Navigating Toward LGBTQ Affirmation (or How I became an Affirming Pastor) (TAW060)

Episode 060 - Navigating Toward LGBTQ Affirmation (or How I became an Affirming Pastor) My journey from the Traditionalist view to becoming a fully Affirming pastor, with a perspective on a Gospel path to full Inclusion. This is a recorded version of the same presentation I gave at the Open Table Conference School of Theology in Sunriver in June of 2025. Show Notes In this episode, Marc Alan Schelske explores the complex relationship between faith and LGBTQ affirmation. Through personal stories, theological reflection, and the teachings of Jesus, he explains his own journey from the Traditionalist position to a position of full welcome, inclusion, and affirmation. Takeaways Marc, like many of us, had never really investigated the claims of the Traditionalist position that justified exclusion. The resources for in-depth study on this topic, including all the relevant scriptures, are provided in a downloadable resource for free. The Gospel, which is the narrative of Jesus' life, acts, teaching, death, and resurrection, is meant to show us the true face of the Father so that we can set aside the false images we project onto God. Jesus' life shows us over and over that God's nature is to include those on the margins, rather than protect hard lines of exclusion. Recommended Resources Blog Version of my School of Theology presentation on John 13, The Foot Washing. Downloadable 11-page PDF Resource: Navigating LGBTQ Inclusion The Open Table Conference Information and Registration for Fall Class: A Gospel Path to LGBTQ Affirmation Email Marc at [e-mail] to get on his invite list for the weekly writing sessions at Slow Pour or the twice-monthly virtual co-writing sessions. Scroll down for a full transcript of this episode. You can also watch and share the video version on YouTube. More about My Conversation Partner It's me. Hi. I'm the problem, it's me. Marc Alan Schelske is a happily recovering fundamentalist praying for the restoration of all things. He writes and teaches about spiritual maturity, emotional growth, and the other-centered, co-suffering way of Jesus. His books, including Walking Otherward, Journaling for Spiritual Growth, and The Wisdom of Your Heart, can be found at www.MarcAlanSchelske.com. Marc serves as the teaching elder at Bridge City Community Church in Milwaukie, Oregon, a suburb of Portland, where we work to keep all things, even Christianity, a bit weird. Find Marc Here Website: www.MarcAlanSchelske.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarcAlanSchelske Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marcalanscherlske/ Threads: https://www.threads.com/@marcalanschelske Today's Sponsor The Writers Advance - A weekend to help writers write. November 13-16, 2025. For more information, see: www.TheWritersAdvance.com Transcription Marc Schelske 0:03Hey, friends. I'm Marc Alan Schelske, and this is The Apprenticeship Way, a podcast about spiritual growth, following the way of Jesus. This is episode 60: Navigating Toward LGBTQ Affirmation (Or How I became an Affirming Pastor.) SPONSOR Today's podcast is brought to you by The Writers Advance. I'm a writer (You probably know that) and I'm a big nerd about the writing process. That's probably just a function of me being a big nerd about most everything I'm excited about. Part of that nerdery is that I've read all the best books about writing. I've taken a number of courses, and back in the day, I went to writers' conferences regularly. In that time, I learned something that I'm going to offer you right now for free. By far the best way to learn to write is just to write. All those great resources don't make writing happen. Reading books about writing isn't writing. Sitting in giant conference centers listening to experts talk about their process isn't writing. The only thing that really moves the needle is writing a lot of words.