Living in the closet is sort of like staying in the womb! It’s safe! At least we can fool ourselves into believing it is safe. But safe isn’t always comfortable. It’s a struggle between who we are and who we want to be. With how
Part One: The Outer Pilgrim When I arrived home from Spain the other day, it occurred to me that perhaps you would like to read about some of my recent experiences as a peregrino (pilgrim) walking for 14 days on the Camino de Santiago. Let
I was on my way to Kuala Lumpur when I started thinking about the past year and what came to pass in my own life and in my church’s, Gay Christian Community in Cape Town, South Africa. I suppose my melancholic mood was brought on
The custodian entered the sanctuary on Monday morning for his usual cleaning after the services of the previous day. As he came to the pulpit, he noticed that the pastor’s Bible and sermon notes were still there. Picking them up to take to the pastor’s
I recall a young woman, a class mate, in college. Despite the color of her skin, she was told by some other classmates that she was not black enough and should consider taking black lessons. “What does that mean, ‘black enough’?” she asked me. “I’m
I could launch into detailed analysis of Scriptures and Scripturally used words and phrases in their original languages relating to the topic of homosexuality and Christianity, but I shall not; such have been done, covered extensively, such material and dialogue readily available. The common texts
Gay people who love God have a tough time reconciling the two concepts. This is not because of its ‘paradoxical nature’, but rather due to the brainwashing we have to endure from childhood. Homophobia is just one of many sad human afflictions and to truly
Coming out for me was parallel to being “born again” as a Christian. Candace Chellew, in the essay “Losing God”, (Whosoever Issue 5) has underlined what the experience has meant for me; losing God. It was only after actually screaming out loud one night with
“We shall overcome…” Whenever I hear or sing those words, a chill runs down my spine. As I grew up in the South, I never really understood the significance of this song to African-Americans but I knew they were an expression of their frustration and
The following is an address I gave at MCC Toronto’s annual AIDS Vigil of Hope. My name is Chris Hobbs and I am HIV+. When I was first asked to speak tonight, I almost declined, because my immediate reaction was that I haven’t suffered enough