Why LGBTQ characters in a Novel of the Early Church?

My historical fiction portrays the early church with LGBTQ+ people baptized as equal members. Why are they in my Christian fiction?

Because She Was Called: From Broken to Bold book 2, A Novel of the Early Church, is based on Acts 2-11 and that is where I found the Spirit guide an apostle to baptize a person who is neither male nor female, and the Spirit directing an apostle to baptize a group of Roman men and women, and then the Spirit lands on everyone who heard the apostle preach. It was very possible that there was a pair of soldiers who were companions and partners among that group.

I could have ignored these queer characters in my fiction based on the Bible, but I include them to show they belong. The fiction shows how past believers may have accepted and affirmed Queer Christians in their congregations. The novel affirms LGBTQ people in the early church as a model for today.

Unity Despite Diversity

The novel represents the full diversity of society in the first century and today. It imagines how the early church overcame barriers in ethnicity (Jews, Gentiles, Greeks, Palestinians), class and citizenship (nobility, freedmen, slaves), gender (men, women, eunuchs), and sexual orientation. All of the believers are testifying to what they have experienced, teaching and baptizing. It shows both straight and gay obeying God and being moral and faithful without changing their orientation.

Paul wrote that Jesus broke the dividing walls between us (Ephesians 2:14-15) and that no part of God’s body receives more honour (1 Corinthians 12:21-26). God shows no partiality of favouritism for the majority (Galatians 2:6 and 3:28, Colossians 3:11, Ephesians 2:19, 1 Corinthians 11:11-12 and 12:13, Acts 10:34-35, 1 Peter 2:9, Romans 2:11 and 3:22, James 2: 1- 9, John 3:16-17 and 4:13).

What about Homosexuality as a Vice?

A Christian believes in Jesus and obeys his commands (Matthew 28:20, John 14:15-24). These commands may relate to Paul’s sample lists of vices or sins (1 Corinthians 5:9-11, 6:7-11, 2 Corinthians 12:20, Galatians 5:19-21, Colossians 3:5-8). The Bible did not include the word homosexuality until 1946[i]. It was added in 1 Corinthians 6:9 to replace whoremongers and sodomites, two words which relate to an active or passive role in prostitution and sexual exploitation. These vices do not condemn homosexuality but exploitive and domineering sexuality. They have nothing to do with same-sex relationships of love, faithfulness, and mutuality[ii].

What if immorality has nothing to do with sexual orientation? Immorality in the Bible can refer to unfaithfulness, pride, judgment, idol worship, temple prostitution, promiscuity, abuse, human trafficking, and exploiting young boys or women as prostitutes. Jesus condemns adultery, defining it to include lust and pornography. What if God intentionally creates some to be same-sex-oriented, not as an error or result of a broken world? How can a person repent for being as God created them to be? Affirming LGBTQ+ does not mean ignoring sin but understanding that orientation is neither a choice nor a sin.  

We are all made righteous by faith (Romans 3:22). We show our faith by obedience. There is no commandment to be heterosexual. The greatest commandment is to love God and love your neighbour (Matthew 22:36-40). Jesus said our love for one another should mark us as his people (John 13:35). A Christian, regardless of orientation, is to be faithful to his or her partner. God gives some the gift of celibacy, but it is not a requirement based on sexual orientation[iii].

Our faith is shown by the fruit we bear (Matthew 7:17, Galatians 5:22, James 2:18). What if the fruit of opposing homosexual activity has harmed LGBTQ+ folk and inhibited God’s redemptive work? What if God has sought out and embraced LGBTQ+ people? What if it dishonours God when the church treats some believers as secondary? Representing LGBTQ+ characters in fiction is a public way to honour God and the diversity God has created.

My novels are historical fiction. They don't replace scripture. Fiction set in Bible times can aid our understanding and contemplation, stimulate fresh perspectives, and drive us to look again at the Bible. This story dramatizes the scholarship of egalitarian and affirming Christians, imagining a past that might have been forgotten or sidelined in our history. It amplifies the stories of women in the Bible who were apostles, evangelists, preachers, and church-planters. This fiction is consistent with Scripture and with history and first-century Roman culture. My hope is that it will strengthen your faith and encourage you to look again at how God equips and calls all people, and the Holy Spirit fills us with wisdom and boldness.

