Posts by Believe Out Loud
Holocaust Remembrance Day: We All Wear The Triangle
1945: Upon liberation of Nazi concentration camps by Allied forces, some interned for homosexuality are not freed, but required to serve out the full term of their sentences under Paragraph 175. Click here to see the full image. International Holocaust Remembrance Day honors the victims of the Nazi era, including the estimated 5,000 to 60,000…
Read MoreTweet The Pope To Protect LGBTQ People Around The World
A world of humanity is mobilizing around the #PopeSpeakOut Twitter campaign to persuade Pope Francis to speak out against the growing tide of anti-LGBTQ laws around the globe. The campaign launched yesterday, and we encourage our supporters who use Twitter to participate. The campaign organizers are New Ways Ministry, The Fellowship, and a growing number of…
Read MoreAwakening Christian LGBTQ Advocacy In Nashville
“So…do people from Kentucky wear shoes?” I sat there, slack-jawed, trying to comprehend the words that had just come out of her mouth. I had recently moved to Nashville for college, and this was a big change for a girl from rural Kentucky. My new classmate was obviously curious. “I mean, I know your own…
Read MoreKnitting Our Way To General Assembly
Once more, the season for knitting and praying our way to the Prebyterian Church (USA) General Assembly is upon us. It is time for us to get the Redheart Mexicana yarn, pull out the needles or crochet hook, and pray for justice with each stitch, asking others to join us. Since 2008, rainbow scarves have been…
Read MoreGlobal Church Protests Arrests in Nigeria, Advocates for LGBT People
The global leader of the world’s largest church that affirms lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people condemned the mass arrests and torture of LGBTQ people in Nigeria. The Rev. Dr. Nancy Wilson, the global moderator of Metropolitan Community churches, announced a call for all faith leaders and persons of good will to speak out…
Read More“If I Could Straighten Out!”: That’s What He Told Me
My name is Johnie Guerra. I’m straight and happily married with four wonderful boys. I’m the grandson of two pastors and my parents did their best to raise me with a Bible-based upbringing. Recently, I’ve started attending a church with an inclusive ministry for LGBT people, volunteering at a youth group for LGBT kids, and…
Read MoreFather Robert Nugent Passes Into Eternal Life
When few priests would do more than whisper about homosexuality, Father Nugent was meeting with people who identified as LGBTQ and encouraging them to claim their rightful place in the Catholic Church. During a time of intense homophobia in both church and society, he exhibited uncommon courage and foresight in welcoming and affirming the goodness…
Read MoreAt Home In The House Of God
Being the loudest queer voice in the Seventh-day Adventist denomination has made me a big target in my church. While many members are genuinely interested in a dialogue, there are still those who wish I would stop talking about equality. Each outburst made, each letter written, and each sermon preached against my message perpetuates the ignorant…
Read MoreMy Christian College Censored My Alumni Update
He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? (Micah 6:8) When I was asked at the start of last spring semester whether I would be interested in assisting on research for an amicus brief…
Read MoreCelebrating Our Common Unities Through Love
Personally, I am tired of religious irony. My own snarky, judgmental attitude about a Christian megachurch, no matter how much in check I was able to keep it at the moment, almost kept me from making a beautiful discovery about the depth and capacity of the human heart. When I walked into Overlake Christian Church,…
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