Combating the Lies

The following article showed up on my Social Media, thanks to so insane intervention by AI or its bias algorithm, and probably some devious help. No...I have gone looking for this kind of information. Here is the 15 OCT YouTube video link: https://www.youtube.com/live/q9z38ZSq3sk?si=Pq0F0-zdKHrY4uo9 As I often find myself attacked over the content I post which is not supportive of the LGBTQ+ lifestyle, I often get a lot of push back and accusation that I won't help the LGBTQ+ Veterans of the Military, LEO, 1st Responder communities. The fact is that the difference of opinion on the LGTBQ+ lifestyle has nothing to do with whether or not we (Warrior Tradition Fund - WTF) will help a Veteran of any type. The only requirement is proof of Veteran status...i.e., for Military Veterans we ask for a DD-214... that's it! Nothing more nothing less.

That being said, my responses to this article are based on my Biblical world view, word for word, literal interpretation, unless otherwise indicated by scripture, from Genesis to Revelation. The article from Sojouners or sort.net Facebook page is in RED Bold Italicize & Underline letters in order to separate their content from my comments in black lettering.

25 LGBTQ+ Christian Quotes That Sustain Us By Lexi Schnaser

The American Civil Liberties Union is currently tracking more than 500 anti-LGBTQ+ bills in the U.S. Many of these bills are written, supported, and justified by Christians. Even if most of these bills do not become law, it is dangerous when anyone, and especially people in power, deny the goodness of LGBTQ+ people.

No comment on the ACLU tracking. Anti-LGBTQ+ is suspect in that these bills are being classified with a biased label which is a matter of opinion. However, the claim that these bills "deny the goodness of LGBTQ+ people" comes into focus. And Jesus said unto him, “Why callest thou Me good? There is none good but One, that is, God." Mark 10:18 Clearly Jesus shows us, mankind, who are all born into sin, and of Himself in the flesh, are not good, only God is good! Unfortunately, we often find people claiming individuals, groups, etc., through our perceptions, morals, feelings, as good. The Word of God, however, makes it clear we are not: Psalm 14:1 - The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, They have done abominable works, There is none who does good. Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?"

There are many verses to quote on this topic, they chose Matthew 7:17-20 unfortunately, they have taken this out of context, as the statement "Jesus offers a way to discern a person's goodness"is not what this section of scripture is about. Jesus is not teaching about individuals as the previous verses 15 & 16 clearly indicate. If Jesus were speaking of the general individual then this would directly contradict Mark 10:18. There are two issues if this contradiction exists. First, no scripture can contradict other scripture as scripture proves scripture. Second, a contradiction would indicate God was fallible which is absolutely contrary to God's Holy and Righteous nature. So basically the entire claim of the author is out of context. You Will Know Them by Their Fruits

¹⁵ “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.  ¹⁶ You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?  ¹⁷ Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.  ¹⁸ A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.  ¹⁹ Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.  ²⁰ Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

But Jesus offers a different way to discern a person’s goodness: “[E]very good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will know them by their fruits.” (Matthew 7:17-20). 

The next paragraph again takes a select set of verses, leaving the verse preceeding it out of the discussion.

Below are quotes from queer Christians who bear the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). Drag queen Marge Erin Johnson is bringing joy and sparkle back to church; Bayard Rustin organized the 1963 March on Washington; Cole Arthur Riley, creator of Black Liturgies, reminds us to breathe, have patience, and remain faithful to our dignity. 

Paul, writing about Freedom in Christ and Life by the Spirit, had a lot more to say than just the last four verses of chapter 5 in Galatians. Most importantly are verses 16-21 which immediately proceed and layout that the differences between the Spirit and the flesh. How convenient not to include the flesh side of the discussion and it bearing on context.

Freedom in Christ

5 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

² Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. ³ Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. ⁴ You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. ⁵ For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope. ⁶ For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

⁷ You were running a good race. Who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth? ⁸ That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. ⁹ “A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.” ¹⁰ I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is throwing you into confusion, whoever that may be, will have to pay the penalty. ¹¹ Brothers and sisters, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been abolished. ¹² As for those agitators, I wish they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves!

