 by Jodi Hartung At some point in this journey we call life, we will run into people who we don't agree I highly recommend watching this TED Talk by Chimanda Ngozi Adichie entitled “The Danger of a Single Story,” but if you do not have eighteen minutes to take it in, let me try to sum it up for you with one quote. The problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete. They make one story become the only story. I grew up in a traditional evangelical home and had “a single story” of what it looked like to be a Christian. Christians had obviously prayed a prayer of salvation and encouraged others to do so as well. Christians went to protestant churches every Sunday. Christians didn’t lie, steal, drink, smoke, or swear. Christians read the Bible and prayed every day. Christians did not have sex until they were married. Christians did not get divorced. Christians opposed abortion and gay marriage politically. That is not the single story of God. I remember finding out the back story of a family who attended my church in high school. I was surprised that the “dad” wasn’t the biological dad of three of the four kids. Turns out the woman had three kids with her first abusive husband and decided to leave the marriage. She had remarried shortly after. In my framework, this seemed “bad,” but as I became closer to the family I couldn’t help but see Jesus in the way they interacted. To this day, that is still one of the strongest marriages I have seen in action. Taking in people’s stories, even when they don’t fit our framework, helps us encounter the bigger story of God redemption. I remember my shock when, attending Bible School, I found out one of the girls on my hall was a “Christian Catholic.” I did not understand how that could work, but I could not deny that her love for Jesus and for people was authentic and inspiring. After becoming friends and pursuing conversation with her, I began to understand how Catholicism and Christianity could coexist. Taking in people’s stories, even when they don’t fit our framework, helps us encounter the bigger story of God redemption. Part of my journey and process has been taking in my own story. I was VERY surprised when I found myself wrestling with my sexuality at Bible School. In my framework, Christians could not be gay. This meant I could not be gay. As I became increasingly aware of my attraction for women (and my lack of attraction for men) I became increasingly terrified. I had been a Christian my entire life. I was in school to train for a ministry job. I loved Jesus deeply. I spent countless nights crying in prayer, Bible in hand, asking God to change me. I’m not totally sure why he didn’t. I get that for a lot of traditional evangelical people my “gay Christian” identity seems contradictory. It did for me for a lot of years too. But I am crazy about Jesus and I am attracted to women. That is my reality; that is my story. And I believe that my story has something to do with the bigger redemptive story of God. So let’s keep talking. Let’s keep living authentically and talking openly. Let’s seek out people that don’t fit our framework so we can learn and grow. Let’s not let one story become the whole story. If This Article Caught Your Attention, You May Also Be Interested In
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