The issue of sexuality — or, more specifically, of full equality and same-sex marriage — is one that takes up an inordinate amount of church time. Many mainline Protestant churches in Canada, such as Anglicans, Lutherans, and the United Church, are generally supportive. But when, last December, Pope Francis made even the gentlest of compromises over the issue, he was subjected to prolonged abuse from traditionalists in the Roman Catholic church. There’s none so angry as a homophobe scorned.
Most evangelicals, who are extraordinarily influential in the United States, adopt a conservative position on the subject, ranging from an ostensibly compassionate but still strident rejection of homosexuality — love the sinner, hate the sin — to downright obsession and hysteria. It’s caused enormous pain to 2SLGBTQ+ people and their families, whether they’re Christian or not. In some countries, especially in some African nations where the church has a tremendous hold over secular culture, gay people who may never set foot in a place of worship have their lives restricted and even threatened by Christian opposition to equality.
Canada is less religious and more nuanced, but the 7 per cent to 10 per cent of the country that is evangelical is broadly conservative on homosexuality. That’s why the decision of the 126-year-old Wellspring Worship Centre in North York to become fully affirming — or totally accepting of 2SLGBTQ+ people at every level without any qualification or compromise — is so radical. It even led to the church being suspended from its denomination, the Evangelical Missionary Church of Canada, in October, with a plan to formally remove the church. The denomination initially hired the current pastor, James Sholl, in 2019 partly because of his progressive and inclusive theology — but it seems the reality was more problematic than the idea.
“I think they suspended us because they realized that we weren’t going to change our minds about making sure everyone is truly welcome at Wellspring,” says Sholl. “The 2SLGBTQ+ community have been told by a lot of churches that they are ‘welcome’ only to discover that’s not really the case. They can’t preach or teach Sunday school or be on the leadership team. We believe that every human is created in the image of God, and so it is a joy and a privilege to have so many different image-bearers show us who God is. We are already seeing the beautiful fruit of our inclusive theology.”
The reaction has been generally positive; one long-term congregant actually said that this was the first time they’d been openly proud of being a church member. Sholl says that very few, if any, have left purely because of the decision to be fully affirming. That may not be as surprising as it seems, as the actual arguments around the subject have been debated repeatedly. The Bible hardly mentions homosexuality, a word not coined until the late 19th century, and the so-called gotcha verses from the Old Testament are often misinterpreted. The Sodom story wasn’t regarded as referring to homosexuality until the 11th century.
That same Old Testament never speaks of lesbianism, and its references to same-sex relationships concern procreation and tribal preservation rather than morality and romance. Jesus doesn’t mention the issue, and St. Paul’s comments about it concern men using young male prostitutes in pagan initiation rites — not loving, consenting same-sex partnerships.
There is, however, one possible discussion in the New Testament, when Jesus is approached by a centurion whose beloved male servant is dying. Jesus praises the Roman for his faith. The Greek word used to describe the relationship between the Roman and his “beloved” servant indicates something far deeper than mere platonic affection. And best not to refer to King David’s love for Jonathan — “Your love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women.”
Theology evolves, as does our understanding of relationships, but the fact is that some Christians will likely never change on this disagreement. The intriguing question is what will happen next and how many other evangelical churches will follow suit. This is increasingly a generational challenge, as many young people are simply unable to comprehend intolerance of the 2SLGBTQ+ people they grew up with — those who are orthodox Christians and relish the energy of evangelical worship may now finally find a home.
“For a long time now, people have been made to choose between loving Jesus or loving their 2SLBGTQ+ friends and family members, but we don’t think that is the case,” explains Sholl. “You can love Jesus, love the Bible, and love church all while loving all the people in your life. It makes me really excited about the future, because we are free to truly love our neighbour and welcome everyone, not in spite of what the Bible says but because of it.” Sholl’s excitement may well be justified, because attendance has increased, especially among 2SLGBTQ+ people and their families. It’s hoped, even expected, that once this all becomes more public, that trend will expand.
What can be guaranteed is that the Wellspring Worship Centre won’t be the last such church to make a decision like this. The stone has been rolled away, and what other evangelical Christians will see is that the world does not end — in fact, it begins.
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