Life by the Spirit

¹³ You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh^[a]; rather, serve one another humbly in love. ¹⁴ For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”^[b] 15 If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

¹⁶ So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. ¹⁷ For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever^[c] you want. ¹⁸ But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

¹⁹ The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; ²⁰ idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions ²¹ and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. ²⁴ Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. ²⁵ Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. ²⁶ Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

In the podcast This Little Light of Mine, Bonnie Violet, a trans femme genderqueer digital chaplain, said, “Don’t pray for me not to be trans. Don’t pray for me not to be gay. Pray for me to get closer to God.”

Praying for you to get closer to God is an interesting request. In 2 Timothy 3 we see Paul speaks of Perilous times and Perilous men and in verse seven "⁷ always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth." and continuing on  "¹³ But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived." What does this mean? If you want to get closer to God, then Jesus is the answer. But, you will need to repent (To turn away from you Sin), believe (Not just know the story) in who the Bible says Jesus is (God in the Flesh), and confess with your mouth that He is Jesus Christ - your Lord and Savior. We all are sinners, even those who are saved. The difference is when Saved you detest Sin and realize how it separates you from God, you despite your failings want nothing to do with it unlike before you were saved and you enjoyed it or reveled in it.

Pulling select scriptures out of the Bible to justify your Sinful desires is to To deny the Truth of Salvation, a gift of Grace from God , through the obedience of Jesus to His death and resurrection, is to be "⁷ always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth." and promoting this out of context justification is to be nothing "¹³ But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived."

We cannot pray — or legislate — away queerness. This statement in and of itself is accurate as far as legislation is concerned. However, these laws are a response by the public to what they believe are ideologies being forced on them or their children. you want to be LGBTQ+ then go ahead but do not try and force me or my children to participate in your lifestyle. If you cannot legislate away queerness, then you should not be able to legislate the acceptance of it either. As for praying, I believe in the power of prayer, if you don't that's on you. Queer people of faith have always existed. We are here, existing now, and we will continue to exist well into the future. True to some extent. However, that in itself doesn't justify the existence, nor does it make it right. It simply states existence. But the intent of this statement is clearly to justify the Sinful nature. But Sin has been around since the fall of Adam and Eve...Sin is and always has been ... a choice... Because of the ways in which many LGBT people have been taught to hate ourselves from an early age, pride is an important act of spiritual healing and witness that allows us to develop a healthy sense of ourselves, our communities, and those who we love. -Patrick Cheng, “The Spiritual Significance of Pride,”  HuffPost (2010) 

There is a lot to be said that many have been taught, incorrectly, to hate themselves. This is an unfortunate result of Sin in our world and poor understanding of Biblical principles and the proper application of knowledge.

I think young people are saying, “We got to do church differently.” Darling, never fear. The Holy Spirit is going to make sure we do church different. -Pamela Lightsey, “When the Institutional Church Dies, What Comes Next?,” sojo.net (2023) 

This statement demonstrates an absolute flawed understanding of the Holy Spirit. Holy meaning "set aside" and the Spirit is the Spirit of God. God the Father, God the Son and God the Spirit making the Trinity. God is, was, and is to come doesn't suggest that God's presence or the way He acts will be different throughout time. God is the same always as Numbers 23:19, Hebrews 13:8, James 1:17, Malachi 3:6, Matthew 24:35 support each other in this. Numbers 23:19 “God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?

Hebrews 13:8 "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever."

James 1:17  ^"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning."

Malachi 3:6 “For I am the Lord, I do not change; Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob." Matthew 24:35 "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away."

The search for love and for truth is a bodily one. Bodies in love add many theological insights to the quest for God and truth. -Marcella Althaus-Reid, The Queer God (2003) 

This particular statement is completely antithetical to scripture.

We must be patient, persevering, and tender with one another and ourselves. It will take years, decades, a long time, to learn, with one another, that our power to love is stronger than the fear that festers in our alienation. -Carter Heyward, Touching Our Strength (1989)

It isn't your "power to love" but the power of God's Love that will quiet the fear.

I’m not using my energy for useless fights. I’m using my energy to find peace. Let there be peace on earth. -Bishop Yvette Flunder, American Baptist College (2015)

John 14:27 "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."

Always and everywhere a certain percentage of men and women develop as homosexuals or lesbians. They should be considered as part of God's creative plan.

