If I have an asterisk, it is not love.

An article from the KC Star, shared with my by my friend Jim...

Kansas pastor taking LGBT books out of public library has an odd view of Jesus’ love

Opinion BY JOEL MATHIS REGULAR OPINION CORRESPONDENT UPDATED JUNE 10, 2024 3:51 PM 

Kyle Lammott, lead pastor of Exodus Church in Wichita, urged men to “go empty the local library of all their LGBTQ+ books” during Pride month. exoduschurch.net; Screengrab from Instagram 

For the moment, at least, Kyle Lammott might be in possession of one of the largest collections of LGBT literature in Kansas. Let’s be clear: That’s not because he’s a deep reader of such materials. TOP VIDEOS Instead, the lead pastor of Exodus Church Wichita doesn’t want anybody else to read those books. That’s why he went to the Andover Public Library recently to check out as many as he could — reportedly more than 100 in all — in order to take them out of circulation during Pride Month. Then he posted the results to Instagram: A picture of bags and shelves stuffed with titles like “The Gay Best Friend,” “Be Dazzled” and “To My Trans Sisters.” 

“It’s Pride Month, a good time to recalibrate what it means to love your neighbors,” Lammott wrote. “One way you can love your neighbors and your community is together some of the men in your church and go empty the local library of all their LGBTQ+ books. Start with the kids’ books and work your way up. “This,” he concluded, “really is a great way to love your neighbors and serve your community.” 

Not really. I’ll explain why in terms I hope Lammott might understand. For more than a century, Christians around the world have guided themselves with a simple question: “What would Jesus do?” It was first posed by Charles Sheldon, a Topeka minister, in his novel “In His Steps.” “After asking that question,” Sheldon wrote, “each one will follow Jesus as exactly as he knows how, no matter what the result may be.” And so the question here is: Would Jesus raid a library to make sure that nobody else in his community could read books he didn’t like? I’m skeptical. TOOK AWAY ANDOVER LIBRARY PATRONS’ CHOICE The Jesus I grew up learning about tended to love people by, well, loving them.

 He didn’t bully them, nor did he try to control what they could see or hear. Given a chance to condemn an adultress, he told her accusers that the one without sin could cast the first stone. He dined with men of ill-repute, like Zaccheaus the tax collector. The one time he really showed his temper was when he drove the money changers out of the temple. Grifters got on his nerves. Everybody else was welcome. 

“Jesus never said ‘Love your neighbor, except …,” said the Rev. Nancy Tuma, pastor at Ward Parkway Presbyterian Church in Kansas City. “Jesus said, ‘Love God, love your neighbor,’ and your neighbor is everyone.” Tuma, as you can tell, didn’t much approve of Lammott’s actions, or his anti-LGBT interpretation of what it means to “love your neighbor.” Love “means allowing people to see themselves in literature and books, and where many people find those are in the libraries,” she said. “I don’t think love means taking things out.” We won’t resolve any theological debates today. People believe what they believe — often, it’s stuff I don’t believe — and it’s usually impossible to change their minds. 

Ideally, we should all be willing to live and let live. The problem, of course, is that Lammott didn’t live and let live. He didn’t quietly decide not to check out LGBT books for his family, nor did he advise his congregation to do the same. Instead, Lammott decided that he has the unilateral right to make a decision for the entire community — Christian or non-Christian, straight or otherwise — to deprive every single other patron of the Andover library of the ability to decide what they will and won’t read. That’s antidemocratic. A bit authoritarian, even. The good news here, if there is any, is that Andover should get its LGBT books back. In an email, Lammott told KMUW — which first reported this story — that he plans to return the stacks of books he checked out. But the damage has been done. Let everybody else learn a lesson: You don’t “love” anybody by trying to control them. 

Joel Mathis is a regular Kansas City Star and Wichita Eagle Opinion correspondent. Formerly a writer and editor at Kansas newspapers, he served nine years as a syndicated columnist.

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