DEAR NEIGHBOUR:

Imagine: you found yourself in a church that segregates people by race, age, or language. Suppose it happens explicitly by their policies, or more implicitly, by shunning certain people or centering others.

Wouldn’t we say there’s something seriously wrong there?

Of course we would.

We’d say, with the Apostle, this is “contrary to the Gospel” (Gal. 2:14). 

Yet in many churches, sexual minorities find themselves pushed to the margins, or, the centre. Sadly, this is the experience of many of you reading this. You’ve wanted a spiritual family, but for now, you’re spiritually homeless.

Perhaps you were explicitly excluded when someone asked you not to return, or implicitly, by hateful, hurtful, things said or done behind your back.

Maybe you observed the double standard of churches that practiced “biblical marriage” but seemed blind to abuse or immorality between spouses; these churches tolerate all sorts of ‘unbiblical’ marriage — just not the gay kind.

Maybe you were put through conversion therapy in an effort to ‘cure’ you.

In all these ways, you learned that whatever they say they believe, the ‘gospel’ at work in these churches is salvation by grace alone, through faith in Christ alone, for the straight alone.

And that is no gospel at all.

It’s a false gospel.

On the other hand, perhaps, because of your sexuality, they put you up on a pedestal: you became the proof your church was “progressive” or “tolerant”.

Perhaps your leaders boasted about you in ways they didn’t about others and offered you opportunities unavailable to others.

Perhaps in sermons and in personal discipleship, certain Scriptures and topics were revised or skipped altogether to avoid offending you.

Perhaps people joined the church just so they could say they have a gay friend.

You didn’t ask to be the token queer person, or anyone’s hero; yet when they pushed Jesus aside for the sake of ‘tolerance’, that’s what happened.

This too is a false gospel.

It’s okay if you’re not yet sure what you believe about Jesus. As a church, we aim to be a community in which it’s normal to wrestle with Scripture, while we pursue christlikeness, and grow in our faith. Here, as you do, we offer you the same grace others showed us. Whatever your level of faith or maturity, we strive to hold each other to a standard that’s no lower (or higher) than God’s own standard.

We haven’t always gotten this right, but we’re learning. We must begin with love, respect and clarity.

Therefore, we offer this invitation and explanation:

In Benediction Church, we believe and teach the traditional biblical ethics of marriage and sexuality: that marriage is intended by God as the lifelong, loving covenant between a man and a woman (Gen. 2:24; Matt. 19:3-10).

Likewise God has reserved sex for marriage; any sexual activity outside of God’s design for marriage is sinful sexual immorality (1Cor. 6:9,18; Gal. 5:19; Eph. 5:3; Col. 3:5).

These convictions keep us from performing same-sex weddings. In the wider culture, this makes us a “Non-Affirming” church, and we might be judged as “exclusive” or “intolerant”.

We reject these judgments, even if we must accept (for the sake of clarity) the non-Affirming label.

We strive to be a spiritual family for anyone who desires to bring all of life under the lordship of Jesus. That isn’t exclusive; it’s radically inclusive. It’s better than Affirming.

Our view is consistent with what’s sometimes called “Side B” theology: it means that if you identify as two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, questioning, intersex, asexual, or non-binary, and you’re a follower of Christ, we love and accept you as you are (Mt. 11:28-29; Rom. 15:17).

We all experience desire for what God has, in love, forbidden (Rom. 1:18-32; 2Tim. 2:22; Jas. 1:14; 1Pet. 1:14; 2:11); having these desires doesn’t disqualify us from the Kingdom; it qualifies us for discipleship.

We don’t believe that a “celibate gay Christian” is a contradiction in terms; rather, we honour such radical obedience to Jesus. Those who so embrace the cost of discipleship should be loved and embraced, not shunned (Jn. 13:34-35; Rom. 13:8, 15:17; 1Pet. 2:2; 1Jn. 4:11-12).

That is our aim.

In the wider church culture, this posture means some may judge us to be “liberal”; they’ll suggest we’ve capitulated to the culture.

Again, we disagree.

As a “side B” church, membership in Benediction is open to Christians, including those who also identify as 2SLGBTQIA+. Please know that in this church you’ll often hear Jesus’ invitation, that ”Whoever wants to be My disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow Me.” (Mt. 16:24).

Our crosses look different, but we all have one.

As a gay Christian, you don’t need us making it any harder than it already is to carry yours.

And, you don’t need us pretending you don’t have one.

Either is a great error.

What you need — indeed, what we all need — is faith in Jesus’ promise that “No one who has left home or wife or brothers or sisters or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age, and in the age to come eternal life.” (Lk. 18:29)

What a promise!

What a Saviour! 

We’d be honoured to be that community for you: a home, and a true spiritual family.

One that elevates the Gospel, and centres Jesus.

One that would rather die than say “no” to someone to whom He has already said “Yes”.

It can be messy, but we’re learning.

If this describes the desire of your heart, then neighbour, you are welcome here.