Posts by Believe Out Loud
Putting A Halt To The Religious Right’s Anti-Gay Rhetoric
“I wish I could be happy, I try, I try, I try … I just want to feel special to someone.” –Jamie Hubley On October 14, Jamie Hubley, a gay 15-year-old boy, committed suicide. He struggled with depression and bullying from classmates because he was openly gay. The challenges experienced by this young man are…
Read MoreSavage v. Santorum: Time For Christians To Be Radically Inclusive
October 11th marked National Coming Out Day, an annual celebration to promote a safe world for LGBT individuals to live truthfully and openly. Ironically, this year’s event came two days after the conclusion of the annual Values Voter Summit, a gathering that the Southern Poverty Law Center urged people to boycott this year because two…
Read MorePastor Fired For Applauding End Of DADT
Two nights ago I got this email: Greetings John, My name is [X], and I am/was a Pastor of [Super Cool-Sounding Job Title] at a church here in [Big American City]. My wife and I have both been very grateful for your blog, and it has spoken to us many times. Thank you for the…
Read MoreMeet Scott Anderson, Soon To Be First (Openly) Gay Minister Ordained By Presbyterian Church
“Our pastor is gay! Our pastor is gay! How can we possibly continue being Christians now?!” Okay, fine: I don’t actually know what the two people said to their fellow parishioners at Bethany Presbyterian when, in the spring of 1990, they decided to out their head pastor, Scott Anderson. But they did out Mr. Anderson,…
Read MoreDan Savage On LGBTQ Bullies: Why The Church Must Change
I’ve always appreciated Dan Savage’s brutal honesty, and to-the-point bluntness. Just look at Rick Santorum. Back in 2003, the former U.S. Senator compared gay sex to pedophilia and bestiality, and in retaliation, Savage, a Seattle based sex columnist and founder of the “It Gets Better” project, has led an almost decade-long Google bombing campaign, forcing…
Read MoreChristians Should Be More Than “Gay Okay”
I was talking to a man recently who has been coming to our church after a small group discussion we had about faith and sexual orientation. His perspective really bothered me at the time, but I wasn’t sure why. The guy is a lot like me in many ways — white, in his thirties, middle…
Read MoreTop 5 Questions (With Answers) To LGBT Acceptance
In my 30 years as any advocate for God’s love for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people, I’ve had countless conversations with those who think differently from me about God, Scripture and the place of the LGBT faithful in the church. Throughout these years, I’ve heard, read and have been asked many of the…
Read MoreUnpacking The Sojourners Snafu
After the book God’s Politics became a best-seller in 2004, the accompanying website launched two years later became the “go to” place for conversations that tried to broaden the definition of what it meant to be a follower of Christ. When I published my first book in 2006, I welcomed the opportunity to blog for…
Read MoreMainstream Christians Must Stand Up To The Religious Right
In August, fundamentalist preacher Dr. Michael Brown organized a regimen of red shirted Bible-thumpers to infiltrate Charlotte’s gay pride event. Hundreds of zealots confronted and harassed festival attendees with their arrogant slogan “God Has A Better Way.” The hatred and religious bigotry was appalling, but not surprising. What truly bothers me, however, was the lack…
Read MorePeople Of Faith Mobilize To Defeat NC Anti-LGBT Amendment
Here we go again. Last week, the North Carolina state legislature passed a proposed anti-LGBT constitutional amendment that would ban any legal relationship recognition for same-sex couples. The amendment now proceeds to the ballot for a statewide vote during the May 2012 primary. This time, we’re ready. Believe Out Loud, along with partner organizations within…
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