A phenomenon exists where LGBTQ+ people and their allies identify as Christian. The stories shared in this book are as diverse as the human population. Just as with any sampling of the population, there will be differences and similarities of ideology, theology, and politics. The goal of this collection is not to make everyone the same. The goal is to open hearts and minds in order to respect, accept, love, embrace, and include our differences.

No matter your race, color, gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or political affiliation, there is a God who loves you. All people, regardless of differences, can choose to be a Christian.

Listen to the stories of:

Dr. Mary Catherine Breen

Rev. Kimberly Brown

Rev. Tquita Brown

Robert Cottrell

Jane Doe

Clarence Ewing

Sine-Lee Ferguson

Sara Fernandez

Dr. Bobbie Glass

Rev. Dwayne Johnson

Jennifer Key

Kofi

Justin Lee

Sharri McGlauthing

Joe Martinez

Rev. Scott Morrison

Fred Nilson

Rev. Terri Steed Pierce

Dr. Larry Ponder

Rev. Omar Rouchon

Tommy Stahr

Violet Taylor

Rev. Troy Plummer Treash

Rev. Sven Verbeet

Dr. Christine Woodworth

The following comes from pages 266-270.

CONCLUSION

     A phenomenon exists where LGBTQ+ people and their allies identify as Christian.

Statement of the Problem

     In spite of the repeated message from God and the example given by Jesus, some organized churches reject LGBTQ+ people as undeserving or disqualified to be Christians. This rejection leads to self-loathing, self-hate, separation from families, and risky behaviors. Extreme rejection without adequate support can lead to suicide.

Purpose

     The purpose of this study is to hear the voices of LGBTQ+ people and their allies as they have accepted themselves and others. The stories of those who have successfully navigated the journey of acceptance can help those who are beginning their own journeys. Additionally, hearing the stories of others can help family members that are seeking to understand, love, and accept their LGBTQ+ family.

Research Questions

     Specifically, the research questions guiding this study were:

1. How do LGBTQ+ people and their allies identify in the world?
2. What experiences along their journey played vital roles in their identity development?

     The subjects were prompted to think of their life as a timeline and share their journey of acceptance of self or others that identify as LGBTQ+. They were asked to share any events that they thought significant in their Christian identity and how it changed over time as well as their early and evolving understandings of gay (LGBTQ).

     After the introductory conversation, the researcher prompted, “Once upon a time you were born… Here you are today.  Share your story with me.”  Most subjects talked for about 40 minutes. Some shared less and some shared more. Whatever they shared was accepted as real.

     The stories shared in this book were as diverse as the human population. Just as with any sampling of the population, there were differences and similarities of ideology, theology, and politics. The goal of this collection was not to make everyone the same. The goal was to open hearts and minds in order to respect, accept, love, embrace, and include our differences.

Findings

     The stories were coded and data were collected for common elements. Although commonalities emerged, each story was unique and stood alone.

     The evidence from the shared experiences of the subjects in this study corroborated the accepted view of the psychological and medical experts in that sexual orientation and gender identity are not chosen.

     The subjects in this study further demonstrated a theology that concludes that sexual orientation and gender identity are not disqualifiers for an authentic relationship with God. John 3:16 promises that whosoever, whomever believes is loved, accepted, embraced, and included by God.

All Participants

     The participants were a diverse group between 36 and 90 years old.

     52% of the participants identified as male.

     48% of the participants identified as female.

     68% of the participants were White.

     24% of the participants were African American.

     8% of the participants were Hispanic.

     20% of the participants were LGBTQ+ allies.

     8% of the participants were parents of LGBTQ+.

     44% of the participants were in Christian ministry.

     28% of the participants were educators/professors.

     96% shared that LGBTQ is not a choice.

     96% shared that the anti-gay teaching in the church is wrong.

LGBTQ+ Participants

     57% identified as gay.

     19% identified as lesbian.

     19% identified as queer or a term other than LGBT.

     10% identified as transgender.

     5% identified as bisexual.

     5% identified as DRAG.

     48% had been in a heterosexual marriage.

     48% produced children in a heterosexual marriage.

     19% shared experiencing verbal/physical abuse.

     14% shared experiencing sexual abuse.

     10% shared experiencing mental illness.

     14% shared abusing drugs.

     19% shared attempted/planned suicide.

     38% shared experiencing familial rejection.

     52% prayed for healing of LGBTQ+ feelings/identity.

     19% reported being angry with God.

     64% took a break from church.

     48% took a long break from church.

     90% believe that God accepts them.

*Note that the percentages found represent the contents of the shared stories. Where it is reported that 14% shared experiences of familial rejection, that does not mean that 86% did not experience that kind of rejection. What it means is that 86% did not share familial rejection in the telling of the story of their journey. It may not have occurred for them or they may not have included that in their story. Few or no follow-up questions were asked as part of this study was about the self-selected portions of life that each subject felt was important, relevant, or what they wanted to disclose or shield.

     A world that is accepting provides a space where people can find their identities without unnecessary barriers.

     No matter your race, color, gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or political affiliation, there is a God who loves you. All people, regardless of differences, can choose to be a Christian.

Application

     If I wanted to know what it was like to be an Asian woman living in Alabama during the Covid19 epidemic, I would not ask an old White man living in Wyoming to tell me all about her Asian life. This seems abundantly obvious; however, this is exactly what the American church does when it comes to LGBTQ+ people and their families.

     The voices of the LGBTQ+ people, those who choose to be Christian and those who choose to not, are the ones to whom we need to listen if we really want to know what it is like to be LGBTQ+ in the world today. As a gay Christian man I have been repeatedly rejected by some in the gay community and some in the Christian community because they believe that gay and Christian are incompatible terms.

     My dad was a minister in the Church of the Nazarene and of the things he taught me, none is more significant than what he repeatedly taught: Being a Christian is a “know-so” religion. You do not have to guess if you are right. If you are a Christian you know it.

     If anyone is a Christian, they know it. A church, a religious leader, or a politician cannot tell an individual if they are a Christian or if they are not a Christian. The only one that knows for sure is each individual person and God’s voice in each one.

     I am a gay Christian man. Gay and Christian are not incompatible terms. They cannot be because I am both. Sexual orientation is part of human diversity. As such, sexual orientation and gender identity are immutable traits. To claim that God differentiates by these traits would be equivalent to saying that people with blue eyes cannot be Christian. A parallel inconsistency would be to tell people born with blue eyes that God tells them that they cannot use them for sight if they want to remain a Christian in favor with God.

     Some people are gay (LGBTQ+) and some people are not. Some people choose to be a Christian and some people choose to not.

     Gay and Christian are not mutually exclusive terms. There are LGBTQ+ Christians. Some shared their stories in this study. While everyone who shared their stories do not all think and believe alike, what is clear in this collection as a whole is that many LGBTQ+ people and their allies testify to the love of God that loves, accepts, embraces, and includes them.

You may purchase this book at www.amazon.com/author/larryponder.