Be Who You Are and Help the Church Be the Church
Vickie Beeching , the widely acclaimed Christian songwriter and performer who recently came out as gay, is a superb example of how LGBT Christians can help the church be the church. The path forward, however, will not be without setbacks, obstacles, and many twists and turns. Brian McLaren recently attended a forum on global human rights for LGBT persons where he recommended finding ways to help religious leaders move incrementally along a spectrum with four spaces: Zone 1: Promote violence against and stigmatization of gay people in the name of God and religion. Zone 2: Oppose violence but uphold stigmatization of gay people in the name of God and religion. Zone 3: Oppose violence and seek to reduce stigmatization of gay people in the name of God and religion. Zone 4: Oppose violence and replace stigmatization with equality in the name of God and religion. Blogger Fred Clark (Slacktivist) has noted that these zones do not reflect “a good...