Faithful and Inclusive

The Bible, Sexuality, and the United Methodist Church

Rob Fuquay

You can stay faithful to the Bible and embrace the LGBTQ community.

Faithful and Inclusive allows you to gain an understanding of how United Methodists can be both obedient to God’s Word and fully welcoming to LGBTQ persons in the church. This five-session resource for Sunday schools and small groups has been designed for participants to develop their own perspectives on the Bible’s passages related to homosexuality. An orientation meeting before the study begins gives participants all the tools and confidence they need to participate in this app-based study.

Rev. Rob Fuquay, pastor of one of the largest United Methodist congregations in the country, creates a safe space to navigate through this thorny issue, relying on the biblical-interpretation approach of Methodism’s founder, John Wesley.

The study in the app is five sessions, not six as mentioned in the above video. 

The sixth session looked at areas of the Book of Discipline from the 2019 General Conference, and is therefore out of date.

This study is available on the app
now!

Purchase this study

$45 for leaders (lifetime use)   |   $15 for participants (one-time use)

Log in at App.BeADiscipleApp.com for best price. Prices are higher on mobile app.

About the Author

Rev. Rob Fuquay

Rob Fuquay is senior pastor of St Luke’s United Methodist Church, a 6,000+ member church in Indianapolis, Indiana. His books and DVD resources, published by The Upper Room and the United Methodist Publishing House, include The God We Can Know, Take the Flag, Which Way, Lord?, A New Reformation, and The Passion Play.

What's included?

This version of Faithful and Inclusive: the Bible, Sexuality, and the United Methodist Church contains all content from the study DVD and leader guide in a digital format.

As well as Rev. Fuquay’s commentary and group discussion questions, each session also features the faith journeys of members of the LGBTQ community and their families.

All content is accessible via the state-of-the-art BeADisciple Study App, entirely accessible on your smart phone, tablet, or computer. You won’t have any physical study materials to keep track of!

Faithful and Inclusive cover with Adapted-v Apr2024
See a sample week's Leader Guide

Session overviews:

How United Methodists Interpret Scripture

The goal of this session is to better understand what the Bible says regarding non-heterosexual practices
and why, and to consider how Christians committed to upholding Biblical authority can take a nonliteral approach to these passages.

Old Testament Passages

The goal of this session is to study the passages of scripture found in the Old Testament that are
commonly used in discussions on homosexuality, and to gain a better understanding of The Holiness
Code in Leviticus.

The Influence of Culture on How We Read the Bible

The goal of this session is to understand the influence of culture on how United Methodists read and interpret scripture.

New Testament Scriptures

The goal of this session is to gain a better understanding of the context of the time the Apostle Paul lived
and to study the passages of scripture found in the New Testament that are commonly used in
discussions on homosexuality.

The Jesus Ethic: What did Christ say?

The goal of this session is to consider Jesus’ life and teachings as an interpretive measure by which we read scripture.

Time commitments for this study:

  • About 20 minutes of daily reading (in both text and audio formats) three days a week.
  • Participating in group discussion threads.
  • Attending (virtually or in person) a weekly 75-minute meeting with your group of six to 16.
  • Attending (virtually or in person) one orientation with your group before the study begins.

Why do this study on the app?

The BeADisciple Study App opens a whole new world of possibilities in small-group life, all with trusted content and 24/7 connectivity.

Reach down the block or around the world to offer Christian fellowship alongside:

  • Business travelers
  • Stay-at-home parents
  • Shift workers
  • Mission partners
  • High school or college friends
  • Family members
  • Isolated rural residents
  • People without a church home
  • International friends
  • Homebound residents
  • Snowbirds
  • Frequent travelers

All study materials are included:

  • All content from Faithful and Inclusive, its leader guide, and accompanying videos
  • The entire CEB Bible for scripture readings
  • The ability to set reminders on your phone or tablet to help you remember to do your daily readings.
  • Take notes in the app right alongside the content
  • Personalized Meeting Guides automatically compiled from your notes

Community-building features:

  • 24/7 message and prayer boards to help you communicate with your study group.
  • A roster of other members of your group, to help you get to know one another.
  • Easily join your group Zoom meeting with the click of a button, no sign-in required

Connect anywhere, build community, and build faith habits
by leading or participating in studies on the BeADisciple Study App.

What clergy are saying

Tom Berlin, United Methodist Bishop serving the Florida Area of the UMC

Rob Fuquay is a gifted pastor and bible teacher who takes seriously the hard questions people are asking about homosexuality. Rob takes us beyond easy answers and provides us with a safe and gracious forum to consider new perspectives on the lives of those who are in our families, neighborhoods and churches. Through facilitated discussion, video teaching and the study of scripture, participants will join with Rob in a quest for deeper understanding. If you have looked for a great resource to share with your church on this topic, you have found it.

Rev. Dr. Stan Copeland, Lover’s Lane UMC, Dallas, Texas

Rob Fuquay is a colleague of highest integrity and his ministry has been highly effective through the years.  He is just the one to bring such a resource to the church that he obviously loves and wants to see navigate the turbulent waters of conflict over human sexuality that we are now in.  His strong Wesleyan grounding, compassionate pastor’s heart shines through the curriculum and the videos.  The testimonies are powerful and move the discussion from being about “issues” to where it should be– about children of God.  Thanks for Faithful and Inclusive, I want to be one of the first to order this resource and have groups engage it.

Don Underwood, Emeritus Pastor, Christ UMC, Plano, Texas

Rob Fuquay is one of our brightest United Methodist pastors, and also one of our best communicators. In this video series he tackles the really difficult questions about human sexuality, the Bible, and the United Methodist Church. This is the most pressing theological and ecclesial issue of our time, and Rob has managed to broaden and deepen our understanding with this important and insightful work. I strongly recommend it to both clergy and lay.

Mike Slaughter, Ginghamsburg Church, Tipp City, Ohio

Rob Fuquay’s new DVD resource is one of the best presentations on a holistic understanding of Scripture and human sexuality that I have seen. A great resource for small groups or larger group presentations.  

Rev. Dr. Mark R. Holland, Executive Director, Mainstream UMC

This video series is exactly what churches across the connection are asking for.  Pastors and Lay Leaders are looking for resources to have a conversation in their local church about homosexuality that will be healing and beneficial for everyone.  Your church is in good hands with Rev. Rob Fuquay.  Pastor Rob leads one of the largest United Methodist Churches in Indiana and understands how difficult these conversations can be.  His pastoral heart really comes through in a way that church members on both sides of the aisle can be nurtured.