Sunday, March 25, 2007

A Woman for All Seasons

.
"I was suddenly rescued from a sinking ship,
but my family is still on that ship. And they're going down".

Charlene Cothran, in the Christianity Today article "The Re-Birth of Venus", about her reverse coming out, and leaving her friends caught up in the gay lifestyle, to fully embrace her Savior's love.

"Charlene Cothran, publisher and editor-in-chief of Venus Magazine, a national publication for African-American gays and lesbians she launched 13 years ago, made a startling announcement: After 29 years as a gay activist, she's become a Christian, renounced her homosexuality, and changed the format of her magazine to spread the gospel to the gay community".

How fitting that I recently watched "A Man for All Seasons", the movie adaptation of Robert Bolt's stage-play about Sir Thomas More, the man who's "conscience" stood up to King Henry VIII when the King rejected the Roman Catholic Church to obtain a divorce and remarriage. Telling a king that his new clothes in fact do not exist, is very similar, and just as brave, as shining a "light" on the darkness that is the empty Gay lifestyle. Thomas More was of course beheaded for his beliefs, and after reading the above article, I trust that this courageous woman would gladly suffer the same, rather than deny her rightful King.
God bless her!

"A dead thing can go with the stream,
but only a living thing can go against it."
G.K.Chesterton

I have complete confidence that Saint Thomas More, along with all the angels and all the saints, is praying for Miss Cothran now, just I have added her to my prayer list (and encourage you to do the same). I wonder now how I can help, and know that it starts and ends with love - love for all people, just as I am loved - acts of love rather than words of condemnation - loving affirmation of a God given dignity, not a judgemental focus on a sinful lifestyle - love that always extends a hand to carefully remove a speck, but only after removing the plank in my own eye. Love, love, love, and than more love still - in all things - LOVE!

I know that it is with this great love that Charlene Cothran steps "out" to give her life in service to her "family".


“No one has greater love than this,
to lay down one’s life for one’s friends”
John 15:13