Seen, Known, and Loved: Embracing Divine Belonging

Densil Porteous - LGBTQIA+ Person of Faith

Quote

“You are altogether beautiful, my love; there is no flaw in you.”

~Song of Solomon 4:7 (NRSV)

Devotion

For so many in the LGBTQIA+ community, faith has often been a battlefield—one where we’ve fought for our place, questioned our worth, and wrestled with the voices that told us we were somehow less than. We have been told we must change, suppress, or hide parts of ourselves to be welcomed at the table of faith. But what if we took a step back and listened not to the voices of exclusion but to the voice of love?

The Song of Solomon 4:7 offers a powerful, tender affirmation: “You are altogether beautiful, my love; there is no flaw in you.” These words, often read as an intimate declaration between lovers, also echo the heart of God toward each of us. They remind us that we are created in beauty, wholly seen and wholly loved. Not in spite of who we are, but because of who we are.

I have seen firsthand how powerful it is when someone moves from believing they are tolerated to knowing they are treasured. I have felt the deep, transformative shift when a person understands that their Queerness is not a mistake, but a reflection of divine creativity. This knowing—that we are beautiful and beloved as we are—can be a homecoming, an exhale, a reclaiming of the truth that was always ours.

There is no flaw in you.

These words push back against the messages of shame that religion has too often placed on our shoulders. They are a direct challenge to the idea that our identity is something to be “fixed.” Instead, they call us to recognize our reflection in the divine and to see our Queerness as part of God’s wondrous design.

You were never meant to live in the margins of faith. You were never meant to be an outsider to divine love. The invitation is clear: step fully into the truth that you are seen, known, and loved.

Reflection

1.    When have you struggled to believe that you are wholly loved by God?

2.    How does hearing the words “there is no flaw in you” shift your understanding of your identity?

3.    Where have you found glimpses of divine love in the LGBTQIA+ community?

4.    How can you help create spaces of belonging for others who have been pushed to the margins?

Action

Write down the words of Song of Solomon 4:7 and place them somewhere you will see them often. Let them be a daily reminder that you are beautiful, beloved, and without flaw. If you feel called, extend this affirmation to someone else—remind them that they too are seen, known, and deeply loved.

Celebrating New Board Members

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Westerville, OH - At its March and April meetings, respectively, the LOVEboldly Board of Directors voted to appoint two new board members: Mr. Eli Shiltz and the Rev. Br. Ian Boden, OLF.

Eli Shiltz (he/him)

Passionate about helping others and with a faith that has always been central to his life, Eli is an epidemiologist with the Ohio Department of Health. He moved to Ohio in 2018 and began his gender transition in 2020. In his spare time, Eli volunteers with Meals on Wheels and fosters animals. He is an active member of Blue Ocean Faith Columbus.

The Rev. Br. Ian Boden, OLF (he/him)

Born in London, Ontario, and raised in St. Clair, MI, Ian moved to Ohio to attend Capital University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Religion in 2019. He then earned a Master of Divinity at Trinity Lutheran Seminary (part of Capital University) in 2025. Ian is an ordained pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and currently serves as the Associate Pastor of Emanuel Lutheran Church in Marion, OH, where he lives with his cat, Saint Julien of Norwich.

Ian is also a life professed sibling in the Order of Lutheran Franciscans (OLF) where he has the privilege of serving as the Sacristan, on the formation team, and as an ecumenical representative. His overarching philosophy on ministry is that all people deserve to be seen, heard, known and loved.

The LOVEboldly Staff and Board Team

(First row) Rev. Dr. Ben Huelskamp, Executive Director; Siobhan Boyd-Nelson, Esq., Board Chair; Rev. Brian Steele, Board Secretary; (Second row) Cass Helm, Interim Board Treasurer; NV Gay; Rev. Iva Joyce-Miesse; (Third row) Eli Shiltz; Rev. Br. Ian Boden, OLF

LOVEboldly is an Ohio, faith-based nonprofit working to create spaces where LGBTQIA+ people can flourish in Christianity.

