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Background
of Evangelicals Concerned |
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 |
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 |
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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