Black Pastors Launch African Tour To Counteract Rick Warren’s Anti-Gay Movement

A man is standing in front of a microphone.

Spearheaded by The Fellowship of Affirming Ministries (TFAM), its founder and presiding Bishop Rev. Dr. Yvette Flunder and executive director, Bishop-Elect, Pastor Joseph Tolton, the organization’s international outreach ministry The Fellowship Global (TFG) has launched a month long tour of key African nations where LGBTI communities continue to experience extreme discrimination and persecution. These countries include:…

Read More

The Hope Of The Resurrection

A white lily with a yellow center.

On Easter Day, I spent some time reflecting on what this holiday is like for those who feel estranged from their church communities because they are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender. For most of us who grew up in church, there was a time when the words “Happy Easter! He is risen” only ever brought…

Read More

Easter Is About Seeing Those At The Margins

The sun is setting over a body of water.

For many Christians, Easter is one of their high holy holidays.  It’s their religious bedrock that not only anchors them in their faith, but it also shapes and governs them in their view of the world. I’m one of them. The author and Christian apologist C.S. Lewis eloquently captures it for me when he wrote…

Read More

The Queering of Jesus: How I Reclaimed My Faith

An old book with a painting of jesus on it.

Today my mother has called me to ask what it is I plan on doing for Good Friday. She knows it has always been my favorite religious holiday of the year and is sure I have made plans. Hearing her voice, a ripe fruit bursting with all that good news and Baptist tabor, only makes…

Read More

Gay Jesus On The Cross Brings New Life To Christ’s Story

A man on a cross.

During Holy Week many LGBT Christians and their allies find inspiration in “The Passion of Christ: A Gay Vision,” a controversial series of paintings that are newly available as a book. The images show Jesus as a gay man of today in a modern city. He is persecuted, killed and rises again in the 24…

Read More

Living Christ’s Love: Would Jesus Turn People Away?

I am a Christian. I believe in Jesus. I believe in doing our best to follow God’s word and make it an active part of our lives. I also believe that every human being should be treated with dignity, respect and love—no if’s, and’s or but’s about it! I am heavily dismayed when I hear…

Read More

Liberating Religious Liberty

A black and white photo of a bar with many bottles.

When I went to work in West Hollywood in the mid-1990s, one of my new co-workers took me on a tour of the neighborhood at lunchtime. A long-time gay activist, he knew the local history well. He pointed out a building down the street and told me about the removal of a sign that read,…

Read More

That All Might Hear The Gospel And Live

A black and white photo of the christ statue in rio.

Walking into my parish church August 13, 2014, I took notice of the sun streaming through the skylight in our church commons, gleaming on the water of the baptismal font. It was a bright and warm summer afternoon, typical for August in Indiana. On this afternoon, I had been summoned to a meeting with my…

Read More

When Is “Enough” Enough?

Two men hugging each other in a church.

Recently, some African American pastors who came to “heckle” me changed their minds and instead asked me what they could do to move the conversation about moral equality for LGBT people in the Black church forward. I appreciate their honesty regarding the difficulty of this justice shift and the courage of those who will embark…

Read More

It Is Finished

A road with the word finish written on it.

Jesus’ Seven Last Words, sayings offered from the cross, may serve as guidance for the spiritual life. This is sixth in a series on Chris Glaser’s blog, “Progressive Christian Reflections.” Not to demean the abject nature of Jesus’ final words, according to John—but how nice to be able to say, “It is finished.” I have…

Read More