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Meditations of a Traveling Nun
The PCA is Quietly Corrupting Reformed Theology. Here’s How.
The PCA general assembly passed an overture last week that declares same-sex attraction to be a sin and disqualifies gay and same-sex attracted men from office. Here’s the full text: “Officers in the Presbyterian Church of America must be above reproach in their walk...
What’s the Big Deal About “Dear Gay Anglicans”?
Last week, a group of leaders in the Anglican Church of North America (ACNA) released an open letter to gay Anglicans. It followed on the heels of the ACNA’s recent “pastoral statement” on human sexuality, which I wrote about last month, where the ACNA College of...
Still Here, Still Queer, and Useless Statements Won’t Stop Us
I recently stumbled across an old e-mail to a former pastor years ago. We’d been engaged in conversations about “same-sex attraction,” typically at coffee shops where we exchanged pleasantries before he launched into interrogation-style questions designed to root out...
A Christian Response to the PCA Report on Human Sexuality
The PCA’s report on human sexuality sparked an interesting assortment of reactions when it came out last month. Revoice co-founder Stephen Moss called it a “solid resource for our denomination,” even as Denny Burk, who is publicly and passionately vocal about his...
Forthcoming Book! Unpacking the Legacy of LGBTQ Discrimination in the Church
Some exciting news! The past few months I've been hard at work on the beginning stages of a book project with Brazos Press. It's still very much in its infancy and I'm still drafting most of the chapters (which is why you haven't seen me posting as much here), but I...
Living a Theology of Contrast Instead of Opposition
I've been thinking a lot about "positions" lately and what it even means to hold a position. When people ask about my "position" on "homosexuality," it's rarely in the interest of broadening their own perspective, understanding my own, or (God forbid) adjusting their...
New Beginnings: Embracing the Tension of Living In-Between
I'll be embarking on a new chapter in life this week, and I find myself thinking back over the past couple of years and reflecting on my path ahead. Life transitions always make me reflective. So I've found myself especially reflective this summer. About ten years...
Recovering from Spiritual Abuse: Webinar with Kyle J. Howard
Kyle J. Howard recently joined me for a live webinar discussing spiritual abuse and how to recover. We talked about everything from trauma to bitterness to whether or not Christians really must forgive their abuser no matter the context. It was an incredible...
Why Celibate Gay Christians Don’t Need to Fear Hell
Revoice is just a week away! One of my biggest hopes is that this conference will carve out a space for LGBTQ+ Christians to adhere to historic teachings apart from threats of hell. If we ever hope to make conservative churches a safe environment for LGBTQ+...
Check Out These Resources on Faith and Sexuality
Preston Sprinkle's Center for Faith, Sexuality, and Ethics recently released a brand-new online resource called The Digital Leaders Forum, a comprehensive course equipping ministry leaders with teaching on faith, sexuality, and gender from a traditional...
Male Effeminacy, Misogyny, and Homophobia: A Response to Desiring God
If you'd like to read the original articles on effeminacy by Desiring God, to which I am responding, check out the following links: Grooming the Next Generation: Did Gillette Miss a Spot? Play the Man You Are: Will Effeminacy Keep Anyone from Heaven? The...
Spiritual Family: A Bond More Enduring Than Marriage
I recently published a follow up to the article I wrote in the spring for Equip, an organization run by Pieter Valk and dedicated to supporting sexual minorities in the church. My article in the spring challenged evangelical notions of the relational primacy of the...
Heavy Burdens
Seven Ways LGBTQ Christians Experience Harm in the Church
Heavy Burdens
***Foreword INDIES 2021 Finalist for Religion***
Religious faith reduces the risk of suicide for virtually every American demographic except one: LGBTQ people. It’s past time that Christians confronted the ongoing and devastating effects of this legacy.
Rivera calls to mind Jesus’s woe to religious leaders: “They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them” (Matt. 23:4). Heavy Burdens provides an honest account of seven ways LGBTQ people experience discrimination in the church, helping Christians grapple with hard realities and empowering churches across the theological spectrum to navigate better paths forward.
Breaking down the issues both historically and socially, Heavy Burdens (Brazos Press, 2021) provides an honest account of the ways in which LGBTQ people experience discrimination in the church, helping Christians grapple with hard realities and empowering churches to navigate a better path forward.
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