First Christian Church in Kent
An Open and Affirming Congregation.We follow Jesus, who is welcoming, healing, safe, and inclusive.
Yes, LGBTQ+ Affirmation is Biblical!
When people claim that LGBTQ+ acceptance is not Biblical, they generally refer to the same verses.
Pastor Amanda's Open Letter to LGBTQ+ students at KSU
August 18, 2024Dear Students,Welcome to a new year at Kent State! I pray that this will be a safe, fruitful, and happy time for you as you learn and explore and figure out where the future is taking you.I am the Senior Pastor of First Christian Church in Kent, which is the big brick church at the corner of Main Street and Mantua, across from the library and next door to Wild Goats. You will probably see our Associate Minister, Rev. Jodi Stillisano, around campus, as she is also a leader for United Christian Ministries. First Christian Church is part of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) movement: we call ourselves ‘a movement for wholeness in a fragmented world,’ which is easy to say but often complicated to live. We are also an Open & Affirming congregation, which means that we have educated ourselves on LGBTQ+ issues and officially voted to welcome all LGBTQ+ people into worship and fellowship, affirming the truth that they are holy and beloved people of God.You are welcome to join us for worship either in-person or online (through our Facebook page), Sundays at 10:00. I am also available during the week for one-on-one conversations. College at its best is a joyful and exciting time, but it is challenging also; I know in my day I found it helpful to be part of a supportive congregation.I do realize that, unfortunately, many LGBTQ+ individuals cannot come into a church without experiencing anxiety and painful memories. If you have ever been told that it is sinful or contrary to God’s design to be LGBTQ+, that there is no place for you in the Church, or that Christians who are welcoming/affirming are somehow not ‘real’ Christians, then I can tell you confidently that none of those things are true. You are part of God’s good Creation, and you are free to figure out what that means for you, and if there is anything we can do at FCC to assist in your journey then we would be delighted.Peace,
Rev. Amanda Hatfield Moore
In the Old Testament:
Sodom & Gomorrah, Levite's Concubine, and the law against a man lying with a man as with a women [because] it is an abomination
Genesis 19:1-29 and Judges 19
Sodom & Gomorrah, and Levite’s Concubine
~ Some people believe the issue here is homosexuality, but in reality the issue is rape and the violation of the hospitality codeLeviticus 18:22 and Leviticus 20:13
The laws against a man lying with a man as with a women [because] it is an abomination. Ancient Israelites did not believe in the blurring of lines between classes/categories. For example:
~ Don’t breed different types of cattle, don’t sow different crops in same field, don’t wear clothes made from different fibers
~ By this logic, a man cannot be both male and female
~ This is about the holiness code and not about sin, maintaining ritual purity which Christians don’t do anymore
~ Eating non-kosher animals, wearing blended fibers are also called an abominationFor all four of these texts, there is also the assumption that it is shameful for a man to be like a woman in any way, i.e. penetrated. Of course we reject the thinking that there is anything shameful about being a woman in the first place, and also we reject the idea that homosexuality makes a man ‘like a woman’ at all.
In the New Testament:
Paul’s list of those who will not inherit the kingdom of God, and God’s wrath gives people up to their own harmful inclinations
1 Corinthians 6:9-10
Paul’s list of those who will not inherit the kingdom of God
~ From Greek, malakoi and arsenokoitai are translated in NRSV as ‘male prostitutes’ and ‘sodomites’
~ Malakoi literally means ‘soft’ so this could be a condemnation of pederasty/pedophilia
~ This could be another instance of the ancient world’s belief in the shamefulness of penetration
~ Arsenokoitai does not appear in Greek literature before Paul, and is a compound of words for ‘male’ and ‘bed’
~ This could be a criticism of men who exploit others sexually, but really we don’t know for sure what Paul meant by these words, and anyone who claims they are 100% certain is being disingenuous.Other interpretations are that Paul is telling Christians not to participate in pagan temple worship, which sometimes included homosexual acts as part of the ritual. Also first century Greek society gradually came to view pederastic sexual relationships as immoral; some people think Paul and the early Church aligned themselves with this movement.Romans 1:24-27
God’s wrath gives people up to their own harmful inclinations
~ Paul sees homosexuality as contrary to nature, the idea is that everyone is naturally heterosexual but some people then choose to engage in homosexual acts.
~ The logic of this argument falls apart given what we know about sexual orientation; if Paul had known what we know about science, medicine, psychology, etc., he would not have been able to make this argument.When it comes to the Bible, recognizing its authority does not require believing that it is perfect, inerrant, or always consistent. Context is important, genre is important!We can say that the NT authors had no concept of sexual orientation or of loving, healthy homosexual relationships between consenting adults, and that what they condemn is not the same thing as the LGBT+ identities being affirmed in the Church todayWe can say that our knowledge of God’s love is more important than these few specific verses.We can say that God has continued to lead the Church forward with new insights and understanding through the generations (John 16:12-13).“Any interpretation of Scripture that hurts people, oppresses people, or destroys people cannot be the right interpretation, no matter how traditional, historical, or exegetically respectable.” --Dale Martin
Good News We Find in the Bible
Genesis 1:27-31
God creates humans and calls them very goodMatthew 15 and Mark 7
Jesus rejects the concept of uncleanness
~ A person cannot be defiled by physical things, only by the evil intentions that come from the heartJohn 10:10
"I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly"Acts 8:26-40
Philip baptizes the Ethiopian Eunuch
~ This is a person whose body did not align with the accepted gender binaries of the day, and someone who going by the letter of the law would have been excluded from worshiping in the Jerusalem temple. But he is welcomed into the Church!Galatians 3:27-28
All are one in Christ.Plus all verses that speak of God’s love and the preciousness of human life!