From a Judeo-Christian perspective, gay, straight or otherwise, we’re all prodigal sons and daughters. Exodus International is the prodigal’s older brother, trying to impose its will on God’s promises, and make judgments on who’s worthy of His Kingdom. God is calling us to be the Father – to welcome everyone, to love unhindered.
Hey, you know that quote about asking yourself “Am I gay?” and all the questions inherent in it?
Yes, you do. This is Tumblr. If you haven’t seen it by now, you may be doing this wrong.
The quote is thus:
Because here’s the thing about realizing you’re into girls. Hardly anyone I know has ever said, “Am I gay?” in the same way they say, “Hey, do you know what the weather’s supposed to be like tomorrow?” Like they just need to figure out how to dress for the occasion. No, when most people ask, “Am I gay?” they ask it with the kind of urgency they would usually reserve for things like, “Do I strap this parachute to my back and jump from this free falling airplane or do I nose dive into the ocean and hope the sharks don’t eat my remains? SINK OR SWIM? LIVE OR DIE? QUENCH THE FIRE OR BURN ALIVE?” It feels so urgent, and the reason it feels so urgent is because you’re probably not just asking, “Hey, do I want to make out with other girls?”
You’re also probably asking: What the hell are my parents going to say when I tell them I want to kiss other girls? And my friends and my co-workers and my classmates and everyone at my family reunion? And what’s that girl going to say when I tell her I want to kiss her? And how is my life ever going to be OK, and how can I go on being the same, and am I the same, and what else do I not know about what’s alive inside me? And who will still love me and who will start hating me, and is God involved, or the government maybe, and what if it’s only one girl I want to kiss, and how do I label myself and must I label myself, and what if I change my mind and, really, what if do burn alive?
It crossed my feed again last week, and I thought, “Who wrote that and what’s it from and is the rest of the post as good?”
Answers: Heather Hogan; a 2011 AfterEllen recap of a German TV show somewhat similar to Glee called “Hand auf Hertz”; and YES.
Love and fear — real love and real fear — are about as deeply honest as you can go, and when storytellers commit to that universal truth, it resonates across sexual stereotypes and gender binaries and historical prejudices and language barriers and borders and oceans and space and time.
You really want to read this.
Hi, anon! Great question.
The church I work at belongs to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. This denomination permits (officially as of 2009) people in “publicly-accountable lifelong monogamous same-gender relationships” to serve as pastors. Lots of ELCA congregations have openly gay pastors, staff, members, and families.
I have always made it clear in my ordination process (and ministry life in general) that I am gay, and have talked openly about my partner. I was open in my paperwork, my interview, and the first several times I was introduced to the congregation officially.
So! The answer is a very strong yes. I am very lucky.
swirlspice:
sevenlittledevils:
The Lowry and 35W Bridges in Minneapolis, Minnesota following the passing of the equal marriage laws. Minnesota is the 12th state to accept same-sex marriages (but by far the most fabulous, although that may be my biased opinion).
You right.
I love you, Minneapolis. I absolutely love you.
Twelfth state to make gay marriage legal.
I heart you, MN.
Now people will say: “Leave your religion out of this, Engel.” This misses the point completely. Religion is everywhere in the discussion about Collins. It is the get-out-of-jail-free card for the homophobes and racists and sexists, allowing them to cloak their ugliness and hate in the carefully cherry-picked Word.
