- Melanie

The responsibility isn’t just for the church bridge the gap but also for those of us who have been hurt and misunderstood by folks within the church. When I make forgiveness and reconciliation a priority as a Christ follower I can’t help but to see the church as a broken vessel filled with people that are loved and cherrished by God and what God intends for the church is that we reflect the image of His Son Jesus Christ.

I have yet to experience all of what God has intended for me. The church hasn’t yet either and so we find our common ground… we’re all a work in progress in need of a Savior and in need to be forgiven because we’ve all been led astray and have fallen short.

I didn’t cut myself completely off from that church. I still have friends who attend this church and I’ll be back to visit that church again and there is a respect I have for the church leaders despite some of the challenges, difficulties, and mistakes they’ve made over the years. I’m challenged with the last bit I wrote and it’s been on my mind since I left that church. It was the felt need for me to hash out the differences I have with that church and then to actively learn how to authentically love my brothers and sisters in Christ.

So, a negative is turning into a positive.

Actions will always speak louder than words and through the actions of others many people have come to believe that in order to be accepted and loved we have to be perfect and as a result the church became challenged when responding to be people that might as another blogger wrote, ” have different thoughts then us or appear to be ‘rough around the edges for that matter ” …

I experienced this myself. I appeared ‘rough around the edges’ or you should say Transgendered. It was a source of discomfort for many who would engage in conversation with me and so many chose not to pursue being in relationship with me. By the time I had left this one church I left because there existed more people debating whether or not I was a Christian then those who were willing to be in relationship with me. The irony is that if they would engage in relationship with me they would have seen Christ in me and His work in my life regardless of the obvious differences.

We come to faith each and every one of us at a different place, at a different starting point because each and every one of us is different. There really is diversity within the body of Christ and so to expect a “cookie cutter” kind of Christianity is not realistic. And so it opens the door for many to agree and disagree on certain things.

I’m just now reminded … think about the diversity within the original 12 disciples of Christ! Now how diverse could a group get and just look at the challenges and disputes that went on between the 12. You have a tax collector, a few uneducated fisherman, Peter who always jumped into action before thinking twice about what he’s doing and then getting himself into trouble … ie. walking on water but he did what most of us didn’t do, which is to walk on water. You had the two brothers I believe who fought for position. There was controversy, broken relationship, differences of opinions, and an eray of backgrounds with each of Jesus’ original 12 disciples and it’s there in the bible for us to read about.

So, what did they do? I think they hashed out their differences and in the end came back together with one revelation … they will know we are Christians by our love.

I just purchased this film awhile back. It’s called “Through My Eyes,” and it contains interviews with several young gay Christians, and it doesn’t debate or pullout bible verses or offer anything like that, it is simply a collection of young people telling their stories about what it’s like to be a Christian and also be gay. I found this movie very helpful (and agenda-free, which is rare when it comes to this issue, on both sides…and I need to stop calling them “sides”). Anyway, if you haven’t heard of it, I thought you might want to check it out. Again thank you for your thoughtful post.

Here’s a link to the film “Through My Eyes”: http://www.throughmyeyesdvd.com/

Thank you for a beautifully written piece. I particularly love the passage from Acts you quote. All are welcome to take their places as God’s children.

Also, thanks for the review of the DVD series. I agree, I think everyone should take it to examine their own presuppositions and reactions, and to create an environment for conversation on this topic. I also previewed it with a small group, and I was amazed at how the discussion just blossomed as we watched the series.

Mark