Some churches have changed the gospel message, making LGBTQ+ Christians feel like their sexuality must be repented of to fit in.
Harm happens when faith is turned against you. This harm doesn’t come from Jesus. It comes from the idea of Him that some churches have taught, an idea that makes LGBTQ+ people believe they must be sorry for their sexuality before God can accept them.
For many, this was part of the gospel message we heard. It shaped how we prayed, how we saw ourselves, and how we thought God saw us. It caused a lasting scar.
The fear we carry after leaving these places is real, but it comes from a twisted message we were given. When you’ve been shaped by this kind of teaching, it can feel like the only way forward is to break down your whole faith, to question everything, and to start over from nothing.
I believe the truth is much simpler and kinder.
We don’t need to change our faith in Jesus to belong. We don’t need to change who Jesus was. We don’t need to change the message of the cross, forgiveness, reconciliation and transformation. What we need is to see that the teaching we received was not really the message of Jesus. The problem was never Jesus. The problem was the message that gave a wrong picture of Him.
We heard that our identity put us outside the love, forgiveness, reconciliation, and freedom that Jesus offers. We were told that belonging remained conditional. But this isn’t the Jesus we see in Scripture. He moved toward those who were pushed to the margins.
The gospel doesn’t need to be changed to include LGBTQ+ people. It already includes us and always has. The wrong ideas came later, shaped by fear, culture, and the need to control.
When we go back to Jesus Himself, not the filtered version we were once shown, we find someone who has already given us everything we need to be held by God. Forgiveness is complete. Making peace is complete. Change means our hearts are shaped into love, not that our identity is erased.
Being LGBTQ+ is not outside the work Jesus has already done. Our existence does not make the gospel more difficult. Nothing about our lives puts us beyond Jesus’ reach. The church may have taught something different, but the church is not the measure of truth. Jesus is. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Jesus knew what it was like to be rejected. He heard hurtful words about Himself. He was mocked, misunderstood, and pushed aside by religious people who thought they were defending God. This is not far from Him. He went through the same kind of treatment that has caused scars on many LGBTQ+ Christians. He too experienced rejection. He never asks us to pretend it didn’t happen. He meets us in the middle of it with love and kindness.
This is why we never have to make Jesus smaller to fit into the narrow spaces the church made for us. He is much bigger than that. His love is wider, deeper, and more open than the version we were taught. His invitation has always been for everyone. Nobody is excluded, and everybody is invited. Nobody is told to erase their sexual identity before walking with Him.
If we read the gospels honestly, we see that Jesus never let religious leaders decide who belonged. His love was never threatened by difference. He never asked anyone to deny their sexuality to be welcomed by God.
This is the Jesus we come back to when church teachings have caused harm. He has not changed. His invitation is still open, wide enough for every LGBTQ+ person who has been told they were excluded or didn’t belong.
If you feel fear about faith, you are not alone. If you feel unsure about organised religion, you are not alone. If you wonder if God could ever truly accept you, you are not alone.
But know this: Your identity is not the problem. Your sexuality is not a barrier. Your existence is not the issue. The problem was the teaching, not the gospel message. The distortion, not the truth. The fear, not Jesus.
You are loved by God.
Based in France, Liz Queyrel reports on LGBTQ+ Christian life across France and greater Europe.