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The Reformation Project is a Bible-based, Christian grassroots organization that works to promote inclusion of LGBTQ people by reforming church teaching on sexual orientation and gender identity. Our vision is of a global church that fully affirms LGBTQ people.

 

A Bible-Based, Gospel-Centered Approach to LGBTQ Inclusion

The Reformation Project is a Bible-based, Christian grassroots organization that works to promote inclusion of LGBTQ people by reforming church teaching on sexual orientation and gender identity. We envision a global church that fully affirms LGBTQ people.

 
 
 

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Announcing a special conference event: An Evening with Rev. David! . Earlier this year, Kathy Baldock shared an extraordinary story that shed new light on how the term “homosexual” first entered English translations of the Bible in the mid-20th century. . In 1959, a young, gay seminary student named David wrote a letter to the head of the Revised Standard Version biblical translation team challenging the RSV’s use of the word “homosexual” in 1 Corinthians 6:9. . Dr. Luther Weigle, the Dean of Yale Divinity School and the head of the translation committee, wrote back to David and admitted that the RSV translation was wrong—leading to a change in a later version of the RSV to the more generic phrase “sexual perverts” rather than a specific condemnation of gay people. . The letters between David and Dr. Weigle remained buried in the Yale Archives until Kathy and her colleague Ed Oxford found them last year. Remarkably, David is still alive, now over 80 years old and a retired pastor in Canada, and Kathy was able to connect with him after discovering his letter. . She has gotten to know him well since then, and this fall, Kathy and Ed Oxford will join Rev. David for a special event at our Reconcile and Reform conference in Seattle. On Friday evening, November 8, TRP will present “An Evening with Rev. David: The Story Behind a Historic Letter About Biblical Translation” to share the story of Rev. David’s life and his historic role in challenging an inaccurate and harmful translation of two key words in the Bible. . Admission to this special event is free for Reconcile and Reform attendees. If you haven’t registered yet, sign up today to join us in Seattle from November 7-9 for what is shaping up to be a wonderful weekend. We can’t wait to see you—and Rev. David—there!
There's just a week left to send in workshop proposals for our Reconcile and Reform conference in Seattle this fall! Download the form on our website and submit it by next Tuesday, August 20. There are four categories for workshop proposals: . • Bible and Theology • Family and Community • Churches and Leadership • Diversity and Inclusion . You can read more here: reformationproject.org/workshops. We will do our best to assemble a compelling, diverse lineup of workshops, so send in your proposals by next week if you'd like to be considered!
Prices go up at midnight tonight for The Reformation Project's Reconcile and Reform conference in Seattle this fall! Sign up today to join hundreds of affirming Christians for a transformative weekend focused on advancing LGBTQ inclusion in the church in a Christ-centered, Bible-based way: reformationproject.org/conference.
If you're thinking about joining us for our Reconcile and Reform conference in Seattle this November 7-9, registration rates rise at the end of the day tomorrow, so sign up now for the best price: reformationproject.org/conference. . Speaking up about LGBTQ inclusion in your church can be daunting and isolating. Through inspiring keynotes from LGBTQ Christian leaders, teaching from respected Bible scholars and theologians, worship, and workshops, the Reconcile and Reform conference will equip and empower you to help advance LGBTQ inclusion in your church in a Bible-based, Christ-centered way. We'll also have special programs for parents and pastors this year. . If you share our love for God, the Bible, and the church and are passionate about LGBTQ inclusion, this is an experience you won't want to miss. See you in Seattle!
There are only five days left to get the best price on tickets to TRP's Reconcile and Reform conference in Seattle this November 7-9! . Sign up at reformationproject.org/conference by the end of the day on July 31 to join hundreds of LGBTQ Christians and allies for a transformative weekend together to: • Hear inspiring speakers like Justin Lee, Nicole Garcia, and Pastor Candace Hardnett • Connect, make friends, and worship with other affirming Christians • Learn the biblical case for LGBTQ inclusion • Become equipped to be the most effective advocate for LGBTQ inclusion you can be in your church. . For the first time this year, we'll also have special offerings for both parents and pastors who are navigating the complexity of these conversations in their families and churches. . If you share our love for God, the Bible, and the church and know that the church can and should do better when it comes to LGBTQ people, this is a conference you shouldn't miss. See you in Seattle!
