The next time you’re confronted with a homophobic or transphobic person who wants to bully you with the Bible, try this simple four-step formula for dealing with the situation, courtesy of the chorus of the Kenny Rogers hit “The Gambler,” whose first four lines go
Hong Kong and Birmingham Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s fight for justice brought him into direct collision with various local governments who characterized his brand of nonviolent direct action as “outsiders coming in.” He pushed back against this viewpoint most eloquently in his 1963 “Letter
Sermon Preached on Sunday, August 11, 2019 at First Christian Church of Decatur, Ga. Key Resource: Jim Dant, This I Know: A Simple Biblical Defense for LGBTQ Christians, published by Nurturing Faith, Inc. (2018) Prepare to be prepared. Pastor Paul Turner of Gentle Spirit Christian Church
It was a competitive nine-year-olds’ baseball game. Grandson’s team was in the process of experiencing their first loss of what was so far an eight-game season. Watching a grandson thrive as a truly self-motivated, avid – and grampa would add gifted – baseball player who
To say that the country is polarized is hardly news — especially when it comes to LGBTQI equality. It’s also not news that arguments with those who still want to deny full equality to LGBTQI people rarely hinge on facts. The president has even made
Queer and Trans people of faith frequently hear that they cannot be Queer or Trans and be Christian, or that they cannot be Queer or Trans and be Muslim, or that they cannot be Queer or Trans and be Jewish. Our logical, philosophical, or theological
The Bible is just an old, old book sitting on a bookshelf. Well, really, it’s a collection of old books from different times and places that’s more an anthology of writings originally written in different languages. Sometimes people do read it, but most often they
Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. — Ephesians 4:2 I was out on an errand and encountered a man who walked in front of my car while it was in motion.
My calendar this morning reminded me that we’re almost halfway through June 2020, perhaps the strangest Pride Month in LGBTQI history. Am I the only one for whom the last three months of sheltering in place feels as if it’s both the longest and shortest
Fear of others is a powerful emotion. It is a very human response toward the unknown. An unknown group of people or community can create this emotion in us. Fear creates an internal warning system in each person to keep the individual from doing things