There are various levels of nuance to the message that LGBT people are unacceptable to God, and these often pass under the guise of tolerance. One of the most pervasive is the notion of “ welcoming but not affirming.” It is the pinnacle of the soul-destroying practice of theologized tolerance that says, “You are welcome to exist among us, but we cannot affirm the goodness, value or worth of your life( style).” This is a particularly popular discourse among “moderates” who rest proud that they aren’t like Westboro and for whom tolerance seems virtuous.
Cody J. Sanders
Cody J. Sanders, PhD, is pastor to Old Cambridge Baptist Church in Cambridge, Mass., the American Baptist Chaplain to Harvard University, Advisor for
An umbrella acronym standing for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer or questioning.
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+ Affairs in the Office of Religious, Spiritual, & Ethical Life at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and teaches on the adjunct faculty in pastoral care at Chicago Theological Seminary. He is the author and editor of several books, and his current research on deathcare and funerary praxis is funded by the Louisville Institute.
