Why you are here:
You are, or have a kid, a chosen family member, a friend that the church says is other, less than, or even an abomination.
You know what Jesus says and does in the Bible doesn’t match what the church is saying, teaching, and doing in real life.
You’re seeking to know what Jesus is actually all about, not what the institutional church’s traditions, rules, and patriarchy say he’s about to keep themselves in power.
Things to ponder:
Did you know that, with the exception of Quakers, as late as the 1970’s churches taught that dark-skinned people were less than human and therefore it was ok to own them, and they couldn’t be full members of the church? The scripture that was based on hasn’t changed, but the theology has.
I found that out and thought – what about other marginalized groups? What has the church twisted in scripture to meet the demands of the dominant culture?
Did you know that the early church didn’t think there was a hell that included eternal conscious torment?
Did you know that both the word and the concept of homosexuality didn’t exist in the Bible until 1946?
Did you know that the early church had multiple beliefs about the afterlife that included reincarnation as well as there just isn’t one?
Did you know seminaries teach all of this to pastors and those pastors don’t teach it to the people?
I’ve been where you are now theologically – I’m here to help you move through this process to wholeness, even if that wholeness means unbelief. We’ll go through this together.
Who I am:
I’m Marshall Thomas, husband, father, foster dad, uncle, pastor, author – he/him cis/het – LGBTQ-IA+ accomplice. One of my children is trans, the other non-binary, and we all have church trauma. I’ve studied theology for many years, been licensed to preach, and am ordained. I’ve been a pastor/preacher/teacher for over twenty years along with working in security and IT.
I’ve been an ally of the LGBTQIA+ community for years and am now an accomplice – want to know the difference – try this post.
Part of our family story is captured in our own words in this wonderful book: Authentic Selves: Authentic Selves: Celebrating Trans and Nonbinary People and Their Families
What Next:
Check me out on YouTube – @MarshallDThomas_Accomplice and Tik-Tok