Because we welcome and love all the people in our lives, we are sometimes wrongly perceived as "compromising" the truth.
On the other hand, because we say that adulterous, homosexual, bi-sexual, and transexual behavior is sin, some wrongly perceive us as judgmental.
There is another way.
A Christian can be welcoming and loving without affirming.
It's similar to welcoming into your home for Christmas your 6-pack a day cigarette smoking and pint daily Scotch drinking father into your house without smoking cigarettes and drinking Scotch yourself. You also do not feel the need to affirm to anyone how smoking that many cigarettes and drinking that much Scotch is simply an alternative way to enjoy life.
Loving without affirming is possible.
But navigating LBGT issues as Christians who believe that God's Word conveys eternal truth is not easy.
I have a friend who has written a book that gives superb guidance.
Travis Collins has written a book entitled What Does It Mean To Be Welcoming? Navigating LGBT Issues In Your Church.
Of all the books I've read on this subject, Travis' book is the hands-down best book on the subject!
Travis writes:
"The way of compassionate morality means extending our arms and hearts to people who are making bad sexual choices whether they are straight or gay, but not endorsing those choices.”The book is divided into three sections. In the first section, Travis asks the difficult questions and shows the importance of having this conversation. In the second section, Travis takes us to the Scriptures and shows us the relevant passages on issues of sexual morality and provides insight into differing viewpoints. And in the final section, Travis encourages the read through sharing testimonies of people helped by these conversations and challenges the reader to continue the conversation because it's important.
"To love God is to keep his commandments as best we can understand them. To love people is to extend grace. We cannot falter on either.” Travis Collins
Outreach Magazine recently awarded What Does It Mean To Be Welcoming? the 2019 Outreach Resource Book of the Year.
Travis Collins is Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church,
Huntsville, Alabama, and has served as a pastor and missionary for more than
three decades. He holds a Ph.D. in
Christian Mission and is a member of the Fresh Expressions US Team.
I highly recommend What Does It Mean To Be Welcoming?
It will be a lighted path toward welcoming without affirming yet transforming.
35 comments:
Great article brother!
I think I will order the book, because it is difficult, as you said, to navigate between loving and sending the false impression of affirming. I really appreciate the balance that you strike on a lot of issues.
May God Bless You,
John Wylie
"The way of compassionate morality means extending our arms and hearts to people who are making bad sexual choices whether they are straight or gay, but not endorsing those choices.”
I had some thoughts once about transgender people that might help in the "welcoming" of the person, this:
"I am conscious of people’s discomfort with those who are ‘different’ and that often not knowing how to ‘fix it’ for them or ‘make it right’ for them, how it is that we seem too eager to distance ourselves from them in ways that are not Our Lord’s Ways.
What there is that makes us ‘human’ is something even more basic than our ‘maleness’ or ‘femaleness’ . . . and that IS a difference that invites us to engage with people who have gender issues on more common ground: our common human origin . . . the very soil from which we were formed and the very life breathed into us by God.
Some in the Church are wanting to surround and care for those who are ‘different’ with great patience over time with gentle care and unremitting hope for their salvation,
whereas others seem impatient in how quickly they are ready to cast transgender folk out from their midst . . .
I think it important not to be afraid of encounters with those who suffer from differences so many of us cannot understand;
or worse, not accept them as having one kind of ‘presenting form’ of that far more basic fallen human condition we all suffer from, each in our OWN way.
The ‘transgender’ person IS, first and last, a child of God.
What could be more important for us to know?”
Just a tidbit of food for thought having lived in the sex change capitol of the USA for a time:
many who self identify as transgender DO find out later on they are really transsexual. That is, either they are not just xx or xy but either both (chimerism),xxy, xyy, or xx or xy but with a body that does not respond properly to the sex hormones. So one who is xy but with no androgen sensitivity may appear feminine and feel like a woman, etc.
Obviously not all transgender fall into this type of situation, and talking with some there are those quite deliberately choosing it as a rebellion against even nature, as in "no rules on me" and this is the ultimate rebellion in their eyes.
I would have no problem labelling the latter as in sin and needing to confront their sin, but have great difficulty labelling those with a medical issue as sinful.
Thing is, it takes time to know which is which.
So tread gently and respectfully while being honest and true to scripture and natural law.
Anonymous,
I am WITH you.
Those with a genetic or "medical issue" (your words) are a totally different category.
