Jesus’s Kingdom of Love
It’s good news for us gay Christians
We gay Christians have unceasingly heard it all before. “Being gay is a sin.” “Gay marriage is heresy.”
And we gay Christians are usually invited by Evangelicals to “give our heart over to Jesus” — even when we already have.
What is it like to be fully committed to Jesus … and be gay?
Allow me to tell you. And I should know.
I am a gay Christian. So are many others.
And we are in Jesus’s kingdom.
Jesus’s Kingdom
So Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
Jesus replied,
“Yes, it is as you say. You are right in saying I am a king. My kingdom is not of this world. My kingdom is from another place.”
Kings have a kingdom.
A kingdom is the area and people whom the king reigns over.
Jesus’s reign is on earth, as it is in heaven.
What does Jesus’s kingdom look like?
People are healed of their infirmities. Demons hold no power. Death does not exist.
But something much greater exists in Jesus’s kingdom.
Love
Jesus is love. Love is His essence. Love has no definition beyond describing the very nature of Jesus.
And Jesus’s love is perfect.
Those who experience Jesus’s kingdom experience love.
Those who experience Jesus’s love are obligated to love others in His way. In fact, the original group of Jesus’s Followers was called “The Way.”
Jesus fulfilled all of the 613 commands from the Old Testament, including the Big 10. Jesus left His Followers with only one final commandment:
“Love each other as I have loved you.”
Is that all there is for us Followers to do? Love others?
Yep. So says Jesus.
Conversion?
Jesus’s modern-day Followers have already been converted. They passed from being citizens of the world to being legal residents of Jesus’s kingdom. And in His kingdom (now and to come), we focus on loving others rather than avoiding sin.
But many Evangelicals tell us gays that we must also undergo a sexual orientation conversion. Also, we must never call ourselves “gay.” Furthermore, we must never marry another gay man. Finally, we must never have anal intercourse with any man (including our husbands).
Can Jesus love us gays if we maintain our same-sex attraction? The answer is a resounding “yes!”
Can Jesus love us gays if we call ourselves “gay?” Of course!
Can Jesus love us gays if we marry another gay man? Certainly! Jesus wants every husband to fully love his spouse.
However, some Evangelicals will say, “Jesus would never honor a marriage between two men!”
Oh really?
In the biblical worldview, each marriage is supposed to resemble Jesus’s marriage to His bride. Yet, Jesus’s “bride” consists of all of His Followers. And Jesus’s Followers are comprised of individual women — and men. Thus, Jesus is married to each male Follower. Ponder on that for a while.
Jesus never condemned gay marriage. Rather, He condemned divorce. [FYI: did you know straight marriages are more likely to end in divorce than gay marriages?]
What about sexual orientation change? Have you ever met a gay person who candidly tells you that his same-sex attraction has permanently disappeared? Me neither.
Conversion from gay to straight never seems to occur. So, does Jesus require such a seemingly impossible task for gays? Of course not! And yet, many Evangelicals demand such a conversion — and even falsely claim that such conversion is not only possible but necessary. Furthermore, many Evangelicals insist that all gay Christians be celibate — living as a single man and abstaining from sex.
Jesus:
“Watch out for the teachers of the law. They tie heavy loads and put them on men’s shoulders, but they are unwilling to lift a finger to move them.”
Gay Christian
There are some Evangelicals who say it is impossible to be both gay and a Christian. They assert that being gay is antithetical to being a Christian. Furthermore, they say that a Christian with same-sex attraction must never call himself “gay.”
I am here to tell you I am a gay Christian. And I know of scores of others who likewise identify as both gay and Christian.
We are gay Christians who primarily experience same-sex attraction.
We are gay Christians who belong to Jesus’s kingdom.
We are gay Christians who experience Jesus’s love.
We are gay Christians who aim to love others in Jesus’s way.
We are gay Christians. And our relationship with Jesus will not be denied.
Dr. Mike Rosebush (Ph.D., Counseling Psychology; he, him, his;) is the creator and editor of GAYoda, plus a writer for Backyard Church. A short synopsis of Dr. Rosebush’s life can be found at I Lived the Most Unusual Gay Christian Life Ever. He may be contacted at mikerosebush75@gmail.com.
