How does the church respond to LGBTQ+ individuals in ways that reflect new creation rather than tired, old creation dynamics of exclusion, shame, and silence? In this profoundly moving episode, Mike and Tim respond compassionately to a deeply honest and heartbreaking letter from a closeted gay church leader wrestling with belonging, identity, and faith in the modern church.
This dialogue touches on some of the most pressing tensions within American Christianity today—how can the church be a place of authentic community for LGBTQ+ believers? What does it mean to be a welcoming and mutually transforming space? How can we embrace new creation practices without compromising on grace, truth, or relationship?
Mike and Tim confront the church's failures, hypocrisies, and misplaced obsessions with sexuality, while also outlining what true hospitality, humility, and justice must look like within Christ-centered communities. If you're asking hard questions about faith, sexuality, and the mission of the church in a divided world, this conversation invites you into a new way of thinking marked by repentance, grace, and love.
Key Takeaways: • Creating Safe Space in the Church – Why LGBTQ+ individuals deserve communities of radical hospitality rather than silence, shame, or exclusion. • Critiquing Evangelical Sexual Ethics – How the church's obsession with sexual purity, hypocrisy on divorce, and abuse of power have corrupted its witness. • New Creation vs. Old Creation Dynamics – Understanding how practices like inclusion, mutuality, patience, and non-coercive humility reflect Jesus's way. • The Limits of Affirming vs. Non-Affirming Labels – Why those binary categories often fail to capture the radical hospitality and invitation of Jesus. • Center-Set Community Formation – Moving beyond boundaries into spiritual families united around posture toward Christ, not identity markers. • Hospitality and Waiting as Spiritual Practices – What happens when the church chooses listening, patience, and love over moralizing proclamations?
Resources Mentioned: • Voxologypodcast.com – Our central hub for exploring culture, faith, and the mission of Jesus • David Fitch – Concept of “welcoming and mutually transforming communities” • Books by Tim Gombis – Including conversations on humility in biblical interpretation • Bonhoeffer and Paul’s Ethics – Themes of sacrificial love and communal identity from scripture • Past Voxology episodes with LGBTQ+ Christian voices – Featuring guests like Bonnie and DL
Let’s keep the conversation going. If you resonate with Jeremy's story or are processing these questions yourself, we want to hear from you. Email us at hello@voxpodcast.com and join us on Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube for more dialogue.
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As always, we encourage and would love discussion as we pursue. Feel free to email in questions to hello@voxpodcast.com, and to engage the conversation on Facebook and Instagram.
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Music in this episode by Timothy John Stafford
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