Episode
The Power of Allies: Why This Straight White Male Pastor INCLUDES LGBTQ+ in Church
- Podcast
- You Can Be Both
- Published
- Feb 1, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 3747
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Summary
What does it mean when a straight, white male pastor says LGBTQ+ people fully belong in the church? In this powerful episode of the You Can Be Both Podcast, host Lauren Lanzaretta welcomes her first-ever guest, Danny Lybarger — a straight, white male pastor, theologian, and founder of The Well: An Inclusive & Justice-Centered Church in the St. Louis area. Danny is known for using his platform, privilege, and voice within the church to advocate loudly for LGBTQ+ inclusion, even when it put his ordination, funding, and career at risk. His viral TikToks challenge harmful theology and center a message many queer Christians have never heard from someone who “fits” traditional church leadership: you are not excluded from God’s table. Together, Lauren and Danny unpack some of the most searched, debated, and emotionally charged questions in Christianity today, including: • Can LGBTQ+ people be Christians? • Are gay people going to hell? • What does the Bible actually say about homosexuality? • Why “welcoming” churches often aren’t affirming • How to tell if a church is truly LGBTQ+ affirming • Why church trauma drives so many queer people away from faith • The responsibility of straight allies and pastors to speak up• United Methodist theology vs evangelical Christianity • The Wesleyan Quadrilateral (Scripture, tradition, reason, experience) • Responding to clobber verses, proof-texting, and online hate • Why representation in church leadership matters • How radical inclusion is not political—it’s deeply biblical Danny also shares the real consequences of choosing affirmation: performing same-sex marriages before his denomination allowed it, risking being defrocked, receiving hate mail, and building a church in one of the most conservative counties in Missouri—while refusi…