John Shore

What immediately become a meme amongst Dan’s critics is that those who walked out of his talk felt bullied by him. But that’s impossible. People get bullied because of who they are: how they look and act, what they say and do. ... The people who walked out during Dan’s talk were not separated from their peers by anyone. They were content to do that themselves. They were not frightened or cowed. They were offended. They felt that by disparaging what amounts to their God, Dan had transgressed beyond their capacity for toleration. And they were pleased to show their intolerance of Dan’s words by protesting against them in the manner they did. Theirs was not an act born of suffering. It was a proud show of disdain.

The splitting of Christianity in two — what I (and I would certainly guess others) call Christian Reformation II — is being occasioned by the gay issue, which in many ways is to the Christian church today what the sale of indulgences were in the days of Luther.

By now you’ve likely heard the story of how last weekend, at Saint John Neumann Catholic Church in Maryland, Barbara Johnson was denied holy communion by the priest officiating at the funeral of her beloved mother -- and the story of what happened is tailor-made for people eager to prove that religion or Catholicism is evil...

My friends at Believe Out Loud want you to know of the virtual thank-you card for which they're currently collecting signatures. Titled Thank Starbucks For Welcoming LGBT Marriages, the card [...]

A new Presbyterian denomination is born: the Evangelical Covenant Order of Presbyterians — ECO was formed by pastors and laypeople in response to PCUSA’s decision to join the 21st century. They’re against gay people being ordained as ministers, and so started their own sub-denomination wherein such a thing would be prohibited.

Last night I dreamed that I was standing in the sanctuary of an immense church. Broad beams of light colored like jewelery cut across the air above me, coming to [...]

Coming out to people sometimes causes them to freak out a little. Quite often they soon enough thereafter settle down, though, and become okay with what, to them, is the new you. Sometimes the person coming out just has to wait for that uncomfortable storm to pass. It’s unfortunate that people tend to need that adjustment period, but, let’s face it: we humans aren’t the swiftest group in the world.

Another kid has been bullied into killing himself. His name is Jacob Rogers. He went to Cheatham County Central High School, in Ashland City, TN. Apparently he'd been being pretty severely bullied for four years...

Evangelical, fundamentalist Christians -- by which I mean, specifically, Christians who believe that being gay is a moral abomination, an appalling affront to God -- talk to me, please, about this kid...

Word came out last week that George Michael, 48, was admitted to a Viennese hospital for severe pneumonia. (Though he has cancelled the remainder of the tour he was on, [...]

"I spent sixteen years as a fundamental evangelical Christian, trying to get God to fix me. I studied theology and Biblical counseling for three years in the hopes of discovering what I was doing wrong that was keeping God from answering my prayers to make me straight...."

So the pretty darn surprising news, out today courtesy of the Public Religion Research Institute, is that 89% percent of Americans (including strong majorities of all religious and partisan groups) think transgender people deserve the same rights and protections as other Americans.

What “Is homosexuality a sin?” really means—what anyone asking that question is really asking—is, “Are acts of homosexual sex sinful?” That’s the question to which the whole Christian debate about homosexuality invariably and necessarily boils down.

My heart quickened at the thought of interviewing this renegade Christian leader, this bold iconoclast, this trailblazing visionary who was willing to defy authority, buck convention, cleave to God’s truth, and let the chips fall where they may. Was there any way TIME magazine wouldn’t pick up this story?

Two nights ago I got this email: Greetings John, My name is [X], and I am/was a Pastor of [Super Cool-Sounding Job Title] at a church here in [Big American [...]