IN THE FIRST PLACE
Our Daddy defined a cigarette as “A fire on one end and a fool on the other.”
Is God different today than in the past? Has he repented for killing people in Sodom and Gomorrah?
Peter wrote: “He turned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into heaps of ashes and blotted them off the face of the earth, making them an example for all the ungodly in the future to look back upon and fear.” (2 Peter 2:6 Living)
Has America changed in our lifetimes? Look what Obama did to our military. Some restrooms allow males and females. Some funny TV shows have gay people.
The last thing America needs is a book on how to hold out our arms to these people that should be hiding under a rock.
"A Christian can be welcoming and loving without affirming."
The progressive 'church' does not practice this. Their motto is acceptance and affirmation. There is no call to repent because in their doctrine God loves you just as you are so change is not necessary.
I think one if the biggest problems in this subject and many others is the loss of civil discourse in our country, combined with a tendency toward extreme views and binary thinking. The extremes on both ends are dominating the message, with almost no one in the middle being able to make a point without getting shot from either extreme. I am hoping this is only a passing fad and that real dialogue, non-binary views, polite disagreement, and civil discourse can become normal again.
Ken,
Amen.
Ken F
Yeah, I came on a little strong there. One of the most disturbing scenes that ruined seeing Niagara Falls was for my small children seeing two men kissing.
Hi Rex,
I was not targetting you. I was just making a general observation. I find that I am too liberal for conservatives and too conservative for liberals. I remember when it was ok for democrats to have conservative views on various topics and for republicans to have liberal views on various topics. But now it seems they are all being pushed to caricature extremes by both sides.
Ken F,
Thanks for explaining your point. I thought you were talking about me. You know it’s like Bob Cleveland said, “It’s the bit dog that hollers.” :)
My first experience with gays was when I didn’t know they existed. I was 18 and homebound for Christmas holidays at a bus stop where I had a long layover. A friendly guy started talking to me about he couldn’t get a job even though he’d graduated from college. Said employers wanted experienced applicants. It was about 10 PM and upon learning my connecting bus didn’t leave till 5 AM, he invited me to sleep at his room in a hotel nearby. The one bed didn’t bother me as I’d slept with my twin brother all my life. But in five minutes, he was on top of me telling how much he loved me. I was glad I was bigger than him. He said, “You can’t blame a guy for trying.”
'I WAS A STRANGER AND YOU WELCOMED ME'
“For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.” (Matthew 25:35-36)
this raises the action of 'welcoming' to a Christian act of mercy and kindness that connects the one who welcomes directly to Christ Who has assumed our humanity to Himself in order to heal it . . . .
could it be that, in the act of welcoming the stranger, it is we who also are being 'transformed'?
Does the kindness that comes from loving Christ bond us more strongly to Him when we extend that kindness to those who need it most in this world?
What is that teaching, this:
"“For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?” (from the Holy Gospel of St.Matthew 5:46-48)
the old 'franciscan' thinking of the saint who befriended and cared for the lepers:
'it is in giving that we receive' . . .
In the words of St.Francis:
“When I was in sin,
the sight of lepers nauseated me beyond measure;
but then God Himself led me into their company,
and I had pity on them."
(Francis of Assisi)
come, Holy Spirit
Last encounter with a gay.
I worked a 40-hour shift at Moore’s Business Forms in Denton, Texas while going to college. Got off at mid-night and walked a mile to where I lived. One night, a man asked if I wanted a ride. I said sure. On the way, he stopped at a park and asked me to read a story. I thought it strange, but read until it got real sexy. I got out and told him, I’d walk.
Ken, why do you suppose gays want an ‘encounter’ with someone that’s not?
CHRISTIANE,
Everything you said about Jesus helping others is true. My father taught us that it was OK to be soft hearted, but don’t be soft headed at the same time.
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/richard-lamm-on-multiculturalism/
Hello out there, REX RAY
the gay people I know are not 'predatory', they are good people who didn't ask to be 'different'
I think it is not 'soft-hearted' to take a stand beside someone who is 'different' and who is being persecuted. Rather, I would say that there is a 'paradox' in the Holy Gospels in that we are called not to judge those with burdens they did not choose, but to help them bear their burdens. In my Church, we see ourselves as in need of the mercy of God EVERY DAY, and that makes us poor judges of 'other' sinners. I guess that's the paradox: if we are judging, we see ourselves as being 'in sin'; and if we are caring for someone, we see ourselves as being healed in the process . . . . . people interpret the Gospel of Our Lord in different ways and that's okay, folks must live it out in a way that is meaningful to them as the Holy Spirit gives them the light to see
I am multi-cultural in that I have roots in Quebec and many of my family speak French as well as English. But when your parent tells stories of life in an immigrant family, it is hard to look at those coming now without 'identifying' with them and wanting to see them treated with dignity, as one's own people were once 'strangers' in this land, I guess.
