Gifted by Otherness: 1 of 6

June 2, 2008

This is my last unsolicited, no cost endorsement of Gifted by Otherness: Gay and Lesbian Christians in the Church. After today I expect cash in hand from the authors or publishing company before slogging up my bandwidth with yet another book promotion. Just buy the book, that’s all I’m saying. The reason I’m a literary cheerleader for Gifted by Otherness is I find the lack of an apologetic tone, even more so than the content itself, to be incredibly refreshing. The authors not only feel no need to explain or justify themselves as GLBTQ Christians but instead rejoice in being graced with a unique vocation and voice within the church. It’s pro-active, self-affirming and littered with the Good News. It’s a breath of fresh air. Enough said. Until the promo check arrives that is.

Scattered throughout Countryman and Ritley’s book they offer their thoughts on the gifts GLBTQ Christians bring to the church and I’m going to fill in their ideas with a few thoughts of my own. As I write I’m coming from a place of confidence but not arrogance, as if saying with nose pointed in the air, “We GLBTQ folks are quite special you know and the church is darn lucky to have us.” Even if I thought that was true I wouldn’t say it. I have manners. It’s true I believe as GLBTQ people we have the potential for bringing some really amazing gifts to the church but at the same time I fully acknowledge those gifts flow directly from God’s working within us. Because of God’s creative touch every living breathing soul has been gifted by God and the part we get to play is in being willing to live out of those gifts for the benefit of others and to the glory of God. It’s a collaborative effort and how awesome God invites us to be part of what God’s doing in the church and the world at large.

GLBTQ Christians Keep the Church Centered in the Gospel Message

In the parables Jesus told, in the dinner invitations he accepted, and in the people Jesus defended and those he blessed, the message of his life was clear; Jesus stood on the side of the beggar, the poor, the outcast, the slave, the oppressed, the marginalized, and the unclean. As God in flesh walking among us, Jesus was a constant reminder that God has always been and will always be on the side of the oppressed. Always. Without exception. The Scriptures, both the Hebrew and Christian testaments are laced with story upon story declaring this one constant in God’s commitment to humanity.

One of the most powerful examples is the brawl that took place between Jesus and the moneychangers in the courtyard of the temple. The moneychangers were selling the required sacrificial doves and pigeons at inflated prices that were completely out of reach to the poor, and because the poor couldn’t afford them, they were prohibited from gaining entrance into the House of the Lord. Jesus wasn’t raging against free commerce; he was raging against those who dared to put up an obstacle that barred anyone from entering into the presence of God.

As GLBTQ people we come to the table at Christ’s invitation. It isn’t up to anyone in the church to welcome us or invite us. There is a place already provided there for us in Christ’s name, and in memory of his life, death, and resurrection. We come because the Gospel message is clear; God’s love is for all and Christ’s welcome is extended without limit. So we come to the table and we eat of the bread and drink of the cup, and somewhere in the church we are seen at the table by someone who struggles to believe there’s a place for them there too. That they’re gay or straight isn’t what stands in their way. The obstacle is shame from the past or a sense of unworthiness in the present. They yearn to be fed at Christ’s table, to receive the bread and cup, and so we come to the table for ourselves and for them; to say to the one hesitates to approach the table, “Come and join us. You belong here.” The gift we bring each time we come to the table and stand among the people of God is in proclaiming with our very lives that God’s love and welcome is for all. Without exception.

Posted in Gifted by Otherness, Special Series