At times, there is silence for a reason as some things are best said by being left unsaid.
That there is no mention of Jesus’ sexual orientation in Scripture is perhaps reflective of a profound, cosmic reality that ones gender nor orientation are a prerequisite for determining that which is of the Divine. The person of Jesus and the Kingdom He brings make gender beautifully irrelevant and the spectrum of creative possibilities wonderfully endless. To be human is to be human, regardless of orientation or gender. In fact, to the dismay of much of western Christianity, Jesus wasn’t purposed on being imaged into a caucasian, American, heterosexual, Republican, gun-owning, blue-eyed, conservative male with flowing locks of brown hair. Rather, He is the surest example of what it truly looks like to simply be fully human and fully rested in the Divine—beyond all that is gender and orientation.
Was or is Jesus gay in terms of sexual orientation or behavior? I don’t believe so. Was He transgender, queer, or questioning of any aspect of His sexuality? I suspect not—but it certainly doesn’t matter. For being LGBTQ is about so much more than mere sexual orientation or gender identification. It’s about being a beautifully created soul adorned with eternal extravagance, imaged in the splendor of the Creator. A soul who bears the arduous task of navigating their unique, human experience through the minefields of a brutally inhumane world that would quickly ransack those who break religious molds—clawing to strip them of their divine value, identity, purpose and worth. Beyond the gravity of sexuality and orientation, this is the deeper, ultimate essence of the plight intrinsic to being LGBTQ. For theirs is the courageous, pain-ladened journey to be fully human and fully alive while sweating beads of blood in determination to find ones way and hold onto ones inherent dignity and God-delighting in a spiritually nefarious, different-condemning, and different-killing world.
In this way, Jesus was surely gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer.
For in the face of being ostracized and derided by His own Nazareth family of bigots determined to misunderstand Him, Jesus is the gay man and the lesbian woman who live in the constant, gruesome torment of coming out, being known, and fully living their God-designed personhood—a kind of hell on earth of daily accusation and rejection God never weaved into the tapestry of what anyone should endure.
Or crying over Jerusalem, begging for His heart to be understood and His people to receive Him, Jesus is the parent who lies awake deep into the night, tirelessly fighting in solidarity for the defense, worth, dignity and affirmation of the LGBTQ child with which God has blessed them. The very child the religious deem a disgrace. Yet, Jesus, not just the parent, but also too the LGBTQ child born innocent by the Spirit’s authoring, pursued by the cunning Herods of our world whose sure desire is to seek out and kill them.
There, praying in the garden of Gethsemane, begging for divine reprieve, Jesus is the queer teenager, trembling in terror as she cuts her arms and threads the noose, convinced that giving up is the only way out, and the only sure resolve to the pain that is before her.
In the outer courts, confronted by the religious through the evil venom of their creed—backed into a corner, a pointed finger pushing at His chest questioning His true identity, Jesus is the transgender person whose truth is too truthful for the world to hear or see.
Then, from the confines of Pilate’s Praetorium where flogged beyond recognition, to a savage, religiously-conspired cross where nailed, pierced and left to die of internal suffocation, Jesus is the Orlando night club, He is Londonn Moore, He is Ally Steinfeld, He is Matthew Shepard, and every LGBTQ person ever murdered in body, mind or spirit—crucified to death by religion, ignorance, and hate, and even good people who remain silent and unengaged.
In all these ways, Jesus is surely LGBTQ—not just lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer, but One of us all for whom religion has demonized, illegitimized, and crucified in hate.
For Jesus didn’t die just for humanity, He died as humanity—all of it. Transgender, black, white, gay, straight, rich, poor, conservative, progressive—the haters, the lovers, the lifted high, the beaten low, the Christians, the Muslims—every type, color, creed, and flavor.
The Kingdom of Jesus comes to enable the odd to get even, to be seen as even, and to live in a world where all is even—beautifully different, but entirely equal.
Try as you may, you can’t erase what God has written into eternity—Jesus is all and in all.
We are the unerasable.
For everywhere there is religious oppression, everywhere there is bigotry, discrimination, or injustice—where there is the branding with labels or the withholding of Grace, Jesus is there in Person and as the person being deprived of that which has been given to them freely and irrevocably from the goodness of His Name.
In this way, if you can’t handle the notion of Jesus being lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer, then you aren’t fully understanding the essence of Jesus being you.
To be you or to be LGBTQ is essentially one in the same—it’s what it means for all of us to simply be human, created in the likeness, image, and favor of our Maker, living in a religious world that seeks to steal, kill, and destroy all that His hands have made, with special sights on that which the religious deem inferior or against the grain.
Run your fingers through the strands of an LGBTQ soul, then through mine, or that of any other, and soon you will declare the only declaration that can be truthfully rendered—that none are better, only different. For the sooner we see Jesus in and as the people around us, the sooner the lenses of God’s affirming view become the windows through which we see ourselves and all humanity.
