To kick off the New Year I'm planning to start a new thread of posts for this blog. For anyone gay or lesbian who feels alienated from the church, yet who nevertheless desires to investigate the teachings and claims of Jesus Christ for the first time, I will try to point you to accessible resources or give simple advice on how you can go about learning what it means to be a follower of Christ. It's not all I'll be blogging about this year. With Proposition 8 coming before the CA Supreme Court this spring, there will be plenty else to talk about. I just plan to intersperse posts on this particular topic for the benefit of those who are interested.
Normally churches are the main resource for dispensing spiritual advice. But given how uninvolved conservative churches are in reaching out to gays, and the fact that many liberal churches are more involved in social activism than in serious Bible study, I figure this is a need that has to be met in some small way. Regrettably, a modest blog like this one is no replacement for the friendship, loving care and collective wisdom that a local church congregation can provide. I believe that ideally one's Christian faith ought to be centered around the life of the church. I don't know what to say to gay people who are seeking to know Jesus Christ, yet find themselves excluded and turned away by Christ's own followers. It is a sad contradiction. And even as I embark on this blogging commitment, I know that whatever friendship and advice I have to offer is an extremely poor substitute for being taught, loved, prayed for and embraced by the actual body of Christ. I believe that someday things will change. In the meantime we have to make do.
In my next post I'll talk about the Gospel of John, how you can get started there in understanding Jesus' life, ministry and teachings. Stay tuned.
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Click here to read all the posts in this series.
