Where Grace Abounds (Happy 40th!) Faithful Community in the Shifting Culture

 “…the deterioration of Modern Society is due to the worship of the individual and autonomy…Americans conceive of ourselves as separate, self-sufficient and isolated beings. Whether we realize it or not, our highest pursuits—in science, politics, in personal happiness, in culture, in morality, and at times in religious life, all function to maximize our own self interests.  At each turn, modern society glorifies achievements of independence, reveling in the way human beings are able to seemingly shrug off their natural dependencies…” Wendell Berry, Author and Poet

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I was born in 1963 and oh, what a decade! The 60’s did much to turn American culture on its head. The end of World War 2 (1945 into the 1950’s) not only brought men back home, but women back into traditional family roles (after their “Rosie the Riveter” joy of working for the war effort).  America was also back to booming prosperity.  The suburban family became the stabilizing force against the cold Communist regime. Television followed suit by depicting “Leave it to Beaver” households and June doing the usual housecleaning in her signature string of pearls. Ironically, those same children and wives through all this stable affluence would soon be the decadent hippies and strident founders of the Women’s Movement in the coming decade.

How did America survive the 1960’s?  There was the Vietnam war, assassinations of key leaders, and rockets to the moon. Simultaneously, sexuality was being affected by the invention of “the pill”, the stigma of divorce declining and the “new morality” of living together, along with swinging key parties.  Add to this mixture a blossoming drug culture, riots and protests--it’s a miracle we’re still here. This turbulent decade left in its wake some monumental shifts in American culture—here are the seeds of a few of those shifts which take us right up to today.

 ·      Instead of one universal truth, truth became “relative”—you have your truth and I have mine

 ·      Individualism vs. Community—A person’s own needs, thoughts, beliefs, desires, comfort and         choices take priority over how it affects the community around you

 ·      An over focus on “youth oriented” culture

 ·      Conservative beliefs are viewed as a threat, old fashioned, inferior or simply naïve

 ·      A growing lack of structure or boundaries around sexual expression and identity

The1970’s were considered the “Me” generation (see second bullet point above),which was when I entered my adolescence. Two movements which primarily affected my life were The Jesus Movement and the growing Gay Movement which was ushered in at the end of 60’s.  It’s not hard to imagine the growing contention between Christians and LGBTQ people. I was smack dab in the middle of both.  I became a Christian in 1980but already had several years of confusion around my same sex attractions and gender identity. Sadly, my faith conversion was short-lived.  Jesus became very real to me, but I was hearing worse messages about homosexuality. Words like “abomination” and “detestable” really frightened me.  Is this what God thought of me?  At least some of His people did.

The1980’s were overshadowed by the rapidly growing AIDS crisis which left gay men dying quickly. I had left my faith and came out in 1985—a very scary time.  A few key Christian leaders during this challenging time harshly said this was God’s curse on these particular people.  The brutal comments only raised the tension seven more and mobilized the gay community into action. Another missed opportunity for the Body of Christ to serve LGBTQ folks.

 Where Grace Abounds was “birthed” in the midst of this conflict (1986) and a saving grace for me when I finally found it. Towards the end of the decade, disillusioned with my own personal experience in the gay community, a very patient Christian man brought me back to Jesus. Seems like a miracle considering my views of Christians at the time.  But WGA was a healing environment.  I wasn’t ready to darken the doorway of a church. The men and women I sat in small group with, knew my faith was important in a way my gay friends couldn’t understand. We were all here trying to figure out how to navigate our sexuality, faith and find some reconciliation between these large parts of ourselves. By 1992, I felt God’s call on my life and vocation and joined the WGA staff.

 Where Grace Abounds has weathered many more influencing shifts in its 4 decades of grateful existence. Here are a few:

·      Ongoing political battles over gay rights (Amendment 2 here in Colorado in 1992)

·      Matthew Shephard’s death in Wyoming sparks a national debate

·      Massachusetts becomes the first state to legalize gay marriage

·      Gay marriage is legalized nationwide in 2015

·      Language extends to encompass identities like nonbinary, genderfluid, agender, and gender        queer

·      Arise in LGBTQ identification with Gen Z and Millennials

·      LGBTQ acronym lengthens to include asexuality, pansexuality and polyamory

·      As of March 2025, 27 states have banned some form of transitioning minors

·      Many states have passed laws restricting transgender individuals from using bathrooms and        other facilities and participating in sports teams that don’t align with their biological identity

 Whew!  It hasn’t been boring, to say the least. Today we still hear the individualistic American mantras on sexuality which began during those monumental changes in the 1960’s—“What I do sexually is no one’s business but my own,” “It’s my body and my choice what I do with it,” “Two consenting adults can do what ever as long as it’s not hurting anyone. ”And as our beginning quote from Wendell Berry surmises, we are not lone entities to ourselves. What we do with our bodies sexually, physically and relationally impacts those around us.  We need one another to help carry the “weighty-ness” of our faith and sexuality. Healing comes through relationships and in community.  These foundational tenets have always undergirded the ministry since its beginnings in 1986.  Where Grace Abounds remains a faithful community for men, women and families regardless of the changing culture.  Thank God.

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