There are a number of things. But the
first is, is that people are people and
folks who identify as lesbian or gay,
bisexual, transgendered, queer, they're
trying to make the most sense of their
life as they can. They feed their dogs,
they love their children, they keep good
care of their gardens, people are people.
And so the most important thing that
Christians can do is not buy into this
real travesty of personhood that has come
to us through the category of sexual
orientation. And that is to believe that
somehow people who identify as gay or
lesbian are a separate species of people.
There's one category of personhood.
A person has a soul that will last forever,
is an image-bearer of the holy God.
So, even when we meet people who are
reflecting that image badly and I think
it's fair to say that we all would be
considered that person, we still must see
that person as an image-bearer of a holy
God. Another thing Christians get really
tripped up with, I think, is they focus so
much on the particular sin that that
person manifests or that you think that
person manifests and they become then bad
listeners. You know when I first started
reading the Bible and was meeting with Ken
Smith who was the pastor the Lord used in
my conversion, he was really clear that he
knew that my being a lesbian was not my
biggest sin, being an unbeliever was.
So don't get sidetracked into focusing on
sins, plural, about anybody. Whether it's
your neighbors who identify as LGBT or
other neighbors. Get to know people well
enough to know what's really the issue.
Everyone has a longing for those things
that eternal souls need.
And the word of God is the only food and
the person of Jesus Christ is the only
friend for all of humanity. So don't get
sidetracked with how people are presenting
themselves. Or how they're identifying.
That's not helpful and it's not even kind.
Another thing you might want to think
about too, is that before you focus on the
specifics and on the consequences of
original sin, a really helpful thing to do
is to really just share worldview when
people get together and they talk it
doesn't hurt to say, "Well, this is why
Christians think the way they think. We
believe that all people are distorted by
original sin. Me and you and everybody
else. And we're all distorted differently."
But before you get into the particulars of
actual sins, it really does help to at
least have some kind of opportunity to
talk about some other things.
And there's only one way to do that.
And that's to actually
have time with people, to not be afraid to
linger with your neighbors. And to not be
afraid to have a particular household that
encourages people to come and share their lives.
