Category Archives: Opening to change

Meditation on a Theme

  Constance Merritt’s brilliantly crafted villanelle has great resonance at this moment we are living in. It invites reflection that will empower us for the work of resistance and renewal. Her poem teaches us that we must create a world …

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Posted in Black Lives Matter, Bullying/violence, Children, Church leaders, Church seasons, Congregational life, Economic disparities, Family, Gay/lesbian, Gender, Hospitality, Housing, Incarceration, Interfaith, Opening to change, Pop culture, Respectability, Social justice, Stigma, Women of color | Comments Off on Meditation on a Theme

Back To School For LGBTQ Justice

  By Rev. Cedric A. Harmon By now, students in our nations’ K-12 schools, colleges, and universities have settled into classes for the Fall. We’re also just completing LGBTQ History Month, and as a person who has dedicated my life …

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Posted in Blog, Bullying/violence, Children, Family, Gay/lesbian, Gender, Opening to change, Religious freedom, Youth and young adult | Comments Off on Back To School For LGBTQ Justice

Queer flesh and worship respectability

    Following the memorial service for Daryl Coley, I stood in awe at the numerous social media posts, re-posts and comments — both of B. Slade’s virtuosic performance of Donald Lawrence’s “When Sunday Comes” and the video clips of …

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Posted in Blog, Congregational life, Gay/lesbian, Gender, Opening to change, Respectability, Sexual orientation, Theology | Comments Off on Queer flesh and worship respectability

Meet me at the intersection of love & justice

Contrary to popular belief, there is power and hope at the intersection of race and LGBTQ life. As a Black, same-gender loving woman who is a pastor, Bishop and activist, I can solidly say that my wife, children, grandchildren, and …

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Posted in Church leaders, Family, Gay/lesbian, Gender, Opening to change, Social justice, Stigma, Straight allies | Comments Off on Meet me at the intersection of love & justice

The Black church: Bold and bad enough to accept and affirm

The Black Church has been a strong pillar of the community. I pray that it will have the courage not only to accept, but affirm its gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender children. The recent VH1 segment, Out in Hip Hop: …

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Posted in Church leaders, Congregational life, Economic disparities, Family, Gay/lesbian, Hospitality, Media portrayal, Opening to change, Pop culture, Sexual orientation, Social justice, Stigma, Straight allies, Transgender, Youth and young adult | Comments Off on The Black church: Bold and bad enough to accept and affirm

CeCe McDonald: Finding Myself, Finding My Spirituality

Crucial in my journey was this learning:  Our communities’ internalized teachings and fear mongering tactics are inflicted upon black bodies to keep us oppressed. We too often uphold traditionalism and bible binaries without interrogating our own internalized hatred (racism, homophobia, …

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Posted in Blog, Bullying/violence, Church leaders, Congregational life, Family, Opening to change, Social justice, Transgender | Comments Off on CeCe McDonald: Finding Myself, Finding My Spirituality

Maybe Same Sex Marriage IS God’s Will

We are not the same America. We are not the same America that we were 20 or even 10 years ago. For decades, civil liberties framed the discourse about lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) justice. Now marriage, a union …

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Posted in Church leaders, Church seasons, Congregational life, Family, Gay/lesbian, Hospitality, Opening to change, Sexual orientation, Social justice, Straight allies, Theology, Transgender | Comments Off on Maybe Same Sex Marriage IS God’s Will

Praying While Black

Even as the Confederate flag is removed from the South Carolina Statehouse grounds, shock waves are still echoing off the walls of our institutions after the June 17 Charleston Massacre. The funerals are over and people will carry on, but …

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Posted in Blog, Bullying/violence, Church leaders, Church seasons, Congregational life, Family, Gender, Opening to change, Social justice, Theology | Comments Off on Praying While Black

A letter to the National Baptist Fellowship of Concerned Pastors

Greetings in the Name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Recently, I learned of your public protest against the leadership of Dr. Forrest Harris, President of American Baptist College of Nashville, and his decision to invite Bishop Yvette Flunder, …

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Posted in Church leaders, Gay/lesbian, Gender, Hospitality, Opening to change, Sexual orientation, Social justice, Straight allies, Theology, Transgender | Comments Off on A letter to the National Baptist Fellowship of Concerned Pastors

Laying my burdens down: Embracing Black, Queer Christians in the church

In February, Black LGBT activists Wade Davis, Tiq Milan, and Darnell Moore hosted a #ThisIsLuv town hall forum in Washington, D.C. #ThisIsLuv brought the Black Queer community together and showcased the support and love that we receive from our friends …

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Posted in Congregational life, Family, Gay/lesbian, Opening to change, Sexual orientation, Social justice, Straight allies, Theology, Transgender | Comments Off on Laying my burdens down: Embracing Black, Queer Christians in the church