I wanted to share this press release with my readers. I am so proud of my friend, colleague and sister, Rev. Candace Chellew!
A refrain heard relentlessly by gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people of faith is: “God hates fags!” Whether it’s hurled as a direct insult or stated more subtly in a “Love the sinner, hate the sin” theology, the message to GLBT ears is the same: “God hates you and so do we!”
“Gay and lesbian people are constantly under attack,” said Rev. Chellew, the author of Bulletproof Faith: A Spiritual Survival Guide for Gay and Lesbian Christians. “We’re unable to marry the person we love, and many support writing that discrimination into the U.S. Constitution. Churches continue to argue about our lives and many insist we must become something called, ‘ex-gay.’ We’re tired of constantly being a target.”
This trend against GLBT people isn’t abating. The church attended by Republican Vice-Presidential nominee Sarah Palin is promoting an “ex-gay” program and Palin herself told the Anchorage Daily News in 2006 that although she “has good friends who are gay” she supports denying them benefits and marriage equality. Republican Presidential Nominee John McCain has also, in the past, expressed his support of constitutional amendments against marriage equality for gays and lesbians in both Arizona and California.
Even Archbishop Desmond Tutu noted in his endorsement of the book that, “Gay and lesbian Christians are constantly demoralized and told they are not children of God. Bulletproof Faith reassures gays and lesbians that God loves them just as they were created and teaches them how to stand strong, with compassion and gentleness, against those who condemn them.”
Bulletproof Faith, published by Jossey-Bass, helps readers reclaim the spiritual self that criticism from society and religion has led them
to give up. Instead of arguing over biblical texts, Bulletproof Faith helps GLBT people live authentically into their faith despite criticism. Bulletproof Faith empowers readers to withstand even the most aggressive assaults without fear, doubt, or anger by providing:
- Solid, proven tactics that can be used successfully when faced with an attack
- Practical tools to discover one’s “authentic self”: the bulletproof part of each of us
- Guidance on how to turn attacks into opportunities for spiritual growth
Bulletproof Faith doesn’t argue; instead Rev. Chellew’s approach – born out of 12 years of being on the frontlines in the controversies surrounding gay and Christian identity – teaches readers to draw on their own inner strength and to return abuse with the spiritual Aikido of gentleness, compassion, reverence – and strength.
Rev. Candace Chellew is the associate pastor at Garden of Grace United Church of Christ in Columbia, S.C., and founder of the online magazine for GLBT Christians called Whosoever, which reaches nearly 1 million people a year. She is an award-winning former journalist with 25 years of experience including six years as a news writer, reporter and editor with CNN. She is a graduate of the Candler School of Theology at Emory University in Atlanta.
For more information and a free 25-page study guide for Bulletproof Faith, visit http://www.bulletproofbook.com.