By Angela Yarber
Countless Baptist churches gather for worship on Pentecost, singing in a variety of different languages, swathing sanctuaries in red, and celebrating the coming of the Holy Spirit. At Wake Forest Baptist Church we also baptize one of our recent members on Pentecost.
This member is a retired religion professor in his early 70s. He comes intentionally to our church, seeking to be baptized by his two pastors, who are also both lesbians.
This retired professor sees baptism as a cleansing, purifying, washing and an immersion into the deep waters of chaos, out of which he cannot emerge the same. The retired professor sees his lesbian pastors as symbolic of his calling to love and accept everyone as a child of God. He celebrates Pentecost not simply in worship, but also in practice.
During the month of June there has been a considerable amount of news regarding Baptists and homosexuality. CBF and Mercer announced their Conference on Sexuality and Covenant. I commend CBF for beginning this discussion since they have received criticism for their anti-gay hiring policy. Also recently, AWAB, GetEqual, Believe OutLoud, Faith in America, Truth Wins Out and Soulforce have petitioned the Southern Baptist Convention to apologize for their treatment of the LGBTQ community.
Pentecost also occurs during the month of June. Pentecost is a time when Christians celebrate the leading of the Spirit, the diversity of humanity, the rainbow that is God’s deep and abiding love for all flesh.
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What makes Pentecost one of my favorite Christian holy days is the way the early church celebrated a seemingly chaotic time when people didn’t even understand the languages around them, and they saw strange visions of flaming tongues and felt violent and rushing winds. It sounds like utter madness. And yet out of this chaos came the bright red season of Pentecost, when we celebrate diversity and sing in different languages and dance alongside the Spirit.
The church’s responsibility is to take the Spirit of Pentecost into the rest of the year by celebrating the diversity of God’s people. While I could say much about celebrating the diversities of race, ethnicity, class and gender, I would like to focus on the diversity of sexual orientations.
Early church father, Irenaeus, is remembered for saying that the “glory of God is humanity fully alive.” The Spirit of Pentecost emboldens us to live fully and authentically. And as one of the clergywomen at the only Baptist church with two lesbian pastors, I am confident that we are helping all humanity live more fully by welcoming and affirming everyone for exactly who they are. God is glorified by the fact that we pray and sing and dance and worship together with a diversity of sexual orientations present in our church. To do any less is simply to live a little less fully, a little less alive.
I understand that Baptists represent a spectrum of belief when it comes to LGBTQ issues. I understand that many who are more conservative believe being gay is a sin and quote specific scriptures to support this claim. I believe that scripture deserves more than proof-texting.
I understand that many moderate Baptists want to avoid the conversation altogether for fear of upsetting some of the “older generation.” Yet I return to our retired professor who wades in the chaotic waters of baptism with his two lesbian pastors. And he is not an anomaly in my nearly 12 years of ministry.
I also think of a congregant from my former church who celebrated her 90th birthday on Pride Sunday in June 2009. After I preached about God’s love of LGBTQ persons from our Baptist pulpit, she approached me with tears in her eyes and said, “Thanks for the best birthday present any 90 year-old could ever ask for!”
I think of all the people over 60 in my congregation and how they intentionally choose Wake Forest Baptist Church because we celebrate the Spirit of Pentecost by welcoming and affirming all people.
And I think of our Easter baptism when an 11 year-old girl waded into those same waters with her lesbian pastors. Waiting with towels and tears of pride were her two moms who travel nearly 30 miles to our church every Sunday because no other church will accept their family.
Wake Forest Baptist Church is not alone in these efforts. We are joined by many Baptist churches affiliated with the Alliance of Baptists, Baptist Peace Fellowship and the Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists.
Pentecost is about celebrating and accepting diversity. Being Baptist is about treating everyone as a priest and minister with an innate freedom to worship God.
It’s time Baptists celebrate this diversity and start treating their LGBTQ neighbors as part of God’s family. Will you join the Spirit’s dance of acceptance and diversity?