We must begin this conversation with a contrite acknowledgement that, unlike Jesus, we have not always been a friend to people on the margins. When we look at the stories of Jesus’ life, while he never changed his views on doctrine or practice based on his personal relationships, he never let those differences keep him from sharing a table with those individuals.
Of course, we want everyone in our lives to come to a proper knowledge of the truth and to live in light of it. But if that truth is not wrapped in love—true, genuine, unconditional love—then it will simply be “a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal” (1 Corinthians 13:1).
In that journey, we must also come face-to-face with the fact that we ourselves still have not completely aligned our own lives with the truth. Our lives contain unreconciled hypocrisies. And we have often wronged the LGBTQ+ community.
You don’t have to change your theology to acknowledge that. You just have to take the theology you already have more seriously.
There may be opportunities for you to engage in good faith discussions with someone you care about this June. If you do, always keep love at the forefront. Refuse to treat them as a lesser person—not as some kind of tactic, but because they genuinely are your equal.
This June, may our Christian community not be known by what we stand against. May we be known by what we stand for: love, grace, and reconciliation.
A version of this article originally appeared here.
