Pride Month & The Bible
“So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”- Genesis 1:27 (ESV)
Homosexuality. This is a topic very close to my heart. God granted me the privilege of building friendships within a gay theatre community. I was able to talk to many men and hear their hearts and struggles.
God granted me the privilege of an unusual friendship with a Christian young man (not a part of the theatre ) walking the journey of finding his sexuality in Christ and surrendering his sexual tendencies to Christ.
Due to my work in pregnancy centers, sexuality is a topic that seems to be a part of my daily conversation. After all, sex causes babies.
June is Pride Month and I wanted to briefly touch on this issue in the Bible. There is no quick conversation or easy answer on this topic, but Genesis 1:27 comes to the heart of sexuality.
“So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”- Genesis 1:27 (ESV)
For me, it hits closer to home. Not because I struggle with this issue, but because of the way homosexuality is sometimes portrayed. Many times I have been assumed gay by both the world and the church. This is due to an overemphasis on sex and on gender roles. Whether intended or not, there have societal norms - not Biblical placed on each gender. At one point, I had a dear friend leave the church completely and state he was transbendy. This was after being rejected by many girls because he did ballet and was mistaken to be gay simply because what he did was not traditionally male.
Another friend struggled with believing he was gay due to his sexual desires, but he also did not fit gender norms. This man would prefer gardening and writing about his feelings over doing many other things. He was told that these things along with serving tea were not traditionally masculine. This has sadly led to people being confused about their sexuality.
I am naturally a leader, which I have been told on several occasions is not normal for a girl and maybe unBiblical. My friends and I have worn matching leather jackets and that has caused some to assume we were couples. If I am really close to someone I will cuddle in the same couch cushion with them or use them as my personal pillow. These have all become societal norms that we as the church have accepted as normal. We have now grown to a place where many times our society is unable to distinguish physical touch from sexuality or sex. There has to be a time and place where we as the church take over the appropriate narrative of gender norms and sexuality.
If we go back to the original Scriptures, we are told God created them “male” and “female”. We were not given an entire list of the “required characteristics” for each gender. In modern society, we have challenged in both the church and the world that certain qualities or characteristics of each gender make someone “homosexual”. Whether meant to or not, I have met people who believed they were gay because of characteristics outside of their gender norm. I am extremely grateful on a personal level that my parents never took my strong-willed personality and said it was “masculine”. Instead, they helped me shape my leadership, stubbornness, and other more “male characteristics” into who God made me to be. This leads to who God did make females and males to be. If we go further in Scripture, we find a story.
This story is of the first man and woman - the original male and female. God created Adam first. He created Him and sent Him out to name the animals. When God watched Adam, He saw He was lonely and created a “Helpmate”. God created Eve to be a companion to Adam - to compliment His leadership. It did not say that God created them to constantly and permanently have sex (yet somehow this seems to be a requirement that people utilize in picking a life-long partner, which is what complicates our modern-day “pride celebrations”). These are the specific roles that male and female were given. Adam - to lead in the marriage and society - and Eve to help Adam and to be a companion.
Celebrating pride is to deny the very important details of God’s original design. This isn’t a debate on whether or not someone who believes they are a homosexual or not. This really is the basic blueprint God gave us in life. What if, instead of seeking to find our satisfaction in sex or who we are in sex, we gave ourselves completely to God and surrendered our sexuality to Him? What if we embraced God’s original design and sought people for companionship - rather than sexual pleasure? There are no easy answers to questions about homosexual feelings or desires. However, we do know that we have a God who is greater than all our struggles.
For those struggling or who really want to dive into this topic, I highly recommend “Gay Girl, Good God” by Jackie Hill Perry. She is a phenomenal woman who has been incredibly transparent in her journey and struggle. Her own story of feeling out of place in her gender, as well as feeling attracted to other females is a testimony to God’s faithfulness and her willingness to be open in a part of life that many people want to be. Please read this and if you want to discuss more, feel free to message Tirzah Mag or comment and this is a topic I am always willing to delve into.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Alycia Marie is a free-spirited wanderer learning to find roots. She currently resides in Milwaukee and serves the community of southeastern Wisconsin. You can typically find her outdoors, as long as it’s warm, hanging out with family/close friends and meeting soon-to-not-be strangers. In her spare time, she writes, drinks chai tea, and builds non-profits, homes, families, and people. Some people like to call it missions. She prefers well-digging.