It's not the enemy, it's our mission
There's a very popular movie in our generation: Monsters, Inc. In that fictional world, monsters believe human children are toxic. Their job is to scare them in order to collect their screams, which serve as an energy source. Sully, one of the most successful, is considered a hero.
But everything changes when a little girl, Boo, accidentally enters the monster world. Sully panics: she fears being contaminated or losing her career. The entire system is designed to reject her.
Over time, Sully discovers that Boo isn't a threat. She's innocent and human. The real problem wasn't her, but a system based on fear. In the end, she discovers that laughter has more power than screaming. That discovery transforms her world.
This story has a disturbing echo in the way we, as a church, have often treated certain groups of people.
For years, the church has viewed the LGBTQ+ community as a threat. As leaders, we have feared their influence, their questions, and how their presence might generate controversy within our congregations. We fear that their lifestyle contradicts God's plan and that, when they approach the church, there might be tension or rejection.
But we must remember something fundamental: sin, including the distortion of human sexuality, is real, yes, and it is a tool the enemy uses to distance us from God's purpose. However, Paul not only acknowledged sin, but celebrated the transforming power of the gospel. That must also be our focus: hope and redemption, not fear or rejection.
How did Jesus act toward people marginalized by the religious system?
Jesus was repeatedly accused of sitting at table with sinners, touching the unclean, and speaking to the despised. He never compromised the truth, but neither did he deny love.
In John 4, he encounters a Samaritan woman marked by sexual sin. Jesus begins not with condemnation, but with a conversation that opens his heart.
In Luke 7:36-50, a sinful woman anoints his feet. While others criticize her, Jesus defends her: “She has been forgiven much, therefore she loves much.”
Jesus wasn't afraid of being contaminated by the sin of others. He knew that his holiness had more power than any darkness.
The Bible is clear about God's design for sexuality (Genesis 1:27; Matthew 19:4-6; Romans 1:26-27), but it is also clear about the extent of sin (Romans 3:23) and the universal need for the gospel. We are all broken. And our mission is not to prioritize sin, but to present Christ as the only hope for all.
Paul sums it up well in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (NIV):
“Do you not know that wicked people will not inherit the kingdom of God? […] And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”
We also see in Acts 4:29-31 (NIV) the correct attitude toward cultural challenges:
“Now, Lord, consider their threats and give your servants permission to proclaim your word without fear. […] After they had prayed, the place where they were gathered together was shaken. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to proclaim the word of God without fear.”
Paul did not view people or cultural conflicts as enemies to be avoided, but as opportunities to proclaim Christ. He did not prepare himself politically to protect himself or win debates. Although he used his Roman citizenship when necessary (Acts 22:25), his focus was not on institutional defense, but on witnessing to the gospel. His mission was clear: to bring Jesus to everyone, even if it meant discomfort or suffering.
Today, as a church, we must prepare ourselves not to fear, but to love. As leaders, we need to form our community to be:
Hospitable, without falling into relativism.
Clear, without falling into condemnation.
Firm, without resorting to violence.
The LGBTQ+ community is not our enemy. It is part of our mission. They are people loved by God, in need of the same gospel that transformed us. Many who come with struggles do not seek to destroy faith. They seek love and belonging. Our calling is to see beyond behavior and recognize their dignity and pain.
Like Sully, we need to stop seeing enemies where there are opportunities to show compassion.
Because love, like laughter, has more power than fear.
