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about the author...  Drew Goodmanson lives in San Diego and is a Pastor at Kaleo Church. He also writes a weekly column for the San Diego Reader. He currently spends his time as a church planter, a tent-maker, a husband and father. You can view additional writings on culture, community and the church at his blog goodmanson.com.
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What Christians should learn from Queers by Drew Goodmanson
 The week wore my wife and I out. After a quick dinner in Hillcrest (“Well known as San Diego 's gay and lesbian Mecca ” SignonSanDiego.com ) we decided to rent a movie and call it a night. I dropped my wife off at home to put our son to sleep and drove to the nearby Blockbuster. Recently, the movie Saved! was recommended to us, so I hurried to the ‘s' area and picked up the movie. It was then I noticed a young man and woman browsing nearby. The woman, a hip urbanite said, “That's a good movie. It is a little strange though.” It is important to state, that my week had been a long one, work was crazy, and my wife and I had just had a conversation about serious life stuff, so I had entered into Blockbuster this evening in a utilitarian mode. Without thinking, I retorted, “Yah, but are you a Christian?”
Her answer began with two words that most of us all feel when we face this question. “Yes, BUT…” It isn't really important what comes after the ‘but'. Yes, BUT I'm not religious. Yes BUT I'm not like all those fanatics. Yes, BUT please give me a chance; get to know me before you judge me, don't think I will judge you before I get to know you because that is what you think Christians do. We all have our ‘yes but' answers. We have been trained to believe Christian is a dirty word, something to be ashamed of. No one wants to be called ‘Christian'to their face without the chance to defend themselves. Here is where the lesson comes in; there was a time, long before Queer Eye for the Straight Guy that the word ‘queer' was a slap in the face of any homosexual. Instead of being embarrassed and hiding from the word, they embraced it. Here is a quote from Ramon Johnson, Gay Life! Editor: “Did you know that today, the word ‘queer' is most often used in a non-derogatory way? Once used by homophobes to negatively describe a gay man or woman, the term is now being used by the gay community itself as a positive or neutral descriptive of each other. By embracing a word that was used to attack or degrade, the gay community has demagnetized the strength of the word, making it a common everyday term. This lessens the effect of the word when used against them.” Or you can get more academic and read Queer Theories by Donald E. Hall, edited by Walter L. Williams of University of Southern California as they discuss the reclamation of “queer” as a term of radical self-identification. You won't need to for the simple point I believe Christians should learn fromthe idea. It's ok to be a Christian. Next time someone asks you if you are a Christian, try to answer without saying, “Yes, but…” Often we believe we are helping the cause for Christianity by presenting a case separating ourselves from other Christians. How does it look to unbelievers if anytime they find out someone is a Christian, the Christian sheepishly apologize for numerous things, when no offense has been taken. We have been trained in our age of tolerance to hide our faith in Christ. We feel the need to apologize for following Jesus, for trusting in Him and believing that his work on the cross is our salvation. We need to reclaim Christian and embrace this as a word that is part of our identity in Christ. Its time we reclaimed 'Christian' as a non-derogatory word. Christian/Christian;queer/homosexual - I have known a nonbeliever to identify themself as a Christian just for generally being a good person. Just got a quick question for Randy Buist. How do you "smell the Spirit in my midst today" ? Yours' is the second comment I've read on two different blogs where someone has said they "smell" the Spirit. Is that just a figure of speech? Or has that become some new "thing" to do? I'm just curious as to where it comes from. Haven't heard it until this week. I like to respond that "I am a Believer", because that almost always opens the door for more dialogue. Their response is "Whats that?" or "In what?". It also gives me the plateform to explain that a Christian is not defined by what they do or what they are, but by what they believe (which then effects action, life, philosophy and other beliefs). You see, forgiveness of my sins is not based on what I am, but my belief in someone else's actions -- the love of God.
Wow! Thanks for setting the record straight. I should be careful about making statements without thoroughly checking them out. The word "Christian" is in the Bible. I didn't remember that. Glad to see some conversation...I'll add my two cents. My main point is not so much in how we decide to identify ourselves (follower of Christ, Disciple, Christian, believer in a Personal Transcendant Creator, etc.) but how we react when others ask if we are a Christian. (or for that matter any of the other identifiers with Christianity). It's reclaiming the word so that we can say, Yes AND....this is where we all can witness/love the person by sharing our personal experience and thoughts in the way we feel best expresses our faith. "... The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch." Acts 11:26
Since the word "Christian" is not even in the Bible why do I have to use it to describe me? Why do I need to wear a label? And why should I try to save a label when it would be so much better to just live the message? I don't like to think of myself as a Christian any more. This term is way to limiting. Instead, I view myself as a disciple of Jesus, a part of His Church and a person on the Way to the best life possible. when someone asks if im a christian I like to say "I am a believer in a Personal Transcendant Creator who possesses the intitials JC". The pharasaical faction usually starts to question my "doctrine" at that point. The others just say, "cool".
let me push back... in a country where 100 million 'red' Americans use the word to describe their political convictions and their moral (christian) beliefs, I don't think it is worth the effort to reclaim it. Wow ... I didn't see that point coming when I started the article. Great point!
Wow! Great point.
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