If Jesus isn’t LGBTQ, then Jesus isn’t you, and if Jesus isn’t you, then the incarnation is a fake, and your resurrection a certain uncertainty.
No one chooses to be LGBTQ, but in Christ Jesus, God has chosen to be—not just One of them, but He even does the unthinkable and dares to be One of you.
Yes, that’s right.
Jesus is lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer. ‘
Jesus is me, and Jesus is even…
You.
Grace is brave. Be brave.
Check out Chris Kratzer’s new book getting rave reviews, Leatherbound Terrorism…
There is no greater evil being wielded upon the planet than Conservative Evangelicalism, and Chris Kratzer’s life and ministry journey are undeniable proof. In Leatherbound Terrorism, Chris tells of his 21 years as a conservative Evangelical pastor and the radical change of heart and mind that led him to walk away from it all. With a new sense of faith centered on Jesus and His pure Gospel of Grace, in Leatherbound Terrorism, Chris chases the evils of conservative Evangelicalism out of the shadows and gives powerful voice to the cries of the religiously oppressed. Confronting issues like racism, sexism, homophobia, religious greed, hypocrisy, nationalism, white supremacy, privilege, and the weaponizing of the Bible, Leatherbound Terrorism pulls no punches. Endorsed by best selling authors Steve McVey and Baxter Kruger, Leatherbound Terrorism will challenge you, inspire you, and most certainly cause you to rethink your faith and life.
Bravo, Pastor! Thank you, from my Transgendered heart!
My honor Stefani!
Very well written, Chris. I hope that more and more people become aware of the structural damage that conservative Evangelicalism is causing, not only among Christians, but to all humans and indeed the whole Creation. Disrespect for others in all their diversity, for all animal species, and for the earth’s wonderful and complex environment are crimes against God’s creation. Condemning others for their sexual orientation or on gender issues is a crime against God’s creation. When will people’s eyes be opened?
If I may ask, what brought about your radical change of heart after working for more than 20 years as a conservative Evangelical pastor?
Thanks Johannes, my new book, Leatherbound Terrorism tells the entire story of my radical change of heart. There are several links on this blog and site to the book, and can also be found by searching the title on Amazon.
another well written and informative essay Chris!
You say the clear teachings of Scripture are not clear. I strongly disagree and would challenge you to present evidence to support that assertion. Who are these faithful Bible loving, truth seeking, Jesus loving, unbiased scholars who have definitively determined that Scripture does not prohibit homosexuality? I’m 100% certain that if I have a conversation with them we will end up in gridlock regarding what the Bible actually teaches regarding this lifestyle. I’m aware of the popular assertion (that is relatively new) that the Bible only condemns homosexual practice in abusive situations. These “scholars” will say that a proper contextual study of the Old and New Testament passages reveal this. What they won’t tell you is the amount of conjecture, personal opinion and assumption they are interjecting to come to this conclusion. Their assertion lacks credibility and screams of preference. We must interpret Scripture for what it says…not what we want it to say. Do a contextual study on Romans 1:26-27 giving particular focus to the words “natural and unnatural.” The Greek words here are Physin (nature), Physican (physical) and Kresin (sexual function) so the passage is referring to natural sexual function. There is no other interpretation that I’m aware of. In Romans 1:31 the Greek word for unnatural is Astorgos which means “family love.” Scholars who support homosexuality as an acceptable lifestyle advocate that the passage has nothing to do with homosexuality but is more of a reference to infidelity. To that I say, “Huh???” Read the passage. It clearly states that women exchanged natural affection for men and gave it to women. Men exchanged natural affection for women and gave it to men. Yes it’s about family love. Family is the fundamental building block of society (Father, Mother, Children) and God guards this because He knows, as it goes with the family so it goes with society. Family love is physical love that God blessed with pro-creational power. Only the heterosexual union has this. Two men or two women don’t and never will. If God accepts and blesses homosexual physical love, why can’t they procreate?
For the sake of argument let’s say you could make a case that all references to homosexual sin in the Bible are references to infidelity or abuse. Where does God endorse homosexual union? When I read about the Fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23 I am reminded that God places His seal of approval on everything He considers as good. He also decries those things He considers evil (Galatians 5:19-21). Biblical references to homosexual practice both Old and New Testament are all to the negative. There is ample endorsement for heterosexuality when practiced within a committed marriage relationship (Genesis 1:28, Genesis 2:24, Song of Solomon, Matthew 19:5, Ephesians 5:31 to name a few). There is no passage in the Bible that even remotely endorses homosexuality.
