With great thanks to Rev. Susan Valiquette and Worship Leader Matthew Charest of First Church Phoenix UCC for teaching and modeling most of what I have learned about this subject! Their partnership is a model for how to ensure contemporary worship music supports the message and the mission of a progressive church. Every Sunday morning across thousands of churches, a subtle theological war is waged - not between the pulpit and the street, but between the pulpit and the soundbo

Over twenty years ago, hundreds of progressive faith communities - particularly within the United Church of Christ (UCC) - took groundbreaking steps by adopting Open and Affirming (ONA) declarations. In their era, these LGBTQ+ inclusive church statements were courageous line-in-the-sand proclamations: declaring that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals were loved by God and welcome in the life of the church. However, theological understandings of human identity

In a recent piece on his blog Southern Fried Heresy, the Rev. Mark Sandlin posed a vital question that most Christians rarely ask: How do we actually determine if a specific theology deserves to be kept? He pointed out that while we love to defend our preferred tool for finding truth - whether that is scripture, tradition, or reason - we rarely take a step back to evaluate the tool itself. Sandlin argues that the definitive test for any theology is its real-world yield. I com

Old Testament Reading: Psalm 139:1–3, 13–16 (NRSVUE) O Lord, you have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from far away. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways... For it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; that I know very well. My frame was not hidden from yo

In his June 30, 2026, New York Times op-ed, "I'm Gay, Not Queer. It Matters," Matthew Vines issues a plea for a return to what he calls the "simple, transformational message" of the gay rights movement: that being gay is "not a rebellion against ordinary life," but merely a minor, domestic variation of it. In Vines’ view, the expansive, radical, and inherently disruptive term "queer" is a liability—a "radical chic" aesthetic that threatens to alienate the straight mainstream

As a Member in Discernment (MID) in the United Church of Christ, the last three years have been marked by a profound transition in my life. It is easy to view the ordination process as a series of requirements: courses completed, papers written, committees met. But underneath the tangible tasks of preparation, I recognize that a deeper, quiet work of the Spirit has been at play. I have come to understand that readiness for spiritual leadership cannot be measured by academic m

The Supreme Court has handed down its highly anticipated six-three decision in West Virginia v. B.P.J. - a ruling that upholds state-level restrictions on transgender athletes and dramatically reshapes the legal landscape of scholastic sports. Writing for the majority, Justice Kavanaugh ruled that both Title IX and the Fourteenth Amendment allow schools to determine sports eligibility based strictly on biological sex. For many inside the church and across the political spectr

Delivered at First Church Phoenix UCC, June 28, 2026 Open & Affirming / Pride Sunday Sermon starts at 27:45 Introduction: The Desert and the Wall Good morning, beloved family of First Church Phoenix. It’s a blessing to be back with you again, especially during the national celebration of Gay Pride Month and the UCC’s celebration of Open & Affirming Sunday today! I’m so grateful for your ongoing witness for justice and inclusion in this church and out in the world! Your witnes

Every June, like clockwork, the arrival of Pride Month brings a predictable surge of Christian anti-gay vitriol. For anyone watching from the outside, it is a baffling spectacle - particularly when you witness largely uneducated zealots aggressively attacking highly educated, ordained clergy with isolated Bible verses. These protestors weaponize scripture with an absolute certainty that they possess the unyielding, authoritative word of God, completely blind to the fact that

Juneteenth - celebrated every year on June 19th - marks a profound turning point in American history. It commemorates the day in 1865 when the final enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, were finally notified of their emancipation, a full two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed. Emancipation Day celebration, June 19, 1900 held in "East Woods" on East 24th Street in Austin. Credit: Austin History Center. When viewed through the framework of Liberatio

It is a deceptively simple sentence: "Jesus loves all." If you post this on almost any social media platform, expecting a chorus of "Amens" or a gentle nod of agreement, you might be shocked by the swiftness of the digital backlash. Within minutes, notifications pop up, flatly declaring: "No, He does not." Or, "Only if they repent." Or, "God has wrath for the wicked." For progressive Christians who celebrate an open communion table, radical hospitality, and a theology of univ

It happens every June like clockwork, but this year feels different. Over the last few weeks of this LGBTQIA+ Pride Month, I have witnessed an incredible increase in "Christian hate speech" - a phrase that by all rights should be an absolute oxymoron. The vitriol aimed at queer people seems louder, sharper, and more relentless than before. Maybe it has always been this bad and I am just seeing it clearly now. As an intern at the Cathedral of Hope - the world’s largest LGBTQIA

There is an old, sharp maxim that has long circulated among those called to public and spiritual service: "My ministry comforts the afflicted and afflicts the comfortable." For as long as I can remember, this has not just been a catchy phrase to me; it has been a guiding compass. I was born into a household where advocacy was the default language. My earliest memories are of my father arguing cases before judges and my mother fighting fiercely for causes before the city counc

It happened slowly, then all at once. When your Sunday mornings are spent at Cathedral of Hope UCC - the largest LGBTQIA+ church in the world - it is easy to forget that the rest of the religious landscape isn't wrapped in a rainbow flag. Inside our beautiful, welcome and inclusive UCC bubble, God is expansive, love is a given, and grace is actually gracious. But as a future pastor, I knew I couldn’t stay in the sanctuary forever. Prophetic witness requires stepping into the

Every June, downtown Dallas transforms. If you walk past Main Street Garden Park or down the central streets during Dallas Pride, you are swept up in a sea of joy. As the local headlines aptly put it, the festival literally "paints downtown in color." It is a beautiful testament to resilience, visibility, and community. But as anyone who has attended Dallas Pride knows, the rainbow-colored celebration isn’t the only thing waiting for you. Just outside the festival gates, the

Every June, our sanctuaries and city streets bloom with rainbows. We gather in the warmth of early summer to celebrate how far we have come, often pointing to the historic milestone of marriage equality as the crown jewel of modern LGBTQIA+ liberation. For communities of faith, this progress has been framed - rightly so in many ways - as an expansion of grace, justice, and pastoral care. It brought vital, indispensable legal protections to individuals and families who despera

A Litany of Enduring Light Written for Cathedral of Hope, Dallas - Pride Sunday, June 7, 2026 Leader: We gather at the threshold of this Pride Month, standing on an enduring foundation of Hope. We come to celebrate a Divine Love that is as constant as the morning and as vibrant as the light of day. People: We are a people of the promise - colorful, courageous, and constant. Leader: We recognize that our journey is marked by seasons of both shadow and sun. Yet, we celebrate th

To my Beloved Queer Community, I am writing this because, after fifty-seven years on this earth, I am still struck by the sheer, stubborn beauty of our existence. We live in a world that often demands we justify our presence. There is perhaps no other community whose basic dignity - the simple right to breathe, to take up space, and to love openly - is questioned as relentlessly as ours. For most of us, this has not been a seasonal challenge; it has been the background noise

How did we arrive at this fragile contemporary moment, where faith and national identity have become so dangerously intertwined? To heal the deep fractures running across our communities and dinner tables, we must examine our history - not to cast blame, but to map the critical decision points where the Church repeatedly chose to trade the Cross for the Sword. As followers of Jesus, we are called to reclaim a primary citizenship in a borderless Kin-dom that requires all of ou

Introduction: The Still-Speaking God and the Queer Body Growing up, many of us in the queer community were handed a devastating narrative: we were taught to believe that God sees us as flawed, broken, or sinful. We were told that our bodies were battlegrounds and our desires were defects. But as a member of the United Church of Christ (UCC) - a denomination that boldly proclaims "God is still speaking" - I have come to realize that our spiritual survival requires a completely