Join me in new and productive conversation. Join others in finding empathy and common ground on what I trust we all believe in: healing hurts, righting wrongs, and reconciling what is divided.

This has been my journey: working to bridge divides between Christians and the LGBTQ+ community. In this whitepaper and website, I will present and explore foundational problems, propose solutions, and invite you to be a part in your own, unique way.

I will do this through many stories, including my own. I offer to you:

Examining the Christian Response and Responsibility to LGBTQ+ People

Since “coming out” over 10 years ago as a gay man committed to my Christian faith, I’ve been compelled to keep one foot in two seemingly opposed worlds: the Christian church and the LGBTQ+ community. My rolodex remains full of Christian and LGBTQ+ friends alike (with some fascinating hybrids) representing various angles on faith and sexuality— from conservative to liberal, from curious to adamant.

I’ve come to feel at home in that tension, which I have observed is not really that tense at all for most of us. While the extremes make the noise and the news, the rest of us are somewhere in the quieter middle—weary of debates and division and wondering about more productive ways to engage. That is why, and for whom, I write.

Granted, engaging this “quieter middle” within two communities who historically don’t talk to each other much is no easy undertaking. Yet I am compelled to try, for I truly believe we will figure things out better together.

Now before I get ahead of my idealistic self, I will acknowledge that my proposed collaboration may bring you pause.

For my more traditional Christian readers, your beliefs are foundational and important to you. Considering perspectives and experiences outside your own can feel risky. I know and respect your hesitation. My sincere hope is that my invitation to healing and reconciliation with those who are hurting or feeling excluded will naturally resonate with your deeply held beliefs.

To my LGBTQ+ readers, you may have been wounded by Christians and you’re definitely not interested in reliving that. My hope for you is to experience new depths of healing and God’s love. And to know the importance of your story in the broader movement of reconciliation, as our stories provide new understanding to those outside the LGBTQ+ community wanting to help make things right.

I invite all of us to bring our hesitations, our hopes, and our stories to the table. For at this one table we can find new empathy and common ground on what I trust we all believe in: healing wounds, righting wrongs, and reconciling what remains divided.

My Hero

Jesus has always been a hero and model to me. He brought some of the most unlikely groups of people together for the shared mission of bringing God’s love and reconciliation to the world.

What impresses me most about the accounts of Jesus’ life is his clear attention to the “outcasts” of the day, along with his stern corrections of those who made anyone feel excluded. I won’t shock anyone by saying that Christians today are too often known for who they judge and exclude. No matter your background, I’ll bet you have felt excluded from a group at some point in your life, and LGBTQ+ individuals are especially familiar with that sting.

The word “Christian” can be defined as “follower of the life and teachings of Jesus,” or more simply, “being like Jesus.” We can tend to make it more complicated than that. I want to help us get back to the simple ways of Jesus—for the sake of the outcast.

Within the LGBTQ+ community, there has been much wounding from church and religious experiences. Some of you know this all too well, and your stories will set the stage in the following pages. For the rest of you, I invite you deep into this awareness, as empathy is the first step toward making things right.

Finally, I want to give you permission. I acknowledge that’s a really big word. Still, I offer you full permission to arrive at new and sacred conclusions, ones that are God-inspired and only found in the depth of things. We all can tend to live safely on the surface, without digging into the nuances of emotionally-charged topics. We follow our trusted leaders, whether pastors, politicians, or promoters of a cause. I may not be as convincing. Instead, I hope my insights will stir a small, true voice inside of you, waiting to be heard.

So come with me on a journey, if you will. Our path will have three stops:

1. Know: I’ll present statistics and stories of LGBTQ+ experiences. Allow these to inform your heart and mind
2. Respond: I’ll share three stories of being at a crossroads—one being my own. You can examine where you are at, and what matters most.
3. Engage: I’ll provide ideas and resources to continue the conversation and move the needle, in your own way.

Still with me? Great! Let’s go.

Download the white paper below.