A Conversation with Lilly Cantrall: LGBTQ+ Christians? Pt 1
What does it mean to be Christian, anyway? What I believe 2.1.1 (Politics, LGBTQ+ pt 1)
I’ll be coming back to my holidays series after this (most likely). As well as this being a sporadic series, it will also be out of order lol
This is a topic that has been floating around our Substack feeds for the past week or so, and it’s such an interesting and controversial topic that, when we decided to do a collab, we immediately chose to cover this topic.
Before we say anything, please don’t forget that we are not spreading hate on anyone or anything. These are just our personal opinions and do not have to reflect yours in any way! It’s totally fine and amazing when we don’t agree on things, as long as we can talk about it in a friendly way! If you enjoyed this post (or didn’t), please tag either one of us (
or ), and we would love to talk with you about this. There’s something wonderful that happens when people are able to have discussions together about deep topics. So let’s jump right in!Lilly: In my opinion, I think that you can believe in God and believe in a higher power, but you can’t follow in the way of God and be LGBTQ+. God said that he made us in his image, and I’ve never heard of God being a trans women. God didn’t make us to change our bodies in a way that changed how he made us.
Eowyn: God wasn’t confused when he made us.
Lilly: I agree, God had an image and He made it perfectly.
Eowyn: About “can LGBTQ+ people be Christian”, I would say they absolutely can become Christian, but you cannot be LGBTQ+ and follow God at the same time.
Lilly: So you’re saying if I’m gay I can’t follow God, but if I become straight then I can follow God?
Eowyn: God accepts and loves everyone, but if you want to follow him, than you can’t practise a LGBTQ+ lifestyle because that contradicts God and his ways, for example being straight/gay. I know many amazing and wonderful Christian girls who struggle with being attracted to girls, but instead of identifying as gay/lesbian and furthering the struggle, they pray about it and give it to God. God can heal anything.
Lilly: We keep saying “follow God”, why can’t we just say “believe in Him”? Just to clarify.
Eowyn: Most people say that all you have to do to become Christian is just to believe in God. But that’s not a Biblical idea. In the Bible, it says that even the demons believe in God. Whether or not you believe is not the point. You must make the choice to accept or decline the free gift of salvation, and you must also repent of your sins.
Lilly: What is repentance?
Eowyn: It means to “turn away from sin”. You can’t continue in your sin if you are repenting. Of course, we make mistakes and we’re not sinless. But we now have a mindset and active intention to stop our sin and instead turn to God. Also, as Christians we are to try and be like God/look like Jesus. We want our life to reflect God.
Lilly: So at school, I used to sit with the LGBTQ+ table, just to listen to what they have to say. Many would say that they were unsure about them selves.
Eowyn: Never underestimate the power of peer pressure! Nowadays, LGBTQ+ things are so crazy, one time I was telling a girl I knew that I really only get crushes on someone after I get to know them. She immediately responded with, “Oh, that means you’re demisexual!! Here are some youtube videos you should watch.” Uhh, no thanks. That’s just me being careful with who I like. People LOVE to feel included and special, and labels and minority groups help people feel different and respected. But I think it’s gone too far.
Thank you so much for reading this conversation! Please drop a comment or like if you enjoyed this post. Stay tuned for pt 2!
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A few thoughts here!
1. I fully agree that no one who claims to be a Christian should engage in homosexual activity. The Bible is clear that this is a sin as God intended marriage to only be between one man and one woman.
2. While I have no problem referring to someone by whatever name and pronouns they prefer, men cannot become women and women cannot become men. I, too, would not be supportive of a gender-dysphoric Christian choosing to transition.
3. That being said, I do not believe that "gay/lesbian/bisexual Christian" is an oxymoron. Since these labels describe attraction rather than behaviour and lifestyle, I do not think there is any contradiction between a Christian and also experiencing same-sex attraction. Someone identifying as gay/lesbian/bisexual does not necessarily mean that person engages in homosexual activity or even believes it is moral to do so. The Substack "A Side B Collective" (https://asidebcollective.substack.com/) is a good resource for this.
4. I do think that demisexual is a real thing, though I would not go around trying to put that label on people. I myself am aromantic and asexual, meaning I do not experience romantic and/or sexual attraction to anyone and demisexual is considered part of the asexual spectrum. It would be interesting to hear your thoughts on someone being aro ace and Christian.
5. With that all being said, I appreciate your courage in not avoiding controversial issues. Conversations like this are important to have and I think it is valuable to discuss disagreements!
Great post y'all! Y'all spoke the truth in a loving way (although there will probably still be people who get mad at you over it). I think, though, on the issue of "following God" that humans can't really truly believe in Jesus without repenting, because to believe in Jesus — who He is and what He has done — requires a person to see their own sin and want to get rid of it, which can only be done through Christ. If a person truly believes in Jesus, then in conjunction I think they will simultaneously have a repentant heart and turn from their sins. If a person says they believe in Jesus, but they refuse to acknowledge or repent of their sin, then they don't really believe in Jesus because He has warned us to repent of our sins.