Hi, Eugene,
Your question is profound and deserves a thoughtful answer. Instead, I'll reply in the short form.
First, if you can't find a church that is both accepting and evangelical, what does that say to you, to me, to all of us? If evangelicals are oh so wrong about my sexual orientation, what else are they wrong about? I may be wrong, but it sounds like you escaped their error in accepting yourself. Now you may want to consider escaping their error by accepting others who are not evangelical by your standards but are open and searching and willing to learn.
Second, there are accepting evangelical congregations. Keep looking. You'll find one but for the most part evangelicals have given way to fundamentalist Christian leadership. NOW, "inerrancy" prevails. And we who love the Bible, who read it and benefit from it, are left with that old familiar choice. Should we take the Bible literally or take it seriously? There is no way to break with inerrancy in accepting yourself as a gay man and still stay with inerrancy as a personal view.
So, do we stay with people who despise us (from their literal reading of those clobber passages) or do we join with people who welcome us (and are all over the place theologically and biblically).
I, for one, have no trouble chosing to take my journey with those who welcome us and in the process demonstrate to my new sisters and brothers how wonderful the Bible is and how informative it can be for our lives. But I will not join those folks who read it literally. I'd rather be with those who are still struggling to find their way (even if they don't know it) and be a blessing to them as they, by their acceptance, are being a blessing to me.
Being exclusive the fundamentalist risked losing me/us. Being inclusive, we accept folks where they are. And though it may feel like a compromise it's a risk well worth taking.
Mel White
|