Gratitude

I want to thank Andrew Wilkes from the bottom of my heart for having the courage to write this open letter about LGBT folks in evangelical churches on the Sojourners blog, God's Politics. To have a heterosexual ally address this issue is a wonderful thing, because this privilege allows him to be heard where we queer Christians would not be (and aren't, if you read many of the comments accompanying the article). I am both proud and humble to have a brother in Christ like him.

I also want to commend the folks at Sojo.net for publishing the letter in the first place. I know that our presence as queer Christians is a divisive one for many of my co-religionists over there, so when the general silence about LGBT people is broken, I receive it with gratitude.

In light of the conversation on race and the emergent church inspired by Sojourners magazine's most-recent issue, which in turn inspired Mr. Wilkes to write his letter, I do want to humbly submit a thought: When well-known members of the emergent church movement are mostly-silent about their queer brothers and sisters, or endorse kinder, gentler conversion ministries like The Marin Foundation, we wonder if indeed, there is much room for us in the emergent conversation unless we are closeted and/or ashamed. I sincerely hope that this letter---and the articles and posts starting this vital discussion about race and racism in the EC--see some real and positive change as an outcome.

Originally posted on Episcopelican.