Posts by Believe Out Loud
You Are Not Alone
I plan to marry my partner of more than seven years this May. As we both grew up in Christian families and attended Christian undergraduate and graduate schools, the process of coming out and coming to terms with being gay has not been easy or quick for either one of us. But I’m grateful for…
Read MoreMarriage Equality Is A Conservative Cause
The party of Theodore Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan has now lost the popular vote in five of the last six presidential elections. The marketplace of ideas will render us irrelevant, and soon, if we are not honest about our time and place in history. Unfortunately, much of the discussion has focused on cosmetic solutions to,…
Read MoreRegistration Now Open For Camp Osiris
Camp Osiris is a retreat experience for queer and/or trans* people and allies who want a safe space to discuss their faith and their identities. Camp Osiris was founded in 2010 by myself and Caidin Riley. We wanted to create a space that was about more than just healing from religious hurt. We wanted a space that…
Read MoreWeek In Review
Welcome to the Week In Review, a weekly digest of the latest headlines at the intersections of Christian faith and LGBT equality. Are gay and bisexual men happier than straight guys? While some Christians give up soda, coffee or the internet for Lent, others are giving up God. This “LGBT-loving” feminist describes why she calls herself…
Read MoreCrossing Boundaries: A Transgender Priest Becomes a University Chaplain
In December of 2001, Cameron Partridge was a 28-year-old candidate for the Episcopal priesthood in Massachusetts when he informed his bishop he would be transitioning from female to male. The Rt. Rev. M. Thomas Shaw admits this news left him feeling uneasy. But, he added, “I’m old enough now that when I feel discomfort that…
Read MoreIs the Pope Catholic?
Pope Benedict’s sudden announcement to step down stirred a whirlwind of commentary and speculation. The publicized reason was that the pope no longer had the stamina to fulfill the duties of his office. This is the first time in more than 600 years that a pope has stepped down. Every pope since then has died…
Read MoreOntario Premier Kathleen Wynne Thanks Historic Gay-Positive Church
Premier Kathleen Wynne thanked a historic Toronto church Sunday for being a place of refuge when she was coming out in the 1990s. “I can remember the feeling of, this is a place that’s going to give me solace and strength,” Wynne, whose premiership has made history, told the Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto, where…
Read MoreRe-Painting The Rainbow Christ: A Conversation with Patrick Cheng
The Rev. Patrick S. Cheng, Ph.D., is a theologian, seminary professor, attorney, and ordained minister. He is the Associate Professor of Historical and Systematic Theology at Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, MA, and he has served as an ordained minister with the Metropolitan Community Churches for over a decade. As a blogger with The Huffington Post and…
Read More‘Biblical’ Marriage Unmasked
Many Christians today speak about the traditional biblical marriage, but if truth be known, “traditional” marriage is not a biblical concept. In fact, it would be hard to find a modern-day Christian who would actually abide by a truly biblical marriage in practice, as the biblical understanding of marriage meant male ownership of women who…
Read MoreHow LGBT Families Are Expanding Christian Love
As we usher in the Lenten season, I’ve been reflecting on how traditional Catholic theology has slammed into some painful walls of the modern world. First, the letter of resignation from Pope Benedict XVI earlier this week, where he acknowledged his lack of strength of mind and body to lead in a rapidly changing…
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