This past month I had the wonderful opportunity of being the featured guest on three evangelical Christian talk radio shows. This was a big step not just for The Marin Foundation in terms of broader exposure, but also a bold step forward for the radio stations, the hosts, the radio programmers and the listeners as well. Homosexuality tends not to be a topic that many within the evangelical community want to face head on; let alone contextually engage this population in a larger intellectual forum within the context of an hour long broadcast which can be heard live throughout the country. Yet Scott Thomas and his team from the Scott Thomas Show on WYLL, and Mic Diddy and Pastor Phil Jackson and their team from What’s Going On on AM 1390, have put themselves, their reputations and their shows on the line for the public to openly listen and critique as they have realized that The Marin Foundation does represent the true heart of our Lord God towards the GLBT community.

And as Easter is rolling around the corner, I have been constantly reminded these past few weeks that the One who came, came for each and every one of us. I am reminded that the One who came did not see color, did not see occupation, did not see a caste system, nor did He see sexual orientation; He saw souls, and He saw eternity. As I was visiting with my parents the first weekend in April, I sat in church on that Sunday and watched as Calvary Church reenacted the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. Was it not a militant zealot (Paul) who murdered Jews that Jesus befriended? Was it not a Roman Centurion, an enemy of Israel, that Jesus said had shown the most faith of any on this Earth? Was it not a foreign Gentile at a tax collector’s house that Jesus ate and fellowshipped with? Was it not a prostitute that Jesus took from the stones of the Pharisees? And is it not the GLBT community today that our Creator longs to have them call him Father? Easter is not just a time of remembrance and celebration, but rather a time of reaching out and stretching our human instincts and boundaries. Jesus came to transform the separatist ethnocentric model of religion in his day. He came to bring life and love, equality and unity.

Throughout time, it is that exact fact that has been lost in the translation of this great holiday. I am yet to see a better example than during my time on the radio as I had the chance to answer questions live on air. There were two callers that stuck out in my mind; one of which was a middle aged male and the other who was a female in high school. Coming from opposite ends of the spectrum, the male caller retold a story of a young man in his church, which in his own mind, was rightfully disowned by his parents and alienated by his entire support system because he came out as gay. His friends, family, teachers and church members all left in one moment due to the fact that as this man stated, “the kid is wrong and this is what should happen.” How wrong is that theology in that one’s life can be so easily thrown away and left as dead by an entire structured and unified team! In as much as there are too many evangelicals who believe the same as that first man, bless the heart and soul of those like this high school girl who called in and wanted help in finding out how to talk to her best friend who had just come out. “My pastor tells me all of the gay people are going to hell. My parents tell me that I shouldn’t talk to them because they are bad. But my best friend is now one of them, and I don’t want to leave her alone. How can I be a good friend?” The answer is that she already is a good friend.

Unconditional love is something that the GLBT community feels that they can only get from within their own community. Our Lord died on a cross so the best friend of this girl on the South Side of Chicago would not have to find unconditional love in any other place than in Him. We as a faith community need to make it a point to finally stop talking, and start acting like the One who gave us our breath. Even when some of the callers might not understand what Jesus came for, even when some extended family members might not understand the purpose of working within the GLBT community, or even when those around us might not understand why we do what we do; those in the Kingdom sure do understand. And there is nothing more important than representing our Creator how He should be represented; especially during this Easter holiday. I am going to leave you with a quote from theologian Albert Nolan in which he writes on the significance of Jesus breaking the rules of the religious doctrine of his day in regards to public displays of love towards what others deem not worthy.

As you read this, just substitute the GLBT community in to what is being said:

“It would be impossible to overestimate the impact these meals must have had upon the poor and sinners. By accepting them as friends and equals Jesus had taken away their shame, humiliation and guilt. By showing them that they mattered to him as people he gave them a sense of dignity and released them from captivity. The physical contact which he must have had with them when reclining at the table and which he obviously never dreamed of disallowing, must have made them feel clean and acceptable.”

Thank you and God Bless,

Andrew Marin