Editor:
I’ve just come across Whosoever and I think it’s wonderful. Thank you for it. It’s a wonderful resource. I was googling “Angry at God” for a sermon I was writing, and that’s when I found Whosoever.
I’m a straight man in my late 50s and a lay member of the United Church of Canada. Thank you for the website. It’s wonderful – it brings tears to my eyes for being SO good.
Bryan
Editor:
Thank you for your Prodigal Child ‘sermon’ [Will You Rejoice? by Candace Chellew]. I, too, am a recovering Southern Baptist who has found the welcome of an MCC church. As a former pastor of SBC churches I thought I would never return to the ministry I had been called to. I have recently been asked to be the assistant pastor of MCC Knoxville, TN.
I will share my ‘journey story’ at our Sunday night worship in a little over a week from now. I chose the passage on the Prodigal Child to share that evening. How surprised I was to discover your sermon when it popped up while I was doing research on the Biblical passage. Thank you.
Rev. Ray Neal, MCC Knoxville
Editor:
I am a straight and very much liberal, devout Catholic who came upon your magazine and was very happy at what I saw.
I am not very open about my political views because of the nature that I am Catholic and very involved within my churches, both in my home town and on my college campus. It is hard for me, because I can never help but wonder how the incredible people in my church and community still remain so closed-minded, conservative, and negative towards the GLBT community. Most of my friends won’t so much as even attempt to listen to me when I argue for gay rights or gay marriage, let alone Gay Christianity.
I just wanted to applaud your efforts and message, for I feel it is truly and sincerly a beautiful thing. I hope to reach you in a positive manner so that you know that there ARE straight Christians like myself who pull for you in this age of ignorance, prejudice, and intolerance. Know that there are those of us out there who pray for the day that you WILL be granted the equal rights and acceptance in our world that should have always been yours from birth.
Know that there are those of us who were blessed in the gift of understanding of Christ’s REAL message – Love one another as I love you.
Best wishes, and I hope that Whosoever continues on strong!
Love in Christ, Nicole
Editor:
I found your site while doing a Google search for “agnostic Christian.” I was raised church of Christ, and currently consider myself an agnostic Christian, and a skeptic. I realize a VAST majority of my struggles with
what I believe come from the simple fact that I was taught certain things my whole life.
I found your section on what the Bible says about homosexuality very enlightening and encouraging. That has been a puzzling thing to me in my faith for some time. That is the most clear discussion of those verses I’ve seen (though I haven’t really searched that much on that topic).
God bless, Jason
Editor:
I read this article [Jesus for Dummies by Rembert Truluck] and think this is the correct approach.
One has to rethink the whole thing, outside of various church’s dogmatic interpretations. We all have to rethink our basic assumptions, which I don’t think church leaders have done. A lot of beliefs come down to what this “scripture” says, and the interpretation. But these writings were written by human beings and have their spin on the actual events and thoughts of the founder of the Christian churches.
I have found the books written by John Shelby Spong and John Dominic Crossan to be very helpful in getting back to the basic Jesus, and the origins and meanings. Of those writings which have come to selected as official “scripture” and other writings of the times, no less sincere, but not concluding in the official list.
But I think the basic thing is that the Deity created us for a reason, we are unique in this process of life, and we will be happy with him/her forever.
Edward