10 Reasons God loves Gay people

[pnggrad79]

OK guys, I am opening it up for any and all who care to respond. The reason I am asking-we in Houston are gearing up for a campaign to reach the Montrose area (gay area) for Christ. We believe that because the church has ostracized most out gay people, they really don't want anything to do with church, but we want them to know that there is a place of acceptance and love for them. So... all that to say, would ya'll please contribute to the 10 reasons God loves Gay people and it will go on a post card we will deliver to the gay community in Montrose. Thanks.:)

[Zerbie]

Oh what a wonderful task PNG!!!

What about - because gay people are so beautiful and so strong - just the way He created them to be. ?

[awediot]

1 we forgive Him
2 we're teddybears at heart
3 we've been there, done that pariah thing
4 with an eternity to fill, decorators and mechanics will be indispensable
5 God likes laughing
6 we are a comfort
7 we'll be good crowd control on that day
8 we both start with 'G'
9 the hard part is over early with us
10 we alone will get the He/She thing

Fun:tup:

[themattperry]

OK guys, I am opening it up for any and all who care to respond. The reason I am asking-we in Houston are gearing up for a campaign to reach the Montrose area (gay area) for Christ. We believe that because the church has ostracized most out gay people, they really don't want anything to do with church, but we want them to know that there is a place of acceptance and love for them. So... all that to say, would ya'll please contribute to the 10 reasons God loves Gay people and it will go on a post card we will deliver to the gay community in Montrose. Thanks.:)

HI pnggrad79,

I don't mean to be flippant when I say this (well ok I do), but it seems like Christ might have beat you by a few years to the Montrose.

There are dozens of churches in the area of course, but here's one that has been there for 150 years plus, and also is (according to its website) the first "reconciling congregation" of its type in Texas. Who knows -- maybe that's your church, but from the way you wrote your post, I kind of assume you come from outside the neighborhood (correct me if I'm wrong.)

Bering Memorial United Methodist:

http://www.beringumc.org/

What would the fine folks at this place have to say about your plans to reach their neighborhood for Christ? Maybe that Christ already dwells there?

I'll try to think of a list half as good as awediot's, but that is not likely.

[pnggrad79]

Awediot,
I am familiar with Bering. It has been a strong supporter of the gay community as well as Community Gospel and Resurrection MCC, and I think there are others. This is just my idea for my church to do some outreach, that's all. I am not in any way taking anything away from the other fine inclusive churches in the Montrose area. I am wanting my church to get on the bandwagon and stop being comfortable with status quo. We have a gay community that is outcast and I want to reach them for Christ and wherever they end up in church is fine with me.

BTW, can you explain your name? :)

[pnggrad79]

Sorry, I misread the post, I meant it for themattperry.:)

[Jamie McDaniel]

Nice list awediot. Emproph is always reminding us to use our "super-humor powers."

[themattperry]

Awediot,
I am familiar with Bering. It has been a strong supporter of the gay community as well as Community Gospel and Resurrection MCC, and I think there are others. This is just my idea for my church to do some outreach, that's all. I am not in any way taking anything away from the other fine inclusive churches in the Montrose area. I am wanting my church to get on the bandwagon and stop being comfortable with status quo. We have a gay community that is outcast and I want to reach them for Christ and wherever they end up in church is fine with me.

BTW, can you explain your name? :)


Hye png ... sounds great ... I think I just misread what you were trying to do .... good luck!

As for my name, ... well just like the actor from Friends, my name is Matt Perry .... adding the definite article at the beginning just sort of lets everyone know that I'm THE matt perry ... and not that other one. hehe ....

how about your name?

[pnggrad79]

My screen name is my high school Port Neches-Groves (png) of which I am a grad (grad) and the year I graduated 1979.

And Matt, I know Christ beat me to the punch. Is there anything wrong with trying to reach others for Him? ;)

[themattperry]

My screen name is my high school Port Neches-Groves (png) of which I am a grad (grad) and the year I graduated 1979.

And Matt, I know Christ beat me to the punch. Is there anything wrong with trying to reach others for Him? ;)

Thanks for the reply about your name ...

Interesting question.

While I come from a rather stayed denomination (im Lutheran) that is not big on overt pound-the-pavement evangelism, I certainly don't think that there's anything wrong with spreading the gospel.

For me, however, the Church is as the Church does ... and not so much as the Church says or advertises. When the Church as an institution begins to take up as its own cause the promotion of freedom for all of God's children, then maybe gay people will feel comfortable coming to church. In other words, pnggrad, I don't think we have an image problem in the gay community that can be corrected by a postcard or anything else, we have a problem of substance, theology and of policy. Most churches need to take a hard look at themselves and change their ways -- then maybe we can think about going into gay neighborhoods and evangelizing.

In no way do I wish to besmirch your Church -- of which I know nothing. These are just my own thoughts.

