Posts by pwsbuilder
My Journey From An Ex-Gay Ministry To An Affirming Congregation
Growing up in rural southeastern Ohio, I always knew that I was gay, but I resented that part of myself. I wanted to be “normal,” to be like everyone else. In 1996, at the age of twenty, when I encountered a church that assured me that God could set me free from my same-sex attractions,…
Read MoreWorldwide LGBT Catholics & Parents Respond To Synod 2015 Working Document
A number of organisations and advocates who focus on pastoral care and social justice for LGBT people and their families, working to form a Global Network of Rainbow Catholics (GNRC), is disappointed by the 14th Ordinary Synod of Bishops’ Working Document (Instrumentum Laboris) on “The Vocation & Mission of the Family in the Church and…
Read MoreReligious Liberty In A Time Of Marriage Equality
In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court decision broadening the understanding of marriage, those who have fought same-gender marriage now express fears that they will be called upon to do things their consciences will not permit and are clamoring for “religious liberty.” It’s ironic that those who denied religious liberty to LGBT people in…
Read MoreMy Married Life Post Marriage Equality
For some time now, my spouse and I have been bickering over where we should live in our retirement years. She, being a child from the South, and me, being from the North, well, we have our tensions. I have jokingly dubbed them our “Mason-Dixon line feud.” We are not stretching our imaginations much when…
Read MoreHow Marriage Equality Is The Answer To Our Prayers
You know the old joke about praying for God’s help? The one where the man in a storm waits atop his roof while flood waters rise, having prayed for God’s help for deliverance? Meanwhile, his neighbor drives off, a boat passes by and even a rescue helicopter hovers overhead. All of which the man refuses…
Read MorePride Beyond Possibility
Living today in New York City, my hometown of Calhoun, Georgia, often feels far away. But when I go home for the holidays and spend time with my friends and family, I’m easily transported back to my childhood, revisiting the house and the town where I spent my most awkward teenaged years willfully ignoring my…
Read MoreSupreme Court Ruling Brings Nationwide Marriage Equality
Today’s historic Supreme Court ruling means same-sex couples will soon have the freedom to marry and equal respect for their marriages across the United States. This is a momentous win for freedom, equality, inclusion, and above all, love! ADD YOUR NAME: Christians Pledge To Work For Justice Beyond Marriage Equality Believe Out Loud recognizes the…
Read MoreA Presence Stronger than Absence for Pride 2015
The post coming-out talk that I had with my mom related to my sexuality was hard. It had to do with her and dad going to therapy. They’d found a therapist who’d went to Smith College; they sought counsel from her. It sounded hopeful, at first. I opened my heart up at least wider than…
Read MoreWhy I Advocate For LGBT People Of Color
Every Sunday, many African American gays worship in churches that preach hate and prejudice against them. We sit in silence in the pews even though we are tithing members of the congregation. After Antonia Pantoja, my partner and colleague for 30 years, died of cancer in 2002, I came to understand just how much the…
Read MoreSouthern Baptist Convention Should Offer Third Way To Affirming Churches
It’s been almost a year since my church was dismissed from the Southern Baptist Convention. During the dismissal process, I had brought up concerns regarding the inconsistency of our denomination’s application of scripture. What has been hard for me to hear at this year’s SBC Convention is how they continue to state that Christians must stand firm on…
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