Posts Tagged ‘LGBT’
Episode 47 | Brandan Robertson: In & Out, A Nomad’s Journey
Brandan Robertson joins me today to share his powerful, moving and often painful story of reconciling an emerging faith in Jesus as a teenager, with his own sexuality. His is a powerful story of being in, then suddenly finding himself out, again and again – and through it all, discovering a deeper, more inclusive spirituality…
Read MoreLetter To Me: Rhiannon Hall
In 2014 I ran a series of guest posts by writer friends, all writing a letter to themselves – either a past self from their present self, or to their present self from their future self.
This inspired my friend Rhiannon Hall, who wrote a letter to herself, and shared it with me. I loved it so much, I got her permission to share it here.
Rhiannon’s is a powerful, moving & courageous letter. So here it is:
Dear 37 Year Old Rhiannon Hall,
First, breathe.
I swear that I remember sitting there starting to reading this… I know you feel that tightness in your chest and you think you are about to cry because you want answers and life seems so complicated and scary. Just do us a favor and breathe for a minute.
Then read on. (And I know you are now fully crying and that’s okay.)
I am proud of you for getting where you are at the moment you are living in. 2015 changed a lot of things for us, didn’t it?
You risked so much to become whole and truly live your authentic life.
Read MoreA Day Which Proved Love Wins
Friday 26th June 2015. A day which will go down in history. A day which will become many LGBT couple’s wedding anniversary.
This was the day the US Supreme Court ruled that same sex marriage was a legal right across the US.
I can’t tell you the joy I felt, as a straight ally, as this news sunk in. The freedom this gave to so many. A right which had been denied for so long, finally made legal.
In some ways it’s tragic that we should celebrate this day with such enthusiasm – because this should never have been an issue up for discussion. Each of us should always have been free to make that covenant relationship of marriage with another. To commit to be faithful to someone before God for the rest of their lives.
But the reason this gave me so much hope, was simply because it proved again to me one simple thing.
Love wins.
Love always wins.
It sometimes takes patience. It sometimes takes sacrifice. It might meet resistance. It may have to battle it’s way through lots of boundaries.
But, in the end, love wins.
Read More5 Steps To A More Open Church
As many of you know, the ‘issue’ of sexuality/gender preference and faith is one I am passionate about. I recently ran a series on my blog about LGBT issues and faith, sharing my own story and the story of members of the LGBT community, in order to engage in healthy conversation about this issue, rather than heated debate – which ultimately, leads nowhere.
It’s an ongoing discussion for me, and it’s work I will continue with – both in my writing and in work in my local community.
And, for me, this is not simply about LGBT community – it’s about the kind of church we want to have.
I was recently invited to a conference held at Oasis Waterloo, over two days, called ‘Open Church’. The conference was about the discussion around Christianity and LGBT issues, and building a more welcoming, open church.
Read MoreTogether At The Table: A Glimmer Of Heaven
It’s been a privilege these last few weeks sharing this series on LGBT and faith. I’ve shared my story, we’ve heard stories from a gay Christian and bisexual Christian, and I’ve shared some resources to help you on your journey. And after this series is over I’m going to continue advocating for this issue, on social media and occasionally here.
But I want to finish on a positive note, with a story of hope.
You see it’s been a long time since I’ve been truly hopeful about the church, and the Christian faith. I often stand back from both of these and see such brokenness, such fear.
I’ve seen fear controlling much of the Christian faith and Christian church. This fear we all have of the unknown, the unseen, the mysterious. Circumstances and forces outside our control. And it’s perfectly human to feel this way – most of us do. I do, much of the time.
This I see most of all in relation to the issue of sexuality and faith. So much fear. But I also see a lot of hope too.
Read More10 Things To Know About Bisexuality (Guest Post by Liz Mallory)
Today we continue the series on LGBT & faith. We’ll conclude next week with a personal story, but today, we have a guest post from Liz Mallory, who I guest posted for last week. She’s a Christian, a great writer, a married woman, and a bisexual.
Bisexuality is rarely talked about in context of faith – and today Liz bravely dispels some common myths surrounding bisexuality & bisexuals.
I’m delighted to welcome Liz here.
I am a woman. I’m attracted to women, men, and genderqueer individuals. I’m married to a man whom I love dearly. And I’m a Jesus follower.
I’ve known for years my attractions weren’t “normal.” But it took me until 2014 to have a name for what I am: bisexual.
Bisexuals are called a lot of things we aren’t: polyamorous, loose, unfaithful, sex-obsessed, questioning, slutty. None of those things describe who I am. For a long time I went back and forth between calling myself lesbian and straight. Neither fit right.
All this could have been avoided if I’d known what bisexual actually means.
Read MoreBuilding Bridges – LGBT & Faith: Resources
Hi friends, hope you’ve been enjoying the series on LGBT issues/stories & faith. Next week I’ll be hosting Liz Mallory, a bisexual Christian who has written a comprehensive series on God and sexuality/LGBT issues on her blog, which covers every dimension of this issue, and the series will conclude with me sharing another story.
I’m privileged to say I’m guest posting for Liz today, and my post goes live at about 8.30pm UK time today. You can check it out here.
But in this post I’m going to do something slightly different in relation to this issue & maybe help you on this journey in a different way.
Read MoreWhy Authenticity Can Require Sacrifice
One thing which keeps me blogging is the opportunity to interact and build relationship with you, my readers. As regular readers will know, one thing I am passionate about is authenticity. For us all to be true to who we really are, to discover our true identity & calling.
Maybe it’s because of my own past – a victim of bullying, feeling an outsider, growing up in a broken home & losing my Mum relatively young, and being shy & introverted – but I’ve always felt a passion, a desire to speak out for minority groups. For those oppressed, rejected, outside, misunderstood, either by church or culture, or both.
For me to be true to who I am, to practice what I preach and be authentic in my writing, at least some of my writing is going to involve speak out for some of these groups. This is what’s led me to speak up & blog about gender equality in church. And it’s what’s now leading me to speak up on one of the most contentious issues in the Christian church today.
A topic which is divisive, and which makes this one of the bravest blog posts/series I’ve ever written.
Because the group I’m speaking out for is the LGBT community.
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