Posts by Believe Out Loud
The Gospel For Recovering People Pleasers
Are you familiar with this Bible verse? And if so, does it alarm you? Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law…
Read MoreFor All the (Gay) Saints Men’s Retreat
I am excited to be joining with Roman Catholic filmmaker and activist Brendan Fay to lead a new version of a 30 year “institution” founded by author and priest John McNeill. “For All The Saints” is an ecumenical opportunity for gay and bisexual men to reflect on their faith and build community “on the mountain”…
Read MoreEnding Marginalization In The Catholic Church
After serving as Roman Catholic priest for 40 years, nine months ago I was expelled from the priesthood and my Maryknoll community because of my public support for the ordination of women. While being expelled from my religious community that I loved was incredibly painful, that pain doesn’t compare to the hurt endured by women…
Read MoreWhen A Redneck Loved A Queer
I was at the inaugural annual Intercollegiate Adventist GSA Coalition (IAGC) meeting the first time I saw Seventh-Gay Adventists, a film that documents the lives of three couples who identify as members of both the queer community and the very conservative Seventh-day Adventist faith community. A year and a half later, I have seen the film in…
Read MoreAn Open Letter To NALT Christians
This is a letter to NALT Christians taking the first step to tell the world they support LGBTQ inclusion. First and foremost: welcome, and thank you! I know that many people participating in the NALT campaign are taking great risks to stand up, often alone, to homophobia and transphobia in their communities. I know from…
Read MoreMychal Judge, Gay Saint Of 9/11 & Chaplain To New York Firefighters
Father Mychal Judge, chaplain to New York firefighters and unofficial “gay saint,” died helping others in the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center 12 years ago today on Sept. 11, 2001. Now as people pray and petition for peace in Syria, it is appropriate to remember the priest who was killed by flying debris while praying and administering…
Read MoreAre We Reflecting God’s Love To Each Other?
Maria Medina is 17 years old, and she is a member of Presbyterian Welcome’s youth group. She preached this sermon in both Spanish and English on August 25 at her church in Brooklyn, NY. Sometimes when people go out of church they say, “Boy, I wish so and so had heard that message.” I don’t want you…
Read MoreQueer Voices: The Role Of The Outsider
I am reminded several times a week that both a sizeable and vocal portion of the Christian world considers the coexistence of homosexuality and Christianity within the same person to be at best an interesting conversation piece, and at worst, an aberrant abomination. I think this largely has to do with any number of stereotypes…
Read MoreEver-Widening Circles: Reflections on Marriage Vows and General Synod
Like other idealistic young couples at the time, John and I wrote our own marriage vows. And like most, we had little or no idea of what our words implied. For example: “Though our love should never end, because it is of God it is not meant for us alone, but for ever-widening circles.” Hello?…
Read MoreA Brother’s Pledge: Standing Up For Love
I remember sitting in church and hearing the sermons about what it meant to be a Christian—the commandment to love your neighbor as you love yourself—and thinking that this just didn’t apply to me; I was unworthy. As I came of age I realized that my sexual orientation wasn’t a choice I had made, but…
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