Silent Supporter? It's Time to Come Out of the Closet
The religious right is out of the closet. No, not THAT closet (although I’m sure that door could swing open and reveal some hidden friends).
No, the religious right is out, loud and proud in an entirely different direction. They have no qualms declaring the (widely-disproved) success of reparative therapy. They have unbound enthusiasm for protecting the so-called sanctity of marriage (an institution that began with women as property). And they have limitless enthusiasm for ‘love the sinner, hate the sin’ rhetoric that marginalizes, condescends to and inflicts vicious damage on the LGBT community.
And they gladly – zealously – pair their religious belief with their political activity, citing verse and line to back up their discriminatory views.
How did theirs become the dominant religious voice? How did theirs become the dominant political voice?
In part, from our silence. Check out what Public Religion Research Institute recently uncovered: “Among Americans who support same-sex marriage, a majority (53%) say if their representative supported this issue it would not make a difference in their support, compared to 44% who say they would be more likely to support the candidate. In contrast, among Americans who oppose same-sex marriage, only 30% say if their representative supported this issue it would not make a difference in their support, compared to more than two-thirds (67%) who say they would be less likely to support the candidate.”
Did you catch that? Those who oppose marriage equality care more about the issue – as evidenced by their voting record – than those of us who favor marriage equality. Bruising, huh? Well, given the way this early Presidential race is going, it’s only going to get worse.
It is time for those of us who believe in LGBT equality – regardless of political bent – conservative, moderate, liberal – to INSIST on LGBT-inclusion as a bottom line issue. We must insist on it from our politicians and we must insist on it from our churches.
So…what’s keeping you in the closet?
To help nudge you out, I suggest the following:
- First, read John Shore’s recent blog “Secretly Gay-Affirming Pastors: You Are Not Alone”. With wit and compassion, John reminds all of us that this LGBT-inclusive train is getting ready to leave the station and we better get on board before we’re left hurling Bibles at its caboose.
- Second, make your church reflect your heart’s desire by attending a Building An Inclusive Church workshop offered by the Institute for Welcoming Resources. They will guide you – step by step – in how to make your church outwardly reflect the LGBT-inclusion your heart already embraces.
As always, thank you for your commitment to LGBT inclusion in the church and everywhere.
Break the Silence. Join the Movement. Believe Out Loud.
Gwen Ashby
Interim Campaign Director
What's New
Featured >
Shop >
BOL Today >
Resources >
Comments
Those of us in the LGTB
Those of us in the LGTB community NEED to feel connected to a community. We need to feel like we belong and that we are welcomed. We need others for our survival and churches and religious centers can offer that sense of belonging that we often miss in other areas of our lives. Please come out and help to welcome us in the one area where we should never be shunned. In my mind, I believe God is love and the church should offer us that same sense of love that God does.
Will the GLBT folk have our backs?
I pastor an affirming congregation, but am acquainted with several privately affirming ministers in situations where they cannot be public about it, or at least believe that they can't be public at the present.
Some of these pastors may lose their jobs, speaking opportunities, or a portion of their congregation if they take a public stance. Will the GLBT folk respond to the welcome we offer? Will they make a difference too?
Re: Will the GLBT folks have our backs?
So many pastors find themselves in the situation you describe. It is a lonely and frightening place to be.
I have a couple of thoughts...the first is, if the pastor is secretly affirming, then I suspect there are others in the congregation who are secretly affirming too. Reaching out quietly to those potential supporters is a good place to start, as is reaching out to supporters outside the church (other pastors in the denomination, friends, etc) who are silent (or vocal) supporters. The LGBT advocacy groups for the mainline denominations are great place for this pastor to seek support. If he/she is from outside the mainline, I highly recommend reaching out to the Institute for Welcoming Resources
This pastor needs support and should not feel as if he/she needs to be a Lone Ranger in the cause. I have found in my own life that when I begin "the conversation" with someone I have firmly perceived to be in the non-inclusive camp, they surprise me time and again by being open minded and ready to talk. This is not to suggest that folks are always ready to be LGBT trailblazers. Rather, they are ready to go through a discernment process of study, reflection and conversation. That is what the organizations I linked to above are so adept at helping with...guiding congregations and pastors through this process.
My other thought is to invite you to think about the question not in terms of whether the GLBT community will have the pastor's back, but whether the broader community will. I am a woman, married to a man, with children - very conventional marriage - but I have chosen to attend only churches that are LGBT-inclusive. This is true of many of the straight families at the churches I have attended. Taking the leap into vocal inclusion may open the door to many more folks in your community than LGBT folks.
Thanks so much for your comment and for being engaged with Believe Out Loud.
-Gwen
Our Religious Liberty is at Stake
Those who are part of Welcoming Congregrations, and non-Christian faiths that have no problem with same sex unions and lgbt rights in general should start speaking up, and not out of kindness and compassion for our lgbt brothers and sisters but for our own religious liberty as Americans. The First Amendment of the Constitution guarantees that the government will not make any laws that establish a state religion, promote one religion over another or interfere with the free exercise of religion. This has been interpreted by the Supreme Court to apply to state and municipal governments as well.
When my Welcoming Congregation expresses its spiritual and ethical understanding by performing a same sex wedding, and the state government makes this illegal with no justification except a "moval values" argument based on conservative Protestantism, it is chosing one religious conviction over another, to my church's detriment.
Those of us who have strong moral convictions, and who do not belong to conservative Protestant churches should be concerned about this precedent.
Post new comment