My father worked three jobs: sixteen hours a day, and in a garage on weekends as a mechanic, self-taught; he had an organic garden and a compost heap; he saved his money, he cared for his family and took us to mass on Sunday mornings and saw that we were well-educated. I think his strength came from his heritage. He had suffered much as an immigrant kid and he was strong in character. Multi-culturalism to me is not something negative, it's 'family'. :)
"Ken, why do you suppose gays want an ‘encounter’ with someone that’s not?"
Hi Rex,
I don't know. I suspect it is no different than a heterosexual wanting an encounter with someone who might not have reciprocal interest. One doesn't know the answer is "no" without asking. At a deeper level, I think most humans are hard-wired for relationship. Some sexualize this need more than others. In any case, I doubt that any sexual orientation group has a monopoly on making unwanted advances.
CHRISTIANE,
What your father did was highly admirable. I’m sure he wasn’t looking for free healthcare from anyone.
You said, “ the gay people I know are not 'predatory', they are good people who didn't ask to be 'different'.”
Are you saying God made them that way? Does God make evil? Did God make the people of Sodom and Gomorrah that way?
If a drunk man entered the church building cursing and screaming obscenities, he very likely would be escorted out of the building. However, if he was a known drunk, but came to church sober or maybe even a little tipsy, he would gladly be welcomed and encouraged to hear the Word of God. A few would even pray for the Spirit to work in his heart. The legalistic pharisee will always turn up their nose, but the church as a whole, I believe would be very welcoming.
If a person is struggling with any sin, why not open your arms and love on them? It is not our job to "change" anyone - it is the Holy Spirit's job to change a person - we are ONLY called to love them. Does that Christ-like love include sharing with them the Biblical view on lifestyle choices? Maybe, IF the Holy Spirit leads you to do so.
I firmly believe though that it does not matter if you are wearing the most expensive suit in the building, or the prettiest dress of the week, or if you can quote the entire New Testament, or if you have the largest, most worn, KJV Bible in your hand - if you do not have LOVE toward the sinner, they will not listen to a word you have to say. Love them where they are, pray for them to change, follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, and let Christ do to the changing.
The sadness of it all is that the whole basis of the lifestyle is searching for love. After all the motto is: "Love is Love" - If they saw Christ's love through us maybe they wouldn't be searching so hard for it in other men.
It isn't just homosexuality that lures a heart in search for love - many search in the bars, in the casinos, on the streets of the harlots, in the drug house, etc...
Sadly, true love is seldom found in the church, and when it is - it is conditional.
God Is Love (I John 4:7-8) - I struggle with loving others as I should, but may I always have open arms, a listening ear, and an understanding heart.
Hey REX RAY,
Good Lord's Day to you.
I'm looking at your question(s), these:
"Are you saying God made them that way? Does God make evil? Did God make the people of Sodom and Gomorrah that way?"
I do NOT believe that God 'makes evil', no. Far from it. All you have to do to answer your question is to look at a crucifix. No, He didn't. He suffered from evil, but WE were the ones who drove those nails into His Hands and Feet with our sins, the weight of all of our sins were laid on Him, and He suffered for our sakes. He came to be WITH US in our own suffering and 'fill it with His Presence', He did not cause it.
I'm considering your questions about 'does God make 'them' 'that way'?'
And to answer you honestly as best I can, all I have to do is look at my own first born with Down Syndrome to know that in this suffering world, the natural order of things can and does 'go wrong' and it is not my fault or my husband's fault or my child's fault or God's fault that my son suffers from the medical problems and the developmental deficiencies that Down Syndrome has brought to him. He didn't 'want' to be like that.
It happened. Something went wrong with one small part of his twenty-first chromosome and instead of being normal, it was formed into three parts . . . 'trisomy 21' and all the difficulties of Down Syndrome came from that genetic alteration/aberration.
