Finally! Not about sex!

When I read through the Open Letter for the first time, I was both excited and relieved to see that the words “sex” or “sexuality” didn't appear. Not once. I don't know if I've seen a written piece (whether pro or con) about LGBT people that didn't include some comment about sex/sexuality (usually referring to the other person's sexuality, not the writer's). Don't get me wrong. I strongly believe that the church (writ both large and small) should be actively having discussions and study about sexuality. It would make us all healthier people – emotionally, physically, and spiritually. But the focus on sex and sexuality has, among other things, made it easy to slot people into us/them or natural/unnatural or sinners/???.

This letter, on the other hand, focuses on inclusion and justice, topics that should be at the heart of what the church is constantly discussing and furthering its understanding about. These are the bigger topics that address any of the “isms”, that challenge the human tendency to create groups that are “us” and not “them”, that push us toward taking very seriously the call to “love your neighbor as yourself”. This can be a scary thing because it might be that I then need to accept someone with whom I strongly disagree and that raises tough questions about faith and truth. But those questions stare us in the face all the time anyway and it could be that by talking together about them we may find new ways forward that we can't find individually.

Su Flickinger