you are welcome here

The first thing that I would ever hope to iterate here is that you are welcome as humans and citizens of planet earth. As much as I can affirm, I do so towards your humanity — the beautiful craftiness that my Lord created in you before the foundations of the world!

– He made you with the same essence he knit you together with in your mother's womb; did you know that he knows you more intimately than the skin on your bones? He loves you! — God is Love . . .

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I am beginning this series in multiple parts because there is a growing number of people arguing about something; what is this whole LGBTQ movement, often elsewhere referred to as PRIDE — why are there so many people in the church arguing about it? Why are their shouting matches between liberals and conservatives? Will we ever find harmony in this epistemological chaos? Is there an ontology to humanity and our sexuality?

• Is there merit to these arguments?
• Is it a sin?
• What is sin?
• What does God say about it?

Let's not straw-man this argument.

Let's fast-forward past the history, as one can easily find history on this movement. We are here to talk about the movement and its implications on human thriving, what God's Son says about this, and how we can best relate to our neighbors in ministry when having these extremely difficult conversations. I say they are difficult not because the actual conversation is difficult, but because often-times beginning the conversation is difficult, sometimes on both sides.

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There are a lot of people right now in this movement who have experienced trauma; whether that's from molestation at an early age (often in the 0-5 age range; which is crucial for development) or, their parents have underwent something traumatic, have had children and are now teaching their children what they believe to be true. It can be challenging and might seem hopeless, but there is redemption friend, you are not alone, and your childhood can and shall be redeemed!
child looking at map
Photo by Annie Spratt / Unsplash
The first article that needs to be expressed, is that this is unbiased in as far as it is not political, it is not targeted as any type of hate speech, or defamatory arguments against any type of people group. The only bias this conversation holds is that we want to investigate what Jesus, and the Word of God says concerning this topic.

The LGBTQIA+ spectrum includes various "identities":

  • Same-sex Attraction: This includes lesbians and gays, who are attracted to individuals of the same sex.
  • Cross-sex Attraction: This refers to bisexuals and pansexuals who experience attraction to more than one gender, not limited by the traditional gender binary.
  • Gender Identity (referred to as Trans-gender; formerly called transvestite): Often perceived as a 'traversal' of traditional sex categories, this "gender identity" seems to 'extend' beyond chromosomal makeup and is largely subjective. Individuals may express their gender identity through changes in appearance, adopting clothing and makeup aligned with the gender they identify with. Some may pursue medical interventions, such as hormone injections of the target sex or surgeries to align their physical appearance with their gender identity; this often requires removal of certain genitalia or flesh in certain areas to add what they feel is missing to their body.
  • Queer/Questioning: This category often involves a rejection of conventional norms related to gender and sexuality. Individuals who identify as queer or questioning may not conform to specific sexual orientations and can adopt identities such as non-binary. They may also use a set of pronouns that best reflect their gender experience, this list is exhaustive and is often hard to keep up with.
  • Intersex: Intersex, (previously called "hermaphrodite*" or "congenital eunuchs") individuals are born with physical sex characteristics that sometimes make it challenging to identify male or female bodies. This can include variations in chromosomes, genitalia, and reproductive organs, at this stage, it is clear that in the development stage, there have been complications in information shared between the mother and father.
  • Asexual: Individuals who identify as asexual do not experience sexual attraction to others, though they may engage in romantic relationships.
  • +: indicates that this list is apparently open-ended, no one knows for sure in this community, but new pronouns seem to arise every day.
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* late 14c. (harmofroditus), from Latin hermaphroditus, from Greek hermaphroditos "person partaking of the attributes of both sexes," as a proper name, the son of Hermes and Aphrodite, who, in Ovid, was loved by the nymph Salmacis so ardently that she prayed for complete union with him and as a result they were united bodily, combining male and female characteristics.

Confusion

It seems clear something is going on; you have some people attracted to their own kind, some who like both, some who do not feel they belong in what they're born in, some who are born with a strange set of parts that are shared between both male and female; some who are not attracted sexually to anyone, and others who are either unsure, or reject norms; indeed it seems like there is quite a spectrum — no wonder they employ the use of the rainbow to encase this wide range of feelings and emotion!

Regarding intersex, I recognize it as a distinct category that involves complex genetic and biological considerations. While intersex might seem different from other aspects of the LGBTQIA+ spectrum due to its direct connection with genetic variations, it is included as part of this broader community.

Slowing down to consider people's journeys.

In theological discussions, we might consider that although creation follows a divine blueprint, the natural world—including humanity—exhibits a vast range of complex thoughts about themselves, biological mutations, confusion and we are often the only race of species that turn against each other and our own programming. Suicide is common in these communities — bullying has no place here; if you find that you're one of these individuals, you are likely insecure in what you believe, and it gives you some false sense of power to make fun of others or attack them, regardless of their beliefs.

I know that these variables can be challenging to understand but they offer us an opportunity to grow in knowledge of what Scripture says and to have compassion on what others may be experiencing. What this does mean is that we have a chance to listen to others' thoughts, what they're battling with and, hopefully . . . those of us that claim to follow Christ out there have a beautiful opportunity to minister and witness to those in this community of people and speak truth back into their situations!

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I found this example of intersex to be worthy of watching as a woman (who is a real human with a real journey) is wading through the mess of a confusing human life.

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When it comes to what Maya Posch is going through, it may be just as confusing to her, as it is to us! I was intrigued by her story, and thankfully, even if we don't know all the answers, we can be comforting to these individuals and speak the truth that we do know!

What this spectrum comes down to is identity. Sexuality is closely linked to identity, and I can understand why so many people feel threatened when it comes to having these types of conversations. Yet, beneath it all, there is hope. There are answers. Beneath the chaos waters, the dragon has been conquered. You can have hope and be free. You can know for certain that what you're going through is only temporary, and people in this great cosmos have answers from on High!

Moving on, now that we have a brief idea of what this is, let's talk about God's original design for humanity and see if we can't find some harmony somewhere.

What does God say about it?

Let's go to the beginning, we are using scripture as our appeal, both to authority, moral and ethical, historical, and looking at symbolic and metaphorical interpretation; we want to make sure we understand what we are reading when it comes to how we interpret the text; we want to examine the culture, the context, the history, and what type of vehicle and device is being used in any given circumstance. Genesis 1:27 tells us that God created male and female to image him; they are the corporeal handiwork of an invisible God. They represent him as terrestrial beings here in our third dimensional plane of existence, how awesome is that!?

We see that the author echoes this same sentiment in Genesis 5:1-2, and in Genesis 2:18-25 we see that God intentionally designs a counterpart for the Man—at this point in the story, there is not a compatible sex for him yet; and when he sees her, he's filled with joy! He meets his ezer for the first time! That's a Hebrew term that really means "delivering ally" (someone who can do for that person what they cannot do for themselves; we later see that this is described of Jesus, and is shared by others in the old and new testament: eleazar and lazarus.) English translations often translate it as helpmeet, or helper, but that's extremely vague, there's so much more power in the original language! As Staci Eldridge puts in her book "Captivating"

“She is the crescendo, the final, astonishing work of God. Woman. In one last flourish creation comes to a finish not with Adam, but with Eve. She is the Master’s finishing touch.”
Want to continue reading? Part 1 Will be up next week