Hi John, You seem to be one to never shy away from difficult topics, so I hope this one isn’t too much. Something that has been plaguing me a long time is porn. You see I am a gay woman. A common response from within the LGBT community to others who are still “questioning” is to watch some porn. Try some straight, some gay, some lesbian—see what turns you on the most and notice your reaction to each type. (more…) Read more
So, lately (as in, since Ash Wednesday) my wife Catherine and I have been attending church on Sunday mornings. Before that we hadn’t gone to church for five or six years. Then, rather suddenly, we felt like going again. I have no idea why. I didn’t question it. I was happy not going to church; I’m happy to be going again. Here’s the church we’re now attending: (more…) Read more
So here’s a letter I got in: I’m a 61-year-old gay man who is still pretty much in the closet. I’ve very selectively come out to a few friends over the years, and, of course, to my gay friends. But I just can’t seem to build up momentum to come out in a bigger way. Naturally, I feel like I’m keeping something back with straight friends, but I’m so used to this way of being that it seems overwhelming to... Read more
This morning I received this from a woman named Barb (who is happy to share it [along with her first name]): Dear John, I want to thank you for your book Seven Reasons Women Stay In Abusive Relationships. After thirty years of marriage to a man abusive on every level, I walked away eight months ago. Within two weeks I came across your book and it has kept me from going back to a potentially deadly situation. I read Seven... Read more
Hi, John. This is in response to your post, As a Christian, Must She Forgive the Brother Who Raped Her? I just want to say thank you—from me, for that lady, and from every single other person out here like us. I want to know if you think that the woman who wrote that letter is right about it having been God who saved her. (more…) Read more
The splitting of Christianity in two—what I (and others, somewhere, I assume) call Christian Reformation II—is being occasioned by the gay issue, which in many ways is to the Christian church today what the sale of indulgences were in the days of Luther. Like the sale of indulgences then, the condemnation of gay people now: is morally wrong. is an institutionalized abuse of power. is founded upon gross misreadings and misapplications of Scripture. capitalizes on people’s fear. terribly victimizes untold... Read more
God so loved the world that he did for it, and for us, these six things. (more…) Read more
This comment was left to yesterday’s post, “I’m basically giving up on Christianity. Why Shouldn’t I?”: So… Whatever (version of) Christianity you believe to be true, right and good is, well, perfect for you. Of course you will have to do a little work to come up with your own personal version of Christianity. Whatever you find hard to hard to handle or too narrow minded in the “orthodox” version, you’ll need to toss out. Want to add some new... Read more
I don't believe in Christianity; I believe in the particular form of Christianity that I do. Read more
All movies—and especially children’s movies—have a primary message: good is rewarded; be true to who you are; follow your heart; wishes are good; visit Disneyland … whatever. But it’s always there, and it’s always obvious. The primary, overt, not-even-slightly-subtle message of the deplorable movie Hop, out on DVD March 23, is that the very idea of Hispanics succeeding is a joke. (more…) Read more
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