This is a collection of articles and essays related to the question of whether our congregation should become openly welcoming and celebrating of LGBTQ people.
Pastor Michael welcomes your questions and comments at [email protected]
I’ve been encouraged that Saturday’s shooting and political violence have been unequivocally denounced by political and religious leaders across the political spectrum. Political violence is a dire breach of our faith and civic values. It must be a bright line in our politics that we never cross. But despite the feeling of abnormality of an attempted presidential assassination, it’s important we remember how violence (including political violence) has already traumatized so many and become such a sobering feature of our public life.
Among politicians and media members, there has also been a lot of conversation about the need to “lower the temperature” in our politics, a hope and goal that I share. Since Saturday, I have tried to engage in my own soul-searching about whether any of my rhetoric has been overly strident or vitriolic. I encourage you to do the same. But as people of faith, we can’t just consider this goal from a political lens; we must think about it through the lens of our faith.
In this moment, we must hold fast to two injunctions from Jesus’ teaching: “The truth will set you free” (John 8:32) and the command to love our enemies. “Lowering the temperature” must not lead to false equivalency, become a pretense to censor those who denounce violent rhetoric, or cause us to shrink away from defending our democracy and the most vulnerable.
from Sojourners, July 2024
As for why people leave their religions, PRRI found that about two-thirds (67%) of people who leave a faith tradition say they did so because they simply stopped believing in that religion’s teachings.
And nearly half (47%) of respondents who left cited negative teaching about the treatment of LGBTQ people.
Those numbers were especially high with one group in particular.
“Religion’s negative teaching about LGBTQ people are driving younger Americans to leave church,” Deckman says. “We found that about 60% of Americans who are under the age of 30 who have left religion say they left because of their religious traditions teaching, which is a much higher rate than for older Americans.”
from NPR, March 2024
excerpt: “When my spouse was beginning to lead our church toward full affirmation and inclusion, one worry was about who would leave. Would there be enough financial support? From talking to colleagues and hearing the stories of other pastors and communities, I know this fear is not unfounded. I have known few churches that grew when they became affirming or whose giving increased when they centered a gospel of justice and mercy.”
from Christian Century, April 2024
Many Americans seem to have found no alternative method to build a sense of community.
from The Atlantic, April 2024
That relationship with organized religion provided many things at once: not only a connection to the divine, but also a historical narrative of identity, a set of rituals to organize the week and year, and a community of families. PRRI found that the most important feature of religion for the dwindling number of Americans who still attend services a few times a year included “experiencing religion in a community” and “instilling values in their children.”
last updated July 2 2024
