Seeking Harmony and Compassion: Pastoral Care and LGBTQ+ Orthodox Faithful

Source: Public Orthodoxy

As Orthodox Christians, we are called, first and foremost, to love all—for “God is love.” But the reality for many lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer Orthodox Christians today is that their relationship to the Church is defined not by love, but by apathy, exclusion, and condemnation. We must, as a faith, choose love and compassion—to “love thy neighbor”— instead. This requires no change of faith, but a fuller, more compassionate understanding of what our faith in loving God truly requires of us.

The Church is at a crossroads. We offer this symposium in love and faith, praying that the road we choose is the right one—the one that leads to God.

We invite you to a conversation about ministering to LGBTQ+ Christians. The afternoon includes a panel review of the recently-published books Orthodox Tradition and Human Sexuality and Gender Essentialism and Orthodoxy: Beyond Male and Female and a discussion of the opportunities, challenges, and resources for ministry among LGBTQ+ faithful.