A name appears on the teaching schedule. The person is not a stranger. They have sung in worship, served on committees, brought food to grieving families, asked good questions in Bible study and stayed after to stack chairs. People like…
What the church got wrong about queer people
The ACLU is tracking 530 anti-LGBTQ bills in state legislatures this year. Five hundred and thirty. In Kansas, a new law immediately invalidated the driver’s licenses of transgender people and authorized anyone, anyone, to sue someone they suspect of being transgender for using the…
3 ways churches may respond to the violence of conversion therapy
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court struck down a Colorado law that banned conversion therapy for minors in the state. The court ruled the Colorado law a violation of therapists’ free speech. Only one justice (Ketanji Jackson) dissented, meaning the ruling…
Healing from LGBTQ exclusion requires acknowledging past pain
The faith experiences of many Queer Christians have unfolded in churches that once described themselves as “welcoming,” “inclusive” or “loving” yet stopped short of full affirmation. Some of those congregations have since changed. They now perform same-gender loving weddings, ordain…
Gerrymandering the gospel
Two recent news stories caught my attention. The first was about the ongoing gerrymandering fight in Texas, and California’s counter-response through Proposition 50, which passed with strong support. Gerrymandering — manipulating district boundaries to give one group a political advantage — has…
We need more faith spaces that affirm the LGBTQ communities
Earlier this month, the conservative evangelical “King’s Army” spewed homophobia at Londoners and I was transported back to being a closeted queer teenager. Hearing those same sentiments at a young age was what made me realize my childhood church was not a…
Kansas City church rebrands for inclusion
A Baptist church in Kansas City has rebranded itself to declare both its adherence to denominational roots and its identity as an open and affirming congregation. Holmeswood Baptist Church is now Holmeswood Church with a prominent tagline: “Baptist Roots, Inclusive…
In Kim Davis’ backyard, a Baptist church stays faithful
In 2015, the small Appalachian town of Morehead, Ky., became a national symbol of religious resistance to same-sex marriage. When County Clerk Kim Davis refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, citing her personal religious beliefs, the Rowan County…
With ‘allies’ like these, who needs adversaries?
Hosting drag shows in a church. Board members posting incendiary statements about political violence. Dismissing or scolding dissenting LGBTQ voices. Sometimes it’s “inclusive” churches that can do lasting damage to the cause of LGBTQ inclusion. I was reminded of this…
‘Here we are’
Twenty-one years ago this month, I attended my first ever Pride Festival. I was living in Chicago at the time, and many of my new friends in our master of music program at Northwestern were going and invited me along….
Are you offering a ‘kids’ table’ for single adults at your church?
My best friend here in Dallas got dressed up and went to a church dinner this weekend in someone’s home. He paid $300 for his seat at the 10-course meal as part of a church fundraiser. You need to know…
The MAGA Paradox: When political symbols in schools become tools of exclusion
Walking into my son’s Atlanta-based Jewish school, I was immediately confronted with a sight that left me unsettled: a child dressed as President Donald Trump, complete with a white MAGA hat, for Purim. As I processed my reaction, I considered…