As for LBGT folks, I withhold judgment. I must. The people I know tell me that very early in their lives, they KNEW they were 'different'. It wasn't a 'choice'.
And who am I to judge?
No, I don't blame God. I know things can 'go wrong' in the natural world and even one small aberration in a tiny chromosome can wreak havoc in a person's life and OMG did we as a family see just how people who are 'different' can be treated by those who don't understand and are fearful and lacking in compassion . . . we experienced the fallout from 'normal' people who were themselves 'wounded' in the way they treated our son and my other children, and we LEARNED that 'being different' draws the wrong kind of attention from people who are 'normal' in this world, in this country.
But it should never happen in the Church of Our Lord that folks who are 'different' should not be cared for and loved. The Church of Our Lord, at its best, is 'sanctuary' for wounded people who need Christ. It's a place of solace, and peace, and loving-kindness like that shown by Christ Himself when He was among us. And each Christian person has the capacity of carrying within himself 'the peace of Christ' to others who are hurting. . . . just by being 'with' them, without 'judging' or throwing stones, or damning them to hell, or making them fearful for a condition which they have not chosen. They need the peace of Christ, as we all do. So it's okay to say to them: 'The Lord be with you'
It's okay to welcome them to Christ's sanctuary. They also are children of God in a broken world where suffering is.
Someday, when much more is known, we may 'understand' why some people were born not in sync with the natural world as they were 'meant to be' in the natural order of things. But in the meantime, let us try to do what Our Compassionate Lord would do to care for them.
And, in His great mercy to us, He would tell us we need to put our stones down.
C,
You describe very well the way Christians should love others.
Once, I worked with a guy who was my friend. We had ‘time cards’ that ran through a device that marked when we went to work and when we left. I thought it strange that he wrote on mine: “Golden boy”. One day he came by to visit. I was laying on my bed and after talking some, he got on top of me. At first, I thought he was wrestling. I was stronger and got him off. He said, “I’ve got to go to Dallas to have a good time.” We weren’t friends afterwards and he never came by again.
It’s a good thing we don’t live by the Old Testament where it states: “If a man practices homosexuality, having sex with another man as with a woman, both men have committed a detestable act. They must both be put to death, for they are guilty of a capital offense.” (Leviticus 20:13 NLT)
CHRISTIANE,
The Washington Post: “Last week, Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School was cut off by the Archdiocese after refusing to fire a teacher who was married to someone of the same sex.
Today, administrators at Cathedral High School has announced it will separate with a teacher who is gay.
The current tensions within the Catholic community in Indianapolis comes a year after another Catholic school, Roncalli High School, placed guidance counselor Shelley Fitzgerald on administrative leave after the school learned she had married a woman in 2004. Students rallied in her support. She has filed two discrimination complaints with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.”
Christiane, today our Sunday School material had the story of Jackie Hill Perry, a gifted poet, rapper, writer, and teacher who has released her first book, “Gay Girl, Good God”. She has appeared at conferences, colleges, and coliseums all over the nation. Inspired by her powerful testimony of salvation and deliverance from a gay lifestyle, the word is out: God is good, He is Lord, and those who surrender to Him are made new.
The attraction to women started in early childhood. She said every area of her life was characterized by sin and rebellion against God. “When I was 19, I felt the conviction of the Holy Spirit. For the first time in my life, I knew that God was real. The day before, my heart was hard as a rock, and now I wanted Jesus. Only the Holy Spirit could have done that.” She was asked to write a poem about being an ex-lesbian. She wrote: “My Life as a Stud”. When it came out in 2009, so many gay and lesbian people who didn’t go to church, didn’t trust Christians, and didn’t want anything to do with the Bible clicked on the poem and wanted Jesus. She met Preston Perry that year, and they married in 2014. They have a girl that’s three, and a baby this year.
Some 40+ yrs. ago when my husband and I were very new Christians, we attended a small church called The Church of Philadelphia. This church had no more than 50-60 attendees and we were comfortable there until it closed about a year later. Most of those who attended were seniors with the exception of another young couple so in an effort to have a Christian friend, I invited the woman to my house for lunch. She looked surprised, but accepted my invitation. On the day of the luncheon, she showed up with her husband and I wondered if she had misunderstood since my husband would be working and I thought it would just be the two of us. But I must have looked confused or surprised because she quickly said that they both thought it would be "safer" for them to both come. I asked why safety was an issue and they said they thought I was a lesbian like she was and it would be better for us not to be alone.
