This was originally posted on the blog "I'm Christian. I'm Gay. Deal With It!"
"The Gospel at its best deals with the whole person, not only the soul but the body...Any religion that professes to be concerned about the souls of people and is not concerned about the slums that damn them, the economic conditions that strangle them and the social conditions that cripple them is a spiritually moribund religion awaiting burial." --Martin Luther King Jr.
I long for the day when the Church will be post-gay. By this I mean, I long for the day when being gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered is no big deal. Some churches and church-related organizations seem to have the need to create a visible, identifiable enemy in order to rally the troops and raise funds. [Right now that enemy is the LGBT community, especially the issue of gay marriage.] Wouldn't it be great if all of God's people got passionate about the true evils in our world such as poverty, the AIDS pandemic and global warming? Wouldn't it be great if the Church could direct its energies and resources toward healing the divisions that exist between people and between nations instead of adding to the polarization that already exists in our world?
Being a post-gay world would be a good thing. I do not think it would be the end of civilization as some conservatives claim. In fact, I think it would be a step forward in our evolution as human beings. Believe it or not, I am not the enemy. I am not evil incarnate. I have the same hopes and dreams for my family as everyone else. I pay my taxes, volunteer in my community and try to be a good neighbor. I go to church, tithe my income and pray on a daily basis.
I have a dream that, one day, I will be able to work side by side with my conservative brothers and sisters in Christ. I have a dream that, together, we will put an end to the hate and animosity that exists between us, and spend our days bringing light and hope and healing to the darkest corners of the globe. With God, all things are possible so, perhaps one day we will become a post-gay world. I'm working toward that goal. How about you?
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Sure! I live a post-gay reality every day. It looks different than what you describe but it has the same premise of destigmatizing homosexuality and allowing for self-determination.
ReplyDeleteSome people have commented about why I don't mention the "gay issue" in my sermons.
ReplyDeleteI have a mixed congregation, which has varied from 40 to 90% gay over time. Also, I am "over" the gay issue as a specific distinction. Yes I support gay civil rights, yes I go to gay pride, but "being gay" is so little a part of my life as a Christian, as a pastor, as an IT worker, etc.
Doug