Queer Clergy: A History of Gay and Lesbian Ministry in American Protestantism
In the aftermath of the historic actions of the 2009 ELCA Churchwide Assembly, I actively supported the LGBT-friendly actions of the ELCA as a blogger, and my blog went viral in ELCA circles. As I penned blog posts, I encountered stories of early pilgrims, not only in my ELCA but across denominations, and I realized there was a rich narrative of the journey toward full inclusion that hadn't been told. Despite feeling like an interloper, a straight man writing an LGBT history, I received encouragement as I shared my idea for a book and then began the process of researching and writing in the spring of 2011. Hopefully, this book will help LGBT Christians and straight allies to appreciate our past and to remember the pioneers who have led the church to a place of welcome. To be sure, the journey has been conflicted, but with each victory, great and small, there has been celebration, and part of my motivation is to "shout it from the mountaintops" and to "tell everyone what we have done."