David K. Mercier
Dear Queer Christian: The Rules Were Never the Point
(1 Timothy 4–6)
(1 Timothy 4–6)
Dear Queer Christian,
You’ve heard the rules.
You’ve been told how to act, how to dress, how to “present.”
You’ve memorized the verses they weaponized.
You’ve tried to walk the line they drew with trembling legs.
But here’s what I hope you know now, babe:
You don’t need to earn what’s already yours.
You don’t need to perform faith to be faithful.
You don’t need to sacrifice joy to be spiritual.
You are not a disruption.
You are a reminder—That holiness isn’t fragile.
That joy isn’t a liability.
That your freedom is a fruit of the Spirit, not a threat to it.
There will be people who cling to rules because they’re afraid of what freedom unleashes.
Let them be.
But you?
You were made to dance barefoot on tradition’s broken glass.
You were made to feast where others fast.
You were made to bless your body and trust your belonging.
So take up space.
Ask better questions.
Live free.
Because the rules were never the point.
Love was.
And it still is.
—Someone who tried rules, then found grace instead, Paul 1 Timothy 4-6
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1 Timothy 4–6
1 Timothy 4–6
Why Liberation Is Better Than Control
Paul warns Timothy about people who turn religion into a system of control: rules about food, bodies, and behavior that have nothing to do with freedom.
It’s a kind of faith that looks tidy but leaves people exhausted.
Sound familiar?
This letter calls us back to something deeper.
For queer Christians, that deeper thing is liberation.
A spirituality that says:
You don’t have to pass the purity test.
You don’t have to trade your wholeness for belonging.
You don’t have to shrink to be “used by God.”
Liberation isn’t just the removal of rules—it’s the recovery of joy.
Joy that refuses to apologize.
Joy that resists being micromanaged.
Joy that lives loud, honest, and free.
Reflection
When have you felt pressure to follow religious rules that didn’t resonate with your spirit?
What’s one way you’ve reclaimed joy, freedom, or integrity in your faith practice?
How might you embody a spirituality that’s centered in liberation rather than control?
1 Timothy 4–6
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