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| A man sits and cries after taking part in a candlelight memorial service the day after a mass shooting at the Pulse gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida |
I know that many of you not only are hurting today, but you
are also angry. And your anger is not just directed at the Muslim
terrorist who slaughtered so many of your people. You are also angry
with Christians like me, believing that we have helped to create the
toxic, hateful atmosphere that led to the horrific massacre.
A
gay activist in Charlotte, North Carolina, with whom I've shared meals
and interacted many times, expressed his anger toward what he called the
"sanctimonious (expletive)" of conservative Christian leaders, saying,
"You helped cause this massacre. Your anti-LGBTQ theology assisted in
helping others, including the Orlando shooter, in seeing each of our
precious LGBTQ lives as dispensable and worthy of death. ... (Expletive)
your prayers and y
our chaplains. How 'bout you stop your anti-queer
theology that supports our death and despair, huh?"
In
your eyes, people like me are hateful bigots, not recognizing the
validity of your marriages, not recognizing the depth of your
relationships, not recognizing the beauty of your families.
And
when we say that homosexual practice is sinful in God's sight, you feel
that we are branding you as inferior human beings, virtually damning
you to hell for who you are and for who you perceive yourselves to be
from the womb.
Some of you have called us CINOs
(Christians In Name Only), reminding us that Paul taught that love does
no harm to its neighbor (Rom. 13:10) and claiming that we are doing you
irreparable harm and damage when we tell you that God has a better way,
that it's wrong for you to engage in same-sex relationships, and that
with God's help it can be possible to change from gay to straight.
Many of you hear those words as anything but loving, to put it mildly.
As one woman posted on my Facebook page
yesterday, "I blame YOU and people like you for the tragedy in Orlando.
As of now, 50 people are dead, 53 injured, including at least one
police officer, due to homophobia. And you, and your ilk spreading your
messages of hate daily directly contribute to senseless tragedies like
this. ... SHAME ON YOU!"
In reality, if people truly
listened to my message (or that of my colleagues), it would never dawn
on them for a split second to attack you or try to harm you, and as I've
said many times publicly, if someone tried to do you harm and I was
present, they would have to get by me.
My friends and
co-workers feel this way as well: As Jesus laid down His life for us, we
are called to lay down our lives for others.
You might
say in response, "Brown, you just don't get it. Your words hurt us
deeply and your political stances do violence to us. You're no better
than a mass murderer."
I say to you in response, "Then
forget about me or other Christian leaders, and in your moment of
intense pain and anger, look to Jesus."
Jesus said,
"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give
you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me. For I am meek and
lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is
easy, and My burden is light" (Matt. 11:28-30).
Jesus
said, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me shall never hunger,
and whoever believes in Me shall never thirst" (John 6:35).
Jesus said, "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep" (John 10:11).
Jesus said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me" (John 14:6).
And
Jesus said, "If any man would come after Me, let him deny himself and
take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever would save his life will
lose it. But whoever would lose his life for My sake and the gospel's
will save it" (Mark 8:34-35).
It is Jesus, not religion, that you need.
Maybe you were raised in the church and have issues with "organized religion."
Maybe you have been hurt by professing Christians or believe that we're all hypocrites.
I
can tell you that Jesus will never hurt you and that Jesus is not a
hypocrite, and if you will call out to Him from the depth of your pain
and despair and ask Him to save you and forgive you, He will, just as He
forgave and saved me in 1971 when I was a heroin-shooting, LSD-using,
16-year-old Jewish hippie rock drummer. And He has never failed me since
then.
You ask, "But are you telling me that I'm supposed to stop being gay? Is that your message?"
My
message is that we are all sinners in need of God's mercy and
transformation, and you can pray what all of us prayed: "God, I confess
to you that I'm a sinner in need of forgiveness, and I cry out to you to
forgive me and give me a brand-new life."
Then put your
entire life into His hands—your past, present and future; your hopes,
dreams and pains; your sexuality and your desires—and say, "Jesus, I
want You to be the Lord of my life, I believe You died for my sins and
rose from the dead, and wherever You lead, I will follow You."
Call out to Him today from the depths of your heart, and He will hear your cry.
Then
begin to talk with Him daily in prayer and read the Scriptures on a
regular basis to discover God's will for your life, and do your best to
connect with other followers of Jesus who seek to live by His teachings.
It
is true that he calls for the complete surrender of our lives to him,
but when we take the plunge, holding nothing back, we discover the very
meaning of life itself.
If I can be of any help to you
on your journey, please let me know. As much as you may perceive me as
an enemy, I am praying for God's very best for your life
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