Mel’s Movie Monday!

January 26, 2009

If you haven’t heard already, Mel White, founder of Soulforce, and his son Mike will be one of the teams on the upcoming season of The Amazing Race. Their interview video is this side short of adorable. I absolutely the show, not only because of the incredible places they travel around the world but there’s the morbid joy of watching couples coop and/or crumble under such pressure. It’s a study in human dynamics that should be a part of every sociology course offered. D and I watch the Amazing Race faithfully and always laugh at the idea of us entering as a team since I can barely keep my wits about me over the competitive edge of boarding a Southwest flight with open seating. Anyway, God speed and travel mercies to you Mel and Mike!

While we’re on a Mel roll, he participated in a recent segment of the GLBTQ documentary and news show, In the Life. The “Tie that Binds” is described as an exploration of “the power of religion to shape our lives, worldview, and our political convictions… providing spiritual guidance and comfort, but often used to promote intolerance and hatred of LGBT people. Looking at the intersection of religion and sexuality, we see how gays and lesbians reconcile their faith within their religious communities.” See the video here.

Like many GLBTQ Christians, Mel White’s book “Stranger at the Gate” played a significant part in my journey to reconcile my faith and sexuality. I’d known Mel years earlier through a close family connection when he was still respected within evangelical Christian circles but as I was reading along in his book I was shocked to see he made a passing reference to the very events that connected us. In some way reading about this past event from my childhood in a book about being a gay Christian gave a wholeness to my life story, which is a pretty profound experience when you’re at a place in your life where you’ve split your life story into “before I knew I was gay” and “after I knew I was gay.” Know what I mean? Of course you do.

And so after finishing the book I dropped Mel an email, thanking him for the book and telling him I was still in the closet and struggling with how to come out to my family. Before the day ended a reply email arrived from Mel filled with assurance of God’s love and joy in hearing from me and then Mel did the most remarkable thing. He offered to write a personal letter to my family as a way of speaking up for me and standing with me through it all. I never took him up on the offer but I’ve always remembered the kindness of it as a gift to my life.

The video embedded below from the Soulforce video archives was equally a valuable part of my early days of coming out. While I was already at a place of peace in my relationship with God as a lesbian, Mel’s message communicated a boldness and passion in proclaiming God’s love for GLBTQ people in a way that filled me with the longing to continue passing the same message along. It’s a little dated but the heart of the message is unchanging; Yes, God loves you without reservation! Enjoy the video. And God’s love for you this day.

If you watch the video, tell us what you think. Was there something Mel said that stood out for you?

Spread the Word!