From Exclusion to Inclusion: Eunuchs in the Bible

Summary

Today we begin a series of three sermons on the biblical basis for including LGBTQ persons in congregational life. What biblical texts and themes offer us a rationale for welcoming LGBTQ persons into the full range of congregational life and ministry? This is a big topic and three sermons will not be enough to explore it fully, but at least we can make a beginning.

You may wonder why we are not presenting a biblical rationale for excluding LGBTQ persons from the full range of congregational life and ministry. We have two reasons. First, we’re not presenting a traditional perspective on the Bible because we’re already familiar with it. For more than 30 years now, traditional views of what the Bible says have been the most widely articulated views in Mennonite conversations about LGBTQ persons. For three decades, traditional views have received a lot of air time. By contrast, a biblical rationale for welcoming LGBTQ persons has not received nearly as much air time. Over the last 30 years we’ve not heard as much about how the Bible opens the door to covenanted LGBTQ relationships. In this series, we’re trying to rectify an imbalance that has been present for decades.