I guess the only other thing that comes to mind is just that I've lived in several "gay" neighborhoods in my life (including Lakeview in Chicago and Capitol Hill here in Seattle, where I now live.) The idea of an outside (perhaps suburban?) group of friendly, well-meaning and loving Christians coming into the neighborhood attempting to "reach" me or other gay people for Christ just kind of strikes me as somewhat odd to be honest. I guess the image that comes to mind is that the people from outside somehow see my neighborhood as a mission field, and not as a community infused by as much faith and life as their own.

If you can reach people with the unending love of Christ through the gospel, then good on 'ya -- go for it. But should we view America's gay neighborhoods as mission fields? I don't know .... any thoughts?

[pnggrad79]

Matt,
I am an out lesbian. I have gone through the struggle of reconciling my sexuality with my conservative Baptist background. I just wanted to let others who may be having the same struggle know that God loves gay people always has and always will, despite what the mainstream American church preaches. There are some straight churches seeking to evangelize the gay community in a misguided effort to save them hence change them. That is not my mission. I am a gay Christian seeking to evangelize and offer hope to another GLBT person who is struggling with their lost faith or with no faith. ;)

[themattperry]

Matt,
I am an out lesbian. I have gone through the struggle of reconciling my sexuality with my conservative Baptist background. I just wanted to let others who may be having the same struggle know that God loves gay people always has and always will, despite what the mainstream American church preaches. There are some straight churches seeking to evangelize the gay community in a misguided effort to save them hence change them. That is not my mission. I am a gay Christian seeking to evangelize and offer hope to another GLBT person who is struggling with their lost faith or with no faith. ;)

Cool cool ... that makes good sense to me. In that case I wish you all the luck in the world. I also want to express my solidarity with you in your struggle ... I can't imagine what it must have been like.

I think I can admit to being a bit over-sensitive when it comes to attempts to evangelize to the community. But what you are doing sounds wonderful -- again, I wish you luck.

And, by the way, I am more than familiar with the misguided churches you mention.

Funny story: Back in Chicago in the late 90s, one such Church employed the curious strategy of getting rather cute-looking college age men to walk up and down Halsted Street (the main gay drag) late on weekend nights handing out literature for thier suburban fundamentalist church and then asking people if they knew Christ etc etc .... A group of us going out one evening had a rather hilarious discussion with one such evangelist. The details are irrelevant, but it was extrememly funny and tragic at the same time, because the dude was obviously in way over his head and completely nervous, and several of my less-than-subtle friends were ... um .... enjoying it. Personally I felt bad for him. For the record, he declined my friend Jason's invitation to join us for a drink, although I think Jason made him take his number or something.

Anyway ... this story has nothing to do with what you are doing pnggrad I'm sure .... and with that I wish you good luck -- and with your personal journey.

-Matt

[pnggrad79]

thank you. btw do you have any reasons I can include?:D

[cris]

I think what you want to do is great, png. When loving outreach comes from within our own community, it is received in a different way. It isn't about an agenda to "change people" but to introduce them to the Christ we know and love, who is radical and revolutionary. Why should we keep the secret to the fountain of life quiet? True that there are open and affirming churches, and thank God for these. But many of us would never go to these churches for whatever reason. To know Christ in his fullness is a different matter, and many folks desperately want to know, and how will they know if you don't go to them?

Let them know that we are God's people too, the secret ingredient in his special recipe for humankind.

God bless you-

[pnggrad79]

OK, here's the 10 I came up with. Please feel free to add, tweak, make more concise, make more gay friendly... Thanks.

1. The Bible says, "Whosoever..."
2. Jesus never said anything against homosexuality.
3. We are all equal at the foot of the cross.
4. Jesus came to save the world, not condemn it.
5. Salvation is for anyone who asks for it.
6. God knew who we were before we were born. Or God knew you were gay before you were born, and it was ok then and it's ok now.
7. God has plans for us-prosperity, a hope and a future.
8. God is love.
9.God wants fellowship with us. ( I know it sounds kinda churchy-so please feel free to tweak if you can come up with something better)
10.God's church is not a place of spiritual alienation.


I would appreciate anyone's input. :)

[Zerbie]

I think your best one is number 6. People tend to forget God knows all this stuff, knew it well before we did, is SO beyond it - it may have been new for us once, and we may run into people who don't "get it," but God more than "gets it." God created it.

The others are really good, too, but 6 is definitely the best, imnsho.

[Jennifer5]

Those were all great... but I agree that #6 was the best:)

[Emproph]

I’ve been approached on several occasions (usually in the grocery store, don't ask me why), and invited to someone’s church. I usually find it refreshing, but that question always lingers in the back of my head, what would they say if they knew I was gay? Or Is that why they approached me?

I think your idea is grand pnggrad, I’d be impressed just knowing you took the time to personalize the message of God’s love for gays, noncondemnatorily (sic), It might even make me stop and think twice about going to church again.

Maybe you should hook up with the accepting churches in that area and do outreach? Think about it, evangelizing on behalf of ‘other’ churches? No ulterior motive, monetary or congregational numbers etc. That alone might convince someone to make the drive to your area. It's win win!! :)

-These are my suggestions:

-Without anybody, or any aspect of ‘His’ creation, God-is-not-complete. Along the lines of ‘He knows the number of the hairs on your head.’ I like to say ‘every molecule is accounted for.’ Point being, how much more care and attention is paid to us, the very reflection of infinite Love that God so desperately wants to express and share with everyone.