Sorry, but no! Adam and Eve were created, Genesis  ^27 "So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them." and Genesis 2:24^24 "Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be^[a] joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh." Nowhere in the Bible does it say God created Adam and Adam or Eve and Eve! In fact these unions are referred to as an abomination as in Leviticus 20:13 "If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination."

The next paragraph continues "no necessary connection with sin"... and Leviticus 20:13 "If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination."

The next paragraph is an outright fallacy and lie when it says that there is "no necessary connection with sin" and "God has created." If you decide to pick and chose which verse and or doctrine you will use and cast away the rest then you are speaking another Gospel....not the Gospel that Jesus spoke. While your sexual orientation may not be Sin, acting upon it against the Word of God and is Sinful. God does hate Sin, Sin was not present until after Adam & Eve ate of the Fruit of the Tree of Knowledge. This Sinful nature+ was imparted to all born, and can only be removed through the redemptive power of the blood of Jesus.

Their sexual orientation has no necessary connection with sin, sickness or failure; rather, it is a gift from God to be accepted and lived out with gratitude. God does not despise anything that God has created. -John J. McNeill “Homosexuality: Challenging the Church to Grow,” 

The Christian Century (1987) When we feel the warmth of belonging and being in community — any community — I believe God is pleased. -Matthias Roberts,“How to Find Healing From Religious Trauma,” Sojourners (2023)

Just because you believe it, or because that is how you feel, doesn't make it true. "any community"? So God is pleased was Sodom or Gomorrah? Was God pleased and as a result He sent a flood to destroy all on the earth except Noah and His family? And God is so pleased that we rush headlong into the Tribulation?

When we get quiet, when we are alone, when we can clear away all of the noise and opinions and hate speech, we know that there is something we need to do in order to uncover who we are. When we get quiet and get in touch with our bodies, we know the truth of who we are, no matter what anyone else says. -Shannon T.L. Kearns “My Trans Identity Was Forged In The Wilderness,” sojo.net (2023)

My Truth is more true than God?

Being trans doesn’t mean I spend all my time having solemn discussions about gender. Sometimes you just have to put the books down and go for a walk, rejoicing in the way your feet know exactly where to go; the way the wind feels in your hair; the way your eyes take in the tiny buds on the trees, all ready to blossom. -Austen Hartke, “6 Common Ways Christians Stereotype Transgender People,” sojo.net (2018)

When I go out for a walk these are the versus that describe how I see all of creation around me... via the Spirit not the flesh.

Psalm 119 ¹⁰⁵ Your word is a lamp to my feet, And a light to my path. Romans 1:20 "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse," I think getting our hands dirty is connected to salvation. No, not the eternal life kind of salvation—I’m talking about our salvation from the oppression and hell of today that keeps a noose around all of our necks: things such as racism, unfettered capitalism, a lack of affordable housing, or food insecurities. -Roberto Che Espinoza, “‘Like Thomas, I Don’t Always Believe’,” sojo.net (2020)

WE should live our lives walking in the Spirit, communing with God, praying, praising, worship, in thanksgiving being grateful for all God has done for us. Then all these things become as nothing as we give them up and lay them at the feet of Jesus

And this continues on and on... it is a strong delusion...

I'm not here to "hate" on LGBTQ+ people or anyone for that matter. I talk about these things to share the disconnect between the Gospel and the LGBTQ+ positions. Regardless of the knowledge displayed by the LGBTQ+ community and their supporters, despite the depth of what they call logic, notwithstanding the care and concern for those struggling in their belief that they are LGBTQ+, with all the actual "hate" that is received by them by so called Christians, nor the "hate" the LGBTQ+ community spreads on Christians... Jesus died for them and us! God does not hate you... He hates the Sin that separates you from Him. Christ died for every single person who ever was or will be... you only need to believe in Him by Faith...this applies to everyone!

The Word of God is all about Jesus - from Genesis to Revelation It is a Historical account

It is a prophetic account

It is an eyewitness account

It is an account of how to be

It is an account of what will be

It is a compete account of everything you need to know in this life

It shows you the way to Heaven, there is only one way - Jesus

Is shows you the way to Hell, broad is the path to destruction.