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Blessed are the Doubters

Sunday, April 12, 2026

The Rev. Dr. Caleb Lines

Allied Person of Faith

LOVEboldly Advisory Board

Quote

“Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here. Look at my hands. Put your hand into my side. No more disbelief. Believe!’”

John 20:27 (NRSV)

Devotion

I love Thomas’ story! “Doubting Thomas” gets a bad rap for questioning, though. Maybe it’s because I’m originally from the “Show Me State,” but I’ve always felt an affinity for Thomas. I, too, need to see it to believe it. While the other Disciples witnessed Jesus’ resurrection, Thomas wasn’t there and says, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe” (John 20:25).

I’m with you, Thomas! What he wants is fair. The other disciples have encountered Jesus, and Thomas wants to experience the same thing. It’s not really doubt, it’s questioning and seeking proof. Thomas refuses to accept what the other disciples have told him unquestioningly. If I’m being honest, the Church could use a lot more of that. The Church treats questioning as weakness or failure. But Thomas shows us it is in a place of uncertainty where we often encounter the divine presence. I think Thomas’ questioning makes him the patron saint of Progressive Christianity.

The Church should do much more showing rather than insisting on naive belief. One of the most significant reasons why people leave the Church is because they have found religious institutions to be poor mediators of God’s presence: churches don’t practice what they preach! Preachers in pulpits talk a good game about love, but do a terrible job of living it out, especially regarding the Queer community.

As a straight, cisgender pastor and ally, I can’t pretend to know what it feels like to wrestle with faith and sexuality or gender identity from the inside. To question or even doubt God’s love for me simply because of who I am. Yet, I have walked alongside Queer friends, colleagues, and congregants who have shared their stories with me. What I’ve witnessed in those journeys is that doubt—especially when faith communities send the message that your very being is incompatible with God’s love—can feel overwhelming.

I see this doubt manifested all the time. People come to me and ask if they can really be Christian and LGBTQIA+ identifying, wondering if they’re really God’s beloved children. These questions echo Thomas’ longing: Unless I see it for myself, I cannot believe. And, like Thomas, they deserve to see it.

What I love most about Jesus’ response to Thomas is that he doesn’t dismiss Thomas or shame him for needing assurance. Instead, he invites Thomas to draw close to see and touch his wounds. Jesus' invitation is a reminder that God doesn’t turn away from our questions or doubts, especially the ones that come from pain and exclusion. Instead, God meets us right there and invites us to seek truth.

The same is true for LGBTQIA+ people who doubt their worth because of what the Church has said or done. God doesn’t condemn that questioning. God says, “Come close, for you are beloved.”  Churches need to show, not just tell.

As an ally, I’ve had my own doubts—not about God’s love for LGBTQIA+ people, but about whether the Church would ever fully live into that truth. I still wonder. But over and over, I’ve witnessed resurrection: in congregations that choose affirmation over exclusion, in voices once silenced who now lead, in the joy of Queer Christians claiming their identity as God’s beloved children. These resurrection moments prove God is still breaking through walls of fear and shame with an unstoppable love.

Thomas wanted to see, and Jesus showed him. In the same way, the Church must do more than speak—it must show Queer people they are beloved children of God with inherent worth and dignity. If you are questioning or wrestling with doubt today, take heart: doubt is not the enemy of faith. It is often the soil where faith grows strongest. Thomas’ doubt led to his bold proclamation, “My Lord and my God!”

In the same way, your questions, your searching, your longing to know you are loved—these, too, can open you to encounter God in more profound, truer ways. May your questions and doubts not be burdens you carry alone, but doorways through which you encounter God’s unstoppable love. May it be so.

Reflection

1.    What questions about God, identity, or belonging have you carried in your own journey?

2.    How might questions be an invitation to draw closer to God rather than a reason to pull away?

3.    Who has helped you see or experience “resurrection moments” when you questioned?

Action

This week, write down one doubt or question you carry. Instead of pushing it away, place it in prayer. Imagine God speaking directly to you, saying, “Come closer. See for yourself.” If you are an ally, reach out to an LGBTQIA+ friend and remind them that they are beloved, proof that resurrection love is alive through our relationships.