A note from Armenia

I got an email from Armenia last week that really peaked my interest. I have to admit that before last Friday I had no geographical frame of reference for Armenia and had to look it up on a map, but in the past few days I have learned that it's a country about the size of Maryland and it's located in Southwestern Asia, near Turkey and Iran. The Armenian Apostolic Church is the predominant house of worship, named after the apostles Thaddeus and Bartholomew, who ended their days spreading Christianity in Armenia. Even though Armenia is largely a Christian nation, it doesn't seem to possess a very wide liberal to conservative spectrum, but instead a fairly narrow ideology that leans almost exclusively to the right. But then if ninety-four percent of the country identifies with only one church, the thoughts and images that are projected will be heavily influenced by whatever that particular church happens to believe.

Not surprisingly, the Armenian Apostolic Church condemns homosexuality. I read some thoughts online from one Armenian Apostolic worshipper, and after reviewing many of the typical clobber passages that we have been regularly condemned by in the United States, he also included the belief that homosexuality is contrary to sound doctrine. This always puzzles me, because it suggests that homosexuality is unsound and therefore shaky, unbalanced, and unhealthy. This view on homosexuality totally misses those of us who work to maintain healthy, thriving relationships with our partners, our communities, and with God, and whose lives are not visibly in conflict with sound doctrine. In fact, it's probably better to say that we have become fused with that sound doctrine, and one with the very community that Jesus challenged us to join in order to spread the Gospel throughout the world. The problem is we continue to be lumped in with "the ungodly and sinners, the unholy and profane, murderers, immoral persons, sodomites, kidnappers, liars, perjurers" from 1 Timothy 1:10, and all of those things that are indeed contrary to "sound doctrine." Armenia is no exception. Even though our inclusion with murderers and sodomites is unjustified and holds no truth, it has a certain negative impact upon the way others view us and can even affect our own sense of self worth.

From what I've gathered, this hostile Christian attitude creates quite a stifling environment in Armenia. It seems that staying closeted is the only way to go if a person doesn't care to risk harsh repercussions, and this has a profoundly negative effect upon the gay men and lesbians who live there. In fact, I think the email that was sent to me from Armenia last week marked the first time that this person was able to self-reference "gay" and "Christian" in the same sentence. The environment there just isn't conducive to living truthfully to both identities. But then the U.S. might send that impression as well, simply because those who speak out about homosexuality with the most force and persistence here are usually those who are the most disgusted and threatened by it. Actual personal interaction with other Christians in the U.S. doesn't always yield this hostility, but instead shows that a large percentage of Christians are indeed capable of understanding and embracing differences. Perhaps the same can be true of some sections of Armenia. But by and large, it seems that the country rejects the idea that homosexuality has any redeeming qualities.

So what do you say to someone in that setting? I don't think the words that come out are as important as the connection that you establish. I think you open it, you allow God to work through it, and you offer a bit of the love and grace that you have discovered in your own journey every chance you get. We all have these opportunities, perhaps to degrees that we don't even realize. I can think of five friends right now who are stifled not by the political environment in which they live, but by the relationships that they have or do not have with their families. Families can create prisons for us just as easily as religious and political systems can, and often these strained relationships are much more emotionally disturbing. Maybe you have a friend in a similar situation that you can offer love and encouragement to as well. No matter what the barrier, it's just important that each person knows that he or she is not alone in the battle, and that there will always be someone there who understands. God is the someone who understands and who loves us beyond measure, but we can all open ourselves up to become better messengers of that truth.

I'm thankful for my Armenian connection, and I'm excited to learn more about the culture and about how God may choose to move through that part of the world in the coming years. Change will come. And the more we open ourselves up to be used by God during the process, the more sound our own personal journeys will become.