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 refusing to back down.
This episode is for you if:
✔️ You’re LGBTQ+ and have experienced church hurt
✔️ You were raised evangelical and are deconstructing
✔️ You still love Jesus but feel unsafe in church spaces
✔️ You’re searching for an affirming church
✔️ You’re a pastor, leader, or ally who wants to show up better
👉 Subscribe to the You Can Be Both Podcast for conversations at the intersection of faith, sexuality, healing, and justice
👉 Download the LGBTQ+ Healing & Resource Guide: https://www.laurenlanzaretta.com/youcanbeboth
👉 Share this episode with someone who needs to hear they still belong
You can love Jesus. You can be queer. You can be both.
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Connect with Danny Lybarger:
🌐 The Well Church: https://www.thewell636.org/
📱 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@danny_lybarger
📷 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danny_lybarger/?hl=en
Connect with Lauren Lanzaretta:
🌐 Website: https://www.laurenlanzaretta.com
📱 TikTok: @lanzaretta, @YouCanBeBoth
📷 Instagram: @lanzaretta, @YouCanBeBoth
📧 LGBTQ+ Healing & Resource Guide: https://www.laurenlanzaretta.com/youcanbeboth
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