By Bishop Durrell Watkins, D.Min.

I’m tired of social media crusades against same gender loving and gender expansive humans. I am especially tired of these same homo-hating and trans-loathing persons acting as if their cruelty is righteous and divinely ordained.

These cyber bullies invariably use isolated, narrowly and viciously interpreted verses of scripture as their weapon of choice, ignoring entirely poems, parables, hymns, and exhortations lifting up kindness, grace, mercy, generosity, compassion, empathy, or hospitality.

The Bible says many things. What parts appeal to us most? Which words do we embrace as sacred and compelling?

What we think the Bible says has much more to do with us than any text found in the anthology of writings that we call the Bible.

If we are cruel, we’ll find God to be cruel and we’ll understand the scriptures to demand cruelty. 

If we are kind, compassionate, and caring, we’re likely to find those same traits in the God we imagine and in the scriptures we choose to use in daily devotional life.

What you believe about God and scripture is your business, but I do urge you to refuse to let someone else’s hatefulness wrapped in bible verses cause you to devalue yourself.

The biblical message that I treasure and try to live by is simply this: God is Love. I will never settle for anything less life-giving than that, nor will I ever offer a theology less healing than that.

Bishop Durrell Watkins is the Senior Minister of Fort Lauderdale’s Sunshine Cathedral.