Dear LGBTQIA+ community,
I would like to humbly apologize for the way you have been treated by the Church and so-called “Christians.” To hate, judge, slander, devalue or harm you is in no way how Jesus taught us all to treat our fellow creations.
You might be surprised to learn I’m an ordained minister in a conservative denomination, but the Bible clearly condemns the ways you have been mistreated.
Jesus taught us to love our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 22:38).
And even Christians, who view you as a theological enemy, are commanded to love our “enemies” (Matthew 5:44).
Saint John, the apostle of love warns:
“Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love” (1 John 4:7-8).
It’s in black and white in the Holy Bible that, according to Jesus and St. John, Christians–if they are truly followers of Christ–are to love you no matter their opinions on your lifestyle. And if they don’t, they are disobeying the Son of God and one of his most respected disciples!
So, again, humble apologies from me and all those who try to model Jesus and love our neighbors as ourselves. We love you and are truly grieved by how you have been treated.
Rev. James N. Watkins
Indianapolis, Indiana
JAMESWATKINS.COM 
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