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Personal Narrative: I Am A Transgender Christian

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I am a transgender Christian. My path has not been easy and included many days of struggle with my faith. Although I never questioned the existence of God there were times when I questioned my relationship with God and there were times that I found myself separated and isolated from the mainline church. I grew up in the church. I have been a lifelong Presbyterian. I am an Elder and currently serve as a Deacon. I a mission co-worker for the Presbyterian Church (USA) for 14 years. I have been rejected by the church for being who I am. My wife lost her position as a pastor for her support of me. I was fired from a church related job without any discussion. I have been told I was an abomination, that I was going to hell and that I would be better off dead by church leaders and religious mentors to whom I had gone for help. I also have found great support from congregations that were affirming of LGBT individuals. I was nursed back to my faith by two congregations and finally found a new home in a congregation that called my wife as their pastor and has since accepted me as the pastor’s wife and as a full and complete member of their congregation.
As a member of the LGBT community I have experienced the pain that the church has inflicted …show more content…

I believe that I am being called to be a bridge between two communities of God’s people and to help begin to heal the hurt on both sides. In the book “A Bigger Table” the author states “These are heady, vitally important times. Now more than ever, people need a Christianity that is not prepackaged, market tested, or franchise ready. They need something raw and real and dangerous, even to the Church institution itself; something that dares to veer from the safe and secure in order to be covered in the dust of

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