A Light+Life Podcast
With guest Bruce N.G. Cromwell
Hosted by Brett Heintzman

Jeff Finley
Light + Life Executive Editor
Jeff Finley is this magazineās executive editor. He joined the Light+Life team in 2011 after a dozen years of reporting and editing for Sun-Times Media. He is a member of John Wesley Free Methodist Church where his wife, Jen, serves as the lead pastor.
by Jeff Finley
How can churches reach and serve people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer without compromising the truth of Scripture?
Bruce N.G. Cromwell, the superintendent of the Free Methodist Churchās Great Plains and Mid-America conferences, shares his perspective in the Light + Life Publishing book āLoving From Where We Stand: A Call to Biblically Faithful Ministry with the LGBTQ+ Community,ā which is now available for pre-order at freemethodistbooks.com with shipping to begin in mid-October.
In a conversation with Brett Heintzman on āThe Light + Life Podcast,ā Cromwell said the book emphasizes that a personās primary identity is not found in a profession, relationship or sexual orientation.
āMy primary identity is found in who I am in Christ,ā Cromwell said. āNo matter what Iāve done, God says I am forgivable. I am redeemable. He sent His Son for that, and so I can look beyond the things the world might label me as, the things I often label myself as, and begin to see myself as someone in whom the Holy Spirit dwells ā someone for whom Christ died.ā
In past decades, our churches have likely had people with same-sex attraction, but many church members were not aware of that reality while others were not as comfortable discussing their sexuality as they are now.
āIt wasnāt as widespread or as widely known as when you start having Ellen [DeGeneres] come out on national TV, and you have āWill & Grace,ā and you have things in popular culture that normalize LGBTQ+ issues and persons, and so more and more people feel free talking about it,ā he said. āThe issue became more and more pronounced.ā
Cromwell has both a masterās degree and a doctorate in historical theology, and he serves as a member of the Study Commission on Doctrine (SCOD).
āWe [SCOD members] were asked to look into this before the 2015 General Conference when we passed our resolution on more concretely defining what we believe marriage to be and what Free Methodist elders are allowed to do when it comes to same-sex marriage or, in this case, not allowed to do,ā said Cromwell, who was serving during that time period as the lead pastor of Central Free Methodist Church in Lansing, Michigan, where āwe had people who were openly LGBTQ+ who would come with questions.ā
Cromwell said he began considering how to get SCODās research āout to the general church so that people can read the excellent things that we had on why do we believe what we believe and hereās what the Scripture says, or how do we fit within the church historic, or how do we minister to someone whoās going through emotional and psychological trauma? … I just felt it impressed upon me that I should sit down and write a book.ā
Although the book focuses on LBGTQ+ issues, Cromwell noted, āWhatever our struggles, whatever our challenges, whatever those words of condemnation we hear in our ear, itās that reminder that you are loved by a love greater than anything youāve ever known. We have but to surrender to it, accept it, and believe that though God canāt love us less, and He wonāt love us more, Heās not going to leave us the same. He will love us into the fullness of who weāre called to be in Christ.ā
While some portions of the Bible address specific cultural contexts, Cromwell said āthere is a universal applicability to the truths of Scripture,ā and we should see āone continuous narrative about how God is bringing His people out of exile and returning us back to who we were called and created to be.ā Some passages may seem troubling to modern readers, but they āstill have truth and bearing on our lives today. We canāt just jettison them because we think weāre more evolved, or we think we understand better, or we think somehow culture has shifted, and our awareness is somehow more enlightened than it was back then. Godās Word hasnāt changed.ā
He credited fellow SCOD member David Bauer, Asbury Theological Seminaryās dean of the School of Biblical Interpretation and professor of inductive biblical studies, for being āincredibly helpfulā with how the book addresses Scripture.
Surrendering Our Desires
Cromwell said Free Methodists clearly ābelieve Godās plan for human sexual activity is between one woman and one man in the covenant of marriage, and anything outside of that is not Godās plan.ā
Some church leaders and members are quick to speak out against homosexuality without addressing heterosexual sin such as viewing pornography.
