Dear God, One of your gay children is hurting...

Dear God, One of your gay children is hurting.  His name is Pastor Ted Haggard and he has been deep in the closet for a very, very long time.  He thinks that you want him in there, Lord, shamed, and alone and trying to fight against what you intended him to be.  Please help him to understand that he is loved just as he is. You see, recently he was exposed to the light.  The closet door was thrown open and everything he had been trying so hard to hide was suddenly made known.  His pain and shame were palpable in the words he chose to use when confessing to his flock.  He said, “There is part of my life that is so repulsive and dark that I’ve been warring against it all of my adult life.”  These words broke my heart. Oh Lord, please let him know that being gay is not something repulsive and dark that needs to be fought, but rather, a gift to be embraced! Please help him to understand that his actions were those of a man forced into furtiveness and deception by a Christianity that demonizes homosexuality.  It wasn’t a battle against evil that he was fighting but a struggle for authenticity within the limited space of the closet.  But dear God, when Pastor Ted was forced by what he thought was faith to stay in the dark of the closet, the way toward wholeness became warped and distorted.  He was unfaithful to his wife.  And he was false to his family, friends and Church… He was also a hypocrite.  He betrayed his fellow gay and lesbian Christians.  He fought vociferously against equal rights for them and proclaimed in your name that being gay was a sin.  Lord, only you know how many of your gay, evangelical children have felt compelled by his words to stay in the darkness of the closet, shamed, belittled and broken.  What a travesty of your love and compassion. Dear God, Pastor Ted has asked for help from a team of evangelical leaders.  But they think being gay is an abomination.  They don’t know that you call all of us to live in openness and dignity, not shame and despair.  What if they lead him back into the cold, dark loneliness of the closet, Lord?  What then of the lesson he could have learned from all of this -- that you love your gay children and want them to find wholeness as gay people.  That your desire is for wholeness, light, love and equality – not just for those who happen to be straight but also for those who happen to be gay. Lord, please let Pastor Ted know that there are other Christian choices and other faithful voices that understand you to be a holy and living spirit.  And as living presence through the ages, you breathe new life into us, giving us new wisdom, fresh insights, and huge doses of compassion to share with those along the way.   Guide him to resources that speak progressively and theologically.  They will point out that the abomination spoken of in the Bible was about rape and abuse of power, not loving, gay, consensual relationships. Lead him to progressive and gay Christian leaders who will pray with him and share their stories and struggles as faithful followers of the Way. And finally, let his heart be opened to the promise and possibility of advocating for his gay brothers and sisters who are equal in your sight but who have been shamed into living a lie because of outdated theology.  We all have our sins, but being gay isn’t one of them.  Neither is being straight.Lord, I pray for Pastor Ted and his family.  Give them peace, understanding and hope.  And then let them share that with all of us.  Amen.   Dear Pastor Ted, Here are some resources for you. The Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies in Religion and Ministry - http://www.clgs.org/Start here:  http://www.clgs.org/5/openhands/article_bess_homosexuality.html Soulforce - http://www.soulforce.org/More Light Presbyterians - http://www.mlp.org/Gay and Lesbian Catholics – www.dignityusa.orgUnited Church of Christ – www.ucc.orgUnited Methodists united for LGBT concerns - http://www.umaffirm.org/Episcopal Church organization - http://www.integrityusa.org/Metropolitan Community Churches - http://www.mccchurch.org//AM/Template.cfm?Section=HomeWhosoever: a magazine for GLBT Christians - http://www.whosoever.org/index.shtml Progressive Christians Resources –www.crossleft.orgwww.progressivechristianwitness.orgwww.tcpc.orgwww.progressivechristiansuniting.orgwww.christianallianceforprogress.orghttp://www.beatitudessociety.org/http://www.zionsherald.org/