I was talking with my friend, John, recently about the wonderfully vigorous national conversation about marriage sparked last month by the Supreme Court hearings on Prop 8 and DOMA. John agreed with a politician who publicly expressed a fear that straight people might pretend to be gay so that they...

Who can deny that the heart of marriage is the love and commitment between the partners? Can you? So it makes perfect sense to me that public opinion in the United States has moved inexorably toward supporting marriage for same-sex couples.

Many who are joining a growing number of...

On April 25, 1981, I solemnly promised: "Before God and these witnesses, I take you for my husband, with all my care and respect, seeking to grow with you in love. I pledge to you, now, my faithfulness as your wife, before eternity."

On that day, Alvise took me...

For the first time since I was a teenager, I did not attend my own church for three Sundays in a row (for a reason other than sickness or travel). Over these last few weeks and months, I have been actively volunteering for the campaign to reelect President...

Since July, I have been volunteering in "the ground game" of the campaign to reelect President Barack Obama. I have been phoning and canvassing, but I especially love the canvassing because I never know what conversation will unfold when someone is home and agrees to talk with me.

On a...

Just as the dust had begun to settle in the Chick-fil-A controversy, we heard news that a man tried to enter the headquarters of the conservative group Family Research Council with a gun. I praise God that a brave security guard stopped the man from taking any lives....

When my oldest son was born I saw myself entering into the forest of motherhood, a completely unknown territory for me. It became clear pretty swiftly that being a mother was going to take all of my energy, intelligence, imagination and love -- and that I really didn't have a...

I have been ordained as a minister in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) for 35 years. About 12 years ago, I experienced an awakening -- I realized that the confusing feelings I had had all my adult life came from being bisexual. Through the process of coming out as...

That justice is of the very essence of God is the clear, consistent message of Scripture. In one of my favorite examples, Psalm 146:5-7, we are told: "Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God. Who made heaven and earth,...

In my 30 years as an advocate for God's love for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people, I've had countless conversations with those who think differently than me about God, Scripture and the place of the LGBT faithful in the church.

Throughout these years, I've heard, read and...

"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in ..." Matthew 25:35

This past weekend, Mount Auburn Presbyterian Church in Cincinnati, Ohio celebrated twenty years of being...

One of the most deeply held aspirations of the American people is to be the shining city upon the hill, an example of the best that human beings can be in the world. And for many this aspiration stems from an understanding of Scripture and more specifically Jesus' words --...

Share with me and Isaiah, God's exclamation:

"Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?" (Isaiah 43:18-19)

I've heard Rev. Dr. Janie Spahr, a caring and deeply faithful...

I love having a good conversation with someone who disagrees with me. Over the years, I've had hundreds of these types of conversations -- mostly with colleagues in the church who disagree with me about the place of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender faithful.

Though I don't know many people...

"And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" (Micah 6:8)

Today we bear witness to a historic moment in my church, the Presbyterian Church (USA), and for our nation.

Last week, a friend, colleague and wonderful pastor, Rev. Jean Southard, faced the highest court of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) after being accused of violating her ordination vows and the Constitution of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) by presiding at the wedding of two women.

The facts of the case --...

Over the last week and a half, we the people have been engaged in some sincere soul searching over whom and what to hold responsible for the horrifying massacre in Tucson. In the days since the shootings, many politicians, advocacy groups, and media figures have pointed to our heated political...

In the matter of a few weeks, we have witnessed five suicides of young people because of anti-gay bullying or abuse. And these are only the ones we know of. Whose heart does not break at these horrifying events that have led to such miserable grief and death?

What is marriage?

From a legal standpoint, Federal District Court Judge Vaughn Walker's decision repealing Proposition 8 and reinstating equal marriage rights in California could not be clearer: Civil marriage with the person of one's choice is an established right under the law. All citizens, including lesbian, gay, bisexual and...