Posts Tagged ‘LGBT people of faith’
An Entire Universe of Life: A conversation with Julie Wood
“Mom, isn’t it amazing that in every “body” is an entire universe of life?” – Ben Wood in “Changing the Message”* Believe Out Loud sat down with LGBT activist and author Julie Wood to discuss how the loss of her son, Ben, to suicide in 2013 led her to dedicate her life to LGBT advocacy…
Read MoreBe Light Together – Our 2020 Advent Devotional
We’re excited to share our Advent devotional! May peace and light accompany us as we move through the Advent season. Please click on the image below to download our Advent reader – formatted for at-home printing:
Read MoreImitating God’s Heart
I grew up in the Baptist Church and we did not commemorate the liturgical season of the Christian Church. When I became a pastor, it was my church in Sacramento that schooled me on Advent and Lent. I developed a deep appreciation for the spiritual concepts of developing patience (a core part of anticipation of…
Read MoreThe LGBT Crisis in Poland
By: Christoph Slomski (KKBS, Berlin) and Matthew Schmid June of 2019 saw celebrations across the United States marking how far the country has come on LGBT rights. It’s hard to believe that this year’s World Pride events in New York City—lasting an entire month, bolstered by innumerable corporate sponsorships and centered on a parade that…
Read MoreNativity Stories
We each have our own “nativity story.” Mine is that it was a difficult birth, a prolonged labor, my mother turned blue, my father told the doctor she needed oxygen, I was born feet first, my legs were crooked and doctors wanted to put braces on them, but my mother resisted, choosing another therapy: massaging…
Read MoreJohn Paulk Renounces Ex-Gay Therapy; Evangelicals Respond
This week, former ex-gay spokesperson John Paulk issued a public apology for his involvment in ex-gay ministries, stating that reparative therapy does not change sexual orientation and apologizing for the pain caused by his advocacy. Below is a response from the Evangelical Network regarding Paulk’s change of heart. To admit that you have made a…
Read MoreCatholic Church Unfriendly to LGBT People? No, Living a Split Reality
A new Pew Research Center study provides an abysmal assessment of the Catholic Church for those of us who value LGBT inclusion in our faith communities. In a study of 1,197 LGBT adults released on June 13, 2013, 79 percent of those questioned rated Catholicism as “unfriendly” to LGBT people. Only 4 percent view our…
Read MoreGod Loves Me Just As I Am
By GMA News Recently, I received a long text message that hijacked my whole day and left me shaken and unable to do anything. It was from an old college classmate, one of my best friends. He had just finished reading my book, “Of God and Men.” We lost touch over the years, and he…
Read MorePlease Help Us Find Some Lost Sheep
A Pastoral Letter to the PCUSA: For some time, the Presbyterian Church U.S.A. (PCUSA) has been working to reflect in the life of our church the place of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people (LGBTQ) in God’s heart. This is all good. It is also a process.
Read MoreThe Three Fault Lines Of Injustice Against Rev. Darlene Garner
As we wrap up Black History Month, my mind and heart are returning to Rev. Darlene Garner and the injustice she experienced at the hands of the Metropolitan Community Church, a denomination to which she faithfully gave her leadership and ministry. I have been an ally of the Metropolitan Community Church since I attended my…
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