Comming out story Published to Gospel For Gays

Hey, this blog is now about spiritual stories and their sexual underpinnings. Here you can read "My Comming out story" it is well edited, unlike the version in this blog


http://gospelforgays.com/?p=910

Here is some background

Dear Pancho,

Thank you very much for both this comment and your wonderful coming out story. I published the latter today; I trust you'll be happy with the very minor edits I did - basically adding a couple of pronouns you had omitted, along with a couple of periods. I resisted my own temptation to create paragraph breaks, where for example you had dialogue: I felt that you had set it up the way you wanted it to appear, and that it was a very successful piece of writing as it stood.

More importantly, far more importantlly: it's a beautiful and courageous story. I'm privileged to have it on my site.

Re. Paul. I've been thinking a lot more about him since returning from a three week trip/course that followed his itinerary in Greece and Turkey. I learned a lot. But my fundamental sense of him has not changed, and here it is:

1. I think he was basically homosexual, before the word 'gay' existed. I think that orientation gave him huge anguish, that he tried every way he could to repress his sexuality, but I think in the end he accepted it, always in a chaste way. I don't think he had sex with Timothy or others: that would make him a hypocrite. Masturbation: well of course. I think that was his 'thorn in the flesh'. He has the high energy and high intensity of a man with a good sex drive.

2. The more I learn the less I understand why the church puts Paul on the same level as Jesus, in terms of the authority of his very few utterances re. our sexuality. It makes no sense. I've started to address that in a couple of postings, and I intend to continue that line of inquiry.

So frankly, however we interpret his scant references to men having sex with men - I don't think they deserve the kind of absolute authority that people give them.

I hope you're doing well. You are in my prayer.

In Jesus,

Jeremiah

Dear Jeremiah,

Thank you so very much for your personal reply. You must be quite busy and I feel honored to have you reply directly. I am about check the posting of the story, in the event my name is not there, please post it! I would also like if you could post my location, Windhoek, Namibia. I want to refer this site to members of our LGBT network here and I want to see that someone from here has already posted. Thanks for doing the grunt work of the editing! The periods and pronouns always get me.

Your idea about Paul is intriguing. I wonder if I read his work whether I would come to the same conclusion. Could he not just have been ascetic?

Queer readings and traditional readings, which ones are inspired by the Spirit. When Christians speak of letting the Spirit guide our readings of scripture, what do they actually mean? I still wonder, because just as I found out when I danced at mass when no one else was dancing – it was a youth mass here in Windhoek and really joyous - people disagree as to when the Spirit acts. My fellow youth member, Paulcheria, felt that I was just dancing cause I wanted to and that I was using the Holy Spirit as an excuse.

I have published the letter you sent me on my blog : pmulonge.blogspot.com

If you would like me to remove it, please tell me so and I will. I assumed you would not mind.

Thanks again,

And you are in my prayers too!

Pancho