A Third Way? Beyond the “Affirming / Not Affirming” Dichotomy

Tuesday, December 6th, 2011

I should begin by explaining why I am writing this piece anonymously.  It is not because I wish to protect myself from the inevitable criticism that comes with any position on the topic of sexuality in the church, but rather to protect those in my community.  As the pastor of a church where gay and straight Christians worship together, by identifying myself, I would expose them needlessly to the public scrutiny that would ensue.  Our community is a safe place for people to worship and serve Christ together.  Such exposure would threaten that.

Already the first paragraph is loaded with questions and concerns.  Some might immediately conclude that we are an “affirming” community, as there are gay members of our church.  This might be further reinforced by the fact that I refer to them as “gay Christians”, affirming not only their welcomed presence in the community, but also their full and authentic membership in the Body of Christ.  However, it isn’t that simple.  Our church is not, in fact, affirming.  However, neither are we “not affirming”.  How does that work?

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