Posts by pwsbuilder
Celibacy Shouldn’t Be The New Ex-Gay Ministry
Embracing celibacy as an appropriate religious calling to be a God-abiding LGBTQ Christian is now on the rise. And I didn’t know my sexual orientation was still up for debate—no joke. Progress has been made on federal and state levels concerning LGBTQ civil rights, but many churches, especially in certain religious conservative circles, are far…
Read MoreKeeping My Church A Safe Place For The LGBTQ Community
My church, First Church Congregational in Rochester NH, has been “Open and Affirming” (a designation of the United Church of Christ) since 2002. The designation means that we make a specific commitment to welcome the LGBTQ community, to recognize the hurt that had been done to that community by the institutional church, and to work…
Read MoreA Catholic Lesbian Mother’s Reaction To The Discriminatory ‘Inclusion Act’
Sometimes the personal truly is political. Today, I read a letter sent by three Catholic bishops to U.S. lawmakers. The letter endorses a bill that would allow publicly funded child welfare agencies to refuse to place children for foster care and adoption with same-sex couples due to “their religious beliefs or moral convictions.” The letter…
Read MoreMillennials, The Church, And Global LGBT Social Consciousness
Last spring, I wrote about a young woman named Dannika Nash who quoted the Macklemore song “Same Love” in some frank advice to the institutional church on behalf of millennials. She warned that if the church forced her generation to choose between it and their support of LGBT rights, it was going to be disappointed in the outcome. Her message…
Read MoreThe Golden Rule
The Golden Rule: a law that teaches when one is harmed we’re all harmed; when one is helped, we’re all healed. It is the base for several religions with versions of it existing in several sacred texts (see below). Recently, I have reflected on how the Golden Rule can help unite us, despite having differences.…
Read MoreProtecting LGBTQ Equality In Chattanooga: Your Vote Matters
Imagine with me, if you will, being on a romantic date. Everything is perfect—the food, the conversation, even the ambiance. It’s an amazing evening. While you are enjoying dinner, your boss who happens to be eating in the same restaurant, passes by and stops to say hello, so you introduce your date to your boss.…
Read MoreMy Journey From Christian College To Drag
The one thing about a journey is that while you may have a certain destination in mind, providence has a way of stepping in and setting you on a course you never imagined. Take Dorothy: I’m almost certain she never meant to hook up with dudes sporting straw, tin, and a hairy bush on her…
Read MoreWhere We Go Next
Two weeks ago, I was invited to the White House. I received an email asking me to be present for President Obama signing his executive order banning LGBT employment discrimination by federal contractors. It was an incredible honor to be present for a historical event like that. The whole event went by fast, but I…
Read MoreI Am A Black Gay Christian—And I Know God Loves Me
I am Ronald Moore, and like all of us, I am the sum of many parts—a native of Detroit, graduate of Michigan State University, member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Hewlett Packard retiree, devout Christian member of The Riverside Church of New York, proud African American, and a proud gay man. It took many years…
Read MoreBe A Rainbow In Somebody’s Cloud
As Maya Angelou passed this May, many of my friends and family took to social media to honor her life. One my favorite quotes by Dr. Angelou seemed to be a favorite amongst others: Be a rainbow in someone else’s cloud. She stated once in an interview: There’s an African American song that’s 19th century—it’s so…
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