A word of thanks to those 111 clergy
As I work today, my mind travels to the United Methodist clergy who came out as LGBTQ before the General Conference, to challenge the denomination’s policy which bans the ordination of “practicing homosexuals.” While the number is stunning, I keep thinking of each individual person who has risked their livelihood and calling, for this historic moment.
As clergy, we’re asked to hide a great deal of ourselves, because our personal lives are a matter of constant public scrutiny. I remember the first time it happened to me—when I realized that I needed to hide. I went to see “Boogie Nights.” I didn’t really look at the movie description. I was just bored, and it was playing. At the end of it, however, I hid my face while coming out of the theater. I was so nervous that someone from my church would see me.
From that moment, I’ve hidden things. Nothing spectacular (unfortunately, I’m not that exciting). But when a person’s political views differ from mine, I calculate the risk of owning up to my divergent opinions. When some members of my church believed that I was paid too much, I hid when I went out to eat. When I doubted certain aspects of my faith, I wrestled with them in secret.
