John Pavlovitz: Somewhere After The Rainbow

Originally published on johnpavlovitz.com

The Supreme Court’s ruling on Marriage finally came down last week—and both Hell and Heaven broke loose, depending on your perspective.

Exhilaration soon followed for those seeing this as a long overdue victory for civil marital equality, while outrage reigned for religious folks believing it to be the final nail in the coffin of Biblical Matrimony.

And there was of course, a flurry of sentiments from both sides on social media; effusive celebration and grief-laden hand wringing flying in as fast as your browser could refresh.

Yet nothing in all of those eloquent words from either side spoke as clearly and loudly as the brilliant prismatic display of love and affirmation found in the rainbow profile photos now dominating timelines worldwide. That’s been the most visible, most revelatory element of the past week, with over 26 million people already choosing to “Amen” the Supreme Court’s decision using their own images.

That Piece On What The True Story In America Is

John Pavlovitz, Christian, pastor and humanist, has come through again in a new write-up titled ‘The True Story Of Today In America.’ Read and be inspired.

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We all have stories we like to tell ourselves; narratives we create to frame the world around us.

Those stories often help cushion the blows and soften the impact when things around us are too frightening, too disorienting, too difficult for our minds to deal with.

These stories are often largely well-crafted fiction, born out of fear and desperation, and the sense of something slipping quickly through fingers: control.

Many scared Christians were telling stories today.

‘Why I Won’t Stop Talking About The LGBT Community.’ – John Pavlovitz

This piece, which was penned by my all-time favorite blogger, John Pavlovitz and originally published on johnpavlovitz.com with the title ‘Why I’m Tired of Talking About The LGBT Community… And Why I Won’t Stop’, sums up the exact response that should be tendered before Ifeoluwapo Odedere, the writer on Bellanaija who asked the question: ‘You’re Gay, So What?’ It sums up the perfect point of reflection for those who seem to think that LGBT activism is about seeking special treatment.

I know some people are going to get carried away by the Christian factor of the write-up and get all hot under the collar about that ‘abominable’ mix of Homosexuality and Religion, and by so doing, miss the point of the piece.

Whichever is the case, here, have a read and share your thoughts below.

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Some days have a way of clarifying your calling; of reminding you just why you say what you say and do what you do and are who you are.

Today was such a day.

An Open Letter To Christians Who Believe That Sexuality Is A Decision

Written by John Pavlovitz, originally published on johnpavlovitz.com

History is no guarantee of legitimacy.

Thinking sustained over time doesn’t always equal Truth; sometimes it just equals tradition.

Just because many religious people get something wrong over and over and over again, doesn’t eventually one day make it right.

In fact, when it comes to things that we come to believe corporately as a people, sometimes history and tradition and religion are the enemy of progress. We become intellectually lazy; wrong but comfortable in that wrong-ness and unwilling to dig deeper.

Ever since Christians have been talking about homosexuality, many have been trying to begin with an assumption that is simply incorrect and dangerous; that it’s something that all gay people choose.

That Piece About Love And The LGBT Community

Remember that Christian pastor that spoke of his unconditional love for his children, one which would not change even if they came out of the closet to him? Well, I was recently perusing his Twitter timeline, and I happened on a link that took me to a post on this blog, the one you’ll read below. He titled it ‘Distorted Love: The Toll Of Our Christian Theology On The LGBT Community.’ When I read that piece, I thought immediately about one person, a good friend of mine, Sensei. Sensei is very passionate about love amongst humanity, no matter the race, religion, culture or belief.

And it would seem Pastor John Pavlovitz agrees with him. Read below.

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Love doesn’t always look like love.

When I published this blog post [Note: The blog post about his love for his children] two weeks ago, I was prepared for some people to applaud it, and for others to condemn it. That’s what happens whenever you put an opinion out there.

I was fully prepared for the waves of both support and hostility that accompany any vantage point on anything, especially a controversial topic like Sexuality.

What I was not prepared for in any way, were the literally hundreds and hundreds of people who have reached out to me personally, to thank me for bringing some healing and hope to their families. Parents, children, siblings, and adults have confided in me (some for the first time anywhere), telling of the pain, and bullying, and shunning they’re received from churches, pastors, and church members; from professed followers of Jesus.

Scores of people from all over the world have shared with me their devastating stories of exclusion and isolation, of unanswered prayers to change, of destructive conversion therapies, of repeated suicide attempts, and of being actively and passively driven from faith, by people of faith.

What The Christian Pastor Promises To Do If His Children Are Gay

Originally published on gaystarnews.com

A Christian pastor in North Carolina has been amazed by the reaction to one of his recent blog postings, in which he wrote about what his reaction would be if any of his children grew up and told him that they were gay

John Pavlovitz [pictured here with his family] is an 18-year local church ministry veteran. He is currently the pastor of a house church community called North Wake House Church, and also a volunteer at North Raleigh Community Church.

He is married to wife, Jennifer, and has two young children, Noah and Selah. He’s also a keen blogger, and a blog that he posted a short while back, entitled ‘If I Have Gay Children: Four Promises From A Christian Pastor/Parent’ has gone viral and prompted thousands of comments.

The reason? Because he believes he would treat his LGBTI children with exactly the same love and support as if they were straight, and would pray that they weren’t the victims of ignorance or hatred.