Who Belongs among the “We?”: Hospitality, the Gospel, and the Systemic Sin of Christian Higher Education against LGBTQ+ Students

Abstract

The invitation of Jesus to come and belong with him and with all those who follow him is at the very heart of the gospel. However, not all who accept this invitation feel welcome and experience belonging. This article identifies some of the challenges to belonging experienced by LGBTQ+ students in Christian higher education contexts, names the systemic sin in these contexts which perpetuates the marginalization of these students, considers the place of hospitality and belonging in the life and teachings of Jesus, and offers the four-step framework of practical theology outlined by Richard Osmer (2008) as a framework by which Christian educators might begin to address this systemic sin in their contexts.