an interview<\/a> with Jonathan Merritt at Religion News Service, Peterson undramatically answers \u201cYes\u201d to the question of whether or not he\u2019d perform a same-sex wedding.<\/p>\nPeterson is 84 years old, and this week has declared that he would be stepping out of public ministry, feeling \u201cfulfilled\u201d with what he has been able to accomplish in his life. When Merritt asked Peterson about his position on LGBT+ inclusion in the church, the pastoral theologian responded in an almost nonchalant manner, saying:<\/p>\n
\u201cIn my own congregation \u2014 when I left, we had about 500 people \u2014 I don\u2019t think we ever really made a big deal out of it. When I left, the minister of music left. She\u2019d been there ever since I had been there. There we were, looking for a new minister of music. One of the young people that had grown up under my pastorship, he was a high school teacher and a musician. When he found out about the opening, he showed up in church one day and stood up and said, \u201cI\u2019d like to apply for the job of music director here, and I\u2019m gay.\u201d We didn\u2019t have any gay people in the whole congregation. Well, some of them weren\u2019t openly gay. But I was so pleased with the congregation. Nobody made any questions about it. And he was a really good musician.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\nHis tone truly reflects that of a Christian pastor, someone who takes seriously his charge to love and welcome all people. While his language will be critiqued by some on the left for not being\u00a0overwhelmingly\u00a0<\/em>affirming, the reality is that this pastor in his mid-eighties reflects the change of heart that has been emerging not just among millennial Christians, but in the hearts of Christians across generations.<\/p>\nPeterson doesn\u2019t go in to his \u201ctheological rationale\u201d for his affirmation and acceptance- because he doesn\u2019t feel like he needs to. If the gospel of Christ is truly \u201cgood news of great joy for\u00a0all\u201d,\u00a0<\/em>then there isn\u2019t even a question about whether or not LGBT+ people can attend, serve, or lead in a church. For Peterson, it seems, it\u2019s just common sense. He affirmed, years ago, openly gay music ministers and lesbian couples in his congregation without ever making it a huge controversy. He see\u2019s LGBT+ people as\u00a0people<\/em> and not\u00a0issues<\/em>, and he welcomed them into the life of the church that he pastored.<\/p>\nInevitably, Peterson\u2019s statements will cost him a good portion his evangelical readership. We can expect that fundamentalist evangelical publications like Charisma, The Christian Post, The Gospel Coalition, and Christianity Today will condemn Peterson\u2019s remarks, and many churches and schools will stop using his books. The ironic part of this all is that Peterson has clearly been affirming for many years, if not decades. Yet\u00a0now\u00a0<\/em>his books and writings will become anathema. He will be declared \u201cunorthodox\u201d or \u201capostate\u201d- yet\u00a0nothing<\/em>\u00a0about him\u00a0<\/em>has changed.<\/p>\nThis is just a taste of what so many LGBT+ Christians face in the church. When we\u2019re in the closet, we\u2019re welcomed and affirmed for our callings and gifts, but as soon as we step out into the light, embracing who God has made us to be, our gifts and contributions become \u201cdangerous\u201d and \u201cinvalid\u201d. Just ask my Christian musician friends Vicky Beeching or Trey Pearson, who receive hate mail on a daily basis from Christians who believe they have now become forces of \u201cdarkness\u201d, whatever that means.<\/p>\n
Moments like today, when leaders step out and declare their support for LGBT+ people are important and contribute greatly to the shift in Christian attitudes towards LGBT+ inclusion. Peterson\u2019s words might not be perfect, but they will certainly be enough to cause many evangelicals on the edge to be freed to begin rethinking their own positions and practices relating to sexual and gender minorities. And speaking as an LGBT+ Christian pastor, his words are healing to me, not because I\u00a0need\u00a0<\/em>his affirmation, but because they reflect a steady and sure movement of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church, calling for greater inclusion of all people, including people like me.<\/p>\nToday is a great day in the history of American evangelicalism. The Spirit of God is moving and the tides are changing. May more and more pastors and people be empowered to step out and declare that in Christ\u2019s Body, everyone, including LGBT+ people, are\u00a0more\u00a0<\/em>than welcomed, but fully embraced.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Eugene Peterson is one of the most respected authors in American Christianity. His books on pastoral ministry and spirituality\u00a0have sold in the millions and are required reading in seminaries and Bible colleges. His paraphrase of the Bible, \u201cThe Message\u201d, is one of the most popular versions of the Scriptures in the Western world. And today, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1830,"featured_media":3741,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[29,4453,527,4450,4455,4454],"class_list":["post-3732","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-brandan-robertson","tag-eugene-peterson","tag-jonathan-merritt","tag-lgbt","tag-same-sex-marriage","tag-the-message"],"yoast_head":"\n
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