Facebook Comments And Conversations This Week

By Believe Out Loud

Believe Out Loud is having a summer sale! During the month of July, we’re selling Bless-ed Homo t-shirts and Righteous Lesbian tank tops at a discounted price.

On Sunday mornings, we highlight welcoming churches around the country. To find a welcoming church near you click here.

This past Sunday we posted a picture of Christ Church UCC in Maplewood Missouri. Here are three comments in reference to this picture:

“I have to share this one. It will open debate from some friends I love dearly, but I know in my heart that Jesus loves us all! There is someone I love more than my own life, God made him gay, and God does not make mistakes! Our pastor’s sermon this morning said just that: God made us, He knew us and loved us before we drew breath. He wrote the plan for our lives. I pray He will continue to open hearts and minds.”

“Good Morning Church! If you’re in the KCMO area this morning looking for a place to worship… Join us! ALL are welcome! 10 am worship Southwood UCC. Good to see your welcoming sign here!”

“Very nice. I wish everyone could just have an open mind and practice the words that mean the most-“the Greatest of these is Love.”

I love seeing how many people the welcoming church pictures reach. Many of these pictures reach more than 1,000 people.

Another wonderful comment on our Facebook page this week was this comment from a straight atheist ally:

“I’m not a Christian, but I support your rights, because I believe in rights and equality for gays, and this is coming from a heterosexual Atheist.”

It never ceases to amaze me how many straight non-Christian supporters we have on our Facebook page. The number keeps growing.

It has been a little more than 9 months since the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, the military policy that banned openly gay and lesbian people from serving their country. Since the repeal of DADT, gay and lesbian military personnel have been able to get married to the person that they love.  Active-Duty clergy can now officiate these ceremonies. Gay and lesbian military personnel do not have to hide who they are anymore. This is a giant step forward.  

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the United Methodist Church. United Methodist Church clergy are not allowed to officiate wedding ceremonies for gay and lesbian couples, as stated by their AdBook of Discipline. UMC Clergy are also not allowed to be in an open same-sex relationship, nor are they themselves allowed to be openly gay or lesbian. The United Methodist Church is far behind the military in terms of accepting LGBTQ people.

This week we posted on our Facebook page a blog written by Reverend Gil Caldwell. It is titled: The U.S. Military And The United Methodist Church; When Will The UMC Catch Up?

To read this blog post click here.

In response to the blog post, someone commented saying:

“Sharing, because I really think that we focus too much on the Christians who want to keep homophobia wrapped in their faith when we should be shining a spotlight on affirming Christians and showing both the Christian community and the LGBT community that there are plenty of us who don’t want to see the two groups so at odds, and plenty of us who want to feel we belong to both communities.”

While the United Methodist Church Book of Discipline states that homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching, I am glad that there are people who support the Christian LGBTQ community loving them for who they are, the way they are.
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Image Flickr dearanxiety