Posts by pwsbuilder
Christians Care About Ending Discrimination
As the Faith Organizer for Equality Pennsylvania, I work with about 600 diverse clergy and over 1000 people of faith across the state of Pennsylvania who are working for equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people. On May 20, 2014, we celebrated a new reality in Pennsylvania—marriage equality came to our state! There…
Read MoreOpening Doors: The Closet of Depression
I have remained mostly silent in light of the recent deaths by suicide of transgender women and men. I would like to say that I have some sort of honorable reason for that silence, but the reality is that I was just too afraid to say much. You see, I’ve been running in and out of…
Read MoreReflecting God & Rethinking Scripture
Every human being reflects a part of God. God’s divinity is impressed upon our being, regardless of our race, creed, gender, sexual orientation, or ability and that invests us all with value. If we are all created in God’s image, we should all be equally valued. That means we as a church need to affirm…
Read MoreAn Open Letter to Pastor Ray Chavez of New Hope Ministries
Pastor Chavez, I’m sure you have received your fair share of letters over the past week or so. Some of them “hate mail,” others, letters staunchly supporting your decision. This letter falls under neither category. Going to any kind of extreme would only alienate you from its simple message. Vanessa Collier was a human being,…
Read MoreSexuality & Faith: A New Course for Religious Leaders
The intersection of faith and sexuality is one that is often traveled with misconceptions and anxiety because the Church has mostly failed to offer thoughtful, helpful information and education. The Church has been more of a hindrance than a help when it comes to the affirmation of our creation as God’s children of flesh and…
Read MoreTo Heal the World We Must Heal Ourselves: Reflections on MLK Day
Martin Luther King’s actual birthday is January 15th, and I believe if MLK were alive today he would be well pleased with Ava DuVernay’s film “Selma.” Many people working for justice today stand on the shoulders of Martin Luther King Jr and what he achieved in Selma. But I believe King’s vision of justice is often gravely…
Read MoreMartin Luther King Jr. Day: Marriage Equality & Unfinished Business
It was a glorious day! It was the first day my marriage of 37 years to Paula was deemed legal in the state where we make our home—Florida! But in the middle of our marriage equality celebration—there was a lesson about race. More than a dozen couples stood in the early morning air on Tuesday…
Read MoreWalking In Two Worlds: A Queer Spiritual Journey
I walk in two worlds. As a queer person of faith, my lived experience is a series of negotiations between contexts that affirm either my Queerness or my Faith Walk. It is not unusual for a context that is life-giving to one of these facets of my being to not make much room for the…
Read MoreThe Gay Christian Network Conference: A Glimpse Into The Future Of The Church
Four years ago I didn’t think it was possible to be both Gay and Christian. Those identities were diametrically opposed in my mind. To be gay was to have adopted a false identity rooted in sin and to be Christian was to find one’s identity in Jesus Christ alone. So any attempt to mesh these…
Read MoreBringing The United Methodist Church To A Higher Calling
I have worked for churches all of my adult life, and whether I was leading worship or simply attending a wedding I have heard the words, “an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace” at weddings countless times. However, growing up in the North Georgia Conference of The United Methodist Church I…
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