I was surprised by the spirit of the letter to the editor from Tony Pierce, Pastor of the Fountain Hills Baptist Church, especially with it being Christmas Eve, when we are awaiting the Prince of Peace, Jesus, who taught us love and inclusion.

I am a Christian who respectfully disagrees with Pastor Pierce. The LGBTQ suicide rates are high, thanks in part to those who want to change how God made them. I attend one of “those churches” here in town to which Pastor Pierce referred.

Our Pastor only preaches of love, acceptance and justice for LGBTQ persons. All are welcome at The Fountains, a United Methodist Church.

In reference to the Duck Dynasty matter, the First Amendment protects you from the government limiting your speech, not your employer.

It’s understandable that people who have an old-fashioned view of same-sex marriage are afraid, as same sex marriage is inevitable, and they will end up on the wrong side of history, (like those Christians who defended slavery and opposed women’s rights and interracial marriage).

Those who follow Jesus have many different ways of living out their faith in the world. As for me, I choose to err on the side of grace and acceptance of people, just the way they are (in other words, just the way Jesus did).