Christian rhetoric is often misused to justify hate and discrimination against LGBT people, so I founded JesusInLove.org to present a positive spiritual vision for queer people and our allies. God loves everyone, regardless of sexual orientation. That message is just as important today as it was five years ago.
In honor of our birthday, we will start a new series tomorrow on “Rethinking Sin and Grace for LGBT People Today” by Patrick S. Cheng, theology professor at Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, MA.
JesusInLove.org was launched on Nov. 17, 2005 with a news release titled “New Website Dares to Show Gay Jesus.” Since then JesusInLove.org has grown to serve more people in more different ways.
Our blog receives 30,000 visits per year and our e-newsletter recently surpassed 500 subscribers. We showcase a wider range of art and writing by more diverse contributors. Our content has also grown beyond the original emphasis on gay Jesus art, and now includes a popular series on queer saints.
We have won many honors for promoting religious and artistic freedom -- and we also get a lot of hate mail from conservative Christians. A typical negative comment is, “Gays are not wanted in the kingdom of Christ! They are cast into the lake of fire.”
The ongoing religious bigotry proves that JesusInLove.org is needed now as much as ever. Jesus loved everyone, including sexual outcasts.
JesusInLove.org is a grassroots effort, with more than 99% of our funding coming from individuals, not institutions. This frees us to present controversial material and nurture each person’s unique spiritual journey.
Image credits: Birthday cake from Wikimedia Commons. Birthday gift from Eyehook.com.
Happy Birthday to you... la la la
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