The Conversation: Homosexuality and the Church

Nov. 11, 2010 — -- Many evangelical churches accept gays and lesbians as members, but few accept homosexuality as a lifestyle.

At the Highlands Church in Denver, Colo., Rev. Mark Tidd is trying to change that. He has opened his church to gays and lesbians and fully accepted homosexuality.

"The church has traditionally been a place where people can come and worship God and know the love and acceptance of God, except that it was leaving behind a huge part of our population that was getting the message that they didn't qualify," Tidd said. "They didn't meet the criteria."

For decades, the minister had agreed with the mainstream evangelical view that homosexuality was a sin, but he changed his opinion after working with a family with a transgendered child.

"The Bible doesn't change but throughout history, our understanding of the scripture has certainly changed," Tidd said. "We don't believe the world is flat. We don't keep slaves. And yet we didn't cut those sections out of the Bible."

Tidd's decision to embrace homosexuality was not been without consequences. He was forced to break with his denomination, the Christian Reformed Church, and when he announced his plans for a new, inclusive church, half the planned congregation left, along with two-thirds of the funding, he said.

Still, Tidd says Highlands Church congregants appreciate his bold stance.

"People would not describe our church as a 'gay' church," Tidd said. "In fact, the largest growth population has come from young, professional families for whom it's important to be part of a church that lives out the call of justice and equality."

Tidd spoke with ABC News' Aaron Katersky for today's Conversation. We hope you'll watch.

Watch more "Conversation" videos here.

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