I recently read Jordann McMahan’s powerful opinion piece at BNG about her experience as a queer student at Baylor University’s Truett Seminary. Jordann writes with remarkable vulnerability about an experience that is complicated. She does not paint every professor, student…
There is no such thing as ‘the Baptist position’
Last week, The Advocate published a helpful survey of LGBTQ inclusion across Christian denominations. I was grateful for the article’s intent. Resources like these matter for LGBTQ people and their families as they search for communities of faith where they can…
In conversation with Art Wright
Drive into Williamsburg, Va., from the west and you will see it before you see the church. A rainbow-striped banner. Designed by a pastor who cannot fully explain why he made it, only that it needed to say something true…
Rise of American authoritarianism demands a choice, Perryman says
The rise of American authoritarianism frees people of faith from having to question how they would have responded during the Civil Rights Movement, Democracy Forward President Skye Perryman said. “If you ever wondered what you would do then, guess what…
Y’all means all
I’ve often paused when reflecting on Jesus’ enigmatic words in Matthew’s Gospel: “While he was still speaking to the crowds, his mother and his brothers were standing outside, wanting to speak to him. Someone told him, ‘Look, your mother and…
Who taught us to march?
Today, under a North Carolina sun pushing well past 90 degrees, hundreds gathered in downtown Chapel Hill for Pride. We assembled outside the town’s historic post office. Under tents, information about local LGBTQ organizations and resources was offered. Vendors handed…
Surprised by the breath of the Spirit
Sunday morning, I attended worship at a nearby church. The people were warm and gracious. The music was beautiful, led by a gifted musician who moved seamlessly between organ and piano. The service itself was carefully and thoughtfully choreographed —…
BNG, AWAB and GFM collaborate to present Skye Perryman
Skye Perryman will keynote a breakfast meeting at the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship General Assembly sponsored by Baptist News Global, Good Faith Media and Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists. Perryman, president of Democracy Forward, is a leading national voice in…
Supreme Court says conversion therapy is protected free speech
Evangelical therapists have a First Amendment right to engage in “conversion therapy” with LGBTQ clients despite solid medical evidence that such treatment is ineffective, according to the U.S. Supreme Court. In an 8-1 ruling March 31, the high court ruled…
AWAB calls Baylor to give LGBTQ voices the same platform as TPUSA
Baylor University should grant LGBTQ students the same fairness and openness it has readily shown in allowing Turning Point USA to host an event on campus in April, the Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists said. “AWAB affirms the importance…
AWAB praises court’s rejection of Obergefell review
The Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists praised a U.S. Supreme Court decision not to take up a challenge to the landmark 2015 ruling that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide. “In a time when the politics of our day bring overwhelmingly…
AWAB lecture explores art’s role in gender, sexuality and spirituality
The visual arts can connect gender, sexuality and spirituality and reshape attitudes about LGBTQ life and religion, scholar Justin Sabia-Tanis said during a lecture presented by the Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists. “And this can in turn offer us…