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Take ActionOctober 08, 2011 | Admin
Category: National Coming Out Day, Coming Out, Religion & Faith
Coming Out with Pride and Faith, a Message for All
Rev. Doug Slagle is the pastor of The Gathering, a United Church of Christ in Cincinnati, Ohio. He shares with us his Pride Sunday sermon from this past summer. Inspired by Lady Gaga’s “Born this Way,” he reflects on the courage and the resolve it takes for all of us to be out and proud of everything that makes us unique and beloved:
On this Pride Sunday here in Cincinnati, I hope we might all celebrate the core meaning of this day – one of acceptance and joy for being authentic…Our goal, therefore, must be one of living our truth both to others and to ourselves. In doing so, we fulfill Jesus’ words that truth will set us free. We are liberated from the prisons of shame, fear and guilt.
Our celebration today should remind us, then, that pride begins within ourselves. We must have confidence in who we are. And our pride must be informed by self-awareness and honest self-examination – to clearly see our strengths and our weaknesses. In those dark hours alone at night, can we be real with ourselves or do the masks we wear confuse even us? Coming out of our closets is a process we must ALL undertake.
Read the rest of Pastor Doug Slagle’s sermon here
