I’m in a multi-part series responding to a very familiar series of points and sub-points consistent in many evangelical sermons. If you haven’t read the early posts – going and doing so will probably make today’s post make a lot more sense. At the beginning of the sermon, the preacher indicated that he would offer…
Welcome to a series in which I give my responses, from the perspective of generous spaciousness, to a sermon given in an evangelical mega-church. Another pastor in the area asked me to respond to this particular sermon – and because it seemed like so many typical evangelical sermons that I hear seeking to address homosexuality,…
Just like the insanely popular podcast “Serial”, this post is part of a series. If you haven’t read the first post – this one will probably make a whole lot more sense if you take a few minutes to read Part 1. The first theological proposition stated that because the Bible contains the exact words…
A pastor emailed me the other day. A sermon had been preached in his home town by the influential preacher at the mega-church in the area. It seems the online recording was making its rounds by the word of mouth encouragement to listen. When this pastor listened, explaining that he had recently read “Torn” by…
It’s been two and a half weeks since our staff returned to Toronto, and I’m still sitting here, trying to make sense of what happened during the three weeks of our Epic Road Trip across western Canada. At risk of stating the obvious, the trek, for me, was a mix of the expected and the…
The ministry of New Direction has positioned itself in the midst of the unenviable reality of differing Scriptural interpretations on the question of what faithful discipleship ought to look like for LGBTQ+ followers of Jesus. The truth is, of course, that no one can be neutral in these conversations at the intersection of faith and…
On November 1st, my colleagues and I loaded into my family’s van and began the adventure of a 21 day road trip, visiting 15 cities, and speaking at 24 events. My colleague Wes made a short video, something he would try to do most mornings of the trip. I think we were all a mixture…
Good God host Kevin Makins interviews Wendy and they discuss grace, good questions, writing, queer Christians, and “smelling like Jesus.” Listen to the episode (podcast) and find out more about Good God here. (Full link: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/wwwstitchercompodcastgoodgod/good-god-with-kevin-makins/e/003-wendy-vanderwal-gritter-new-direction-lgtbq-advocate-35693018)
It happened again. I was watching an episode of the excellent new TV series “Transparent,” and Jeffrey Tambor’s character Maura was preparing to come out as a trans woman to her adult son, Josh. Maura stood on her balcony and watched Josh’s car pull up, and as she stepped back, anxiously considering what his reaction…
Dear Church, I have loved you and served you for a long time. Like any love relationship, we’ve had our ups and downs. Along the way, I’ve gotten to know you pretty well. And truth be told, you’re complicated. I’m grateful that I’ve had the opportunity to see and engage so many different sides of…