āAs we say in the book, there is more than enough heterosexual sin in the church to grieve the heart of God. As important as I think this book is, I also want to make sure we donāt treat same-sex relationships as the greatest sin facing the church today. My hunch is thereās way more heterosexual dysfunction and sin in our churches than homosexual,ā Cromwell said.
āHow do we live and learn to surrender our desires to the lordship of Christ? Thatās the issue. Jesus Himself was tempted. He just didnāt sin, so our temptations arenāt what condemn us. Itās what we do with them, and if someone is tempted toward same-sex relationships, I donāt think that should condemn them either,ā said Cromwell, who added that what matters is how a person responds to temptation.
He believes the church needs to allow people to discuss their temptations.
āThe majority of people whoāve identified as LGBTQ+ who donāt want to be in the church anymore have left not because of the churchās position. Itās because of more the posture the church has taken towards them. They feel condemned. They donāt feel loved. They donāt feel heard. They most definitely donāt feel safe,ā he said. āHow do we as the church come alongside them and help them walk in the way of Jesus?ā
Cromwell said everyone has struggles, and we must welcome people and help them find wholeness and healing in Christ.
āThereās a reason the book is titled what it is. We have a position we stand on, and weāre going to love from that,ā he said. āWeāre not going to shake the finger. Weāre going to extend the hand. Weāre not going to compromise. Weāre not going to lie to you, but weāre going to love you and help you become all that God wants you to be regardless of what your temptations are ā the same as we do for everybody that walks in our door.ā
If we feel called to spread a message of repentance, Cromwell said, then we should āfind someone we can talk with about that rather than telling them. Talk, because I think people are interested in dialogues. Very few of us want to engage in a monologue where someone is just talking at us. So how do we listen in love and do it together in relationship?ā
Loving someone does not mean endorsing their actions.
āWeāre not trying to condone sin,ā Cromwell said. āNothing in this is giving a pass to what we have said consistently is not Godās will, but it is calling us to be loving in how we call people to this holiness, to this repentance, to this new life.ā
Means of Grace
Heintzman asked about how a pastor should respond if an LGBTQ+ couple asks to have a baby baptized.
Cromwell responded that with any baptism (whether for an infant, child or adult), we should understand the reason for requesting the baptism, because the sacraments provide means of grace ā ways for us to draw closer to God.
āWhen you help people understand that this is a way to open ourselves up to what God wants to do in our life, I think from the pastoral point of view, it immediately brings to mind: Why would I want to resist that for anyone?ā said Cromwell, who noted the sacraments are not only symbolic acts. āWe want a lifestyle change, a full surrender to Christ. This is just one element of that, one way in which weāre recognizing āyou are part of the greater body of Christ … You are part of something much bigger than yourself, and by this public declaration of faith, you are saying that: I am throwing my lot in with these people as they seek to follow the Lord.āā
The process includes ārecognizing that baptism is less about what youāve done to that point and more about what God is going to do in your life from this point forward,ā Cromwell said. āIf itās a lesbian couple, I would assume that the leadership is talking about āhere is our position on same-sex relationships,ā so that couple will know where the church stands. Again, weāre not shutting the door to them. We not saying āyou canāt be here,ā but we also help them understand āthis is what we believe Godās plan for human sexual activity is.ā … Itās not a stamp of approval for what theyāve done. Itās more almost an initiation into the body to see what weāre going to become and how God will still yet change us and move through us and do great things in our lives.ā
Cromwell said a challenge for Free Methodists is: āHow do we create a denomination filled with lots of local churches where people can come and grow into the likeness of Christ?ā He hopes his book will help congregations consider these issues and become places where people of all temptations can āfind their identity as a child of God.ā
+
by Jeff Finley
How can churches reach and serve people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer without compromising the truth of Scripture?
Bruce N.G. Cromwell, the superintendent of the Free Methodist Churchās Great Plains and Mid-America conferences, shares his perspective in the Light + Life Publishing book āLoving From Where We Stand: A Call to Biblically Faithful Ministry with the LGBTQ+ Community,ā which is now available for pre-order at freemethodistbooks.com with shipping to begin in mid-October.
