On Being a Person of Faith in Texas
Working in Texas as a progressive person of faith can sometimes be a weary task. Christianity is unashamedly used to promote policies and values that make me anything but proud to say I work at a church in Texas. As the current Texas legislative session proceeds, it seems there is another statistic being voiced every [...]
On Queers, Context, and the United Methodist Church
The United Methodist Church still maintains that “homosexuality is not compatible with Christian teaching.” As a denomination, the church prohibits same gender marriages and the ordination of any “self-avowed practicing homosexuals.” In the Spring of 2012, a global community of United Methodist clergy and lay delegates met for our General Conference to discuss various legislative [...]
Three Questions on Immigration Reform
This past Tuesday afternoon, President Obama addressed the nation about the pressing need for immigration reform. As he noted, the approaches to this reform will be quite varied in ideology and implementation, but most of us will agree that something needs to change. I am glad the conversation is happening and eager to see what [...]
Why I Bother: Voting as a Young American
Last week, I was pleased to be an audience member in the first taping of a new series on why Texans have one of the lowest rates of civic participation in the country. This particular taping was specifically focused on young people and was appropriately titled, “Why Bother: Voices of a New Generation.” A wide [...]
The Truth of an Alleged Lie
In the midst of last month’s Chik-fil-A blow-up, I wrote a piece which attempted to clarify the particular reason so many LGBT people were actually upset. It wasn’t Cathy’s opinion about “traditional marriage,” it was his millions of dollars which were donated to anti-gay organizations. In my post, I wanted to highlight the correlation between [...]
Gay Friends and Waffle Fries: Thoughts on Having Both
Last week, Charlie Rogers, a lesbian woman in Nebraska was attacked in her home by three men. They stripped her, tied her up with zip ties, carved words such as “dyke” and other gay-slurs into her skin, and set her house on fire. Incredibly, this woman bravely stated just a day later, “I’m not going back [...]
An Unexpected Turn
In my last post I struggled with my place in and expectations of the church. A few months later and now I am a youth director and justice associate at a local church. Funny how life works. As a UMC lesbian graduating from seminary in Texas, working in the church didn’t seem like much of [...]
Coming Out: stepping out of the closet and the church
I came out as a lesbian this past year. I spent the first 25 years of my life living with straight privilege but struggling internally with what was “wrong” with me. Coming out has been indescribably freeing but also incredibly tiring. Sadly, most of the weariness comes from being a lesbian at a Christian seminary. [...]
Religious Liberty and “the Pill” for All
The year 2011 proved to be a particularly challenging one for women’s health. The overall efforts to defund Planned Parenthood, restrict abortion and general reproduction rights, and argue for a clarification between “rape” and “forcible rape” resulted in many referring to these and similar events as the “War on Women.” It seemed in many ways [...]
The Fatigue of Result-Oriented Hope
Last week at State of Formation, a number of fellow contributors wrote inspiring posts about the meaning they find within their respective religions. One of these posts in particular caught my attention. My friend and colleague Amanda Robinson wrote a very thoughtful piece entitled Meaning Vs. Hope. In her post, she expressed her frustration with [...]
Mary Ann
Mary Ann is a graduate of Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. She is currently working as the Youth Director and Justice Associate at a United Methodist Church. Her primary interests reside in the intersections of church and society, particularly in realms of sexuality, gender, race, and ecology. You can follow her on twitter at https://twitter.com/ladygadfly.
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Contributing Scholars
Deborah Ruth FerberDeborah is a graduate student of peace and theology. You can find her personal blog at: debdebbarak.wordpress.com
Jenn LindsayJenn Lindsay is a PhD student in Boston University's Division of Religious and Theological Studies, where she studies how religion affects personal relationships, particularly interreligious relationships. She earned her Masters Degree at Union Theological Seminary in New York City, where her program focus was Interfaith Relations and she served as co-chair of the Interfaith Caucus and the student senate Minister of Fun. She hails from San Diego and worked for a decade in New York City as an independent musician and filmmaker.
Mark McCormackI am a graduate of the Vanderbilt University Divinity School and am currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Vanderbilt's Community Research & Action program. My research and writing interests include interfaith relations, faith–based community development, congregational studies, and religion & politics.