Bear Witness

In His Mighty Arms He Bears Them

What a difference the right church makes, eh? For queer and trans people, the right church can be a matter of life and death.

I grew up believing that you look for churches within the denomination you were raised in, and pretty much, if you stayed within those safe theological walls, you’d have a good experience, one that you were used to. Familiar. Like Church Branding. Stick with the Brand Name and you’d have the quality and taste you were looking for. If you grow up in “the church,” that concept is so ingrained in you. More than the brand of jeans you buy, your favorite burger place, the make of your car, even the teams you root for. None of those choices would affect the next ten thousand years of your happy eternal life. You will stick to your brand pretty strongly.

An “off-brand” church is an unknown path. I was raised to believe that Baptists (somehow) hold the Truth about Everything Spiritual and that Presbyterians were slightly off–like 10 degrees off to port. I know this is ludicrous, but follow the bouncing logic here…

After Presbyterians came Lutherans, Methodists, Episcopalians, more degrees off, and then Catholics were opposite us (why? Because I was raised to believe they were a cult(!)) I’m surprised Atheists, Pagans, even Santaists (wink) wouldn’t be opposite Baptists, but we’re only dealing with the circle of Christianity, not the circle of ALL PHILOSOPHY and RELIGION. On the Starboard side were those denominations who might be more spirit-led than Baptists were— Church of Christ, Pentecostal, Church of God, Quaker, etc. Just ten degrees off course could eventually lead you to another continent! Not the one you were aiming towards.

It was so important to get this right! Your eternity is at stake!

I look back on this to understand “the fear of being wrong” that compels denominations to build walls between each other, and which I think lead “good Christian people” of some denominations to refuse to accept queer and trans people as they are. That fear stifles thinking and change. Being Wrong could mean that your soul was lost—that all you had worked for in this difficult life, all you had endured, would be for naught if you allowed any new doctrine into the theology you already were familiar with. In fact, new doctrine or new practices would tend to divide stable denominations. I’ve told you a previous pastor told me that to accept Queer and Trans people wholly into the life of the church would be to start a domino effect for the entire truth of the Bible! (Da-DUM!)

Do you read the Bible only in the King James Version?
Do you read the Bible only in the ORIGINAL King James Version, not the NEW translation?
Do you read the Bible only in the ORIGINAL KJV with red letters for Jesus’s words?

Are you Pre-tribulation or Post-Tribulation?

As Christians we invited speakers into our churches to give us the scholarly reasons WHY we believe these minute details of doctrine–how will they help us get to the right island of Heaven? We don’t want to go off course.

I want to talk about today, 2025, and the real da_ngers that are in society for queer and trans people. This is not because someone listened to Meatloaf’s Bat out of H311. It is real and present da_nger against the lives of queer and trans people in the US today.

It’s scary out there for them. They need to be assured and loved and held close right now. Society is turning on them at the highest levels. They need us to be supportive AND to fight for them, loudly.

Also, think about guiding queer and trans Christians to “welcoming and affirming” churches. Why? A church family gives you protection, support, a family wherever you are–and a welcoming and affirming one gives you assurance that you are truly safe to BE who you are. In a time when families with trans kids need a large support group, when queer and trans individuals need people to fight for them, allying yourselves with a “welcoming and affirming” church automatically gives you hundreds of supporters you might not have known you have.

How do you find these churches?

google “welcoming and affirming” churches in my area or go to Believe Out Loud’s website to find a church near you. Episcopalians, Presbyterians (ECLA), Lutherans are safer bets right now, but there are AWAB (welcoming and affirming Baptists) churches and others. Always check out their webpage and look for a rainbow flag, the words “welcoming and affirming” or “open and affirming” or “affirming” — more churches are being direct with their stance on their webpage so that queer and trans people can find them. You are safe there. Not safe from being pulled into choir! Nor safe from long occasional business meetings! lol. But you are safe to be yourself there.

This saved my life and my soul. I am grateful to Whitehorse United Church and First Baptist Church of Dayton for taking that stand and being there for me.

You are not alone. You need allies. You need a Rivendell for this journey (we all want to throw that ring into Mordor.) You need support.

WE, the rest of us, need to be protecting our trans friends right now, especially. Check in on them. Make them know you care about them and that you are concerned for their safety. Walk with them, go to the gym with them, invite them out to eat! If need be, move them into a safer environment (a blue state? or CANADA!). First, though, be the Bear of Welcome and Affirm. Be the community surrounding the trans community. Make a wall that no one can get to them without going through you. Hold them secure, and f1ght for their freedom to be themselves everywhere.

“In His Mighty Arms He Bears Them,” Jerome Stueart, (11 x 15), watercolor, mixed media on paper. From the Bears in the Baptist Hymnal series. This phrase is from the hymn, “Children of the Heavenly Father,” 2nd Verse. Prints available here.