This topic is weighing on me so heavily right now. I’ve spent most of my life in the evangelical church, and their stance is the same as you’re describing within the Catholic church. To be honest, my views on homosexuality (etc) are not fully formed, and I am TOTALLY OK with that. I see that as an improvement on the beliefs and opinions I held years ago. When you are talking about Scripture and the interpretation of it, I really think there is room for disagreement among us as Christians, without relegating those who don’t agree with your position to the camp of the “unsaved” or “deceived.”

I think it is so tempting to fall into an “us vs. them” mentality — this is a universal problem, but it is especially insidious coming from those within the body of Christ. There is absolutely no room for that there. The whole point of Christ’s coming was all about inclusivity — those who previously were not welcomed into the temple (eunuchs, foreigners, and the like) are pronounced acceptable and embraced. It’s the glorious reversal His life, death, and resurrection ushered in for ALL of us.

Thank you so much for speaking up.