Thread by @TravelingNun

I’m gay & celibate & can honestly say that celibacy has been a life-giving experience for me. Gay celibacy is not inherently toxic.

But here’s the thing: When you tell gay ppl they *must* be celibate or else go to hell, you are not preaching the Gospel. You are preaching death.

Celibacy is life-giving, for gay ppl as well straight, when discovered in the *midst* of relationship with Jesus Christ, not as a condition to be in relationship with Jesus in the first place.

No one’s salvation hinges on what we do, think, or believe a/b gender & sexuality. If it did, none of us would go to heaven. “He who is w/o sin, cast the first stone.” If you think your theology on gender & sexuality is perfect, you’re in for a surprise when you get to heaven.

“But if gay people think they don’t need to be celibate in order to go to heaven, they’ll think they can get away with anything! Nobody will be celibate if they’re not afraid of hell! We need hell to convince gay people to be celibate!”

If you really believe that the primary motivating factor behind a person’s theology and vocation is fear of hell, then you’re own theology has some serious issues.

Fear is never a healthy motivator for anybody. It’s kryptonite to a healthy theology.

I’m not afraid of going to hell if I stop being celibate, and guess what, I’m still celibate! That’s bcuz—shocker—I actually believe that celibacy offers me a pathway to living my best life.

But if I thought my salvation *depended* on me being celibate, it would literally suck the joy out of my vocation. It would be like a slow-dripping poison, corrupting my entire faith, turning it into a desperate attempt to be sexually pure enough to get into heaven.

This is not the Gospel. This is death.

“Well, you’re theology must not be very well-developed then. You must be one of those wishy washy progressive woke Christians who don’t really take the Bible seriously.”

Actually, my theology is pretty conservative. I follow traditional teachings on marriage between opposite sexes & if I was married to a man, I wouldn’t even practice birth control. I’m about as traditional & straight-laced as it gets.

But guess what. We don’t need to hold our theological convictions on sex and marriage in judgment against others with different convictions or even against ourselves should we mess things up.

Our theological convictions should never be motivated by fear and condemnation. Healthy theology should be *Good News* to us. This is the very meaning of the Gospel.

Gender & sexuality are not issues of primary significance to the Christian faith. We can differ in our understanding of these things and still respect each other as siblings in Christ.

The Bible doesn’t teach “salvation by sexual ethics through faith in Jesus Christ.” It teaches salvation by *GRACE* through faith in Jesus Christ, not a result of works, even works of sexual purity like celibacy.

If you’re queer & wrestling with fear of going to hell, I want you to know and internalize a simple Gospel truth: Your salvation does not rise & fall on your gender & sexuality. You will not go to hell if you stop being celibate.

Sit in this truth and let it change your relationship to your faith. If you really do believe that God wants you to be celibate, let God lead you there in the safety of God’s love. Don’t enslave yourself to a theology of hell and damnation. This is not the Gospel. This is death.