Buren Blankenship, pastor of Trinity Presbyterian Church in Starkville, Miss., recently asked a group in his youth Sunday school class, “What does a person have to do to earn God’s love?”  Someone replied, “Be born.”
In the history of Mississippi, a majority of citizens attended fundamentalist churches that joined in on debates of “teaching of evolution, public prayer in schools, abortion and homosexuality,” according to Mississippi Historical Society.
 As a part of the Bible Belt, 58 percent of Mississippians claim to be very religious and attend church weekly, according to a nationwide poll done by Gallup.com.
John Marszaleck III, professor at Walden University and a researcher of LGBTQ issues, said he understood gay couples in Mississippi left churches that did not welcome or affirm them, but he found other gay couples have gained acceptance in churches around Mississippi.
“A few couples from across (the state) have described feeling affirmed at the Episcopal church in their towns. One is a Unitarian church in Jackson,” he said.
Blankenship opens his church’s doors to the LGBTQ community in Starkville with the belief that God decided a long time ago that his heart would be open to all people.
“God’s redemptive efforts are focused on reconciling all persons to God,” he said.
In regards to preachers and religious institutions that preach against homosexuality, Blankenship said that type of preaching hurts and disheartens members of the LGBTQ community.
“It does not enable anyone to change who they are or bring them to God,” he said. “This message is driving people away from the church, including many heterosexuals who hear it as hateful, even when hate is not intended.”
Kay Brocato, associate professor of leadership and foundations, helped bring guest speakers to Trinity Presbyterian Church as a part of the EDGE program that garnered discussion on LGBTQ issues.
She said Starkville needs a place where questioning ideologies, life choices and Christianity is acceptable.
“I think the LGBT community is another community that needs embracing,” she said. “It brings great things to a congregation of a church that is wonderful for raising children or for inquiring about your own relationship.”
She said churches have progressed in terms of accepting the LGBTQ community into their congregation.
“I think it’s a hard sell because people fear what they don’t know,” she said. “A lot of churches are coming to grips with their ability to just say that, ‘We accept gay people into our church.'”
Ravi Perry, associate professor of political science, said people in the South are taught to be welcoming and neighborly, and because of religious influences, people fear discussion of sexuality.
“We have a religious population that interprets the Christian faith in a way that allows them to believe that homosexuality is a sin,” Perry said. “There are a lot of voices that would like LGBTQ issues to be quiet or hushed. It’s viewed despairingly.
He said pockets of positive influences, such as Trinity Presbyterian Church, exist throughout the state.
Despite a study showing religious affiliation affects public opinion on same-sex marriage and other related issues, Perry said surveys of religious life express agreement with same-sex marriage.
On one side of the same-sex marriage debate, president of the National Organization for Marriage said same-sex marriage would disconnect marriage from its “natural roots.”
On the other side, organizations like the Human Rights Campaign said same-sex couples should receive the same benefits of heterosexual couples.
Perry said America has had the largest shift in thinking nationwide in such a short period of time for any social issue.
“Ten years ago, the majority of the country did not think LGBT issues or marriage equality was something they supported,” he said. “Now, the majority of the country does.”