Embracing Love - Albert Nathan

In 2010, Nathan Albert stood with his friends along the Chicago Pride Parade route, bearing signs of apology on behalf of Christians who had failed to represent Christ’s love to the LGBTQ community. Little did he know that millions around the world would soon see him captured in an iconic photograph and read his blog about hugging a man in his underwear. Embracing Love is the story behind that photograph, the story of a music theatre actor turned pastor whose deep desire is that the Gospel be seen, heard, and felt by the LGBTQ community in every tangible way, especially through the body of Christ, the Church. 

The book begins by sharing Nathan’s journey as a musical theatre actor turned seminarian turned pastor, which brought him into relationship with many LGBTQ individuals. In such relationships, Nathan learned how countless individuals had been hurt, shunned, and ostracized from relationships because they were gay. It became apparent that many churches, and Christians, were often the ones to blame for such dehumanizing and blatant disregard. 

Through numerous stories of LGBTQ friends, Nathan explains that many churches function in a way that allows an individual to belong only after they have believed the proper things and behave in a particular way. This model, which Nathan calls the Behave Believe Belong Model, often excludes and ostracizes LGBTQ individuals and is antithetical to the Good News found in Scripture. Instead, Nathan explains how churches can create the Gospel Model, or the Belong Believe Become Model. This allows for churches to welcome all people into a space where they can belong. Once they have belonged in a loving community, an individual can easily believe and then become a devoted follower of Jesus. 

In such a church model, individuals will begin relationships with others, allowing one to grow in their understanding, knowledge, and love for people who may differ from themselves. For it is when you deeply know and have relationships with people it becomes much more difficult to dehumanize them. 

Nathan presents the biblical interpretations of homosexuality from both a traditional and progressive viewpoint. The reason he does this is to educate both “sides” of the debate. Too often, Christians argue over theological interpretations without knowing the side they are arguing against. His goal is to not only educate readers on the differing scholarly arguments, but to help them realize that both sides love Scripture, love God, and are doing their best to faithful understand the Bible. 

The concluding chapters urge readers to pursue unity at all costs. Although it does not mean unanimity, unity does demand that we see one another as humans, fully loved individuals created by God. Nathan’s plea for unity takes us through countless scriptural references that highlight how God’s diverse people are to be one as God is one. 

Nathan ends the book with practical and pastoral advice, which many books on the subject do not include. He reminds his readers that conversations with LGBTQ individuals are often holy moments, lays out advice for parents, families, and friends of LGBTQ individuals, calls pastors and ministry leaders to care for their LGBTQ congregants with grace and mercy, and pleads with LGBTQ readers to keep focused on God even though God’s followers have not been very loving. Throughout the book, Nathan constantly reminds us that we must always choose to embrace Love.