Recently the United Methodist Church has split because of disagreements concerning how to welcome gay or LGBTQ people.  Our church, the ELCA also had to go through the challenge of dealing with this issue some years ago.  Here is a letter that I wrote during that time.  I hope it is helpful for you.

     Our society and the Church have, over the past couple of decades been wrestling with the issue of how to properly and faithfully address the issue of same-gendered marriage.  On the one hand, tradition has been that marriage (in our society) implied the commitment between one man and one woman.  However, our society is now coming to view marriage as a legal binding commitment between two people, regardless of their gender.

     In the Church, our primary issue is to be faithful to God.   On the one hand, we have the prohibitions of the Old Testament (in the Torah/the Law) against homosexuality.  However, those same laws speak against eating ham or bacon or shellfish (crabs, oysters or clams).  Those same laws also detail that you cannot lend money at interest nor can you do any work on Saturday.  In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul speaks against the act of an older man taking a younger boy in homosexuality or prostitution (I Cor. 6:9).  In that list of sins, Paul also lists the greedy, the drunkards, and the slanderers – sins that are more common to all of us – and may address us as well.  In other places, Paul also says that women should not speak or teach in church – and they should definitely wear their hair covered in worship.

     On the other hand, we have Jesus who regularly ate with people that the upright Pharisees would not be seen near: prostitutes, tax collectors, and other “sinners”.  In fact, Jesus Himself was called a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners (Matt. 11:19, Lk 7:34).  So, Jesus seems to fully accept people that the Laws of Judaism and even Paul’s list of sins would have condemned.

     Jesus does not address the issue of homosexuality in any way.  Jesus does mention marriage only once, when he is actually addressing the subject of divorce.  Jesus seems to be much more concerned with how we care for the poor and how we treat the lesser members of our society.  From the parable of the rich man and Lazarus to the judgment of the sheep and the goats, Jesus is far more interested in issues of economic injustice rather than issues of sex.  In fact, when the Pharisees bring to Jesus the woman caught in adultery, Jesus simply says, “Let him who is without sin cast the first stone.”

     Our primary mission as the Church is to proclaim Jesus – the salvation of the world.  Who, when in terrible pain, from the cross asked forgiveness for those who were executing Him.  They did not ask for His forgiveness, Jesus simply forgives them.  Jesus is the one who forgives us – and then tells us to forgive each other.  Jesus is the one who, when the Pharisees were condemning Him for eating with sinners, Jesus says, “Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’  For I have come not to call the righteous but sinners.”

     We are to provide mercy to the world: food (and clothing and shelter) for the poor and forgiveness to sinners – to welcome the outcast and the stranger.  I believe that fully welcoming gay (or LGBTQ) people into the church is a part of what this means.  And by welcoming, that means to be completely welcoming – that is, to consider gay people completely equal to everyone in every way – including in marriage. 

     I understand that some faithful members may still feel that homosexuality is still wrong in the eyes of God.  I cannot pretend to know the mind of God.  I believe that our purpose is not to condemn but to create mercy and understanding for all of our differences.               - Pastor Steve