Is Your Sanctuary a Safe Space?

          “Is Your Sanctuary a Safe Space?” was preached on March 22, 2016 at Princeton Theological Seminary as part of my “When Sundays Come Quicker Than Sermons” course. It was part of the course's social justice unit. While the intended audience for this sermon is for current and future leaders of the church, the message behind it is important for everyone to consider. Inspirations for this sermon include Scripture, commentaries, Pauline analysis and criticism, relevant issues in society, and the future of the church.

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Romans 1:1-17

1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures, 3 the gospel concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh 4 and was declared to be Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, 5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for the sake of his name, 6 including yourselves who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,

7 To all God’s beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed throughout the world. 9 For God, whom I serve with my spirit by announcing the gospel of his Son, is my witness that without ceasing I remember you always in my prayers, 10 asking that by God’s will I may somehow at last succeed in coming to you. 11 For I am longing to see you so that I may share with you some spiritual gift to strengthen you— 12 or rather so that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine. 13 I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that I have often intended to come to you (but thus far have been prevented), in order that I may reap some harvest among you as I have among the rest of the Gentiles. 14 I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish 15 —hence my eagerness to proclaim the gospel to you also who are in Rome.

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel; it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed through faith for faith; as it is written, “The one who is righteous will live by faith.”

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It is in Paul’s opening address to the Romans where we hear the need to listen to the good news found in the Gospel! We are called to belong to Christ. Each of us. All of us. It is through our belonging to Christ where we are also called to be in close fellowship with all of humankind. This includes people who were once strangers to us and with people who were once even our enemies. While we may label others – the ones Christ has called our neighbors – as strangers and enemies, we know the greatest enemy to this fellowship is ourselves. Our very nature and our lack of conversation has left our fellowships broken and individuals separated from one another. This is especially true in regards to the Church and the inclusion of the LGBTQ community, as both historically and in the world today, we have done what we can to explicitly and implicitly exclude this community from the universal Christian church.

As an openly gay man pursuing ordained ministry in the Presbyterian Church (USA), one of more common questions I get from my fellow queer brothers and sisters as well as those who identify outside of the gender binary is, “Is your sanctuary a safe space?”

This is a not a new or foreign question for me. As a member of the LGBTQ community, I know exactly what they are asking. When a member of the LGBTQ community asks you the question, “Is your sanctuary a safe space?,” they are asking “Is your church – all of your church including its members – open and affirming to LGBTQ individuals?” or “Are the LGBTQ individuals who enter through your doors at risk to become the subjects of abuse?”

Now I’m not just talking about physical abuse here – although it wouldn’t be wrong for LGBTQ folks to question their safety regarding that either. I am talking about emotional and spiritual abuse, and it can come from all different facets of ministry. It can be in the words delivered from the pulpit. It can be in the classroom as part of the curriculum to which students will be exposed. It can even be in the overheard conversations between members and colleagues during times of fellowship. All of these moments have the risk of teaching, judging, and condemning LGBTQ members of all ages that they are mistake of God’s creation, a sin not saved by Christ’s grace, or an abomination separated from power of the Spirit.

When we actually consider what kind of abuse is at risk here, we begin to understand “Is your sanctuary a safe space?” as a valid question. It should also be a haunting question. In a sanctuary – a sanctuary! – the question of safety is being asked! Please, take a moment, and consider that! In a sacred place where we come to join our voices together to glorify God, there are some of us who fear the very words that might be professed.  This question should be starting to bother us. It should be starting to haunt us. When you are asked the question, “Is your sanctuary a safe space?,” even if you answer with, “Yes,” the truth is you are only answering for yourself. Your congregations and the people you work with will also play a part.

Does your congregations support your claims? And for those of you working in ministry outside of the church, do your students or colleagues support yours? Can you honestly and fully 100% be certain that your place is a safe space? How do you know? Have you had these conversations with the people you work with? Would you be willing to have these conversations? Is sexuality, sexual orientation, or gender identity openly talked about in your setting? Do you know if the LGBTQ community is open and affirmed in your context? It is in these questions where the problem lies. If we are not willing to have to conversations with our congregations or the people we work with regarding inclusion of the LGBTQ community, we cannot be certain our sanctuary is a safe space.

Even if your theology or personal beliefs prevent you from being open and affirming to LGBTQ individuals, I urge you to at least consider this. The LGBTQ community is among the most complex and lonely minority group. Unlike any other minority group, members of the LGBTQ community are sometimes rejected by their own churches, friends, and families because of what makes them different. Remember, almost all LGBTQ individuals come from straight, CIS parents. Often starting at a very early age, LGBTQ individuals have a growing awareness that they are different from the rest of their family, and it is often something they go through all alone. They go through it alone because once again, it is something we have just not talked about. Is it really the Christian message to let others feel broken and alone?

These are the conversations we need to be having. 87% of United States citizens know someone in the LGBTQ community. If you are a member of the Princeton Theological community, then even some of your own friends, classmates, and faculty and staff identify as part of the LGBTQ community. When you know someone who is a part of this community, it is not so easy to avoid these conversations.

I know what follows in Romans 1. I know what some of us think Paul has said about the LGBTQ community. I know the verses and passages that might cause some of us to think at a surface level interpretation that homosexuality is a sin. But we need to wrestle with these passages; we need to consider what the Gospel is really calling us to understand. We must be willing to do our research. We must be willing to spend time in prayer. We must be willing to question what identity means and how the revelation of God can come to us through all sorts of people. We must be willing to talk about LGBTQ inclusion with each other and with our congregations and with our colleagues and with our students now and in all the years to come.

We are called to live into the Gospel of Jesus Christ for like Paul, we are not ashamed of the truth it brings. This is what the Gospel says: it says we are loved by our Creator, extended grace by our Redeemer, and set apart by our Sustainer. Our identity and our relationships with one another rely on the transformation found in the outpouring of God’s love, grace, and power. The LGBTQ community is not separated from this! God has not separated them from the church; we have! This is our doing, our responsibility… this is our failing. Instead of preventing the fellowship of believers by exclusion, we need to intentionally and purposely extend the invitation of inclusion as God has called us to do exactly that. Is your sanctuary a safe space? My friends, it is time to have that conversation. Amen.

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