Earlier this week, we announced a new program for parents at this year's Reconcile and Reform conference in Seattle: Parents in Process. . Today, we're pleased to share that, in parallel with the parents program, we'll also be hosting Pastors in Process: a private, off-the-record gathering specifically for pastors of non-affirming churches who want to move the conversation on LGBTQ inclusion forward in their churches. Fred Harrell, Senior Pastor of City Church San Francisco, Ken Fong, retired Senior Pastor of Evergreen Baptist Church of Los Angeles, and Matthew Vines, TRP's Executive Director, will help to facilitate the gathering. . We've heard from many pastors of non-affirming churches who feel isolated and under-equipped as they seek to foster a more inclusive posture toward LGBTQ Christians in their churches, and we're looking forward to this opportunity to help to change those dynamics. . If you attend a non-affirming church and your pastor is either affirming or sympathetic to this conversation, this would be an ideal gathering for them to attend. Given the sensitive nature of these conversations, participation in the Pastors in Process gathering is not open to public registration. You can visit our website to learn more about the process for receiving an invitation to participate: reformationproject.org/pastors. . Whether you're a pastor or not, remember that there's less than a week left before ticket prices increase for our Reconcile and Reform conference! Sign up before next Wednesday, July 31, to get the best rates and join us in Seattle this fall: reformationproject.org/conference.
Do you have a Christian parent who you deeply desire to see become more supportive and embracing of you as an LGBTQ person? Then invite them to attend Parents in Process, a new daylong program The Reformation Project is holding this fall as part of our Reconcile and Reform conference in Seattle (reformationproject.org/parents). . Greg and Lynn McDonald, authors of the fantastic book "Embracing the Journey: A Christian Parents' Blueprint to Loving Your LGBTQ Child," will lead the program, which is designed for parents who are still wrestling with their questions, doubts, and fears after learning that their child is LGBTQ. . Greg and Lynn share: "As evangelical Christian parents, we were completely unprepared to respond when our son came out. If you could do it wrong, we did. At first, we tried to 'fix' him, to no avail. But even in the earliest days of our journey, we clung to two absolutes: we would love God, and we would love our son. It has been 17 years since then and our learnings have been huge. . "Today, we head up a ministry called Embracing the Journey, where we build bridges between LGBTQ individuals, their families, and the church, even when they seem at odds. We have walked with many hundreds of Christian parents with LGBTQ children, and we are excited to get to spend the day with parents at The Reformation Project’s conference this fall!" . Registration opens today for Parents in Process, which will be held at Plymouth Congregational Church on Thursday, November 7: reformationproject.org/parents. Parents in Process attendees are welcome and encouraged to attend the full Reconcile and Reform conference, which requires separate registration, but they are also welcome to come just for the parents program if they like. We're so looking forward to meeting all the parents who come!
From now until July 31, we're offering a significant discount on tickets our Reconcile and Reform conference in Seattle this fall—only $115 for individuals and $90 for groups of five or more. But those rates will rise after the end of this month, so if you're planning on coming but haven't bought your tickets yet, we encourage you to do so soon to take advantage of the best rates. . Now is also the best time to book your hotel room at the Crowne Plaza Seattle Downtown—directly across the street from the host church—to ensure that you're able to get the discounted conference rate of $169/night before our room block sells out. . Stay tuned for more announcements about conference speakers and programming in the coming weeks, and register by July 31 to save on tickets! It's going to be an incredible experience this year, and we'd love to have you be a part of it. Sign up here: www.reformationproject.org/conference.
Are you interested in leading a workshop at this year's Reconcile and Reform conference in Seattle? . We're now accepting workshop proposals, so download the form at reformationproject.org/workshops and submit it by August 20 to be considered. There are four categories for workshop proposals this year: • Bible and Theology • Family and Community • Churches and Leadership • Diversity and Inclusion . You can read more about the categories on our website. Based on the high number of proposals we've received in recent years, we expect to be able to accept less than 30% of proposals this year. But we will do our best to assemble a compelling, diverse lineup of workshops that makes space for new voices—even if this will be your first TRP conference—so put your thinking caps on and send in your proposal by the August 20 deadline!
