Evangelical church in Denver welcomes out members

DENVER (AP) – The auditorium lights turned low, the service begins with the familiar rhythms of church: children singing, hugs and handshakes of greeting, a plea for donations to fix the boiler.

Then the 55-year-old pastor with spiked gray hair and blue jeans launches into his weekly welcome, a poem-like litany that includes the line "queer or straight here, there's no hate here."

The Rev. Mark Tidd initially used the word "gay." But he changed it to "queer" because it's the preferred term of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people invited to participate fully at Highlands Church.

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Homophobia and Heterosexism - UMC General Board of Church and Society

Homophobia and Heterosexism Site - General Board of Church and Society

The General Board of Church and Society launched a site on homophobia and heterosexism this week in response to the mandate from the 2008 General Conference. The Opposition to Homophobia and Heterosexism resolution, submitted by Libby Oberdorf of the Kansas East Annual Conference, was adopted by a vote of 544-365.

Many of the testimonies on the site were gathered by Young Adults in the Reconciling Movement.

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Gay clergy: Where large Protestant churches stand

Examining the role of gay clergy in U.S. Protestant churches: This article compares the policies on gay and lesbian clergy for the top six mainline Protestant churches in the U.S. The United Methodist Church is considered the least accepting of gay ministers, while the United Church of Christ, which has ordained out gays and lesbians since the 1970s, is the most accepting. Google/The Associated Press (8/22/09)

Gays and straights are largely on same spiritual page

This article, based on the results of a survey of 9,000 lesbian, gay and bisexual Americans conducted by an evangelical Christian pollster, looks at the important role faith and religion play in the lives of the majority of gays and lesbians. "Although there are clearly some substantial differences in the religious beliefs and practices of the straight and gay populations, there may be less of a spiritual gap between straights and gays than many Americans would assume," pollster George Barna said. PoliticsDaily.com

The Poll - Barna.com

Mainline clergy divided on gay, lesbian issues

By United Methodist News Service*
June 29, 2009 | WASHINGTON (UMNS)

A quarter of United Methodist clergy support same-sex marriages and less than a third back gay and lesbian clergy, a study has found.

In a survey of clergy from seven mainline denominations, senior United Methodist clergy were among the strongest advocates of traditional church policies on marriage and ordination, ranking below only their colleagues from American Baptist Churches in the U.S.A.

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Survey: 60% of gays say faith is important to them

By Adelle M. Banks, Religion News Service
A significant majority of gays and lesbians — six in 10 — say faith is important in their lives, but heterosexuals generally state such commitments more often, according to a new survey by a Christian research firm.

"People who portray gay adults as godless, hedonistic, Christian bashers are not working with the facts," said George Barna, founder of the Barna Group, a Ventura, Calif.-based research company.

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