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Sunday, December 14, 2008

Sunday Drive: God Loves Me Too?

(Link to the video if the player doesn't work for you: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1219608346345310021)

This sermon, "How Can I Be Sure God Loves Me Too?" was given in 2006 by the Rev. Mel White. Here's an excerpt about him from Wikipedia:

White was a behind-the-scenes member of the Evangelical Protestant movement during the 1960s, '70s, and '80s, writing speeches and ghostwriting books for televangelists such as Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, and Billy Graham. After years of writing for the Religious Right, he came out of the closet in 1994.

[In 1962,] he married his wife Lyla. They had two children, one of whom is the actor/comedian and screenwriter Mike White.

After their marriage, Mel White admitted to his wife that he had always been attracted to men. He embarked on a long process of attempted "cures" for his homosexuality, including psychotherapy, prayer, electroconvulsive therapy, and exorcism. None of these techniques changed his homosexuality, and after he attempted suicide, he and his wife agreed to an amicable divorce. His son, Mike, is bisexual.

In 1984, White began dating Gary Nixon. In June of 2008 they were legally married in California. They currently reside in Lynchburg, Virginia, where they lead the gay rights organization called Soulforce.

In 1994, White wrote his autobiography, Stranger at the Gate: To Be Gay And Christian In America, which detailed his former career in the Religious Right and his struggle coming to terms with his sexuality. His former wife wrote the foreword to this book.

In 1997, White was awarded the American Civil Liberties Union's National Civil Liberties Award for his efforts to apply the "soul force" principles of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. to the struggle for justice for sexual minorities.

Gary Nixon and Mel White

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