The book tour is off to an amazing start! I just returned from doing 6 events over the course of 7 days. At every stop I was met with large audiences and people eager to hear about the book. People often bought multiple copies to send to friends and family. I met incredible people who have experienced enormous suffering but continue to demonstrate tremendous courage and faith...
The book tour started March 31st at A Different Light bookstore in San Francisco. Many people turned out who had heard me a week before on the PBS talk show “Forum” hosted by Michael Krasny (and syndicated nationally). In the book signing after my speech, I met a young man had gone to fundamentalist Bryan College, as well as a retired gay Lutheran pastor, and many same-sex couples. In spite of all the ways the Bible has been misused against them, the people I met demonstrated a profound love of the Bible and an eagerness to reconnect with their Christian faith.
Saturday night I spoke at St. John’s Church in Berkeley. Pastor, Max Lynn, introduced me to the largely Presbyterian crowd that included many people who supported equal rights and some who were still looking for answers. In the Q&A after my speech there were a number of insightful questions, including one about boundaries. I explained that I strongly believe that we as a church need to set clear moral boundaries—but the problem is that the boundaries are often set in the wrong place—condemning faithful people who are LGBT while ignoring sexual misconduct amongst heterosexual clergy for example.
As I signed books I heard remarkable, heart-breaking stories. I met a kind, middle-aged woman who explained: “I had five daughters. The middle one was a lesbian and she committed suicide.” I wanted to hold her and cry with her. Another woman wanted a book for her son who was gay and felt alienated from the church. I met accomplished professionals who are leaders in their field who are denied positions as elders in their churches solely because they are in a same-sex relationship.
Sunday I preached at First Presbyterian Palo Alto. It’s a dynamic, thriving congregation, led by Rob Martin. I preached on Acts 15—sharing how the Apostles accepted Gentiles whose hearts had been touched by the Holy Spirit, into the church. After the service, I greeted people and signed books. The energy and spirit of the congregation were amazing.
The next day my wife and I headed up to San Francisco Theological Seminary (SFTS). In the car, I spoke with the Production Manager for Westminster John Knox. He explained that the entire first printing of the book sold out in the month of March! They were immediately going into a second printing—an even larger run than the first—to meet the demand!
Monday evening I spoke in Scott Hall on the SFTS campus. It was the night of the NCAA basketball finals and I thought that might dampen attendance. When we walked in, the room was filled with about 70 people, some sitting in the window sills. They had sold almost all of the books they had from the Graduate Theological Union bookstore as people were coming into the room. There was a good mix of faculty and administrators, including the president and his wife. The Rev. Deanna Reid had brought 20 people from her church in Napa. It was another wonderful opportunity to discuss the Bible and ways to bring healing to our church.
The next day I preached in Montgomery Chapel and then headed out to the airport to fly to Spokane, Washington. It was a day of flight delays and lost luggage but I got there safely and was met by Kathy Storm who is the Vice President for Student Life at Whitworth College.
Wednesday at Whitworth College I had a series of meetings with faculty and students. I met with the theology faculty, three of whom were former students of mine from Fuller Seminary. They asked me to talk about my journey and they were gracious in response. I had dinner with Forrest Baird and his wife Joy. Forrest was my T.A. at Fuller and we wrote an Introduction to Philosophy text together. It was great recalling old times.
That evening I spoke to about 300 people, mostly students, in the chapel. I spoke about 50 minutes on just the biblical material (chapter 5 in my book). Then we had a break while students filled out questions on 3x5 cards and then we had about a half hour of Q&A. The chaplain, Terry McGonigal, fashioned 25 questions into about 6 general ones and we had a great discussion about equal rights, biblical interpretation, and our responsibilities as Christians. The audience included a range of different perspectives on the issues. But I was thankful for the opportunity to begin the dialogue and trust that through the process of respectful sharing we will be able to heal divisions and move forward as one body of Christ.
Prior to the beginning of the book tour, one of our co-pastors, Barbara Anderson had said, “This is about saving lives.” I now see that this is literally true. Being out on tour, it was heartbreaking to experience firsthand the enormous suffering caused by those who misuse the Bible to justify their own cultural prejudice. At the same time, I feel blessed to be able to share the good news of Jesus and the healing power of the Biblical message with so many amazing people whose courage and faithfulness is a model for us all.
I’ve been home for a few days resting up. Now off to Louisiana and Texas!
Peace and strength,
Jack
