Cross Currents

Of all the things gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Christians need most right now, perhaps the main need we have is fellowship. Solidarity. Just as the wider GLBT community is fractured into a bewildering array of small and divided fragments, so, too, are those of us who are of the Christian faith.

This new era of progressive reform must include unity, in the midst of diversity, if it is to survive. The recent bad feelings between the gay community and the Black community over California's Proposition 8 have made that clear. In the ensuing storm, Christians who are both GLBT and African-American have suffered from this alienation more than anybody else.

Some friends and I are starting a group, in the Phoenix area, to address the need for GLBT solidarity and fellowship. We're calling it Cross Currents, and we hope it will be a means for bonding and healing between us. We will welcome those of all races and gender identities, and we hope that, if our group is successful locally, this will lead to other chapters being formed elsewhere.

There will be no litmus tests imposed upon would-be members, whether these might be denominational, political, racial or ethnic. Of course those who do not support GLBT equality in the Church need not apply -- again, we seek unity, not division -- but those still struggling to come out and live honest lives will be fully included and supported.

Belonging to Cross Currents would enable members to attend any church they chose, without the fear of isolation and loneliness. Old friends long separated could reconnect, and connections made would not need to be broken as members moved to different churches. Thanks to the Internet, we could cross-pollinate the country as we moved to new locales.

Though we cannot allow Cross Currents to become a "meat market," it would also be an excellent way for singles to find mates with whom they were "equally yoked" in faith. Instead of worrying about whether there were any eligible single women or men at a church that interested them, they could concentrate on finding a congregation that was right for them in every way.

This organization would also help us share important information about developments in the various churches and denominations, both good and bad. It is harder for injustice to be perpetuated when we are not isolated from one another. In unity, there is strength.

While this would not be a political organization, we could discuss and keep abreast of the issues of the day. Individual members would be free to connect with one another to work more actively for social change.

It is our hope that no GLBT Christian need ever be alone again.

I'll post more here as we get rolling. Watch this space -- and watch us grow.