This post is part of our ongoing “Ask The Pastor” series, where you can write in to ask anything to our Lead Pastor, Rev. Jason Coker. To submit your own question, click here to go to our Ask Anything page.
What is your position on the LGBT community? We have been looking for an open and affirming (not trying to “pray the gay away”) church. We are lovers of God and are looking for a place to cherish and worship Christ, Holy Spirit and the Lord. So far we have been deeply disappointed.
~ A Concerned Mom
Hi Concerned Mom,
This is such an important question. So many LGBTQ persons have been treated hatefully by Christians or abusively by churches or — at the very least — relegated to second-class status. As a result, churches have a responsibility to clearly articulate their position on this.
Our church is a member of The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), which, as a denomination, has been open and affirming since 2013 – and therefore, that is our position here at OSC as well. To be open and affirming means that an LGBTQ person is free to participate in all the rights and responsibilities of membership at our church without any spoken or unspoken stigma concerning their sexuality.
It is our goal to create a welcoming, inclusive, and safe space for LGBTQ persons.
It’s also important to know that just because our church as a whole welcomes and affirms all people, that doesn’t mean every single person in our congregation agrees with that position. We practice freedom of conscience here, so every person is free to hold whatever beliefs their conscience requires. Consequently, we are a church full of people with diverse ideas and beliefs. We cherish that diversity and practice it as an expression of the gospel that brings people together in spite of their differences.
But as a church, we do not teach that homosexuality is sinful, we do not treat LGBTQ persons as second-class citizens, and we do not tolerate discrimination against, or the denigration of, people on the basis of their sexuality or gender. We celebrate sexuality as a good expression of what it means to be human.
Many Christians are taught that the Bible clearly condemns homosexuality as sinful (they especially appeal to Lev 18:22 and Rom 1:26-27), but the truth is that the Bible is not clear on this subject. Where biblical reasoning is not clear, we practice the liberty to hold differing positions from one another, while extending charity (kindness and tolerance) to everyone involved.
Anyone who says the Bible is clear on this subject either does not yet understand the issue, or they aren’t being honest about the complexities of this subject. If you are interested in deeper reading, I suggest Evangelicals Concerned as an excellent place to begin.
Thank you for your question! I hope to meet in person soon.
Sincerely,
Rev. Jason Coker