You see, she was a lesbian and he was a homosexual and they had married as scripture defined marriage as between a man and woman. I assured them that I was not a lesbian but was merely extending what I thought was a gracious invitation from one believer to another to share a time of fellowship and lunch. We all got a good laugh about it, but when the church closed, we did not continue a friendship unfortunately and we searched for another church as did they.
In remembering that situation today, I felt very sad that that man and women found a simple invitation to a luncheon as somewhat threatening and worrisome. I have yet to understand how they perceived my invitation and regret having lost touch following the church closing. I may have done something differently if I had the chance to do it over.
At any rate, it comes to mind whenever I hear Christians sound somewhat fearful of homosexuals and realize that it might be a two-way street. They may very well be, as in my experience, just as fearful of a relationship with us. Hope I conveyed that clearly.
I have never forgotten Wade's post entitled Militant Homosexuals: Loving Them to Christ Without Lambasting Them at Church . If any haven't read it, you will be blessed as I was. https://www.wadeburleson.org/2011/06/militant-homosexuals-loving-them-to.html
I think that there has been a long history of how LBGT people have been viewed and treated by the Church.
And that now, this is being re-examined. I don't know why 'now', but I do know that something has changed.
I'd like to think that this change is for the better, God willing.
Wade,
You often speak of the role of women in the church being perceived differently thirty years ago, and that women today should serve in leadership. You speak, rightly, of the sins the SBC has committed against women, both in terms of sexual abuse and in terms of denying them their right to lead and teach in the Church.
I would challenge you to consider thinking the same with regard to LGBT issues. In thirty years time, most of the Church will be welcoming and affirming of LGBT identities, and outdated ideas about loving the sinner and hating the sin will be relegated to the dustheap of a sinful church's history. In the meantime, consider that your teachings kill those in the LGBT community--literally kill them through suicide and homicide, but also spiritually by alienating them from Christ.
Consider delving deep into the translations and "clobber passages" used so often to justify your beliefs, as you ask the SBC leadership to in regard to women's issues. Truly consider an alternative view, even if you end up rejecting it. Perhaps you'll find it enlightening regardless.
Victorious,
I thought I had strange stories, but yours takes the cake! My oh my, what’s this world coming to?
Ryan,
Sounds like you disagree with Peter. “He turned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into heaps of ashes and blotted them off the face of the earth, MAKING THEM AN EXAMPLE FOR ALL THE UNGODLY IN THE FUTURE TO LOOK BACK UPON AND FEAR.” (2 Peter 2:6 Living)
Wade
I understand and appreciate your thoughts, concern, and even consternation on being "welcoming without affirming" on the issue of homosexuality. I, as an evangelical Baptist, have also fought (and continue) to seek a way forward on this vexing issue. However, I am afraid we are chasing a "phantom" - the choice, whether we like it or not, is stark - we can either be "affirming" or "rejecting". I have come to see that there is no middle ground on this, although I have long sought and desired it. I have read books and listened to teaching and lectures all along the "scale". But the weakness in the argument that we can be "welcoming but not affirming" is evident even in your brief comments, when you compare a homosexual to a "drunken uncle" - not very welcoming words! The problem, I have come to understand, is that we look at this issue from our perspective. not the perspective of the gay person. Every church I have ever pastored (over 36 years) had an "all welcome" sign out front. They were convinced of it - yet could be cold and hard toward those who held views or values that differed from the church. Books like the one you recommend here (which I am sure is well written and sincere) only serve to make us inside the church feel good - but does nothing to truly help us reach out and into the LGBTQ community. “Loving without affirming” is not possible – indeed it is an oxymoron.
Doug,
Thanks for your perceptive comments.
Interesting, I've got some great stories about how the "drunk uncle" was loved and accepted by Emmanuel Enid - and eventually, his life was changed.
Rex,
You reference a story about a city whose inhabitants wanted to gang rape an angel, and whose most "righteous" inhabitant offered up his own daughters instead... And you ask if I agree that they were ungodly? Well. The answer is yes, they were ungodly, and God's judgment was righteous as always. But it's telling that you consider their sin to be homosexuality, and not their complete lack of understanding of the necessity of consent and the disregard for sex taking place within the confines of marriage alone. They were rapists and fornicators, and therefore they were sinners.
Doug,
Just another perspective...
What if your son came to you and told you that he was gay? Are you suddenly going to "unlove" him because you don't "affirm" of his choice? Of course not!
