can you be gay and still be a good Christian?

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Everybody else explained it better than I ever could, but the answer is, of course, yes. The media and the public always like to overhype the relationship between Christianity and homosexuality, even though for every fringe group like the Westboro Baptists there are a dozen pro-LGBTQ supportive denominations (with varying viewpoints). I live in the heart of conservative Orange County and I know multiple affirming churches, some of whom even take part in nearby pride/equality parades.

I have a very progressive perspective on Christianity. The Old Testament is relevant only for its own time period; as we know, it promotes slavery, the subservience of women and other irrelevant laws (you can't eat pork, but you can eat insects ONLY if they have jointed legs). Either you live in a hut in the middle of the desert and follow all of The Bible's words exactly, or you learn to adapt its general messages to our changing society and culture and keep Christianity relevant. No hypocritical picking and choosing of what parts of the scripture you want or don't want to follow.

The driving verse about homosexuality in the New Testament is in Romans 1:26-27, but even that's steeped in doubt because Paul's entire viewpoint there is that homosexuality is merely heterosexuals intentionally choosing to engage in homosexuality, something which science and nature show is inaccurate. Why one verse out of the entire New Testament would be focused on more than any of its other messages is just baffling to me.

So yes, as if the presence of openly gay clergymen wasn't an indication, it's perfectly plausible to be gay and a good Christian. The main gray area is obviously sex, but - surprise - not all gay people engage in sodomy, and some are even celibate. Who one happens to be in love with is completely irrelevant to one's spiritual beliefs.

Well written!

yes, i believe i am a christian and i am married to a woman. faith and religion lay in your own hands to a point. Judging isn't our right though some may think they have that right.

^^^^ This

Speaking of hate....

Yep, I hate racism, sexism, bigotry, misogyny and homophobia; so naturally feel quite strongly about a book written by sexist, racist, misogynistic, homophobic bigots who didn't even know that the Earth moves around the Sun let alone the finite details of our existence and what happens when we die. Especially when said Book blatantly encourages a primitive and destructive tribal mentality that persecutes and fuels hatred for undeserving members of society, based purely on their sexual orientation, gender, race or choice to not believe in disproven Fairy Tales.

Thank you!

Even as a believer, I don't disagree. The Bible was written in BC times, and as such, it reflects the time period when those things were the norm. That's why fundamentalism and Biblical literalism seems inherently flawed to me. Nobody can 100% live their lives according to The Bible in 2014, and they're left cherry-picking which verses to uphold and which verses to ignore. If you're going to use vague Old Testament verses to justify your bigotry, then I expect you better also be avoiding mixing meat and dairy, wearing blended fabrics, remarrying after divorce or a billion other things we're technically not supposed to be doing.

If Christianity is to have any relevance, it's the bigger picture which matters. Like I said, adapt the messages to our constantly-changing society and culture. The New Testament lays the definitive groundwork for Christianity and its message, the Old Testament should be seen as nothing more than a collection of moralistic fables. Maybe that makes me a "heathen" to some, but I'm sure those people will go right back to eating cheeseburgers with napkins tucked into their cotton-poly shirts, so cry me a river.

I have a message for you. People have been doing this since time immemorial.



I don't know how familiar you are with orthodox Lutheran theology, as it is practiced within LC-MS and WELS, but pastors within these two divisions of Lutheranism, which is sometimes known as confessional Lutheranism, tend to use the idea of Law and Gospel with respect to bringing evangelism, in the original meaning of the word evangel, which is translated as Good news. An example I was given when I was studying the Small Chatechism almost 30 years ago was a member of the congregation comes to the pastor of the congregation to make confession of his sins, which, depending on local practice, is required before the repentant is allowed to take communion. Let's say, for example, this member confesses that he was unfaithful to his wife, or, in the case of a woman, she was unfaithful to her husband. If the repentant comes to confession all haughty and unrepentant, the pastor has the right and the duty to proclaim biblical law to bring him/her back into line with salvation. If the repenetant remains unconvinced of their actions, the pastor, as well as the congregation has the right, and the duty, to excommunicate the unrepentant. Likewise, if the repenetant comes into confession for the same reason, but is truly bother by what he or she has done, then the pastor uses the Gospel to proclaim the good news of salvation and the forgiveness of that person's sin(s). It is what Luther calls the Office of the Keys in the Small Catechism: it comes from the Gospel where Christs commands, whatever is bound on earth, is also bound in heaven. Conversely, whatever is loosed on earth, is also loosed in heaven.



The whole idea with Christianity is that we are to be Christ-like. "True" Christians know that humanity can't attain that kind of perfection, which is why Christ answered the way he did when how often someone who sinned against someone else should be forgiven. Christ responded to that question, "Not seven times, but seventy times seven." And no, to those of us that take everything literally, it doesn't mean 490 times It means to infinity.

The Bible, to a great extent, is a reflection of its times (from about 700 or so BC to about 70 AD or so).

The interpretation of the main Levitical "clobber text" that seems most reasonable to me is: "You shall not lie with a man as men lie with a woman". Note "men" - plural and "a woman" singular. So it refers to male prostitutes. I'm OK with banning male prostitutes in church. Actually I'm OK with banning any prostitutes from plying their trade in church.

Apart from "Sodomite" meaning either someone from the town of Sodom, or as in Ezekiel 16:48-50: "Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. They were haughty and did detestable things before me" ...

The main New Testament "clobber text" is two verses that use the same Greek word. Up to something like the 14th century (I think) they didn't know what the word meant, then a Pope decreed it meant male homosexual. It could also mean paedophile, in which case I'm happy for it to stay.

So yes I think you can be gay and be a good Christian. I happen to know that three of the elders of my church are in same sex relationships, so obviously my church thinks so too.

"That which is hateful to you do not do to your fellow. That is the whole Torah; the rest is commentary."
--Hillel the Elder

If you can follow this simple rule, you will be a good person. You might be a good Christian, Jew, Muslim, Hindu, or Atheist, but that's secondary. There is nothing there about being gay. If being gay is hateful to you, then don't be gay. If being judged is hateful to you, then don't judge.

I'm not a Christian (I used to be), but you don't have to be a Christian to know that Jesus laid out, rather clearly, who he favors and who shall inherent the earth and the kingdom. The only requirements of love he ever gave were to love your neighbor as yourself. It's rather obvious that hypocrites and those who were religious for the attention were not on his good side, he gave some parables about certain other types of people who he didn't like, and the money lenders at the temple infuriated him, but as far as sex and romance goes you commit adultery in your heart to look upon someone with lust, but he never said anything about homosexuality.
I think he would be far more offended over people misusing and abusing his name than those who love someone of the same sex. I can think of a few verses on why people like Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, or Benny Hinn will not go to Heaven but instead will be cast out into darkness. I cannot recall anything he ever said that would automatically disqualify someone who is gay just for being gay.