The New Progressive Christian Trans Woman

The struggle of the inclusion of those that are GLBTQQI etc. is an issue of identity and authenticity centered squarely on dogma. Dogma is the doctrine of the Church, the rules, regulations and precepts of the Church. While the common ground is Jesus Christ of Nazareth, son of the living God, the argument, the disagreement is over peripheral and  somewhat juvenile issues of sexual and/or physical identity.

Would the whole Church be discarded over peripheral issues? Did Jesus sacrifice his life only for the sexual and/or gender identity of humanity? Is this what the journey of the Church is about at least here in the United States? Does the foundation of the Church rest on its sexual/gender identity?

Are the arguments of Heterosexism, homophobia, Genderism legitimate arguments to have in the face of the cross of Jesus Christ that calls all of humanity to life? Are the aforementioned concerns the common ground of the Church or is Jesus the common ground? I submit that if Jesus is the common ground then all else is sinking sand.

Holy Scripture does not rest on the partial proof texting of dogmatic interpretation but the whole rest on the radical inclusive love of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. All scripture must be framed in the context of Jesus. In Mt 16:18 Jesus speaks to Peter and states the following:

“And I say also unto thee that thou art Peter and upon the rock I will build my Church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

As Jesus speaks to Peter he says (3) short words reflecting ownership. He says “I” – twice and “my” (once). These words mean originator, ownership. He then states that the gates of hell will not prevail against it. He will defend his church against even the gates of hell. Why doesn’t Jesus just say hell? Why does he say gates of hell? The words say that Jesus defends his church and while the disciples take a junior partnership in that defense the primary defense rests with Jesus.

And verse 19 states that whatever the disciples need for the Church to grow, function and transform society Jesus will provide.   The Church is called and empowered by Jesus to live out the mission statement of Jesus of Nazareth the Christ.

Now who is the Church that Jesus refers to? Luke 4:18 describes who the church is in the following statement

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.”

Here Jesus clearly and succinctly describes his church – the center of his heart.  The following people groups of the church are delineated below:

Those that are poor

Those that are brokenhearted

Deliverance of those that are captive

Those that are blind

To set at liberty those that are bruised

And finally in verse 19 Jesus says “To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.”

The aforementioned community is transformed and transformative – it is the beloved community, it is Jesus and the disinherited. The Church relates to Jesus through relationship and that relationship is articulated through (1) prayer (2) empowerment of the Holy Spirit (3) authenticity and finally (4) minimal dogma.

If this is the Church that Jesus calls and ordains then what of discrimination, bigotry, and marginalization? Where is the Church in relation to Jesus? Shall the Church be servant of dogma and society? What or who is the common ground? If the Church is called to be that transformative agent in the community then it must return to its founder.

The Church must not conform to the culture or society, and it must not be a resource of political and social conformity. The church must be the Jesus in the community. And then, any and all dogma must be viewed in the context of Jesus of Nazareth.

In contrast if the Church is not about Jesus it should not call itself a Church. It must deny Jesus and embrace the state and society openly. Then the Church could openly practice Heterosexism, homophobia, Genderism openly and then those that are GLBTQQI etc. would be clear and honest in their decision.