics I used in my previous post.  They’ve come to believe that the old interpretations of the Bible are wrong and no longer apply.  These people are the ones advocating for a revision of our churches’ marriage and ordination policies to make room for our LGBTQ brothers and sisters.

There are also many moderate evangelicals who likewise shun the kind of abusive rhetoric used by hate groups like Westboro Baptist.  These moderate evangelicals tend to maintain what they call a “traditional” view of marriage between one man and one woman, but they are also angered by fundamentalists who major on the minors and shove their views down other people’s throats.  These folks are mainly interested in introducing their neighbors to a thoughtful and compassionate version of the Christian faith that helps them grow in their relationship with God.

My challenge to these moderates is to examine the language they use in expressing their views.  To the ears of outsiders, even a moderate defense of heteronormativity sounds like hate speech.  Even more importantly, I urge them to stop and listen to the real experiences of LGBTQ people.  I believe that personal relationships are the primary means through which God reaches and changes our hearts.  If you care enough to speak about these issues, I urge you to speak from the place of relationship.  Let this “issue” become more than an issue: let it take on a name and a face.

No matter what our respective theological, political, or sexual orientations may be, we must remember that the Christian’s first call is to walk through this world like Jesus did.  As Desmond Tutu is fond of saying:

We are the hands and feet of Christ in the world.  God only has us.  God believes in us.

There is only one legitimate spiritual orientation, and that is Love.

Here’s a book worth reading on the subject, no matter what your “position” is:

Love is an Orientation: Elevating the Conversation