Hello, NWI
As you probably know, our community was recently shocked by the experiences of a local teen, who was outed by his former mega church against his will and removed from a popular Christian summer camp as a result. This occurred on the heels of the an Indianapolis scandal where a pastor openly called for his flock to pray for gay people to die.
I’ll admit: I was shocked to my core. I just refuse to accept that NWI is the kind of place where a member of the LGBTQ+ community can’t go to church and say “Hey, I’m gay.” Or Bi. Or trans. Or whoever they are. So I dug deeper into the religious landscape in the Region for the LGBTQ+ community.
What I found restored my faith in humanity.
I hope this series does the same for you. Or at least reassures you that, if you believe in a God of love, They are right here in the Region where They always were. And you’ll know Them by the many good people here, working in Their name.
Which is the perfect place to segue introducing Buffy Adams, a longtime spiritual and LGBTQ+ activist beloved across the Region for her kindness, her fiery commitment to justice, and her absolute REFUSAL to let hope vanish.In this episode, Buffy and I:
* Discuss how Christianity got hijacked by the MAGA movement.
* Learn what Christian nationalism is doing to the LGBTQ+ community and what local affirming churches are doing to fight back.
* Discuss local LGBTQ+ resources and safe spaces, including IYG
* Explore the awe-inspiring power unleashed when marginalized people feel embraced by God, and why this is such a threat to Christian nationalists.
Here are links to some of the things Buffy mentioned:
LGBTQ+ Affirming Churches who sponsored Pride Fest
LGBTQ+ Outreach of Porter County
While it’s clear that many Klansmen were indeed teachers and law enforcement, I wasn’t able to find anything to corroborate Buffy’s claims that they formed the majority of Klan membership. Here’s what the Southern Poverty Law Center has to say about the Klan.
Stay tune for more episodes later in the week. We’ll be talking with the pastors from several LGBTQ+ affirming churches in the Region. In the meantime, stay cool and see you at the Lake!