In a conversation with Brett Heintzman on āThe Light + Life Podcast,ā Cromwell said the book emphasizes that a personās primary identity is not found in a profession, relationship or sexual orientation.
āMy primary identity is found in who I am in Christ,ā Cromwell said. āNo matter what Iāve done, God says I am forgivable. I am redeemable. He sent His Son for that, and so I can look beyond the things the world might label me as, the things I often label myself as, and begin to see myself as someone in whom the Holy Spirit dwells ā someone for whom Christ died.ā
In past decades, our churches have likely had people with same-sex attraction, but many church members were not aware of that reality while others were not as comfortable discussing their sexuality as they are now.
āIt wasnāt as widespread or as widely known as when you start having Ellen [DeGeneres] come out on national TV, and you have āWill & Grace,ā and you have things in popular culture that normalize LGBTQ+ issues and persons, and so more and more people feel free talking about it,ā he said. āThe issue became more and more pronounced.ā
Cromwell has both a masterās degree and a doctorate in historical theology, and he serves as a member of the Study Commission on Doctrine (SCOD).
āWe [SCOD members] were asked to look into this before the 2015 General Conference when we passed our resolution on more concretely defining what we believe marriage to be and what Free Methodist elders are allowed to do when it comes to same-sex marriage or, in this case, not allowed to do,ā said Cromwell, who was serving during that time period as the lead pastor of Central Free Methodist Church in Lansing, Michigan, where āwe had people who were openly LGBTQ+ who would come with questions.ā
Cromwell said he began considering how to get SCODās research āout to the general church so that people can read the excellent things that we had on why do we believe what we believe and hereās what the Scripture says, or how do we fit within the church historic, or how do we minister to someone whoās going through emotional and psychological trauma? … I just felt it impressed upon me that I should sit down and write a book.ā
Although the book focuses on LBGTQ+ issues, Cromwell noted, āWhatever our struggles, whatever our challenges, whatever those words of condemnation we hear in our ear, itās that reminder that you are loved by a love greater than anything youāve ever known. We have but to surrender to it, accept it, and believe that though God canāt love us less, and He wonāt love us more, Heās not going to leave us the same. He will love us into the fullness of who weāre called to be in Christ.ā
While some portions of the Bible address specific cultural contexts, Cromwell said āthere is a universal applicability to the truths of Scripture,ā and we should see āone continuous narrative about how God is bringing His people out of exile and returning us back to who we were called and created to be.ā Some passages may seem troubling to modern readers, but they āstill have truth and bearing on our lives today. We canāt just jettison them because we think weāre more evolved, or we think we understand better, or we think somehow culture has shifted, and our awareness is somehow more enlightened than it was back then. Godās Word hasnāt changed.ā
He credited fellow SCOD member David Bauer, Asbury Theological Seminaryās dean of the School of Biblical Interpretation and professor of inductive biblical studies, for being āincredibly helpfulā with how the book addresses Scripture.
Surrendering Our Desires
Cromwell said Free Methodists clearly ābelieve Godās plan for human sexual activity is between one woman and one man in the covenant of marriage, and anything outside of that is not Godās plan.ā
Some church leaders and members are quick to speak out against homosexuality without addressing heterosexual sin such as viewing pornography.
āAs we say in the book, there is more than enough heterosexual sin in the church to grieve the heart of God. As important as I think this book is, I also want to make sure we donāt treat same-sex relationships as the greatest sin facing the church today. My hunch is thereās way more heterosexual dysfunction and sin in our churches than homosexual,ā Cromwell said.
āHow do we live and learn to surrender our desires to the lordship of Christ? Thatās the issue. Jesus Himself was tempted. He just didnāt sin, so our temptations arenāt what condemn us. Itās what we do with them, and if someone is tempted toward same-sex relationships, I donāt think that should condemn them either,ā said Cromwell, who added that what matters is how a person responds to temptation.
He believes the church needs to allow people to discuss their temptations.
āThe majority of people whoāve identified as LGBTQ+ who donāt want to be in the church anymore have left not because of the churchās position. Itās because of more the posture the church has taken towards them. They feel condemned. They donāt feel loved. They donāt feel heard. They most definitely donāt feel safe,ā he said. āHow do we as the church come alongside them and help them walk in the way of Jesus?ā
Cromwell said everyone has struggles, and we must welcome people and help them find wholeness and healing in Christ.
