Exclusion often protects power rather than truth. The Gospel repeatedly canters the voices of those most affected.

In Depth

What Exclusion Really Does

Exclusion is rarely neutral. It is not simply an oversight or a gap in representation. It is often a deliberate or unconscious way of maintaining control over narratives, decisions, and outcomes.

When LGBTIQ people are spoken about but not listened to, their lives become abstract. Real experiences are replaced with assumptions, and complex realities are reduced to simplified beliefs.
This creates distance. It allows others to define what is “true” without being accountable to the people most impacted by those definitions.

Power & Control in Decision Making

Conversations about identity, theology, policy, or wellbeing often sit within structures that benefit from maintaining authority. Including LGBTIQ voices can:

• Challenge established interpretations
• Disrupt comfortable beliefs
• Expose harm that has been normalized

Because of this, exclusion can function as a protective mechanism. It preserves existing systems by limiting who is allowed to speak and whose experiences are considered valid.
This is not about truth being absent. It is about truth being filtered.

The Risk of Speaking Without Listening

When decisions are made without the input of those directly affected, the results are often disconnected from reality. This can lead to:

• Policies that harm rather than help
• Theological conclusions that lack compassion
• Language that misrepresents lived experience

Listening is not just an act of kindness. It is essential for accuracy. Without it, even well-intentioned conversations can cause real damage.

The Gospel Pattern: Centering the Marginalized

The life and ministry of Jesus Christ consistently disrupt exclusion.
Rather than prioritising those with status, authority, or social approval, he repeatedly centres those who were overlooked, dismissed, or silenced. He engages with:

• People pushed to the edges of religious systems
• Individuals whose voices were not considered credible
• Communities defined by others rather than understood on their own terms

This is not incidental. It reflects a pattern. The Gospel does not move toward power to validate it. It moves toward people who have been denied voice and visibility.

Voice as Dignity, Not Permission

Having a voice is not something granted by institutions or communities. It is inherent. When LGBTIQ people are excluded from conversations about their own lives, the issue is not simply representation. It is dignity.

To speak for someone while excluding them is to reduce their humanity. It replaces lived experience with interpretation and assumes authority over stories that are not yours to control. Discernment and justice both require something different. They require listening, not just speaking.

What Inclusion Actually Requires

Inclusion is not achieved by adding voices at the end of a conversation that has already been shaped.
It requires:

• Shifting who is centred from the beginning
• Allowing lived experience to inform understanding
• Being willing to be challenged and changed

This can feel uncomfortable, particularly where long-held beliefs are involved. However, growth rarely happens without that discomfort.

Scripture

Note: These scriptures are quoted from the New International version of the bible, access an online version here.

God Listens to The Marginalised

Exodus 3:7

“I have indeed seen the misery of my people… I have heard them crying out… and I am concerned about their suffering.”

From the beginning, God is described as one who listens to those in distress. Their voices are not dismissed or ignored. They are central to what God responds to. This sets a foundation where lived experience matters.

Speaking Without Listening Is Rejected

Proverbs 18:13

“To answer before listening – that is folly and shame.”

This speaks directly to the harm of exclusion. When people speak about others without first listening to them, it is not wisdom. It is described as foolish and dishonorable. Discernment begins with hearing.

Jesus Centers Those Who Were Excluded

Luke 4:18

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me… He has sent me to proclaim good news to the poor… freedom for the prisoners… recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free.”

This is a declaration of who is prioritised. The focus is not on those already in power, but on those who have been pushed aside. Their needs, their lives, and their voices are brought to the center.

The Marginalized Speak First

John 4:27-30

“They were surprised to find him talking with a woman… Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people…”

In this moment, someone socially excluded becomes a messenger. Her voice is not silenced or filtered. It is trusted and becomes the catalyst for others to engage. The pattern is clear: those dismissed by society are not dismissed by Christ.

God Chooses What Is Overlooked

1 Corinthians 1:27-28

“But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong… the lowly and despised things…”

This challenges systems that center authority and status. God’s pattern consistently elevates those who are overlooked, not those already holding power.

Every Voice Has Value

Galatians 3:28

“There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free… for you are all one…”

This is not about erasing identity. It is about dismantling hierarchies that determine whose voice matters more. Inclusion is not optional. It is part of the vision of equality and shared dignity.

Truth Requires Honesty & Light

John 7:24

“Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.”

Surface-level assumptions are rejected here. Discernment requires deeper understanding, which is only possible when people are heard rather than spoken over.

Bringing It Together

Scripture consistently points toward a pattern of listening, inclusion, and the centring of those most affected. You see:

• God responding to the voices of the oppressed
• Warnings against speaking without listening
• A model of leadership that lifts those on the margins
• A dismantling of hierarchies that silence certain groups

Excluding LGBTIQ voices does not reflect this pattern. It reflects a protection of power rather than a pursuit of truth.

When people are allowed to speak for themselves, understanding deepens. Conversations become more honest. Compassion becomes more real.

The Gospel does not move away from those on the margins. It moves toward them, listens to them, and places their dignity at the center. That is where truth becomes clearer. Not through control, but through listening, relationship, and love.