I do not condemn the LGBT community. I do not condemn heterosexuals who are living out of wedlock with their partner(s). The person who embraces a lifestyle apart from God’s design (1 Corinthians 6:9-10) and fails to repent of it will suffer condemnation. Not by God’s choice but their own. Jesus did not die and rise again to give us free license to embrace whatever lifestyle we choose. That’s not what grace is. Grace did for us what we could not do for ourselves so that we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21).
“…you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. “I have the right to do anything,” you say–but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”–but I will not be mastered by anything” (1 Corinthians 6:11-12).
Look at verse 12. We can choose to do whatever we want but Jesus made it so that we don’t have to be mastered by our sin nature. No one who genuinely trusts Christ for salvation will continue to be ruled by sin (Philippians 1:6). Genuine salvation produces a heart that agrees with God regardless of human preference. Love doesn’t let me go off the edge of a cliff because it’s afraid to offend me. It says, “No! Stop! Don’t! You’re heading in the wrong direction! If you keep going that way you’ll die!” Calling sin “sin” is not judging. We must confront one another and hold one another accountable for the sin in our lives just as God does. That’s love. Jesus saved a woman caught in adultery by causing her accusers to look inward at their own sin. His last words to her were not, “Woman I don’t condemn you. Go live as you think best and the grace of God will cover you.” He said to her, “I don’t condemn you. Go and leave your life of sin” (John 8:11). God wants the LGBT community and all people who intentionally embrace a lifestyle contrary to His design to leave their sin behind. They are accountable to God for the choices they make in this life.
I’m aware of the popular assertion (that is relatively new) that the Bible only condemns homosexual practice in abusive situations. These “scholars” will say that a proper contextual study of the Old and New Testament passages reveal this. What they won’t tell you is the amount of conjecture, personal opinion and assumption they are interjecting to come to this conclusion. Their assertion lacks credibility and screams of preference. We must interpret Scripture for what it says…not what we want it to say. Do a contextual study on Romans 1:26-27 giving particular focus to the words “natural and unnatural.” The Greek words here are Physin (nature), Physican (physical) and Kresin (sexual function) so the passage is referring to natural sexual function. There is no other interpretation that I’m aware of. In Romans 1:31 the Greek word for unnatural is Astorgos which means “family love.” Scholars who support homosexuality as an acceptable lifestyle advocate that the passage has nothing to do with homosexuality but is more of a reference to infidelity. To that I say, “Huh???” Read the passage. It clearly states that women exchanged natural affection for men and gave it to women. Men exchanged natural affection for women and gave it to men. Yes it’s about family love. Family is the fundamental building block of society (Father, Mother, Children) and God guards this because He knows, as it goes with the family so it goes with society. Family love is physical love that God blessed with pro-creational power. Only the heterosexual union has this. Two men or two women don’t and never will. If God accepts and blesses homosexual physical love, why can’t they procreate?
For the sake of argument let’s say you could make a case that all references to homosexual sin in the Bible are references to infidelity or abuse. Where does God endorse homosexual union? When I read about the Fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23 I am reminded that God places His seal of approval on everything He considers as good. He also decries those things He considers evil (Galatians 5:19-21). Biblical references to homosexual practice both Old and New Testament are all to the negative. There is ample endorsement for heterosexuality when practiced within a committed marriage relationship (Genesis 1:28, Genesis 2:24, Song of Solomon, Matthew 19:5, Ephesians 5:31 to name a few). There is no passage in the Bible that even remotely endorses homosexuality.
I do not condemn the LGBT community. I do not condemn heterosexuals who are living out of wedlock with their partner(s). The person who embraces a lifestyle apart from God’s design (1 Corinthians 6:9-10) and fails to repent of it will suffer condemnation. Not by God’s choice but their own. Jesus did not die and rise again to give us free license to embrace whatever lifestyle we choose. That’s not what grace is. Grace did for us what we could not do for ourselves so that we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21).
“…you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. “I have the right to do anything,” you say–but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”–but I will not be mastered by anything” (1 Corinthians 6:11-12).
Look at verse 12. We can choose to do whatever we want but Jesus made it so that we don’t have to be mastered by our sin nature. No one who genuinely trusts Christ for salvation will continue to be ruled by sin (Philippians 1:6). Genuine salvation produces a heart that agrees with God regardless of human preference. Love doesn’t let me go off the edge of a cliff because it’s afraid to offend me. It says, “No! Stop! Don’t! You’re heading in the wrong direction! If you keep going that way you’ll die!” Calling sin “sin” is not judging. We must confront one another and hold one another accountable for the sin in our lives just as God does. That’s love. Jesus saved a woman caught in adultery by causing her accusers to look inward at their own sin. His last words to her were not, “Woman I don’t condemn you. Go live as you think best and the grace of God will cover you.” He said to her, “I don’t condemn you. Go and leave your life of sin” (John 8:11). God wants the LGBT community and all people who intentionally embrace a lifestyle contrary to His design to leave their sin behind. They are accountable to God for the choices they make in this life.