I once met a man in our neighborhood in Stockholm who, hearing that I was a Christian and a theologian, commented, “That must be tough.”
“What do you mean, tough?” I asked.
“Well, I mean that being a Christian can’t be all that popular if you have to hate gays and lesbians.”
Is that what Christians are known for—that we hate gays and lesbians? Unfortunately, many people in the LGBTQ+ community can tell stories about how they have been poorly treated by Christians, who in many cases expressed themselves with more contempt than compassion.
Sooner or later most people will encounter a family member or an acquaintance coming out as homosexual, bisexual, or transgender. How you respond may make a huge difference in your family’s life and in that person’s ability and desire to believe in and follow Jesus Christ.
- You have reached the end of this article preview. This article was published in the Summer 2023 Baptist Bulletin. Subscribe to the Baptist Bulletin or purchase a gift subscription. If you already subscribe to the print edition, sign up for free digital access.
Ray Baker is a missionary in Stockholm, Sweden. This article is a translation and adaptation of a chapter in Confessing Color: Church and LGBTQ in a Rainbow World, edited by Ray Baker and Olof Edsinger and published in Swedish (Stockholm: Apologia förlag, 2019).
