Shameless: A Sexual Reformation
“Shameless: A Sexual Reformation” by Nadia Bolz-Weber is a deep call to action I’ve wanted to hear from a church leader since I was a confused fourteen-year-old kid struggling with overwhelming angst, depression and alcohol. It is a book I’ve wanted to read since I was forced to talk to quasi-church therapists in my preteens: discussing the “evils” of sex.
I believe we stand on the precipice of a reckoning, when the LGBTQ community will not stand alone in calling the Church to account on its teaching about sexuality, but demanding we recognize the actual real-life consequences of the sexual teaching of the Church.
Like much generational abuse and trauma, this “teaching” is also a domino fall from generations long past. So, agree or disagree, I point no daggers in any direction. Like I said, I love the Church. I just want change.
We jumped so fast into legislating same-sex marriage (I fought hard myself for this) but I don’t believe we ever took a hard-long look at the complicated spectrum of sexuality and ask why Christian teaching can cause so much harm.
We’ve reduced the discussion of sexuality (and gender identity for that matter) in the Church to a school yard fight over whether you can have what I can have.
I love the Church. I don’t ever remember a time when Ididn’t. From the babies I’ve baptized in water to the broken-down sex addictwho dragged himself across the threshold of my office in tears. I love the Church.But we have to look inwards and ask what kind of damage we do to the vulnerableand developing mind when we don’t engage our suffering and struggle with the Truth.
“If the Gospel is where we find healing from the harm done to us by the messages of the church, then it must also be where we find freedom. Meaning that even if it is the last thing I want to do, I absolutely have to believe the Gospel is powerful enough, transgressive enough, beautiful enough to heal not only the ones who have been hurt but also those who have done the hurting.”
― Nadia Bolz-Weber, Shameless: A Sexual Reformation
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