Why Christians Should Be Reading LGBTQIA+ Books
Someone on Pagebound asked for book recommendations that weren't gay and didn't use "the F-word" because, in the words of that reader, "I'm a Christian." Here's the thing about that platform: it's very pro LGBTQIA+. And I had totally forgotten about my response until someone randomly liked it and I got the notification today.
Since it's Pride month, I want to share it here.
You and I don't agree on our approaches to faith. My faith is something that equips me to encounter everything in life. Yours is a wall between you and the realities around you. I point this out because I used to be like you. And in some small way, I'd like to help you if you'll let me.
From one Christian to another, our Savior wouldn't be in the churches exclusively if he were here today. He'd be in the streets, the prisons, the brothels, the liquor stores, and the bars. He would go wherever people needed him. He rescued people from hatred in this world. The woman who was nearly stoned to death for adultery? The prostitutes and tax collectors he ate with? The Samaritans, whom his people despised? We are supposed to believe that this man endorses our purity tests for others and their lives? That is a lie, one of the greatest lies that religious institutions all over the world have told about Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus was not polite and small in the face of oppression. He stood in the midst of solemn assemblies and screamed obscenities at the top of his lungs at the people in power. Of course your Bible doesn't tell you that story. You'd have to read it in the original Greek to know how true that actually is.
You are called by your faith to help others, are you not? How can you do that from inside your walls? How can you understand the suffering of this world and the people in it, enough to help them, if you stay where you are? Your fear is greater than your faith, and God cannot use you like that. The people around you who tell you that your worth is tied to these purity tests, who are the ones saying these are the books you should read, don't love you unconditionally. They will love you and respect you as long as you and your life match up to exactly what they think you should be. That can change, through no fault of your own, and they will turn on you. It may not happen today, or tomorrow, or even a year from now. But it will happen eventually. They'll push you to a breaking point and you will see it for yourself.
When that happens, when they pull away all of their protections and regard for you, all the people you once judged as lesser than you will be there to help you pick up the pieces. You'll discover that there is more love in the people who say the F-word than every person who ever told you that mattered so much to God somehow. The profound mistrust and dehumanization the church functions on and weaponizes against LGBTQ+ people is exactly what they'll do to you as soon as they determine they have a reason. That you're a Christian won't save you from it. And I don't expect you to believe that now. If you're like so many of us who lived through this, you won't believe me or anyone else about what I'm telling you until it happens to you.
When (not if) that happens, read Rachel Held Evans. Read Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis. Read Valarie Kaur. Read books from people of faith, all faiths, who wrestle against the evils of oppression, even when the call is coming from inside the house. When you're ready, you'll see that the people you dismissed so readily will be the ones who help you the most.
