Over the past few years, I’ve been thinking a lot more about the traditional Christian views on homosexuality and the Biblical texts commonly known as “clobber texts” which are used to validate straight Christians and tell LGBTQ+ (Christians and non-Christians) why they are wrong and need to change. Christians love to say “Love the sinner, hate the sin” when referring to homosexuality, but never think of saying this about our own arrogance, pride, greed, selfishness etc.

For much of my life, I’ve believed what the church said about who was accepted and who wasn’t. Yet in the midst of that absorbed belief, a deep part of me wondered why people were not accepted by God due of their deeply felt sense of identity. I assumed that those more senior and versed in their knowledge of the Bible and God’s truth had better understanding, so I accepted what they said. In truth, I believed what others had said, because it was never challenged.

In these past 10-15 years I’ve become solidly grounded in my belief that the most basic and foundational character of God is Love. This challenged my shallow belief that God would reject people who believed or lived different lives from my normal. How could a loving God ever say that someone is not worthy. As Greg Boyd often says,

“We are only permitted one belief about other people, and that is they are of unsurpassable worth because that is how God sees them.”

Michael Frost, who I’ve referenced in the Recommended Listening page, has a helpful and insightful podcast on this topic. If you are interested in a more biblical perspective, than the simplistic binary view that the Church typically endorses, then take the time to listen to his podcast from In The Shift.

I have included a discussion chapter in my book “Big Questions” on this topic. It focuses on our primary mandate to love others as God loves us, regardless of race, colour, sexual preference or gender identity.

The discussion questions include:

• Why do we look for differences rather than similarities?
• Who were the people Jesus included?
• Who were the people Jesus excluded?