God, the Atonement, and the LGBT Community
What view of God did you have while growing up and going through adolescence? Did you have the image of a loving Father that wanted to be with you, despite how you identified yourself and how badly you messed up? Or did you have the image of this pious being who sat at the judgment seat...and you had to tell this mighty deity why you should go to heaven?
Growing up, these two images collided in my mind and caused me much confusion. People would tell me that God loved me, but whenever I thought about why I should be let into heaven, I never came up with an answer that seemed good enough. Once entering into college, I became disillusioned with this wrathful and vengeful God and found solace and peace in a God who loves and cares for me despite my failures and struggles. Since beginning seminary almost three years ago, I've had to wrestle again with such topics as the wrath of God and the theodicy of God...trying to put the pieces together in how these things fit with salvation, the cross and evangelism.
In my Theological Understandings of Jesus class, we have been discussing the traditional theory of penal substitution atonement (PSA) and why my professor believes that PSA does not capture the image of biblical atonement. He has also been providing alternative ways we can begin thinking biblically about the atonement. Thus far I've learned that PSA is relatively newer theology (has only been around for about 500 years) and is rooted in a western legal court foundation. Traditionally in PSA God is depicted as this righteous judge who looks upon sinful humanity with this beef, seeing them as guilty and unwilling to be in relationship with them unless proven innocent somehow. That's where Jesus and the cross comes into play. On the cross, Jesus satisfies the wrath of God by taking upon the punishment of our sin. With that requirement fulfilled, God was willing to enter into relationship again with his supposedly most-prized creation.
As I have reflected on these thoughts the past couple of weeks, I have finally realized how detrimental this atonement theology has been in my own life and why I had such difficulty coming to terms with my identity throughout high school and college. Because of my understanding of PSA, I never thought I was worthy enough to be in relationship with God, I thought he wanted nothing to do with my sin, and I thought the only way I could overcome my guilt of sin was by proving myself to God that I was worth it. Even writing these words down affects my soul and causes ache in my heart. PSA ruined my image of God the Father because all I could see was God the Judge.
Praise God I am not in that place anymore. I have moved from the image of God as Judge to the image of God as Father who desires to be in covenant relationship with me. I realize that justice does not equal punishment, but biblical justice is faithful commitment keeping my end of the covenant which I have established with the other party (which sometimes implements punishment). I realize now that the atonement all about shalom-covered relationships, not proving the guilty innocent. In this new image of atonement, instead of God seeing me as guilty, God sees me as someone who is worth being with--despite my failures and shortcomings. Aware of how I have not kept my end of the covenant, I cry out to God be faithful in his justice--to not give up on me and be quick to punishment--and he hears my call and takes me up in his arms instead.
One thing I have realized within the last week is that our view of the atonement shapes how we evangelize and engage with the Other (someone who is different). Because of PSA, I think this is why most American churches have failed miserably in reaching out to the LGBT community. "Loving them" has been defined as pointing out that their lifestyle and their same-sex attraction is sinful. The image has been portrayed to them is that they will only be able to have a relationship with God if they are able to overcome their "sinful lifestyle." What most Christians fail to realize is that when they tell someone from the LGBT community that they are living in sin, they tell them that their very existence is sinful. Hence, they convey that God not only doesn't love them because of their same-sex attraction, but they convey that God despises their existence. Unless members of the LGBT community are able to clear their guilt (which has often been conveyed as including them becoming heterosexual), God will not be in relationship with them. How is that good news to anyone? Often enough, in the attempts to love, condemnation is spewed instead.
Several months ago, I had the opportunity to share with my students the best ways to engage with their friends and classmates who identify as gay or lesbian. I encouraged them to, when speaking with the LGBT community, to share that God wants to be involved in all aspects of their lives--even their sexual identity. I also told them that, as followers of Christ, our role is not to make people "straight," but to simply invite them into real relationship with Jesus and to journey with them as they begin to understand their sexual identity in the frame of being a Christ follower and in relationship with God. I still believe that's the best way to interact and all the more now that I'm learning more about the atonement. Let us be a people who share about the God who unconditionally loves and desires to walk through the life experiences of those in the LGBT community. Let us be a people who invite our LGBT neighbors into conversation about covenant with God and how they may have transgressed it instead of telling them what their transgression is. Let us share about the Jesus who willingly befriended with those who were labeled as "different," because he knew that the kingdom of God was so much more. Let us share with the LGBT community about the God who does not see them as guilty and stained, but he sees them as his treasured creation whom he values highly and desires to be in relationship with. Let us lead our LGBT friends and neighbors into authentic experiences where they encounter a measure of God's grace, love, shalom, and Spirit that we all have experienced. Let us be a people of God who desire to be that vessel and neighbor to the LGBT community and to be rooted in an atonement foundation of covenant relationship.
