Church First Impressions #Fail

The clash of worlds can lead to some interesting conversations. As friends from work, school, and old friends/acquaintances from high school/college have connected with me on Facebook, they quickly find this blog and get a sense of my story. While I don’t hide my story (fairly obviously since I am blogging) I also don’t usually lead with “Hi, I’m Ben… a gay, Jewish, evangelical pastor who got Pete Rosed by his church and now am in culinary school…” — kind of an awkward starting point.

But as people discover my story, it leads to some interesting conversations.

One came at work recently…

A woman I work with shared with me her story. She is in her mid-twenties, grew up in a church-going family, and is a lesbian. She has a girlfriend (who she hopes to marry). She told me that a while back they both decided they wanted to go to church. So they chose a church they thought would be good and went one Sunday. While there, the pastor slammed gays in his message repeatedly. Not only did this couple never go back to that church, they haven’t been back to church anywhere at all.

I don’t care what your theology is, if you are a Christ-follower, you have to agree that this is a big time #fail for the church.

Here is someone honestly seeking… looking… interested in Jesus and church. And yet is essentially preached out of the place because of who she is. 

We say that grace is for all… we say that you don’t have to change before you meet Jesus and start following Him… we say Jesus is for everyone. And then we pull this kind of crap.

I think this stuff makes Jesus angry.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?