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Background of Evangelicals Concerned
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For over 25 years, Evangelicals Concerned (EC) has been a nationwide ministry, which encourages and affirms lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Christians in their faith. EC organizes small groups, bible studies, social activities and other events in many North American cities as well as organizing national and regional conferences each year.
Organizations or churches with Evangelical roots have traditionally been the most condemning, exclusionary and antagonistic to Christians who identify as GLBT. This bias has produced untold levels of damage to many children of God and has caused many to abandon their faith traditions or commit suicide. Evangelical organizations are responsible for virtually every attempt to convert GLBT people. EC has challenged the conversion therapy notion for 25 years, standing in the gap and providing healing and safety to thousands of Christians.
This is precisely why conservative leaders such as James Dobson, Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell would like to pretend that EC and GLBT Christians do not exist.
EC exposes the routine misconceptions of scripture used to condemn and deny God’s grace and love to faithful lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. EC is committed to providing a place of ongoing reconciliation to those struggling to integrate their relationship to God with what is also their God-given sexual orientation.
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| What are you "concerned" about? |
| Too many times we’ve heard the familiar story about a man or woman who grew up loving and serving God only to realize who they are could alienate them from their church, maybe their families, and seemingly from God. We are concerned that even one person might abandon their faith in Christ or suffer unnecessarily as they wrestle with issues of sexual identity. |
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| Mission |
Evangelicals Concerned (EC) is a non-denominational evangelical resource providing a community of fellowship that is a safe place for gay and lesbian Christians to reconcile and integrate their faith and sexuality, and to grow toward Christian maturity.
A national organization, we are open and affirming to all who embrace the Christian faith regardless of sexual orientation, age, ethnicity, or church membership. Through conferences, retreats, local groups, resource materials, education, leadership training, and personal support, EC serves as a role model to all evangelicals (gay or straight), to foster an integrated and healthy GLBT Christian life. |
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| What We Do |
| We build supportive communities through local activities and events including weekly bible studies, monthly potlucks, and annual retreats. Our goal is not to persuade anyone how they should think, but to provide a safe place where those on their journey can ask questions, express doubts and concerns, and be cared for in a nurturing and uplifting environment. |
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| Founder of Evangelicals Concerned |
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Dr. Ralph Blair is a psychotherapist in private practice in New York City. He founded The Homosexual Community Counseling Center in New York City and is founder and president of Evangelicals Concerned, Inc.
A fellow of The American Orthopsychiatric Association, he is a graduate of Bowling Green State University, The University of Southern California Graduate School of Religion, and The Graduate School of The Pennsylvania State University. He also studied at Bob Jones University, Dallas Theological Seminary, and Westminster Theological Seminary.
Dr. Blair speaks throughout the U.S. and is the editor of a quarterly literature review on religion and homosexuality.
Since 1980, Dr. Blair has organized and sponsored ConnECtion, conferences which have been life changing experiences for hundreds of gay men, lesbians, and friends who are responding with trust to God's love and who seek to live thankfully and faithfully under God's grace and peace.
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| Noted Evangelicals Allies |
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For over two decades, noted evangelicals have become allies of ECWR and have spoken at our national and local conferences, including:
- Peggy Campolo (wife of Tony Campolo)
- Jeremy Marks (former ex-gay ministry leader in Britain)
- Lewis B. Smedes (leading theological voice on forgiveness, late Fuller Theological Seminary professor emeritus)
- Marsha Stevens (evangelical composer)
- Roy Clements (British evangelical theologian)
- Michael Bussee and Gary Cooper (the two founders of the ex-gay ministry, Exodus, who now live openly as gay lives)
- Mel White (former writer for Pat Robertson, founder of Soulforce).
Other noted evangelical leaders who have spoken at ECWR events:
- Rosalind Rinker
- Ken Medema
- Kay Lindskoog
- Nicholas Wolterstorff
- Charlie Shedd
- Chip and Nacy Miller
- Donald Dayton
- Phyllis Hart
- Tom Key
- Stan Rock
- Michael J. Christensen
Over 50 leading evangelical voices have spoken at Evangelicals Concerned conferences over the years.
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