Posts Tagged ‘Religion and Sexuality’
Catholics Welcome Pope Francis’ Call For Church Apology To Gay People, Others
Catholics have begun to welcome Pope Francis’ recommendation that the church apologize to LGBT people, women, and others whom it has harmed. The pope made his remarks during an in-flight press conference on the return flight from his apostolic visit to Armenia over the weekend. Jesuit Fr. James Martin, a noted author and commentator, called…
Read MoreThe Truth About Homophobia In The Black Community
The general public may have been surprised by the results of a survey released by the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI), which found that African Americans overwhelmingly support policies that promote greater equality for LGBT people. In fact, more than any other racial group, African Americans believe that businesses and the government should not be…
Read MoreA Love Letter To Our Church From Your LGBTQI Religious Leaders
Originally posted by Reconciling Ministries Network (RMN), the letter below caused RMN’s website to crash due to an overload of traffic just hours after the letter’s release. Believe Out Loud is honored to host a copy of this historic letter, and we stand in solidarity today with the 111 LGBTQI clergy and candidates below. Dear…
Read MoreWhy I Stopped Pursuing Ordained Ministry
In November of 2014, I decided to discontinue my efforts to be a certified candidate in the United Methodist Church. I’ll never forget that day. It was unseasonably warm, so I worn a white tank top and some black basketball shorts. I looked like I was prepping for a track meet, or at least for…
Read MoreLGBTQ Mental Health Care In The Black Church
Back in the day, Girlfriends was one of my favorite sitcoms to watch. To see the interactions between strong Black women on television that mirrored what I was exposed to in my family always left me joyful and anxious to watch the next episode. The cast of the show was Joan, Lynn, Mya, William and…
Read MoreAn Open Letter To Gay Catholic Priests From A Gay Catholic Priest
Dear Gay Catholic Priests, I know you’re busy, so I will try to make this brief. Many of you have been following the story in the news about a gay catholic priest from Chicago who recently came out. I know you’ve been following his story because I’ve been following his story. And, I know that the thought…
Read MoreWhen Religion Puts Our Lives In Peril
Within my Christian upbringing, I attempt at being a spiritual person. I believe that our spirituality and faith is a source of strength and hope. Unfortunately, I have seen religion too oftentimes be a firmly held set of rituals beholden to a literal and legalistic interpretation. Historically and currently, religion is a source of spiritual…
Read MoreFor God Is Love
“Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love.” 1 John 4:7-8 Do we really believe that scripture? I believe this verse would serve us well to consider in its literal…
Read MoreThe Man Who Buried Them Remembers
When he conducted the funerals, Tom Bonderenko tells me, he always wore his priestly garments and white stole. Even when no one showed up for the graveside service. “It was important to show dignity and respect,” Tom says. He taps the coffee cup in his lap nervously. “I’m sorry,” he says. He clears his throat…
Read MoreThe Real War On Christianity
I am a transgender Christian woman. This is the line I often use to begin one of my presentations about being a transgender woman of faith. Then I often follow that line with these: I like to start with that because you don’t often hear the words transgender and Christian in the same sentence. I like to…
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