Jesus Christ left His Followers with Two Commandments: Love God more than everything else and love your neighbor as yourself. (Plus, the Parable of the Good Samaritan is generally understood to define "neighbor" as all other persons.)
Jesus also tasked His Followers with The Great Commission, instructing us to share His Good News with all nations. Yet some Christian denominations have long-excluded members of the LGBTQA community from full membership/participation.
Leaders within these denominations often rely on a handful of Bible verses that could be interpreted as condemning homosexuality.
Based on conversations I’ve had with other Followers of Christ on this topic, the Bible verses in-question condemn a different type of homosexual behavior than what exists in today’s society. During Christ’s lifetime, men who were warriors or pedophiles sometimes used sex as a way to control other men/boys.
In other words, non-consensual sex is the type of homosexual behavior condemned in the Bible. The topic of loving, committed, consensual, same-sex relationships isn’t addressed in the Word, as far as I’ve discerned.
Perhaps these denominational leaders are missing the big picture? The key take-away message from the Bible is: “God is Love.” Given the Holy Bible is God’s Love letter to humanity, why would anything in it instruct us to ostracize some of His Children?
I’ve no doubt members of the LGBTQA community will continue to be hated, harassed, turned away, ignored, and worse in some settings, by some people.
However, if any place should be welcoming and safe for these Children of God, it’s a house of God. For reasons known only to Him, God created them with a different approach to sexuality than 90% of the world population.
Our calling as followers of Christ is to demonstrate Christlike Love to (all) others. Jesus instructs us to ignite and nurture each and every person's relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ.
God the Father will judge both their thoughts, words, and deeds, AND OURS -- someday.
In Closing: Take heart my LGBTQA brothers and sisters, it wasn’t too long ago that women and people of color were excluded from full membership and participation in Christian churches. The times they are a-changin’.