What are the biblical sources for the LGBTQ+ characters?

There are Queer people throughout the Bible, but this article outlines the biblical basis for the LGBTQ+ characters in my series, From Broken to Bold, set in the Gospels and in early Acts.

Roman soldiers freepik https://www.freepik.com/serie/49106419

Longinus

Facts:

The fictional character of Longinus is based on three biblical events:

• A Roman centurion demonstrates faith by asking Jesus just to say the word to heal his dear companion. Jesus heals the companion and praises the centurion despite him being a non-Jew, a Roman officer, and an enemy of the Jewish nation (Matthew 8:5-13, Luke 7:1-10).

• A soldier at the crucifixion pierced Jesus’s side with a sword (John 19:34).

• A centurion at the crucifixion states that Jesus truly was the son of God (Matthew 27:54, Mark 15:39).

• Cornelius had gathered his relatives and friends (Acts 10:24); the Spirit came on those who heard (Acts 10:44-46), and they were baptized (Acts 10:47-48).
  

Fiction/Tradition:

The non-canonical Gospel of Nicodemus gives the name of Longinus to the soldier who pierced the side of Jesus with a sword. This soldier is often associated with the centurion who declared Jesus was the son of God and who asked Jesus to heal his dear companion. The Greek word ‘pais’ can be translated as servant, slave, young man, or companion. It was often a word used to indicate a younger partner in a same-sex relationship[iv]. It was not common for a centurion to care much about an ordinary slave, but very common for a powerful man to pair up with a young man[v]. Roman soldiers below the rank of centurion were not permitted to marry until they left military service.

It is very possible that Cornelius, as a centurion, would invite some of the hundred soldiers under his command to attend his gathering to listen to Apostle Peter. It is also possible that some of these soldiers were in committed same-sex relationships. There is ample evidence that Roman Emperor Hadrian (reigned AD 117-138) was in a committed same-sex relationship. Since Longinus was a centurion who declared his belief in Jesus at the crucifixion, he may have been among Cornelius's friends. He may also be the Roman centurion who had faith that if Jesus would "just say the word", his dear companion would be saved.

This novel of the early church portrays Longinus, a centurion, and a fictional man named Griffin, a legionary, sharing a home and being baptized into the congregation of The Way.

Ethiopian Eunuch

Facts:

A eunuch and high-ranking officer under Candace, Queen of Ethiopia, was a non-Jew who came to Jerusalem to worship the God of Israel. The Holy Spirit directed Philip the Evangelist to take a desert road, explain the Isaiah prophecy and the good news of Jesus and baptize the eunuch (Acts 8:26-40). Eunuchs were prohibited from entering the Temple:

“No one whose testicles are crushed or whose penis is cut off shall come into the assembly of the Lord (Deuteronomy 23:1).

In Matthew 19, Jesus explains that there are eunuchs who were made that way by others (slaves, prisoners, or guards), those who choose to live like eunuchs (choosing celibacy for the sake of God’s kingdom), and those who are born that way (God creates some to be eunuchs). This last category may refer to those born queer, trans, same-sex oriented, or without the desire or capacity for heterosexual activity. Zach W. Lambert calls this an example of the radical inclusivity of Jesus[vi].

Fiction/Tradition:

A eunuch is a man who either has no testicles or whose testicles have been incapacitated. Eunuchs in the first century were treated as neither male nor female, being permitted in ladies' chambers but prohibited from the male-only Court of the Israelites. Ancient theologians Philo and Josephus considered eunuchs a ‘detested class of gender-ambiguous people’[vi]. They could not participate in procreation as either the male or female, and could not leave a legacy of children. They were not viewed as true men and did not have all the legal rights of adult men in the Roman world.

The Holy Spirit directed Philip to baptize the eunuch and adopt him into the family of faith, regardless of how the world despised him, regardless of whether he was male or female or something in between[viii]. The account provides a model for how the church might adopt people of all orientations into the family of faith. The overarching message of the Bible is God reconciling humans, giving them equal rights as co-heirs in the family of faith[ix].

