| Crossroads Christian
Following is the account of my experience with Crossroads Christian, which I shared with friends on Dec. 2, 1999.
My spiritual path is that I have been seeking an affirming and welcoming
church in which to worship. I am comitted to attending a place of worship
where I don't have to lie about "who I am" in order to be a member. After
all, if you can't go to church and be honest, where can you go?
As most of you know, after having been denied membership Centenary United Methodist Church here in Lexington, I had begun attending Crossroads Christian in Lexington, Kentucky. The irony is that many of the gay people I know attend one of these two churches.
After a couple of months and realizing Crossroads Christian was a place I really felt comfortable, I went to the minister and was essentially told the same thing I was told at Centenary United Methodist -- with how our church now stands on this issue, you can't join our church. In other words, I could join either if I remained "under cover and silent" about who I am and they would reward me with membership through their "Don't ask, don't tell" policy.
At Crossroads, at least this time the minister said "No one has ever approached us as you have. Let's all meet together." So I gathered eight of us and we met.
We began a twice monthly Bible study meeting so that we could study together and see how each of us has come to the conclusions we have in reference to the Bible and the homosexual issue. The minister, Glen, said that if they determine
they have been incorrectly interpreting the sciprtures that they would move
to be an openly affirming church.
We truly felt that God was leading us in this process and that the worst case scenario (If the conclusion is not what we all would like it to be) would be that we would all know and understand one another better at the end. We all agreed that it would take take a lot of trust in one another to pursue this course of study. We asked that they read Mel's book and also a couple of others to begin (Holy Homosexual by Michael Piazza and What The Bible REally Says About Homosexuality by Daniel Helminiak).
Our meeting last Wednesday at Crossroads Christian pretty much brought to a
close our Bible Study. We made some good points throughout the past couple
of months, and called into question the majority of the few scriptures that
seem to directly address homosexuality. But even with only one clear
scripture left seeming to condemn us, (they were giving no ground on Romans
even though we pointed out that this is talking about heterosexuals
participating in ways that are not natural, instintive and therefore, sin),
they refuse to recognize that it's not enough to exclude us from membership.
Our minister, Glen, refers to "many more passages throughout scripture," and
I think that no matter what we say, he'll continue to believe that the
general tone of the Bible is against us...
I would summarize their beliefs at the present in this manner:
There are a few scriptures that expressly condemn homosexual activity (they
believe);
There are no scriptures showing a gay or lesbian couple in a committed
relationship, having sex, and God expressly approving that situation.
God's plan for all creation is one man having sex with one woman in an
explicit marriage covenant, with all others celibate.
Sexual orientation is probably how people are born and therefore we
shouldn't ask gays and lesbians to change; however, the Bible is talking
about sexual behavior, so we will insist that they be celibate for their
entire lives (while being able to acknowledge they are gay) or repent for
their sins in order to become a church member.
Since I experienced the same thing at Centenary United Methodist church in
the spring (although we didn't have a Bible Study group to delve into this
issue), I am currently trying to regroup and for now, allow myself a time of
grieving for the loss of another church opportunity which was neither
affirming nor welcoming. For me, I am not going to choose to attend a place
of worship that believes that I cannot inherit the kingdom of God because of
what they see as my "sin" and for which I am not seeking redemption since I
don't accept that premise. For me, that would be to stay in a place that
continues to use spiritual violence against me, a child of God. I am seeking
a church home that empowers me as a child of God and uplifts me as I grow --
and often struggle -- in my spiritual journey. I am seeking a church where
God is the main leader and judge of my eternal future.
When we started the discussion with Crossroads, I fully chose to accept the
potential suffering in this case without retaliation or complaint. I am
committed to continue to bring truth in love to the victims of untruth. I
realize that "suffering for others" in order to educate and eradicate the
untruths and misinformation of which they (as well as I) have been a victim
of in the past, is the path to my own liberation. So ... this experience
has been a continual journey toward "unlocking" my soul so that I will
remember how much God loves me, even as he allows me to face those who
suffer from the misinformation of the church and the misuse of the Bible.
Glen and I spoke yesterday and we both agreed that God may not be finished
with this yet ... although in what way, we are not quite sure. I know that
God does not always work in my timetable because there are things to be
learned and many times, they cannot be learned overnight. It may be years
before the fruition of our steps with Crossroads are realized. I remain
confident, however, that one day the steps we each took will produce a
fruitful, flowing stream and I do believe that it starts with one step at a
time. The Lord pushes me to continue to educate myself as well as to share
the truth of God's all abiding love for all God's children with everyone I
meet and know. When I want to curl up and give up, He rouses me again and
encourages me when I think I have no courage left.
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