Today on Facebook Randy Roberts Potts posted a thoughtful commentary on decent Christian ministers who struggle to reconcile their compassion for LGBT people and their belief that being LGBT is a sin to be resisted like any other. He says we ought to give such people breathing room, to not toss around words like “bigotry” so freely, yet we also need to provide support for the LGBT people whose spirits are crushed by hearing who they are labeled “sinful”. Some of those LGBT people are kids, whose still-forming self-esteem is harmed by hearing such things. So Potts asks us to think about how we could find bridge-building alternatives to protect those people while also allowing Christians to come around in their own time and way.
As one on the receiving end of such words, I have a difficult time prioritizing the feelings of otherwise decent Christians who would label me and other LGBT people “sinful” just for being who we are, for not compartmentalizing that aspect of who we are as “just a feeling” and suppressing it. I care, because I have biological family whom I love and who nurture those beliefs about me and others like me, but I don’t have it in me to make their feelings the priority. Not when kids are being bullied because of those beliefs. Not when kids are killing themselves after hearing those beliefs. Not when those beliefs are the fuel behind legislation that keeps committed same-sex couples from marrying and receiving all of the local, state, and federal benefits granted without hesitation to every other married couple in this country. Not when those beliefs mean it is perfectly legal in many states for people to be fired from their jobs or denied housing simply because they are LGBT.
Not when Jesus is one of my role models, and Jesus’ concerns were for the vulnerable, not the misguided religious leaders of the time.
The Bible says Saul of Tarsus (who became the apostle known as Paul) was a devout Jew who believed followers of Christ were teaching heresy and needed to be reined in, by force, if necessary. Yet when Jesus encountered him on the road to Damascus, on a mission to get the okay from his religious leadership to forcefully rein in Christ’s followers, Jesus did not pull any punches, stay out of his face, or choose soft words to express his feelings about what Saul had been doing. The story says Jesus, without acknowledging Saul’s good intentions, struck him blind and asked bluntly, “Why are you persecuting me?” Then when Saul repented, Jesus told him who to go to in order to regain his sight and learn a more perfect way.
When these ministers Potts speaks of have repented, I will be happy to help them on the path to learning a more perfect way. Until then, my concern is for the vulnerable.
I am LGBT, whom they persecute.