"I was basically excommunicated from both ministry and the church [because of my transsexuality]. ...because of the hurts and all...I have not brought myself to entertain returning into professional pastoral ministry... Most of my former colleagues are just too scared and non-prophetic to be taking a stand. I suspect that, in time, I will return to shepherding God's flock, but maybe not just in the same way that I did for almost 25 years."
"Did not Jesus wear long tunic like dresses and the other civilizations throughout history? They wore what was the accepted dress code for their time in history... Also do remember that in today's society Monks, Arabs, Indians...even the Pope wear long clothes! It has only been since the end of the second world war that Japanese men have worn pants. The natives in the South Pacific, also The Mongolian tribes in China today continue to wear long skirts while riding their horses. The Gauchos in Argentina also do likewise."
"Thanks so much for sending your wonderful letter which is an inspiration for us all to "tell it on the mountain!"
"For me clothing is not a big issue (unless I am in a very cold environment). If you want to wear a dress, wear a dress. When I want to wear pants I wear pants. Samoan men wear wrap around skirts, Scottish and English men wear kilts. Women in the Marshall Islands wear mother hubbards and think only prostitutes wear pants. It seems like people everywhere have their own opinions, so why shouldn't you. ...come visit our church. Everyone is welcome. People generally are more interested in other people, and less so with fashion statements."
"Just a brief note to thank you for your moving and powerful story, "Let The Walls Fall Down." I have taken the liberty of forwarding your message to [our] clergy...as a vivid reminder that our houses of worship must be open and affirming of all persons."
"I was moved by your faith and your honesty with both yourself and with others. I would be proud to have you as a member of the church that I serve. I am sure that you would be welcomed into our congregation. That does not mean that there would not be some who would not understand, but even in their confusion I have found them to never doubt the invitation of Christ to welcome everyone into God's Kingdom. They have never let their weakness stand in the way of offering a joyful welcome to all who want to be a part of our fellowship."
"I usually have two responses to those who use the Levitical code to condemn.
First, as a Christian I am a new testament person. Jesus condemned literal implementation of the Law. He was much more concerned with what was in the heart of the believer, not the outward actions... There are not categories of good sin and bad sin. WE ARE ALL SINNERS. AND WE ARE ALL SAVED BY GRACE.
Second, I then ask those who throw the Levitical Law at me if they are ready to live by the whole of the Law. Most have not read the whole Law and do not realize that most of what they do would be condemned. I push them to be consistent in their actions. They cannot pick which Law they will impose and which they will let slide. So, in the end we are left as sinners, struggling to respond with joy and service to God's grace. And all are welcomed into God's Kingdom which is all around us, even now. All we need to do is open our hearts to the grace of God and step into a new reality where all are welcomed."
"As a clergy associated with "the church," please accept this feeble Email as part of what I want to call an apology. While I cannot speak for all Christians or religious people in the world, I DO represent a part of the Kingdom of the Creator... I am still a learner and have not yet perfected all that the Creator desires for me. I still make mistakes. I still misjudge people. I still have to go to the Father and say "Forgive me for being critical---again!" I don't completely understand His love but I feel forgiven and grow...a little. No one on earth has all the answers to our emotions or how to "properly" relate to the Creator. We do the best we can with what we have. And what we have is often imperfect knowledge, interpreted by imperfect beings, received by imperfect beings, and then shared with other imperfect beings."
"I want to excerpt from your piece for our Letters column, in the interest of following up on a religion and spirituality discussion that's been going on...that more of you are among us than we probably think, that all of us deserve love and respect, and that not all churches are as welcoming of those who are a little different from the norm."
"If you lived in Scotland you would notice that men sometimes wear kilts, that basically are dresses. In the Middle East and other places both men and women wear long robes. So the question of what men wear obviously is cultural. But the fact that you have this "desire" to wear a dress that is obviously compelling in some degree is a problem. This attachment or desire to the clothes one wears is a form of bondage. Perhaps it is no different then other compulsions people feel for other things. We all have them to some degree."
"I do not have an opinion one way or the other regarding whether or not cross dressing is a sin. The issue is that you are putting too much emphasis on a label that you have given yourself. God does not recognize manmade labels. When you get to the Kingdom, He will not be introducing you around as "My son Richard who is a cross dresser." He will be introducing you as "My son Richard whom I love very much." I believe that your insistence that your brothers and sisters...recognize your label is a detriment to your walk with the Lord. Return to your first love, my brother, and be about His business instead."
"I'm sorry to hear that you find so much rejection in the Church. Sadly, church people often forget that there is no unforgivable sin except one, and that is not cross-dressing... Mainly, they just don't know how to deal with it, so they reject it. It's not the church in particular, but people in general, that is the problem for you. Personally, it matters not at all to me that you are a cross-dresser. And it doesn't matter to me what you decide is the root reason that you do it. I care about you as a person, and about the state of your soul and your relationship with the one true God... What I care about is that you find the way to become a true Christian, a real follower of Jesus Christ."
"I have a character...that appears once in a while as a cross-dresser. I have a... view of manhood [that] allows broad latitudes and where cross-dressing is...only peculiar. Peculiar is not necessarily ungodly."
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