Posts Tagged ‘Religion and Sexuality’
On Leaving Religious Life: Why I Cannot Be A Roman Catholic Priest
Last fall I finally had enough. Enough of hearing the Roman Catholic Church romanticize the materially poor. Enough of watching the Roman Catholic Church fire married gays and lesbians from public ministry from high schools and churches. Enough of trying to defend the Roman Catholic Church’s practice of ordaining only celibate men to the priesthood.…
Read MoreThis #GivingTuesday: Donate To Support Our Life-Changing Work
Each week Believe Out Loud receives countless messages of support from our online community telling us how our work has impacted their lives. The messages are both touching and humbling. Here are just a few messages we’ve received on Facebook in the past four months alone. “Hey I just wanna say I love your page.…
Read MoreWhat LGBTQ People Need To Hear From Christian Leaders
“Sexual orientation is not a sin. Gender identity is not a sin. We are all created in the image of God.” For me, more than anything else—this statement is what I want to hear from our religious leaders. I want to hear the unambiguous pronouncement that people who are same gender loving, bisexual, transgender, non-gender…
Read MoreGroundbreaking LGBT Christian Journal Now Available Online
The year was 1985. I had graduated college the year before and had just started to come out as a gay man. The son of a Lutheran pastor, the church had made up a big part of my world. However, because of the growing awareness of my own sexual orientation, those years growing up were…
Read MoreAriana Grande Is (Another) Wake Up Call For Faith Leaders
Dear religious leaders: When you tell people that God doesn’t love them as they are, they believe you. And then they act accordingly. Namely, leaving your faith community. In an interview with The Telegraph, pop superstar Ariana Grande shared that she left the Roman Catholic Church after her gay brother shared with her that God didn’t love…
Read MoreAmidst Reformation: Our Chance To Change The Church
As an immigrant, a woman, and a person of color, I know what a public show of solidarity can mean in the face of adversity. Ashamedly, there have been times when I did not offer such solidarity to others. When I first became a Christian, I failed to be a public ally to LGBT people…
Read MoreVatican’s Final Report Disappoints; Discussion Indicates Progress
After signs of progress from the mid-term report of the Extraordinary Synod on Marriage and Family, the Vatican’s final report significantly backtracks on LGBT issues from the promising draft. Despite this disappointment, the synod’s process and openness to discussion provide hope for further development down the road, particularly at next year’s synod, where the make-up of the…
Read MoreThe Struggle Of Rebirth: A Catholic Coming Out
In reflecting over my ongoing sojourn with faith and sexuality, I realize that who I am and the area I seek to evolve is one that both disturbs and is disturbed, changes and is changed. As I look back at my life in an effort to re-remember my re-membering as I wrestle with church teaching,…
Read MoreBack-To-School Not Welcoming To All LGBTQ Students
It’s back-to-school season for most and stepping back into the scene isn’t easy for a lot of students—especially LGBTQ students. LGBTQ-phobias abound in the hallowed halls of higher learning. Unfortunately, we even have to confront them here in Massachusetts, an A+ queer-friendly state. I pray for LGBTQ freshman students walking into Gordon College. Most will…
Read MoreGay Christian Mingle: A Story Of LGBT Second Adolescence
When I was in 10th grade my friends started having sex. Of course, several had already done so and some until this day have not, but in 10th grade people began to talk openly about their experiences, or at least their thoughts about their future experiences. Contrary to what one might think, the Evangelical communities…
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