-Like awediot’s #3 “we’ve been there, done the pariah thing.” I would just add, “We know how God feels when people say She doesn’t exist.”
(I think I'm going to stop not hurting peoples feelings and start calling God a she.) -See, I have the power to liberate myself... :D

-We know twice as much as heterosexuals. We know what it means to be both genders at the same time, one physical, one spiritual. We understand what it means to be heterosexual and homosexual, accepted and rejected, double the info. And according to Madonna's “Rescue Me,” Love is understanding. And according to me, God is Love, therefore God is understanding. :rainbow:

-By accepting ourselves as God's creations, we understand that God creates “outside the box,” and thus support others who create 'outside the box,' thus helping God create through them. (you might want to reword that for the lesbians though... :D)

-If it weren’t for homosexuals, there would be no Hollywood. And that’s just something we know about. How many inventions, leaders, writings, art etc., would our daily lives be missing without the contributions of gay people? Make a list.

-Knowing condemnation through a book considered to be the only truth, the Bible, we know not to confine truth to a single source arbitrarily, and thus know better not to condemn others arbitrarily.

-We know better how to use the creative power of free thought, the most important mechanism for change, and thus the most important mechanism for the implementation of Love’s will on Earth.

Regarding your #7 and #9
The meaning of our suffering, gender/orientation-challenge is specifically for the purpose of helping others understand themselves better. Knowing better than so many heterosexuals and those confined to ‘normalcy,’ God wants and needs us to help them break out of their own closets of limitation. We have a unique opportunity.

I keep thinking that we (LGBT people) are the key to breaking this whole thing open. We hold the key to alleviating God's desperate need to extend His Love to All. We’re their test (Biblical supremacist/inerrantists), to a lesser extent, they are ours. We challenge them to decide which is more important; Loving others as you would be loved or “being right,” because the Bible says so. We know what it means to be locked into limitation and we have the opportunity to save people who feel the way we used to and sometimes still do, just by being. :rainbow:

[Zerbie]

((Emproph))

Enjoyed your rambling very much! :rainbow:

For a moment there it looks more like you are writing about bisexuals. . .understanding both "sides", if ya will. My own experience is that I am 100% homosexual and 100% heterosexual and if you try to split the two apart I get confused, because I left half of myself behind me on the road somewhere.

That idea seemed to pop out of your post, or maybe that's just how I read it.

[Mia14]

Well, here are my two reasons to contribute to why God loves homosexuals:

- We're God's solution to human overpopulation.
- "Blessed are they who are pure in heart, they will see God" - from the Beatitudes

[Dash]

Love is our bliss
and our great pain.
It is our crime before the world
and the singular "flaw" of our character.
All the world knows us by the nature of our love,
and if we fight, we fight so that we may love.
Those who hate us hate our love,
and those who love us love our love.
Love makes us who we are, and God love us because...

...God is love.

[Jennifer5]

Well said Dash:)

[Emproph]

Enjoyed your rambling very much! :rainbow:
-For a moment there it looks more like you are writing about bisexuals... I am 100% homosexual and 100% heterosexual and if you try to split the two apart I get confused...That idea seemed to pop out of your post, or maybe that's just how I read it.
Happy to oblige, that very much validates my non-confidence as to it's value. Oh the tangled web of logs we... write. :D

I was more trying to describe the dual perspective of knowing what it means to be one gender by having to conform to it, yet also understanding the meaning of the ‘opposite’ gender because that’s who we identify with on the inside.

But you bring up a good point, I think bisexuals are under represented (and underrated!). Personally I think that’s the most ideal scenario as far as my understanding of soulmates goes (we’re each half a soul, one male one female, but in constant communication), and even human survival-love-wise. Double you’re experience and learning and double you love options while you’re at it. (And I promised myself I wouldn’t ramble this time...) The short answer, -awediot’s # “We alone will get the he/she thing.”

But you can interpret my ramblings any way you like and consider it the absolute truth. You know, like the Bible... :eek:

And pnggrad and others, I think what I meant by gays questioning the Bible, or at least a better way of putting it is that we provide a valuable ‘service,’ just by being, to help keep His true believers in check. Questioning the truth of the truth for the purpose of insuring against deception by complacence.

And this has probably been said already but maybe not as eloquently...

He can't help it! She Loves us because we ARE, period. :rainbow:

[Lydia]

[QUOTE=Emproph] Personally I think that’s the most ideal scenario as far as my understanding of soulmates goes (we’re each half a soul, one male one female, but in constant communication...[QUOTE]

I can't remember if it was Socrates or Plato who originally came up with that idea, but I do remember that he also believe that some soul-mate unions for lack of a better term are all male or all female (he believed that the rest were were hermaphrodites). And that was how he explained the existence of same-sex soulmates. I always liked that story, Athough I've never heard how he would explain those of us who can fall in love someone of either gender :)