Would you be in pain? Very likely so. Would you pray for him to change? Of course. Would you encourage him to change? If your convictions led you, I believe you would.
But you would still always love him. He is your child.
That is what I believe Wade is trying to present how the church should be. God does not love a gay person any less than He loved Billy Graham. His desire is that they repent and turn to Him. He definitely calls sin, sin and abhors sin. Yet we all know that He sent His Son to die for the WORLD because He LOVED the world.
It is not an oxymoron to be loving yet not affirming - it is very much possible - and what revival the church would likely see if we practiced it more.
Whether it be the LGBT struggler, the drunk, the gambler, the drug addict, the glutton, the self-righteous pharisee, the liar, the thief, or the judgmental hypocrite.
The church couldn't exist at all if the condition of loving was that must not affirm them if they have any sin.
C,
You probably know the seven sins that God hates in Proverbs 6:17-19.
We all better be careful of the sin listed last: “he that soweth discord among brethren.”
You probably agree the sin that God hates most that sends people to hell is the one rejecting his Son.
Who has less chance of being saved a ‘lost’ drunk in the gutter, or a ‘lost’ self-righteous person in church?
Which of the ‘two above’ most resembles the gay person?
Ryan,
You said: “…inhabitants wanted to gang rape an angel…They were rapists and fornicators, and therefore they were sinners.”
The inhabitants didn’t know the men they wanted to rape were angels: “…all the men of Sodom, young and old, came from all over the city and surrounded the house. They shouted to Lot, “Where are the men who came to spend the night with you? Bring them out so we can have sex with them!” (Genesis 19: 4-5 NLT)
Ryan, would you agree these men were gay?
And that’s the warning of Second Peter 2:6 Living: “Later, he turned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into heaps of ashes and blotted them off the face of the earth, making them an example for all the ungodly in the future to look back upon and fear.”
the saved person who judges needs to ask himself when it was that he chose to be heterosexual
just 'sayin
the saved person who judges needs to ask himself when it was that he chose to be heterosexual
Anonymous, your point is well taken but I happen to know of an exception...
My sister-in-law (nearly 35 yrs. ago now) told me she was gay. I was about 35 yrs old and she was about 16. I asked her when or how she knew that. She told me it was a deliberate choice on her part. Then I asked her way she chose that lifestyle. I've never forgotten her answer. She said she had seen/watched the way women were treated and didn't want to identify with them because of that.
Long story short, being a Christian, I asked her if she might feel the need for some special help at this time in her life and suggested a place called "New Life for Girls" in Dallas IIRC. It was established by a woman named Cookie Rodriquez following her conversion by hearing the gospel preached in the street by David Wilkerson. My SIL agreed to allow me to pay for her travel and again....to make a long story short....at that place she met another lesbian and they left the treatment together.
She is now in @50 yrs. old and I've lost touch with her as her life mostly centers around drugs and alcohol and we live a very long distance from one another.
So, based on that, I'm wondering if others may have made a similar choice for similar reasons; i.e. a disdain for one gender for whatever reason.
Just wondering....
human nature being what it is, in the natural order of things, the hormones kick in in sync with the physical arrangement of X and/or Y chromosomes to determine the sex of a child;
but sometimes does this 'natural order of things' get 'disordered' and the person 'knows' that they are 'different' but they don't understand this feeling . . .
this is something that I believe must be examined by the medical/psychiatric community extensively so that we don't have un-answered questions about 'why' and 'how' a person comes to that burden of being 'different';
especially when there awaits for them a host of people who have already 'made up their minds' about the 'issue', and among those who assume they know everything, are those who promote intense moral judgement on those who are 'different' with penalties that are, in the end, harmful and sometimes deadly . . .
what IS known?
what areas are being explored?
what areas need to be explored by the medical/psychiatric community for the sake of those
for whom life is 'different' and they are targets of the animus of others???
and in the meantime, how can the Church care for all who need ministry in a way that does no harm to them, brings no hatred, fosters no stone-throwing;
but rather shows to all who witness it, the ministry of a people who are formed according to the mind and heart of Christ?
it's a tough issue, but then, it's worth working on if good comes for even one soul who suffers
knowing who we are by our fruit
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2019/07/10-stages-genocide-190710112516344.html
Is it not disconcerting that SSA produces no offspring?
Promoting a culture of death is not a healthy choice.
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