We all love Echoe Matthews. Echoe Matthews is an amazing teacher who has a great heart and love for kids. After decades of counseling and teaching in Tennessee’s largest gay community, she wrote her own book, The Gay Christian Parent. It’s timely, well-written, and touches on important issues that affect parents and children, particularly as they deal with their sexuality and try to have their own children.
For example, one story in the book involves an older, more traditional-minded parent who had never been to church before taking his young son to Sunday school. The teacher asked the father if he would be willing to take the boy’s place in his class. He said no because he was gay but because he didn’t believe the bible allows for gay marriage. The teacher then asked the father why not. He replied that the boy couldn’t go to heaven because he was a gay man. He then told the teacher that he believed the bible did not call for gay marriage because he was sinfully involved in sexual activity with men. That is hate.
Unfortunately, the mother was so traumatized from the experience, she filed a complaint to the U.S. Department of Education claiming discrimination based upon gender and religion. Her argument was that the government should not teach that a sin is something that excludes someone from love, whether that someone is straight, gay, bi, lesbian, or whatever. Thankfully, we live in a country where people are allowed a free speech column when it comes to their feelings, and she did have the right to speak her mind. Her supervisor denied her complaint. Hopefully other moms and dads will stand up for their children and tell the Bible’s truth – that all people were created equal, and that gay, lesbian, and bisexual people deserve love, friendship, and acceptance, regardless of who they are or how they choose to express it.