As we look ahead to our national conference in Seattle this fall, we are excited to share that we are giving the conference a new name: Reconcile and Reform. . These two words speak to the heart of our work and to so many of our individual journeys and callings. Before we can effectively advocate for ourselves and others, we first need to reconcile our faith and our sexuality, our faith and our gender identity, or simply our faith and our love for LGBTQ people. . After reconciling those things, we can then take up the mantle of working for reform: a reformed understanding of Scripture, reformed church teachings and policies, and ultimately, a reformed global church that fully affirms LGBTQ people. And as the church becomes increasingly affirming, we can then live into an even deeper vision of reconciliation: reconciling the church and the LGBTQ community, in keeping with the affirmation of 2 Corinthians 5:18 that God has given us a ministry of reconciliation. . As we work toward those twin goals at the Reconcile and Reform Conference, we will keep front and center three core values that ground all of The Reformation Project's work: • A love for God • A love for the Bible • A love for the church . It's because of those values—our love for God, the Bible, and the church—that we are passionate about seeing churches fully affirm and include LGBTQ people. It's because of those values that we seek to advance LGBTQ inclusion in the church in an intersectional way, emulating the life and teachings of Jesus by honoring the image of God in those most marginalized in our community. . We are profoundly hopeful about the future of TRP and the future of this movement, and we would love to have you join us in Seattle this November 7-9 for The Reformation Project's Reconcile and Reform Conference! Sign up here: trpconf.eventbrite.com.
Exciting news today: This November 7-9, in addition to Pastor Candace Hardnett and Nicole Garcia, attendees at The Reformation Project conference in Seattle will get to hear a keynote address from Justin Lee. . Justin is the author of Torn and Talking Across the Divide, and he has been one of the most important voices in the LGBTQ Christian movement for the past 20 years. In 2001, he founded The Gay Christian Network, which he grew into a ministry that transformed the lives of thousands of people, built bridges to conservative Christian communities, and played a critical role in shutting down Exodus International, exposing the bankruptcy of the ex-gay movement, and reshaping the conversation around LGBTQ inclusion in the church. . Since leaving GCN two years ago, Justin's work has continued through his speaking, writing, and nonprofit work. Most recently, he's started a popular weekly live videocast on Facebook to spotlight the stories and work of other leaders in the LGBTQ Christian space. Justin is a leader of profound integrity whose impact on a national and international level has been remarkable, and we are honored that he will be joining us at TRP this fall. . Justin says: "I’m thrilled to be part of this important conference. Now, more than ever, we need a Christ-centered, Bible-based case for affirmation and inclusion, and The Reformation Project is carrying that message in a bold, prophetic way. I can’t wait to see everyone there!" . Registration rates will rise at the end of the month, so sign up today to join us in Seattle this November 7-9: reformationproject.eventbrite.com.
This week, we're thrilled to announce that Nicole Garcia will be joining us as a keynote speaker at The Reformation Project's conference in Seattle this fall. . Nicole recently completed her master of divinity degree at Luther Seminary, and she is now the Synodically Authorized Minister at New Beginnings Worshiping Community in the Denver Women's Correctional Facility and a therapist and clinical supervisor at the Umbrella Collective in Boulder, Colorado. . If you were at our conference in Kansas City four years ago, then you know what a treat our attendees are in for this year. Nicole has a remarkable gift for preaching, and I am so pleased she'll be back on the TRP stage this year. . Nicole shares: "Matthew and TRP gave me a platform to speak four years ago and I was propelled into national attention. I am so excited to be back to keynote the conference where I began my public ministry. . "As a transgender Latina in a position of leadership in my denomination, it is important to demonstrate how far a woman of color from the transgender community can progress when nurtured and supported. It is crucial for me, as a devoted disciple of Jesus Christ, to proclaim the inclusive gospel of love and affirmation of who we all are as children of God. I am grateful to TRP, once again, for providing me a place to profess my love and devotion to Christ and all God’s creation." . Register today to join us in Seattle this November 7-9: https://www.reformationproject.org/conference. Current rates of $115 for individuals and $90 for groups will rise later this month, so take advantage of the steep discounts while they're available. We can't wait for this fall!

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God and the Gay Christian

Have you read Matthew Vines' book about the Bible and same-sex relationships? Download our study guide to use in small groups.

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