Unfundamentalist

Above All, Love

Franziska Garner

To the hate preacher at Pride

by Franziska Garner in LGBT

LGBT Pride events in smaller cities are growing. They give members of the LGBT community who do not live in large cities a sense of belonging and safety. Such an event was recently held at a community park in Lubbock, Texas, a city in the middle of nowhere, five hours from Dallas and four from Albuquerque. On that day, some 600 people came together to celebrate the bond they share and enjoy a true day of the rainbow.

That is, until Pastor M. showed up, began accusing the churches who were there of false teaching and telling people they would go straight to hell if they did not “repent for their sins.” Of course on a day like this no one listened to him. He must have felt very unimportant because on the same evening he posted this to the Facebook page of a local news station:

As a German, I fiercely believe in the separation of church and state. I fiercely believe in an individual’s right for self-definition. And, as a Christian, I passionately argue that God is love and love does not discriminate.

So I replied to his post with nothing more than a link to my educational blog about the LGBT community and Christianity. Not even an hour later he sent me a message. What followed was a somewhat civil exchange, where I tried to tell him that love does not judge, nor hate, nor reject. He, however, threw Bible quote after Bible quote at me and, once he realized that I would not back down, he showed his true opinion of me:

It shouldn’t matter. I shouldn’t get upset. Even my… [Read more…] about To the hate preacher at Pride

Bible-believing Bisexual?

by Franziska Garner in Christian Issues, LGBT

“A simple layman armed with Scripture is greater than the mightiest pope without it.”

How highly controversial! Scripture alone is enough. Scripture is self-authenticating, clear, its own interpreter, and sufficient as the final authority of Christian beliefs. The idea is that whoever bases their faith on Scripture, whoever seeks guidance and answers in Scripture, doesn’t need anything or anyone else and will never be disappointed.

This concept of Scripture Alone or Sola Scriptura was introduced by the same man who said those words in the beginning of this article: Martin Luther, the German reformer who saw so many flaws in the Catholic Church of the 15th century that he simply had to speak up against it. His idea that Scripture alone stands at the center of an individual’s striving for and learning about God was eagerly adopted by many, and eventually by the younger evangelical denominations in the United States. To this day it is a key principal of many conservative Baptist and Lutheran churches and all those who call themselves “bible-believing.”

I firmly believe that the Bible is indeed God’s love letter to us, his children, and that all the guidance and nudges we need to come closer to this love are right there in Scripture. So yes, I call myself bible-believing.

Wait. How can a progressive Christian who is living in a same-sex marriage be bible-believing? How can someone like me adopt the same term as conservative Christians? Do I believe that my… [Read more…] about Bible-believing Bisexual?

What if the Orlando shooter was gay?

by Franziska Garner in Current Events, LGBT

Who was Omar Mateen?

The evidence is getting stronger. The Orlando shooter, Omar Mateen, was frequently seen at the Pulse nightclub in the months before the attack. He also had profiles on gay dating websites and his (more or less intimate) contact with gay men reaches back at least ten years. On at least one occasion he expressed the desire to date another man.[1]

Nevertheless, he was married to women twice. His first wife divorced him after only four months claiming he was unstable and abusive. His second wife mentioned that he was not very religious. Allegedly, he called 911 during his attack, pledged allegiance to ISIS, and spoke about being inspired by the Al-Nusra Front. The two organizations are enemies. It is therefore highly questionable why someone who really sides with one of them would be supportive of both.

Scripture Abuse

Omar Mateen was raised in a Muslim home. Islam does, just like Christianity, condemn homosexuality–at least as long as we don’t look too closely. In the Bible, Genesis 19:1-29 tells about Sodom and Gomorrah. The story speaks about two cities that were destroyed by God for a very grave sin–allegedly homosexuality. This passage is often used to demonstrate God’s treatment of and disgust with homosexual people.

A reference to the very same story is given in the Quran, stating that yes, God does not like LGBT people and will punish them horribly:

“And [We had sent] Lot when he said to his people, “Do you commit such immorality as no one has… [Read more…] about What if the Orlando shooter was gay?

