For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. (World English Bible)You see, God saw that we were lost and confused, hurting from so many ailments. He sent his Son that we may be reconciled to God. That we may be found and saved from the darkness that rules over our world. All we have to do is put our faith in Jesus Christ (the Greek word for believe means more than to believe with your mind, but rather to believe with our heart, soul, and entire being)!
The funny thing is, the churches that seem to love this verse the most are the ones that act like there is fine print attached to the whoever that states "unless you are a lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender." However, this verse does not say that. Anyone who believes in Jesus Christ will be saved. That includes LGBT people as well. If we place our faith in Jesus Christ, we too are saved!
Gay-affirming theology is theology that accepts LGBT Christians and encourages them to be active in the life of the Church. Gay affirming theology doesn't tell LGBT Christians they must become straight, but rather celebrates the diversity they bring to the church.
Gay affirming theology can run the full spectrum from liberal Christianity to evangelical Christianity. When I lived in Dayton, Ohio, I attended an evangelical Pentecostal church that was predominantly gay. The only difference between this church and any other was that they accepted gays and embraced gay marriages (whether those marriages were legally recognized was irrelevant. They still had their marriage ceremonies which was recognized by their church and, in their belief, in the eyes of God). The church I attend now (an Episcopal church) is a little bit more liberal (but I wouldn't say overly so. Like much of the Episcopal Church, they are mostly moderate Christians), but is very welcoming to those within the LGBT community.
The biggest objection those Christians who are not gay-affirming have to the idea of LGBT Christians is that its against the Bible. They will cite half a dozen verses that seemingly condemn homosexuality. I have dealt with this in another forum post (see here). It is not these verses that are anti-gay, in my opinion, but these peoples' interpretation of these verses that are.
Yes, anyone can be a Christian. That includes LGBT Christians as well. If you are an LGBT person who has felt the Holy Spirit tugging you to become a Christian, then do so! Don't let the bigotry of others deprive you of the greatest blessing you will ever experience!
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