Hundreds of LGBTQ+ people have entrusted their stories to me. This quote comes from a 23-year old woman who grew up attending a Christian school and church.
She remembers at age 11 hearing that her gay uncles were going to Hell. She was confused why two men she loved were being condemned for loving each other.
At 16 when she started questioning her own sexuality, you can imagine the chaos going on in her mind. She told no one until college.
When she came out at 19, she left the church of her youth as there was no place for her. She instead found a church of her own, where she attended for three years. She began volunteering with the hospitality team and the children’s ministries. Until that took a familiar, painful turn.
“Even though I was open about my sexuality with anyone who would ask, no one at church got to know me well enough to realize that I am gay. Apparently I shocked everyone when I posted a picture of me kissing a woman on the cheek that I was dating. I was told I was not a Christian, and that I had to step down from my positions immediately. This was incredibly hurtful. I lost all of my friends, and none of them will talk to me now.”
These days, she no longer goes to church nor identifies as a Christian. She feels Christians will not love or accept her, but only have an agenda to change her.
And still, she believes in Jesus.
Such are the stories of LGBTQ+ people growing up in church. To learn more, and to rethink the Christian response, visit makingthingsright.org