Orlando: A Hopeful Lament

by Franziska Garner in Current Events

The undisturbed surface of the communion wine forms concentric circles when hit by a single tear. The symbol for the blood of Jesus Christ himself—blood that was given in an act of radical love for the everlasting unity between us and God—trembles with shock on this Sunday morning. It wasn’t the only tear.

Making sense of the senseless

We are at a Metropolitan Community Church, a congregation with a specific outreach to the LGBT community. Most people in the room identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender.

The younger ones in the church, those who believed that winning the right to marry ended a decade-old gay civil rights movement, are shocked into helpless rage and sickening grief. Their tears flow bitterly and with the sudden fear of a child who understands for the first time that they are not loved by everyone.

Then, there are the older congregants who have been through so much more than the young ones can imagine. Seasoned warriors who have been thrown into jail for dancing with someone of the same sex. Who, during the AIDS crisis, had to take care of the bodies of their dear friends themselves because even hospitals would turn them away. They shed tears, too.

These tears, however, are strangely different. There is a certain resignation in them, almost a routine. Witnessing another vicious crime against their siblings opens old wounds, triggers old memories, and reminds them what being victimized feels like. It is a familiar feeling to all of them.

They… [Read more…] about Orlando: A Hopeful Lament

When I found myself on the side of Religious Freedom Law supporters

by Franziska Garner in LGBT

God doesn’t talk to me. I don’t pray about things, I think about them. For me, the Holy Spirit is an abstract idea, someone who is mainly present in worship situations. I never raise my hands and I never pray together with others, standing in circles, out loud. On the contrary, I believe that I don’t have to pray about things because God will provide what is good for me and lead me on the best path anyway. It all worked for me – back home in Germany.

And then I came to the United States where everything is different.

God talks to my wife. Sometimes, she says she can feel a “quickening” in her heart and she becomes very still and listens. She and all of her Christian friends pray about things before they make a decision. On Sundays they are so moved by the Holy Spirit, they often raise their hands in worship. They call each other brothers and sisters and stand in circles to pray together … out loud.

Am I less religious than my wife?

I don’t think so. I feel a deep love for God and I trust God’s love for me. I trust that God sees me as someone beautiful and wonderful. Someone with a purpose in this world. Just like my wife does. Yet when I came to the United States, our expressions of faith were so completely different that I experienced a true culture shock. All that noise in the church that was so hard for me to bear, was for her just an expression of worship, of love. Praying over someone for healing was for me just magical thinking, while for her it was an expression… [Read more…] about When I found myself on the side of Religious Freedom Law supporters

When I Was New to Homophobia

by Franziska Garner in LGBT

Zella Ziona was 21 years old when she was killed on October 15th 2015.

For my partner Lisa and me it was a happy day — it was the first time we celebrated her birthday together. We had a wonderful day full of laughter, tenderness, and the simple joy of having found each other and being so absolutely in love.

Marc Pourner was 28 years old when he was killed on November 14th 2015.

For Lisa and me it was a busy day. We were more than just a little excited. Just a day before, on the 13th, we got our marriage license — in the middle of Texas. Lisa, who has lived here all her life, could barely believe it. For her it was a miracle. After all, the infamous Sodomy Laws were abolished in Texas only in 2003. Our wedding was scheduled for November 19th and there was still so much to do. We were in a bubble of delirious happiness.

I was born and grew up in Europe. Now, in April 2016, I have been in this country for nearly seven months. During this time, at least two people who identified somewhere on the LGBT spectrum have been killed in hate crimes in the United States. Dozens more were severely injured, tortured, or beaten bloody, suffering from broken bones, severe burns, or even brain damage. Hundreds more were verbally assaulted, intimidated, and bullied for being who they are.

I grew up in Germany where I read affirmative stories about gay and lesbian couples in the country’s most popular youth magazine in 1997 when I was 13 years old. I grew up there in the… [Read more…] about When I Was New to Homophobia