The Church of the Nazarene is cracking down on three longtime leaders who seek to minister to LGBTQ people, charging them with disobeying the denomination’s 2019 ruling that same-sex individuals must remain celibate and that clergy cannot bless or perform…
Before you protest at a Pride parade, look closely at what the Bible actually says
I look forward to marching in the Pride parade with my church each year. We have had a float in the parade almost from the parade’s beginning. Each year there are protesters. Almost always, there is someone holding a Bible;…
AWAB celebrates merger, lauds advocates, launches development campaign
The Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists celebrated its merger with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s Affirming Network, honored two advocates for equality, launched a fundraising initiative and enjoyed a concert during its reception at the CBF General Assembly in Greensboro,…
Finding refuge: The diverse faces of resilience in America
On the day of its independence, America chose a motto to show how proud it was of its diversity and welcome. Over the centuries “E Pluribus Unum” — “out of many, one” — has meant welcoming tens of millions of the…
Ugandan Parliament speaker claims corruption charges are retaliation for passing anti-gay law
Is Anita Among, speaker of the Ugandan Parliament, paying a price for her role in passing the anti-gay bill in her country last year, or is she guilty of corruption? That’s the question Ugandans and people elsewhere ponder about the…
Why I marched in a Pride parade and what I experienced
I’m not gay. On the Kinsey Scale, I’m a 100% heterosexual male. I don’t understand what either straight women or gay men see in men. I think we’re gross. I mean, I can say such-and-such male is “an attractive person,”…
Catholic ‘pro-life’ group goes after YMCA for recognizing Pride month
“Pro-life” now means anti-gay for a group that calls itself the nation’s “oldest grassroots Catholic pro-life education organization.” In a June 6 news release, the American Life League took on the Young Men’s Christian Association and said the 180-year-old organization…
UMC faces turbulence after removing LGBTQ bans
Barely a month after a historic meeting that removed half a century of official discrimination against LGBTQ Christians, The United Methodist Church faces new turbulence as homosexuality foes opt out of the worldwide denomination. General Conference delegates voted in late…
Rosaria Butterfield is not a model for becoming un-gay
Growing up as an independent fundamentalist Baptist, I was taught that loosening any standards meant you were getting on the slippery slope toward becoming gay. If I grew my hair out over my ears, I might eventually reject God and…
LA firefighter claims religious discrimination because of Pride flags
Now joining the ranks of cake bakers, wedding photographers, website designers and other evangelical Christians suing to avoid the appearance of supporting homosexuality is a fire fighter in Southern California. Jeffrey Little is a captain with the Los Angeles County…
Jesus will not rescue America without our help, Pavlovitz says
Prayerfully waiting for God or the “arc of the moral universe” to heal America’s political, racial and religious divisions will do nothing to alter the nation’s downward spiritual and moral trajectory, activist and author John Pavlovitz said. In fact, no…
‘I am a fact … that does not yet have a name’
The Apple+ series Franklin — with Michael Douglas as Benjamin Franklin, one of America’s most influential founding fathers and the new Republic’s first ambassador to France — has historical significance. The story features the eight years, beginning in 1776, during…