In its 10 years of existence, Soulforce has been gutsy, relentless and a leading force in working to break down barriers in the faith community and society to gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people.
Mel White, who founded Soulforce with his partner Gary Nixon, has the distinction of previously being a ghostwriter for such evangelicals as Billy Graham, Pat Robertson, Jim Bakker and Jerry Falwell faith leaders not known for an accommodation of gays. It was only later that White came out of the closet and told about it in his book, Stranger at the Gate: To Be Gay and Christian in America (1994). One of the latest of his 16 books is Religion Gone Bad: The Hidden Dangers of the Christian Right (2006). White and Nixon moved Soulforces operations to Lynchburg, Va., where they witnessed and pestered Falwell to undergo a heart change about his objections to homosexuality. But Falwell died last year without such a conversion.
Several years ago, I recall watching Falwell grin and wave, but not stop, at a Soul Force rally, led by White, at Phoenix
Civic Plaza, outside a Southern Baptist Conventions annual gathering of its messengers.
Now Soulforce (www.soulforce.org) is launching The American Family Outing, in which they will pay visits to six of the nations largest and most prominent mega-churches and try to generate dialogues with their well-known leaders. They include Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, led by Joel Osteen (May 9-11); The Potters House in Dallas, Texas, led by Bishop T.D. Jakes (May 16-18); Hope Christian Church in Beltsville, Md., led by Bishop Harry Jackson (May 23-25); New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia, Ga., led by Bishop Eddie Long (May 30 to June 1); Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Ill., led by Bill Hybels (June 6-8); and Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., led by Pastor Rick Warren (June 13-15).
We visit these churches because we recognize the enormous influence each has within Christianity and the larger culture, through ministries, radio and television programs and books that reach millions, they say in their material. The group argues the selected churches have the potential to be a positive force in ending the physical and spiritual violence perpetuated by some religious voices against LGBT people and their families.
Soulforce points out that those six churches have already demonstrated strong works and leadership in social issues such as poverty and AIDS. We believe they can exercise comparable, courageous leadership in ending spiritual and physical violence against LGBT people, they note. A large card, promoting the trips, has photos of five family combinations, two of them families with two mothers and two fathers. In it, Soulforce invites people to join trip to one or more of the six churches: same-gender couples with or without children, supportive straight couples and families, single-parent families and single persons.
They conclude, For too long, sexual orientation and gender identity have been used as wedges to divide our nation, Soulforce asserts. Now the tide is changing, and you can be part of the change.
