I'm Carrie, from Wisconsin. I'm Elliott, from D.C. And now we're both from Orange County.
We're Christians, and we believe that being gay is NOT a sin. We support full equality for the LGBT community.
This has always been a given for us.
And I ask our fellow Christians, if you really listen to Jesus' boundary-defying teachings and worship God with all your heart, then how can you not see God's likeness and love in all of God's children -- and in their love?
For many of us, it is fundamental to our understanding of Christianity that our God's love encompasses all of our world's diverse humanity regardless of race, religion, gender identity, or sexual orientation.
Some of the most inspiring people in our lives are LGBT people.
They are, for instance, couples with a profound understanding of the deep, joyful, spiritual, often challenging but so rewarding commitment that marriage entails... whose lifelong love for each other grows daily, renewed whenever they look in each others' eyes and see the same beautiful devotion shining back.
Couples who have endured unjust hardship because of the fear and ignorance of others, and whose steadfast love under fire is a testament to the goodness of that love.
They are parents whose dedication to their children knows no bounds, whose homes and families are tightly knit together with resilient strands of patience, humor, and, above all, unconditional love.
They're our family, our friends, and our neighbors -- whom we are meant to love not because they're just the same as us, but because they are themselves.
They are also, many of them, Christians... gifted and actively giving, the backbone of their churches. And they are Christian clergy with a clear call to ministry, who do God's work with a strength, integrity, and dignity that inspire everyone they meet... whose beautiful faith is written on their countenances and shines in their words and deeds for all to see.
When we moved to Orange County, we chose our church based on inclusiveness, not proximity.
This was our choice not because of a fear of rejection or judgment due to our sexual orientation -- a fear very real to many. We chose a church that is inclusive and affirming of LGBT people because we wanted to choose a community of faith that chooses everyone... that chooses all of our friends and all those we've never met... that would choose us, no matter who we might be.
That matters.
First of all, for us, church is not just Sunday morning. It's our community, the people we support and turn to for support, the people we hope to live alongside in fellowship as we grow old. We need to trust them with what we freely give to the church -- our hearts, our gifts, and our offerings -- and, most important, we need to trust them with our children some day... that their messages will be in keeping with the love in our faith. And we do trust them. Because of their loving embrace of LGBT people, this community -- St. Mark Presbyterian Church in Newport Beach -- has shown us that the core of the Christian faith is sound here, the way it should be. Church is more than Sunday morning, and everyone who wants to be a part of this beautiful global fellowship should be welcome. That, in fact, is the very foundation of what Christian fellowship means.
Being Christian is also about more than Sunday morning. My faith, to me, is a gentle daily comfort, a presence, a purpose, an awesome, powerful hope, and so much more! It's a tragedy when a Christian, through perpetuating the myth that one of God's children is less than fully beautiful in God's eyes, manages to take that comfort, hope, and purpose away from someone else.
Our actions and words don't only define us to those around us; they also define the faith that we represent, and therefore, to many, they create a perception of Christianity and even of God. This is a tremendous and terrifying responsibility, but also an amazing privilege. It is our responsibility and privilege to do our very best to be a demonstration of what God intends for our world.
That's why we're making his video, even though I'm an introvert and the very public nature of YouTube terrifies me. We feel a responsibility to live our principles, to stand up and be counted. Everyone needs to know that a few closed-minded people don't speak for all Christians. We're not all like that, and the cruelty of bigotry is never God.
We are not all like that because some of us believe that the Lord is our shepherd and that he is guiding us toward a world that has more understanding, more compassion, and more love for one another rather than less.
We believe that it's our job -- all of ours -- to make God's kingdom happen here, and the first steps are to be God's grace to each other - and to see it in each other... in all of us.
I realize you can tell I am reading in my video. This was by design as I am primarily a writer and I wanted to be sure to get my thoughts down on paper first as I have a tendency to ramble a bit. This can be charming in person, but I noticed rambling on video it comes off like I am not sure of what I want to say...which is definitely not the case. I guess what I am trying to say is...please forgive the "tennis eyeballs".
Fr. Gary Nowlin is an Episcopal priest in St. Louis, and he and his wife, Susan, want LGBT people and everyone else to know that Christians are Not All Like That.
On October 26, 2013, First Congregational Church in Memphis celebrated 150 years of service, fellowship, worship and love in the Memphis area. True to the diverse nature of the church, the music ranged from classical to gospel, high church to traditional African dance, and all points between.
During the service's litany, the congregants created a video for the NALT Christians Project, where they proclaimed (and not for the first time either) that they are 100% open and affirming, that they support the LGBT community wholeheartedly, and that Christians are Not All Like That.
For more info, to submit a video, or to learn how your church can participate, visit http://notalllikethat.org
Frank Schaeffer is a New York Times best selling author. His books include Crazy for God: How I Grew Up as One of the Elect, Helped Found the Religious Right, and Lived to Take All (or Almost All) of It Back and Sex, Mom, and God: How the Bible's Strange Take on Sex Led to Crazy Politics--and How I Learned to Love Women (and Jesus) Anyway.
Frank is a survivor of both polio and an evangelical/fundamentalist childhood, an acclaimed novelist of 4 novels including Portofino who overcame severe dyslexia, a home-schooled and self-taught documentary movie director, a feature film director and producer of four low budget Hollywood features Frank has described as "pretty terrible."
Frank's nonfiction includes "Keeping Faith-A Father-Son Story About Love and the United States Marine Corps" and AWOL-The Unexcused Absence of America's Upper Classes From Military Service and How It Hurts Our Country." Of Frank's writing Jeff Sharlet (The New Statesman October 25, 2007 ) writes, "'Crazy For God' is a brilliant book, a portrait of fundamentalism painted in broad strokes with streaks of nuance, the twinned coming-of-age story of Frank and the Christian right." Jane Smiley (The Nation October 15, 2007) writes: "'Crazy For God' offers considerable insight into several issues that have bedeviled American life in the past thirty years, and... when taken in conjunction with [Frank Schaeffer's] other works (notably the Calvin Becker Trilogy, ['Portofino,' 'Zermatt' and 'Saving Grandma']), it gives us not only a handle on the mess we are in but also quite a few laughs..." Frank's three semi-biographical novels about growing up in a fundamentalist mission: "Portofino," "Zermatt," "Saving Grandma" have been translated into 9 languages. "BABY JACK," a novel about the class division between who serves and who does not, was published in 2006. USA TODAY said, "The reader marvels at how Schaeffer makes this concise chorus of social conviction moving and memorable..." Frank can be contacted at frankschaeffer.com
Zach and Dennis go to First Congregational United Church Of Christ in Memphis, Tennessee. Zach was a Methodist missionary who made news recently when he left the UMC over their continued refusal to become more open and accepting of LGBT people.
Rev. Sonia Walker is the Associate Pastor of First Congregational United Church Of Christ in Memphis. Here she shares why it's so important to her to be part of an open and affirming congregation.
Susan Cottrell, Founder of FreedHearts.org, Vice President of PFLAG Austin, & author of "Mom, I'm Gay - Loving Your LGBTQ Child Without Sacrificing Your Faith", shares her heart on how she is one of a growing number of Christians who are 'not all like that.'