Resources

Here are a few resources I love – if you know of a book, link or other source of enrichment for the conversation about being gay and Christian in America, please let me know.

Online Resources

Acting Out Loud– from the Religious Institute is a five part guide for faith communities that want to move beyond welcome toward a wider embrace of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people and their families.

Believe Out Loud –  is about helping churches live out this Christian principle by becoming fully inclusive of all people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.

Canonwalker Connection –  – is a site created and maintained by ally Kathy Verbiest Baldock.  Her mission is to educate and create dialogue between the Christian Church and the glbt Christian community.

For The Bible Tells Me So Through the experiences of five very normal, very Christian, very American families — including those of former House Majority Leader Richard Gephardt and Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson — we discover how insightful people of faith handle the realization of having a gay child. Informed by such respected voices as Bishop Desmond Tutu, Harvard’s Peter Gomes, Orthodox Rabbi Steve Greenberg and Reverend Jimmy Creech, FOR THE BIBLE TELLS ME SO offers healing, clarity and understanding to anyone caught in the crosshairs of scripture and sexual identity. HRC Study Guide for the film.

The Human Rights Campaign offers resources for interpreting scripture, including an online weekly preaching and devotional resource called Out In Scripture

Institute for Welcoming Resources – The purpose of this ecumenical group is to provide the resources to facilitate a paradigm shift in multiple denominations whereby churches become welcoming and affirming of all congregants regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity.

National Coming Out Day– Whether you’re lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or not, come out for LGBT equality this National Coming Out Day.

The Gay Christian Network (GCN) is a nonprofit ministry supporting Christians worldwide who happen to be lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT).

The Shower of Stoles Project– The Shower of Stoles is a collection of over a thousand liturgical stoles and other sacred items representing the lives of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people of faith. These religious leaders have served in thirty-two denominations and faith traditions, in six countries, and on three continents. Each stole contains the story of a GLBT person who is active in the life and leadership of their faith community in some way: minister, elder, deacon, teacher, missionary, musician, administrator, or active layperson.

This I Know – The six-lesson study guide is intended as a companion to For the Bible Tells Me So, the award-winning documentary about homosexuality and the church. DVD and access to downloadable curriculum written by such noted authorities as Rev. Brian McLaren, Marcus Borg, Rev. Victor Paul Furnish, Rev. Jack Rogers, Roberta Showalter Kreider, and Bishop Richard B. Wilke

That’s so …Think Before you Speak

This campaign aims to raise awareness about the prevalence and consequences of anti-LGBT bias and behavior in America’s schools. Ultimately, the goal is to reduce and prevent the use of homophobic language in an effort to create a more positive environment for LGBT teens. The campaign also aims to reach adults, including school personnel and parents; their support of this message is crucial to the success of efforts to change behavior.

The Institute for Welcoming Resources at the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force is a networking hub for movement leaders and a source of downloadable toolkits and curriculum for your church.

The National Black Justice Coalition is the source for help “lifting the theological chains of oppression from Black LGBT community,” as America’s only nationwide Black gay civil rights organization.