Posts Tagged ‘LGBT equality and inclusion’
Presbyterians Embrace A Table for All
This past week, I have sat at the Table. Not just any table, but the Table of Christ, around which I have gathered since I was a child. This week, however, the Table looked different than I have ever imagined. It didn’t look like the well-worn wooden piece—over laden with bread and chalice and liturgy—that…
Read MoreLOOK: Former Westboro Baptist Church Members Poses For NOH8 Campaign
The granddaughter of Westboro Baptist Church founder Fred Phelps further distanced herself from her family’s anti-gay legacy this week by posing for the NOH8 campaign. Libby Phelps-Alvarez made headlines when she left the Westboro Baptist Church…
Read MorePride Month: Church Of The Village Prays The LGBT Way Of The Cross
The way of the cross is an ancient tradition that retraces the steps of Jesus, remembering his suffering but also remembering the love, hope, and promise into which we are invited to enter. During Pride Month, the United Methodist Church of the Village is following this tradition by reflecting on the ways Christ has suffered in the…
Read MoreOpen Wide Our Doors: Bringing Hope to The Presbyterian Church (USA)
Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me. (Revelation 3:20) I know you know this feeling—the feeling of banging fists on a door when no one will open it. In the Presbyterian Church (USA)…
Read More“I Am Loved Right Where I Am”: Ensuring Our Children Feel Belonged
I am a certified special education school teacher who has taught various grades and subjects in the states of New York, Georgia, and Washington, D.C. Prior to teaching I was a youth counselor for many years, where I worked with youth diagnosed from moderate to severe intellectual disabilities, behavioral and emotional challenges, autism/Asperger’s syndrome, and…
Read MoreUrge California Archbishop To Cancel Appearance At Anti-LGBT March
While 57% of Catholics now support the freedom to marry and many Catholic leaders, including Pope Francis, have made affirming statements about LGBT people, San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone is planning to march alongside some of the most hateful anti-LGBT extremists in the nation at the National Organization for Marriage’s (NOM) rally in Washington,…
Read MoreThe General Assembly Is Not God
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) will soon make headlines, one way or another. The decisions we make at our 221st General Assembly will be reported across national media outlets through words loosely connected to what we actually experience together as a denominational family. (Prayers for you, reporters!) Amongst other decisions, we will vote to clarify the definition…
Read MoreA Trans Christian’s Open Letter To The Southern Baptist Convention
Dear Southern Baptist Convention, I know that you are considering passing a resolution against transgender identity this week at your meeting in Baltimore. In anticipation of this vote, I write to you as a fellow believer in our Lord Jesus Christ, the savior of the world, the person to whom I have given my heart…
Read MoreThongs Galore: Taking On My First Pride Parade
When I woke up on the morning of Seattle Pride 2013, I was not ready for “Thongs Galore,” and that bothered me. In my mind, going to the annual Pride Parade was just an item on the list of things queer kids did. Also on the list were listening to Lady Gaga, loving Rent, and…
Read MoreAWAB Joins Federal Lawsuit Challenging North Carolina’s Marriage Laws
The Association of Welcoming & Affirming Baptists (AWAB) joined the General Synod of the United Church of Christ vs. Cooper as a plaintiff in the pending Federal District Court lawsuit challenging North Carolina’s marriage laws, including Amendment One. Among the suit’s charges is that North Carolina’s ban on same-sex marriage restricts the rights of clergy to…
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