This blog tends to focus on issues in the United States, but the struggle to reconcile religion with sexuality can be found around the world. Today I found the issue in Scotland, where Reverend Scott Rennie of the Church of Scotland is facing opposition by an evangelical group within the church.

In the interview from the OneKirk Journal, Rev. Rennie discussed how he’s doing with the battle. There’s a lot more meat in the interview (pdf) that I’ll be touching on in the coming days, but this section caught my eye today, as Rev. Rennie pinpoints the dual problem that a lot of gay people of faith face. (BTW, Kirk = Church)

Rev. Scott Rennie, Church of Scotland

I feel both strong and at the same time battered. Battered by weeks of speculation about my private life, which no other minister would have—or should be expected—to endure. On the other hand, and for the greater part, I feel hugely strengthened and supported by the hundreds of messages I have received from people both inside and outside the Kirk.

Some of the correspondence I have received has been deeply moving: very often from gay people who are serving in ministry, or as lay people in their churches— and who feel caught between a rock and a hard place. On one hand, they feel the church does not understand or appreciate them as gay people. And on the other, they are treated with suspicion within the gay community because of their Christian faith—no doubt, because of the negative treatment of gay people by the church throughout history.

Although the present discussion centres around my own response to God’s call, all the correspondence over the last few months has reminded me that there is a large body of people, like me, in a similar situation, in the Kirk.