The theme for session three was hope.
Author Bekah Mason told her story of being the child of a Southern Baptist pastor who put her faith in the “broken cisterns” of her parents’ faith, belief that God would “fix this” by making her normal, and academia where she proudly proclaimed her lesbianism. Academia included seminary and speaking roles “in churches with my girlfriend on the front row.”
But she turned from trying to save herself to asking Christ to do what she could not.
“Sin is fun for a season but I couldn’t serve him (Jesus) and serve myself. The Holy Spirit used the law to dare me to trust him with my life and not just eternity. You have to trust Jesus with this life, fear God, walk in his ways and serve him and keep his commandments.
“I dared him to do better in my life than I had. I repented of doing things my way. From that day, his word came to life. He did know what was best for me. People were not things to be used and consumed but souls to be known and loved and served.”
Mason also addressed one of the questions leading up to the conference—is it a sin to have a same-sex attraction? She clearly believes it is not, and in fact, embraces her orientation.
“Some say we should not acknowledge same-sex attraction and also claim Christ. And yet this aspect of my life is the one God uses most consistently to draw me to himself, to point out my weaknesses, my need for him. So why in the world would he be so cruel as to take away the thing that most deeply presses me to himself?”
Wes Hill Tells Revoice ‘Jesus Did Not Trim God’s Standards Down’
The final session of the conference was the one that most clearly stated that homosexuality is a sin.
Wesley Hill, Assistant Professor of Biblical Studies at Trinity School for Ministry, told the story of the woman caught in adultery.
Hill told the gathering, “Jesus does not discard what Moses said about adultery. He doesn’t erase the commandment. He didn’t trim God’s standard down. Jesus fights against the shame of the woman but not at the expense of his law.”
He said there is no getting around Romans 1. Homosexuality is a sin. That sin often leads to shame for those ensnared by it, but Hill reminded the audience, “The shame is lifted when we realize we are no better off, no worse off, than any other Christian before God.”
Referencing the judgmental mob in the story of the woman caught in adultery, Hill pointed out, “This woman gets saved from shame not by being told that she’s not a sinner but by being placed in the company of other sinners.”
Bill Henson, founder of Lead Them Home, a ministry to LGBT+ Christians, led a workshop at the conference on the topic of reaching LBGT+ people. He told churchleaders.com that Revoice “was one of the most worshipful, healing and powerful experiences of my life.”
He also described the conference as:
“A highly marginalized and often mischaracterized people gathered for community and ended up finding family. Even a brief visit with someone you’ve never met felt like finding a long lost brother or best friend. To understand this, it is important to note that Side B Christians are a ‘minority of a minority.’ They are Christian, but not always recognized as repentant. They are LGBT+ people, but often seen as selling out their humanity to hateful religion. They pursue biblical holiness, but often are viewed as living in a constant state of sin. They can be viewed with disdain and disgust. Many attendees feel the weight of this judgment in their daily lives. To join together with similar people in the presence of Jesus was like the ‘refuge’ that God says He will be to us in Psalm 91. It was a holy, soul-stirring and life-giving experience.”
“Side B Christians” are defined as being committed to remaining celibate. “Side A Christians” is a term for those who support marriage equality and believe that gay sex is not necessarily immoral.
The wide-ranging messages at Revoice caused some evangelical groups to distance themselves from the conference. Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President R. Albert Mohler Jr. called Revoice “deeply troubling,” adding, “The moment you begin identifying as an LGBTQ+ Christian, you’ve created an unstable identity.” Humans “have a pattern of sexual attraction, but for Christians, our ultimate identity must be in Christ.”
And ERLC staff member Andrew Walker commended Revoice for supporting “any same-sex attracted Christian…trying to find their identity in Christ,” but he cautioned that “the conference’s programming and the casual embrace of finding one’s identity in what the Scriptures prohibit seems to be an enormous miscalculation with real-world implications.”
The Revoice conference sold out. Organizers had plans to make Revoice an annual event but no information is available yet for future conferences.