Let us be enraged about injustice, but let us not be destroyed by it. Bayard Rustin, To the House of Representatives (1969)

We are not bound to perpetual brokenness forever. We are human beings on a journey, and we have what it takes to solve our own problems. -Ashley Lynn Hengst, “You Are Not Broken” (2023)

Love will lead us to the ways that we can show up and love others as we love ourselves. -Darren Calhoun “LGBTQ+ Christians Can Build Bridges With Our Non-Affirming Family,” sojo.net (2024)

Trans people have existed through their visibility since the beginning of creation. We cannot erase, ignore, or segregate anyone from this divine form of creation. Recognizing trans-visibility in the world is to recognize the presence of life in everyone, formed in inclusive love. -Rev. Carmarion D. Anderson-Harvey “Celebrating Black History Month,” Q Christian Fellowship (2024)

We are God’s beloved. You are so loved. And nothing, nothing, nothing in the world can change that. -Jeff Chu “The Theology of the Compost,” Evolving Faith (2020)

I want to be the queer elder I never had. And I want people to know that they’re loved and to give themselves permission to be ... who God created them to be. -Marge Erin Johnson, “Like Drag Brunch? Try Drag Church” Sojourners (2024) Don’t pray for me not to be trans. Don’t pray for me not to be gay. Pray for me to get closer to God. -Bonnie Violet, “Pray FOR,” This Little Light of Mine (2021) As I dance in the streets at my city’s Pride parade, I will embrace the scandal of it all and try to become more scandalous in my own expression of grace and faith. And in so doing, I will find myself inside the abundant, raucous pleasure of God, who is ever joining all our stories in promiscuous love. -Rev. Tonetta Landis-Aina “Black, Butch, Queer — And Baptized Into God's Scandalous Love,” sojo.net (2023) It’s okay to distance yourself from spaces that demand a version of you that no longer is true. Belonging shouldn’t depend on an illusion. -Cole Arthur Riley, @BlackLiturgies (2023) God is too large to be contained by human language, gender binaries, or even a single person’s experience. Even if we took the sum of every person’s experience and blanketed the cosmos with the truth of human existence from the beginning until now, it would only reveal a sliver of who God is. -Taj M. Smith “God Created Me To Be a Transgender Man,” sojo.net (2023) But for me, living fully and authentically was less about being fully out and more about being deeply human. It meant being God’s beloved creation. And embracing my queerness was a way to embrace the gift of humanity. -Mihee Kim-Kort “Led Out In Joy, With Rainbow Cookies And Fresca,” sojo.net (2023) I am not lacking, nor am I an issue to debate. I do not need pity, nor am I sick or broken or afraid of love. I am a manifestation of Love’s complex divine revelation, making visible what would otherwise be erased in the billion refractions of rainbow light. -Jenna DeWitt, “Asexual And Aromantic People Are Often Forgotten, But God Sees Us,” sojo.net (2023) This is what the church was always meant to look like: a place where those who mourn are comforted, where the poor in spirit are enriched, and where those seeking mercy can find grace. -Ryan Duncan “No, ‘Being Fruitful And Multiplying’ Won’t Save The Church,” sojo.net (2023) Dignity is the soul-knowledge that I am worthy of love and respect. -Rev. Jes Kast “’Tis The Season For Family Boundaries,” sojo.net (2020) Truly, if we are created in the image of God, we are made to transgress narrow definitions of “masculine” and “feminine” behavior. The God of scripture is neither male nor female, transcending human conceptions of gender altogether. -Rev. Benjamin Perry, “The Problem Is Sinful Masculinity, Not Effeminacy,” sojo.net (2019)  Lexi Schnaser Lexi Schnaser (she/her) is a former social media and communications assistant at Sojourners. Got something to say about what you're reading? We value your feedback! Don't Miss a Story! Sojourners is committed to faith and justice even in polarized times. Will you join us on the journey? Your e-mail By entering your email we'll send you our newsletter each Thursday. You can unsubscribe anytime. Read More Content Living FaithVideosEditor's Picks  Catholic Tradition Has Always Included Trans People Like Me In my experience, those opposed to inclusion make two major errors. by Max Kuzma  Chicago Faith Communities Say ‘Joy’ Is Key to Resisting the Feds “Ultimately, this administration can’t take away our joy,” Joanna Arellano-Gonzalez said. “The more that we can deepen in joyful, nonviolent resistance, the more clarity it offers for us to keep doing this work ahead.” by Tate Young