The coming out process for anyone is a challenge, but at the same time it's a personal challenge. It's different for everyone. In a recent discussion with a gay friend he said "I don't get this "coming out" thing, I've always just been who I am". He's in his 60's and has been "out" all his life. That's awesome for him and I couldn't be happier.
But that's not the case for everyone. For those of us who come to a realisation of our sexuality from a religious background, there's often a whole other level of "issues" we need to face. The reconciliation of our faith and our sexual preference are often at competing ends of a spectrum.
Anthony Venn-Brown is a gentleman I've got to know here in Sydney. You can visit his blog here. Anthony was a minister for many years, has children and is now a life coach, author and has a foundation ABBI - Ambassadors & Bridge Builders International.
Click Here to visit the foundation.
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| The Hon Michael Kirby. |
"Human stories, like the one in these pages, play a part in advancing understanding and acceptance. It is the story of a quest to find not only self-acceptance but one of the most powerful forces in nature—human love..”
You can read Kirby's full foreward here.
The following is an excerpt from the book:
"We are all living a life of unlearning: unlearning things we accepted as truth but created a persona so unlike who we really are. Eventually cracks appear and beliefs challenged.
On the surface everything looked perfect. Anthony Venn-Brown was a happily married father-of-two and a popular preacher in Australia's growing mega-churches such as Hillsong. Behind the scenes he fought a constant battle to conform, believing his homosexuality made him unacceptable to God and others.
After twenty-two years of struggle and torment, a chance meeting forced Anthony to make the toughest decision of his life; maintain the façade he had created or, be true to himself and lose it all. Tired of feeling torn and fragmented, he confessed and came out. The results of that confession took him on a lonely journey that made him who he is today.
This sometimes brutally honest account highlights not only the costs of being true to yourself but that the rewards of resolution and integrity are worth the struggle.
As Anthony's story is ultimately about being true to one's self, gay, straight, Christian and non-faith people have found relevance in this triumphant autobiography."
If you're struggling to reconcile your faith with your sexuality, firstly know that you're not alone. The good news is that many of us have done just that, we've reached a point where we're at peace with who we are and still have faith in Christ or whomever we worship.
Anthony's journey is beautifully shared in this amazing book.
