Acceptance, Love and Belonging
September 17, 2012
Many churches say that they accept LGB&T people – but all to often that ‘acceptance’ is conditional – and when that ‘acceptance’ conditional on celibacy, or repentance, or keeping a low profile, it isn’t real acceptance and gay Christians know it.
This week, AE member Lindsey has written with piercing insight into her experience of being ‘accepted’ in church.
She writes, ‘Using coded language like “lifestyle” or reducing me to a “homosexual” does not make me feel understood or accepted. Hearing church leadership say I’m “grotesque” or my partner and I are “encouraging one another in sin” is definitely not a loving thing to say. Comparing gay marriage to sexually immoral acts during a sermon does not make me feel like church is a spiritually safe place to be. It makes me feel like church is a spiritually damaging place to be. Just saying the words “gays are accepted in church” does not make it true.’
But Lindsey doesn’t stop there. She goes on to reflect on the kind of acceptance that really enables people to be truly themselves – the people God created them to be.
Follow this link to read ’Acceptance, Love and Belonging’, or find it via our Resources page
This entry was posted in AE Blog. Bookmark the permalink. ← Good News for LGB&T People – Part 1 September/October Newsletter 2012 →2 Responses to Acceptance, Love and Belonging
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thanks Hazel! Couldn’t agree more. “Accept” is a word that always feels inadequate to me when you’re talking about God and Jesus’ love for us. The way most people use the word it almost feels like you could say “put up with” and it would mean the same thing. I wrote about acceptance and affirmation last year… its in the blog post here http://www.acceptingevangelicals.org/stories/dear-church-yours-sincerely-angry-christian-lesbian/
Rather a good read, even if i do say so myself!
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This is precisely why I don’t think groups like ours should say we “accept” gay people. OK, we’re the Accepting Evangelicals and I’m not saying we should change our name, but when we are explaining who we are and what we believe in and stand for, we should always say that we *affirm* gay people.