Christianity
For progressive churches in the U.S., there is a “sweet spot” of meaningful engagement in LGBTQ justice that many congregations are missing. While we’re celebrating gains in marriage equality and legal protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and (sometimes, though not as often) transgender people, we often overlook the most pressing need affecting the well-being and…
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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…
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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…
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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.…
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This week, David Tyree, who has publicly opposed same-sex marriage and promoted conversion therapy, was hired by the New York Giants as the director of player development. Dear Mr. Tyree, I remember that defining moment in Super bowl XLII. Your helmet catch was one of the most incredible NFL plays I’ve experienced in my 31…
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Dear Southern Baptist Convention, I know that you are considering passing a resolution against transgender identity this week at your meeting in Baltimore. In anticipation of this vote, I write to you as a fellow believer in our Lord Jesus Christ, the savior of the world, the person to whom I have given my heart…
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“A People of Many Faces” is one of the more intriguing sections of Pope Francis’s The Joy of the Gospel, having to do with cultural incarnations of Christianity. “We would not do justice to the logic of the incarnation if we thought of Christianity as monocultural and monotonous,” he writes. Earlier he states, “The history…
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Last year, acclaimed artist Mary Button created an inspiring series of unique and thought-provoking paintings for Believe Out Loud. Mary Button’s Stations Of The Cross: The Struggle For LGBT Equality invites viewers to see Jesus’ suffering in light of the marginalization of LGBT people, depicted throughout the 20th and 21st century. Join Believe Out Loud in New York City on Sunday,…
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The recent news that World Vision USA had decided to honor marriages in all forms—between those of opposite genders and those of the same gender—had many within progressive circles of faith elated. I was one who believed that their decision was prophetic in nature, and that by taking this stand, they were saying to same-gendered…
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We all have our comfort zones. Sometimes we decide it’s time to step out, and we just take a leap and hope for the best. Sometimes we’re so afraid of stepping outside of these comfort zones that we never really experience all that life has to offer us. There are even times that we don’t…
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