What does LGBTQ stand for?

What does LGBTQ stand for? Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Questioning

Today we are talking only about the L and G (Lesbian and Gay) Why we are talking about this What the Bible says What Christians say about what the Bible says Conclusions

We are talking about this because… You probably know someone who is L/G L/G marriage is legal now in all states and territories of the USA Hot topic right now in culture We shouldn’t ignore this

What % of our population is L/G? Kinsey study says 10% University of Chicago study says 3% So, we’ll split the difference and say 7.5% of Americans are lesbian or gay That means Stone County, with 32,000 people total, has about 2,400 who are lesbian or gay

What does the Bible say?

What the Bible does not say It doesn’t talk about God “making” anyone L/G It doesn’t say anything from Jesus about this topic (though Jesus did teach about love, sexuality, and marriage) It doesn’t identify any specific person (by name) as being L/G or in an L/G relationship

What does the Bible say? We’ll go verse by verse You’ll need to decide if the verse is about homosexuality…or not If it is about homosexuality is it Approving (OK), Disapproving (X)? If it is not really about homosexuality, then we’ll say it does Not Apply to this topic (N/A)

Genesis 19 (Sodom and Gomorrah) Some Christians read this as Disapproving of homosexuality (X) Some Christians read this as condemning gang rape and not being about all homosexuality (N/A)

Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13 (the Law) Some Christians read this as Disapproving of homosexuality (X) Some Christians read this as condemning homosexuality only as part of laws given to Moses, like food laws, that we don’t have to follow today (N/A)

Romans 1:26-27 (Paul writing) Some Christians read this as Disapproving of homosexuality (X) Some Christians read this as condemning only the way that homosexuality was practiced in ancient Rome, and not applying today (N/A)

I Corinthians 6:9-10 and I Timothy 1:10 (Paul again – he wrote both of these) It’s a translation issue… CEV, for example, translates in a way that seems to Disapprove of homosexuality (X) NRSV, as another example, translates in a way that seems to refer to “sex offenders” and not all homosexual people (N/A)

Jude 7-8 (half bro. of Jesus writing) This is describing the events recorded in Genesis 19 in Sodom and Gomorrah Some Christians read this as Disapproving of homosexuality (X) Some Christians say it’s about punishment that came because people in those cities lusted after angels (“strange flesh”) (N/A)

So why don’t there seem to be any “OK” verses about homosexuality? Some Christians conclude that there aren’t any verses like that because homosexuality is not OK in God’s eyes Some Christians conclude that the Bible doesn’t talk about any OK homosexuality because it wasn’t discussed openly in the culture or time the Bible was written

Summing it up It’s hard to translate exactly. All translations strive to be accurate – and all are true and are God’s Word. It’s good to read several translations (and pray!) before you make a conclusion. You can’t throw out or ignore Bible verses that you don’t understand or don’t like. As a Christian, first base your opinion on what you read in the Bible – and pray as you read!

You decide… Genesis 19 Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13 Romans 1:26-27 I Corinthians 6:9-10 I Timothy 10 Jude 7-8 Any others?

God gave them up to degrading passions God gave them up to degrading passions. Their women exchanged natural intercourse for unnatural, and in the same way also the men, giving up natural intercourse with women, were consumed with passion for one another. Men committed shameless acts with men and received in their own persons the due penalty for their error. - Romans 1:26-27 (NRSV translation)

Where the United Methodist Church stands today… L/G individuals are welcome in Methodist churches – to be baptized (if they trust Jesus as savior), take communion, become a member, be involved in many ways… Self-identifying, sexually active, L/G people cannot become Methodist pastors (though non-sexually active/celibate L/G people can).

Where the United Methodist Church stands today… The only weddings that Methodist pastors can perform are those with 1 man and 1 woman. That’s because that is the only kind of marriage where we have a clear “OK” teaching from the Bible.

But Gay Marriage is legal now... It doesn’t affect what the United Methodist Church thinks or does We base our opinions on the Bible, not on the government, or what’s popular in society This is not new…the Methodist church also said “No” to performing polygamous weddings when being married to more than one person (at the same time) was legal in the Territory of Utah.

Some Final Thoughts… L/G people can be attracted to the same gender…and live in a way that honors God. L/G people don’t have to “go straight” or be in a heterosexual relationship for God to accept them. It’s not our job to change LGBT people. If they are to be changed, God will be the one to change them.

So what should I do? WWJD – What Would Jesus Do? Jesus would not be hateful and use words like “queer,” “fag,” “faggot,” or “gay” (when “gay” is used to mean “stupid” or “crappy”) Jesus would honor what God has said and love and befriend LGBTQ people. Jesus would pray for LGBTQ people and invite them to know God.

Got questions?