Growing up, these two images collided in my mind and caused me much confusion. People would tell me that God loved me, but whenever I thought about why I should be let into heaven, I never came up with an answer that seemed good enough. Once entering into college, I became disillusioned with this wrathful and vengeful God and found solace and peace in a God who loves and cares for me despite my failures and struggles. Since beginning seminary almost three years ago, I've had to wrestle again with such topics as the wrath of God and the theodicy of God...trying to put the pieces together in how these things fit with salvation, the cross and evangelism.
In my Theological Understandings of Jesus class, we have been discussing the traditional theory of penal substitution atonement (PSA) and why my professor believes that PSA does not capture the image of biblical atonement. He has also been providing alternative ways we can begin thinking biblically about the atonement. Thus far I've learned that PSA is relatively newer theology (has only been around for about 500 years) and is rooted in a western legal court foundation. Traditionally in PSA God is depicted as this righteous judge who looks upon sinful humanity with this beef, seeing them as guilty and unwilling to be in relationship with them unless proven innocent somehow. That's where Jesus and the cross comes into play. On the cross, Jesus satisfies the wrath of God by taking upon the punishment of our sin. With that requirement fulfilled, God was willing to enter into relationship again with his supposedly most-prized creation.
As I have reflected on these thoughts the past couple of weeks, I have finally realized how detrimental this atonement theology has been in my own life and why I had such difficulty coming to terms with my identity throughout high school and college. Because of my understanding of PSA, I never thought I was worthy enough to be in relationship with God, I thought he wanted nothing to do with my sin, and I thought the only way I could overcome my guilt of sin was by proving myself to God that I was worth it. Even writing these words down affects my soul and causes ache in my heart. PSA ruined my image of God the Father because all I could see was God the Judge.
Praise God I am not in that place anymore. I have moved from the image of God as Judge to the image of God as Father who desires to be in covenant relationship with me. I realize that justice does not equal punishment, but biblical justice is faithful commitment keeping my end of the covenant which I have established with the other party (which sometimes implements punishment). I realize now that the atonement all about shalom-covered relationships, not proving the guilty innocent. In this new image of atonement, instead of God seeing me as guilty, God sees me as someone who is worth being with--despite my failures and shortcomings. Aware of how I have not kept my end of the covenant, I cry out to God be faithful in his justice--to not give up on me and be quick to punishment--and he hears my call and takes me up in his arms instead.
One thing I have realized within the last week is that our view of the atonement shapes how we evangelize and engage with the Other (someone who is different). Because of PSA, I think this is why most American churches have failed miserably in reaching out to the LGBT community. "Loving them" has been defined as pointing out that their lifestyle and their same-sex attraction is sinful. The image has been portrayed to them is that they will only be able to have a relationship with God if they are able to overcome their "sinful lifestyle." What most Christians fail to realize is that when they tell someone from the LGBT community that they are living in sin, they tell them that their very existence is sinful. Hence, they convey that God not only doesn't love them because of their same-sex attraction, but they convey that God despises their existence. Unless members of the LGBT community are able to clear their guilt (which has often been conveyed as including them becoming heterosexual), God will not be in relationship with them. How is that good news to anyone? Often enough, in the attempts to love, condemnation is spewed instead.
Several months ago, I had the opportunity to share with my students the best ways to engage with their friends and classmates who identify as gay or lesbian. I encouraged them to, when speaking with the LGBT community, to share that God wants to be involved in all aspects of their lives--even their sexual identity. I also told them that, as followers of Christ, our role is not to make people "straight," but to simply invite them into real relationship with Jesus and to journey with them as they begin to understand their sexual identity in the frame of being a Christ follower and in relationship with God. I still believe that's the best way to interact and all the more now that I'm learning more about the atonement. Let us be a people who share about the God who unconditionally loves and desires to walk through the life experiences of those in the LGBT community. Let us be a people who invite our LGBT neighbors into conversation about covenant with God and how they may have transgressed it instead of telling them what their transgression is. Let us share about the Jesus who willingly befriended with those who were labeled as "different," because he knew that the kingdom of God was so much more. Let us share with the LGBT community about the God who does not see them as guilty and stained, but he sees them as his treasured creation whom he values highly and desires to be in relationship with. Let us lead our LGBT friends and neighbors into authentic experiences where they encounter a measure of God's grace, love, shalom, and Spirit that we all have experienced. Let us be a people of God who desire to be that vessel and neighbor to the LGBT community and to be rooted in an atonement foundation of covenant relationship.
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