An inclusive church is a church that considers LGBTQ people to be equal to other people and to have the same human rights in the Church and in society. This recognition manifests itself primarily through support for LGBTQ rights, the ordination of ministers LGBTQ and the blessing of same-sex unions or marriage.
| Part of a series on |
| Christianity and LGBTQ topics |
|---|
 LGBTQportal |
Like slavery, women's rights, and the ordination of women, homosexuality has been the subject of much debate within Christianity. [1]
Using historical-critical method, some 20th-century theologians have brought a new understanding to passages of the Bible referring to same-sex sexual practices. [2] This allowed us to return to the original meaning of the words, which referred more to adultery, and to situate these passages within the framework of pederasty, a system historically criticized for the age gap and inequalities between people. [3]
After being forced to resign due to being outed, American Pentecostal pastor Troy Perry published an advertisement announcing the opening of a gay-friendly church in Los Angeles, California, in the October 1968 issue of The Advocate . [4] On October 6, 1968, the Metropolitan Community Church held its first service with 12 people in attendance. [5] In 1969, he of the Metropolitan Community Church officiated at the wedding of two young men in Los Angeles. [6] [7]
On May 1, 1972, the United Church of Christ in the San Francisco Bay Area approved the ordination of William R. Johnson, an openly gay seminarian. [8] He was ordained as a pastor at the Community Church San Carlos (United Church of Christ) on June 25, 1972. [9] In 1974, with the help of San Francisco State University professor Sally Miller Gearhart, he published the book Loving Women/Loving Men: Gay Liberation and the Church, which argues, among other things, that marriage is a covenant relationship, regardless of gender. [10]
In the context of the gay liberation movement and the declassification of homosexuality as a disease by the American Psychiatric Association in 1973, these studies prompted various Progressive Christians churches and denominations to recognize the rights of LGBTQ people within the Church and in society. [11] In some denominations, this recognition has come through the development of affirming networks of churches, universities and seminaries. These include American Baptists Concerned for Sexual Minorities in 1972 (replaced by the Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists in 1993) by members of the American Baptist Churches USA, [12] UCC Coalition for Lesbian/Gay Concerns in 1972 (renamed Open and Affirming Coalition UCC in 2014) by members of the United Church of Christ, [13] Lutherans Concerned for Gay People in 1974 (renamed ReconcilingWorks in 2012) by members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, [14] Presbyterians for Gay Concerns in 1974 and More Light Churches Network in 1992 (merged and renamed More Light Presbyterians in 1999) by members of the Presbyterian Church (USA), [15] Affirmation: United Methodists for Lesbian/Gay Concerns in 1975 and Reconciling Ministries Network in 1984 by members of the United Methodist Church, [16] Brethren Mennonite Council for LGBT Interests and Supportive Communities Network in 1976 by members of the Mennonite Church USA. [17] Some of these networks have become international, such as the Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists and Reconciling Ministries Network. [18] [19] [20]
In April 1976, the Student Christian Movement of Great Britain, a member of the World Student Christian Federation, organized a conference on gay liberation theology, which led to the founding of the Gay Christian Movement that same year and dialogue with churches in the United Kingdom. [21]
In the context of the legalization of same-sex marriage in various US states and countries during the 2000s, conceptual research into the meaning of marriage commitment in biblical texts prompted various churches to consider that the basis of Christian marriage and sexuality is to remain faithful in a covenant with one's spouse, regardless of gender. [22] After national reflection, some Progressive Christian denominations then began to allow the blessingor same-sex marriage, usually leaving it to each local church to decide. [23]
In the early 2010s, LGBTQ Christian students also advocated for equal human rights in administrative policies encouraging Christian colleges and universities to become inclusive, including Belmont University in Nashville in 2011, Goshen College in Goshen, Indiana and Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Virginia in 2015. [23]
According to a 2020 study by the Williams Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law, there are 4.1 million LGBT American adults who identify as Christian, including 1.5 million Protestants, 1.3 million Roman Catholics, and 1.3 million Christians of other denominations. [24]
In 2021, the organization Believr launched a dating app for LGBTQ+ Christians. [25]
In 2022, the documentary 1946: The Mistranslation That Shifted Culture explains how the American committee behind the Revised Standard Version Bible first translated two Greek words referring to abusive behavior and exploitative relationships as homosexual in 1946. [26] From then on, other translations, such as the New International Version of the 1970s, decided to use the term “homosexual”, thus propagating social exclusion. The Revised Standard Version translation committee corrected this error in 1971 by using the word “sexual perverts” in the publication of a revision. But 25 years later, millions of Bibles had been sold with this error. The documentary also highlights other errors in English translations of other passages, such as Leviticus 18:22 which was translated as “Man shall not lie with man, for it is an abomination”, while the same passage taking into account the sacred prostitution context of the time was translated into German: “Man shall not lie with young boys as he does with a woman, for it is an abomination.” [27] Finally, the documentary shows how these translation and interpretation errors have fueled anti-LGBT rhetoric around the world.
Affirming churches generally have one or more of the following commitments: [28] [29]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)