This past Sunday, our youngest son was baptized, by our bishop, at North Scottsdale United Methodist Church. After the baptism, Rev. Nancy Cushman, the senior pastor at NSUMC delivered a powerful sermon about what it means for the Church to affirm God’s love for us. She talked about the recent suicide of a teen who, for years, had been constantly bullied, because he was gay. Nancy pointed out that it isn’t a secret that the church is not a safe place for LGBTQ teens (or adults for that matter). Instead, it is celebrities like Lady Gaga and TV shows, like Glee, that confer love, value and affirmation on these teens. It’s embarrassing any time the Church takes a back seat to pop culture, however, it is especially deplorable that, regardless of where we fall on this issue, the Church is often the last place to tell these teens that God loves them, they don’t deserve to be bullied, and that their lives matter.
This is not a Church I want either of my sons to grow up in. This is not a Church where its leaders, including myself, can choose to remain neutral or silent on the issue of bullying.
Recently, a college student came out to me, and when he did, he admitted that I was one of the last and hardest people to come out to. Even though he knew that I would love and support him, and that our ministry would do the same, he still felt like the Church was not a safe place to be the person he truly is. That moment was truly heartbreaking for me and made me realize that even when we think we are inclusive, we may not be doing enough to show that we are serious about it.
There are a lot of people who disagree with me on this issue and I realize there’s not much I can do to convince them otherwise, however, there are a lot of folks out there who are afraid to speak out in support of the full inclusion of LGBTQ folks in the church. It’s to those folks that I challenge to make your faith community a safe place for all people, a place where people know that they are loved by God. And to my brothers and sisters who are struggling with coming out: I hope and pray, that one day, the Church will be one of the first and safest places you can share about being the person God created you to be. Until then, we must continue the struggle to truly make the Church a place for all people.
Congratulations to all those who made the brave decision to come out, today. May we all be as brave to love and embrace you, just as wonderfully as God loves and embraces you, exactly as you are.
