Lead Them Home: Boston Globe Coverage

Boston Globe columnist Joanna Weiss shared in the Boston Sunday Globe (10/28/12) about author and speaker Shari Johnson's journey to fully supporting her daughter's gay identity. Shari, an evangelical, is in town to speak at a Greater Boston PFLAG conference.?

Lead Them Home and PFLAG are each hosting conferences on preventing anti-gay bullying and gay teen suicide, both of which are featuring clinical social worker and researcher Dr. Caitlin Ryan of San Francisco State University. Interested in the "bridge" between evangelical and gay communities, Weiss contacted me curious about our work.

You can read the Boston Sunday Globe article here. We spoke moments before her publication deadline, so there was not significant coverage. For those interested in the entire interview, however, below is a transcript of the questions posed to me and my responses. I hope you enjoy it.?? ? ? ? ?1) How, when and why did you start your current ministry?

Lead Them Home was founded in 2003. I left a business career to devote full-time to our mission in early 2006. We help the conservative church better reflect Christ's love for LGBT people. I sensed this calling at the peak of culture war- in the midst of a huge divide between gay people and the church. We, the church, had utterly failed to reflect Jesus to gay people. That's our mission: to train and equip the church to reflect Christ's love to LGBT folks. We do this primarily through a church leader training called Posture Shift.

2) What do you find is the most useful, productive way to speak to Evangelicals about acceptance of their gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender kids? Which methods of persuasion and discussion work best, and which methods don't work well at all?

I enjoy counseling evangelical families of LGBT loved ones, but our core mission is training pastors to become more effective in responding directly to these families. Many perceive that the church expects them to reject LGBT loved ones. Thankfully, the conservative church is realizing that damaging family relationships is no way to live out the Gospel. There is much work ahead, but many positive changes are well underway.?

It is important for these families to understand that I share their moral beliefs. Once they know I am not suggesting a shift in moral beliefs, then they are open to a "posture shift" away from rejection and toward acceptance. I tell them - you do not have to change your theology to love your gay children well. To gay teens and young adults, I stress that cutting off their parents hurts the entire family - including them. On both sides, rejection is damaging to family relationships.

The best way for evangelicals to embrace this "posture shift" is to listen closer to the stories of Jesus. Over and over again, Jesus gets angry at the religious leaders who propel people away from God. I try to let Jesus do the talking, but contextualize "the lepers" and "the outcasts" of his day to those who bear the brunt of religious people today. With the church's high pornography and divorce rates, we are the last ones who can target the bible against gay people. Does this change our beliefs? No. It does, however, radically change our posture. We must extend God's love to people where they are, because that is what Jesus has done for us. If we remember our own need for grace, it is much easier to freely offer God's grace to others. ? ?

3) What sort of reception have you received from both families and officials in Evangelical churches? Do a lot of people tend to shut you out, or do you come across a lot of people willing to listen and reconsider their beliefs?

Before I ever arrive, the church leaders I train already know they need help in relating to LGBT folks. In our 7th year, Lead Them Home is rapidly growing as church leaders wrestle between the truth they believe and the love they desire to offer. Fortunately, our Posture Shift training gives them biblical and practical answers. I do not see many evangelicals becoming "pro-gay" in their beliefs, but I do see many evangelicals becoming "pro-people" in their faith practice. That is great news - and yet we still have much work to do.

POST NOTE: To protect the integrity of Lead Them Home within the evangelical community, it is important to note that Shari Johnson sees the scriptures as approving of gay relationships. Lead Them Home holds to orthodoxy on this matter. It might be said that we have different beliefs, but our posture toward LGBT people is largely similar.? ? ?

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Source: http://blog.leadthemhome.org/2012/10/boston-globe-coverage.html

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