āThereās a reason the book is titled what it is. We have a position we stand on, and weāre going to love from that,ā he said. āWeāre not going to shake the finger. Weāre going to extend the hand. Weāre not going to compromise. Weāre not going to lie to you, but weāre going to love you and help you become all that God wants you to be regardless of what your temptations are ā the same as we do for everybody that walks in our door.ā
If we feel called to spread a message of repentance, Cromwell said, then we should āfind someone we can talk with about that rather than telling them. Talk, because I think people are interested in dialogues. Very few of us want to engage in a monologue where someone is just talking at us. So how do we listen in love and do it together in relationship?ā
Loving someone does not mean endorsing their actions.
āWeāre not trying to condone sin,ā Cromwell said. āNothing in this is giving a pass to what we have said consistently is not Godās will, but it is calling us to be loving in how we call people to this holiness, to this repentance, to this new life.ā
Means of Grace
Heintzman asked about how a pastor should respond if an LGBTQ+ couple asks to have a baby baptized.
Cromwell responded that with any baptism (whether for an infant, child or adult), we should understand the reason for requesting the baptism, because the sacraments provide means of grace ā ways for us to draw closer to God.
āWhen you help people understand that this is a way to open ourselves up to what God wants to do in our life, I think from the pastoral point of view, it immediately brings to mind: Why would I want to resist that for anyone?ā said Cromwell, who noted the sacraments are not only symbolic acts. āWe want a lifestyle change, a full surrender to Christ. This is just one element of that, one way in which weāre recognizing āyou are part of the greater body of Christ … You are part of something much bigger than yourself, and by this public declaration of faith, you are saying that: I am throwing my lot in with these people as they seek to follow the Lord.āā
The process includes ārecognizing that baptism is less about what youāve done to that point and more about what God is going to do in your life from this point forward,ā Cromwell said. āIf itās a lesbian couple, I would assume that the leadership is talking about āhere is our position on same-sex relationships,ā so that couple will know where the church stands. Again, weāre not shutting the door to them. We not saying āyou canāt be here,ā but we also help them understand āthis is what we believe Godās plan for human sexual activity is.ā … Itās not a stamp of approval for what theyāve done. Itās more almost an initiation into the body to see what weāre going to become and how God will still yet change us and move through us and do great things in our lives.ā
Cromwell said a challenge for Free Methodists is: āHow do we create a denomination filled with lots of local churches where people can come and grow into the likeness of Christ?ā He hopes his book will help congregations consider these issues and become places where people of all temptations can āfind their identity as a child of God.ā
+

Jeff Finley
Light + Life Executive Editor
Jeff Finley is this magazineās executive editor. He joined the Light+Life team in 2011 after a dozen years of reporting and editing for Sun-Times Media. He is a member of John Wesley Free Methodist Church where his wife, Jen, serves as the lead pastor.
Loving From Where We Stand: A Call to Biblically Faithful Ministry with the LGBTQ+ Community
Rev. Bruce N.G. Cromwell, a member of the FMCUSA’s Study Commission On Doctrine (SCOD), and Superintendent of the Great Plains and MidAmerica Conferences, tackles one of the most pressing issues of the day in this practical guide for Free Methodists. Laying a foundation for our “stand” Bruce reminds us that love must radiate from that place. Every Free Methodist should read this book on sexuality and the church’s response.
Rev. Dr. David Bauer says this aboutĀ Loving From Where We Stand…
“Bruce Cromwell offers a vision of the Church’s response to those who experience same-sex attraction that is truly biblical, is richly theologically informed, and holds the promise of being pastorally and missionally effective.Ā He compellingly insists that we must avoid the false alternative of either loving the homosexual or maintaining the biblical perspective on human sexuality in favor of a “third way,” which expresses love by a welcoming inclusion with accountability.Ā This is one of the healthiest and most holistically biblical treatments of this issue that I have encountered.”
This is a softcover version of the book.
Click Here to View E-Book
$16.95