Summary of LGBTQ+ characters in the From Broken to Bold fiction series

Forgotten Followers from Broken to Bold, book 1, is set in the time of the Gospels. In it, I imagine that James the Less (Jamie) is realizing he is not like other men and not designed to marry a woman. Jesus preaches that not all men are created to marry a woman, and that some are born as eunuchs (based on Matthew 19). Jesus helps Jamie's mother learn to accept her son as he is, as God made him. Jamie is baptized by the Spirit at Pentecost and goes to Alexandria as an apostle.

Because She Was Called, from Broken to Bold, book 2, is set in Acts 2-11. This is where we encounter the Ethiopian eunuch and the group of Roman soldiers at the home of Cornelius. The Holy Spirit directs the apostles to baptize these LGBTQ+ people.

In Finding Her Voice, from Broken to Bold book 3, Jamie returns from Alexandria with a dear male companion. He has come of age and found he can serve God's kingdom better with Leon by his side. This novel also covers Mariamne, the sister of Philip, whose story is described in the non-canonical Acts of Philip. She understands she must transform into a man, cut her hair, wear pants, and vow celibacy in order to be an apostle.

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Elaine Ricker Kelly Author is empowering women with historical fiction about women in the Bible and early church and Christian blogs about women in leadership, church history and doctrine. Her books include:

• Forgotten Followers from Broken to Bold, Book 1, A Novel (2022)

• The Sword: A Fun Way to Engage in Healthy Debate on What the Bible Says About a Woman's Role (2023)

• Because She Was Called from Broken to Bold, Book 2, A Novel of the Early Church (2024)

• Walk with Mara on Her Healing Journey: 21 Steps to Emotional Resilience (2024)

• Finding Her Voice from Broken to Bold, Book 3, Acts of Early Female Apostles: A Novel (coming October 2025)

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Sources:

[i] Baldock, Kathy, “An Evening With Rev. David: The Story Behind a Historic Letter about Biblical Translation” The Reformation Project, 20 Feb. 2020,  https://youtu.be/rdfxPDZEO5k?si=Qv9xQpPN5S56ZnYn

[ii]“What does the Bible say about Homosexuality”, Human Rights Campaign, Accessed 25 March 2024 www.hrc.org/resources/what-does-the-bible-say-about-homosexuality

[iii] “Celibacy is a gift, not a mandate”, The Reformation Project, Accessed 25 March 2024, https://reformationproject.org/case/celibacy/

[iv] Green , Isabella. “Homosexuality in the Bible: The Centurion’s Servant.” Academus Education, Academus Education, 22 June 2020 www.academuseducation.co.uk/post/homosexuality-in-the-bible-the-centurion-s-servant-by-isabella-green

[v] Michaelson, Jay. “When Jesus Healed a Same-Sex Partner.” HuffPost, HuffPost, 2 Feb. 2016, www.huffpost.com/entry/when-jesus-healed-a-same-sex-partner_b_1743947

[vi] Zach W. Lambert, Restore Austin, “All-Inclusive - Homophobia and Transphobia.” YouTube, 25 Apr. 2022, https://youtu.be/k3d_mhbTwL4?si=UaUfdJ4Aa3F-1iGl

[vii] Keddie, Tony,‘God Made Them Male and Female...and Eunuch’: Why the Biblical Case for Binary Gender Isn’t so... Biblical.” Religion Dispatches, 11 May 2023, religiondispatches.org/god-made-them-male-and-femaleand-eunuch-why-the-biblical-case-for-binary-gender-isnt-so-biblical/

[viii] Richards, Jeremy. “Eunuchs, Cotillions, and the Boundless Love of God.” Grant Park Church, Grant Park Church, 25 Feb. 2019, www.grantparkchurch.com/sermons/eunuchs-cotillions-and-the-boundless-love-of-god

[ix Vine, Matthew. “The Biblical Case for LGBTQ Inclusion.” The Reformation Project, 18 Oct. 2023, reformationproject.org/biblical-case/