I don’t worry personally about the Coronavirus. I follow the guidelines, keep my distance in the store when I go (as infrequently as possible), sanitize my hands and wear gloves for whatever I touch in a client’s home.

But what almost did kill me some 30 years ago was rejection from my family and Christians, people I loved and WANTED to be close to, and now I can’t, because being transgender is apparently worse than a being a mass murderer in the minds of some, WORSE than having Coronavirus (which I don’t). Apparently being transgender is unforgivable. Nonredeemable. Someone without the hope of a Savior.

Except I DO have that hope, and my trust IS in Him. The one who died on a cross for my sins, to make me blameless before the Father.

I see on an HOURLY basis Christians posting about the Coronavirus, on how God is in control, that we don’t need to live in fear, yet they continue to spread the message that apparently for some reason we DO have a reason to live in fear, except we shouldn’t!

If the folks giving those messages didn’t have fear, then you would think they would continue (albeit perhaps in an online manner) the normal messages and teachings of Christ. Am I really the only one who doesn’t know a single person living in FEAR? Because all I see are people talking about “others” who are in fear.

Oh, I know people who are being careful, taking precautions, but that’s very different from living in fear, yet we Christians seem to be acting as if we are in fact doing just that. Why else are we talking about it so much and using the word fear?

We’re treating this as if it getting the Coronavirus was an almost guaranteed death sentence, like Ebola—but it’s NOT like Ebola, not even close. If we follow the guidelines given us, we’ll be fine. Yes, there will be some people who will die. People have been dying since Adam and Eve, so let’s not pretend we can completely halt it as a human process. Let’s minimize it, yes. But to talk about fear as if everyone else has it and we have the answer for fear? From what I can see it’s we Christians who seem to be displaying and taking about fear the most—the rest of the world is simply taking precautions to minimize it. Some are even making it a sign of the second coming of Christ (which people have been doing for as long as I’ve been alive, and I’m 62 years old).

There will be people who sadly will die from this nasty virus, it just MIGHT approach the number of people who died from the ordinary flu this year (just to put it into perspective).

We do what we can to save EVERYBODY. That is what’s happening right now in cities all over the world—and I believer EVERY life is worth saving if we can, born or unborn.

But if you’re a Christian who is transgender, that’s a different issue. There are FEW churches praying for you, to keep you safe from society in general. There are FEW churches praying that you will find them to be a home where you can grow as a follower of Christ.

But the number of churches who wouldn’t pray for you as a Christian BECAUSE you’re transgender is far too many. Oh sure, there are those who won’t believe you’re a Christian and will therefore pray for your salvation, thinking that will magically “change” and “heal” you. But there are many evangelical churches that tolerate people who are transgender or otherwise LGBT, yet keep them mostly on the outskirts and when push comes to shove won’t really talk about it. Basically a “don’t ask, don’t tell” theology.

The virus is here but it will one day be gone, and just part of a flu shot we get each fall will be there to get us through it when it resurfaces.

The “loving” dismissal given to Christians who are transgender is at best, condescending and at worst, passive hatred camouflaged with spirituality. “You’re welcome here, just don’t rock the boat or make this an issue”.

Making a difference is going to take time, and doing that will require strength that maybe is too much to ask of you if you’re transgender. That’s totally okay. You have your own struggle and just being yourself may be all that you can handle. So do that. Find a church where you are FULLY loved and accepted. Where you are able to FULLY participate in the life of the church without exception.

But if you’re an evangelical Christian who struggles with your church, and you have the strength within you, keep pushing. THIS is how the church will change. It will take people like you to help the Church realize how badly they are mistaken in what they think the Lord considers important in the world in which we live.

And Church? Where are you? Where are you Christians who know other Christians who are transgender or otherwise LGBT and DON’T speak out about it to your church? Are you satisfied with allowing what they permit to continue? Are you satisfied with their “don’t ask, don’t tell” unofficial policy?

I realize this post is a bit of a rant (hey, sometimes I just have to get on my soapbox).

I want to encourage those of you dealing with a difficult church to continue if you can, but don’t allow yourself to be punished. If you think there’s no hope of them changing (at least while you’re there) then get out and move on. You need a healthy family around you to support you.

If you’re a Christian (who is not LGBT) I want to encourage you to ask your minister, pastor, priest what they are doing to help those who are LGBT feel fully a part of the ministry of the church. Christians who are transgender AND feel that God doesn’t love or accept them are often driven to killing themselves out of a feeling of having NO hope in this life or in heaven. Sadly, that’s on you, whether you’ve said or not—if your church believes that, you’re contributing to it.

Hey, we all have time to think about things these days, let’s include thinking about things that don’t push people AWAY from the Church and from God Himself, because we’ve done it!

-Blessings

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