Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • Videos
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Library
    • Research
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • |
  • Alumni
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
Sections
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • |
  • Alumni
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • Videos
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Library
    • Research
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit

LGBT advocate, author Jimmy Creech will discuss his journey April 7-8

Monday, March 28, 2011, By Kelly Homan Rodoski
Share
Communityspeakers

Jimmy Creech, a civil rights activist, author and former United Methodist pastor who was defrocked for performing a same-sex wedding, will visit Syracuse April 7-8 for a series of events titled “Free to Love Without Fear: Defying the Church’s Persecution of LGBT People.”

creechCreech’s recently released memoir, “Adam’s Gift: A Memoir of a Pastor’s Calling to Defy the Church’s Persecution of Lesbians and Gays” (Duke University Press, 2011) documents his own journey as an advocate for the full inclusion of gay, bisexual and transgender people in the church—from his first meeting with Adam, a gay parishioner, through his ecclesial trials, to his work with advocacy organizations Soulforce and Faith in America.

“Free to Live Without Fear” is sponsored by Hendricks Chapel, The Carnegie Religion and Media Program, the LGBT Resource Center, Pride Union and the University United Methodist Church.

Tiffany Steinwert, dean of Hendricks Chapel, says she and the other organizers hope these events will stimulate discussion about inclusion and exclusion, not just in communities of faith, but also in the wider world.

“Jimmy Creech confronts us all with pressing questions of inclusion, equality and justice,” she says. “No matter what one thinks about issues of sexuality and faith, we must think critically about who we include and exclude and why.”

“Jimmy Creech twice made national news when his denomination tried him for blessing same-sex unions. Especially for those interested in social action and the role of the news media, his visit to SU offers a wonderful opportunity to hear from him what one can learn from taking a bold position in the name of justice and what one then experiences in the resulting public exposure,” says Gustav Niebuhr, associate professor and director of the Carnegie Religion and Media Program in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and The College of Arts and Sciences.

The highlights of Creech’s two-day visit include:

  • “Fired for Justice: A Public Interview with Gustav Niebuhr” on Thursday, April 7, at 5 p.m. in the Joyce Hergenhan Auditorium in Newhouse 3. Creech will discuss with Niebuhr his memoir and the intersection of religion and the media.
  • Discussion with LBGTQ students on Thursday, April 7, at 7 p.m. in Room 205 of the Hall of Languages. This event will be a discussion with Creech on the intersection of faith, Christianity, sexuality, gender and activism sponsored by the LGBT Resource Center, Pride Union and Hendricks Chapel. The event is open to students only, dinner will be provided. Contact Elizabeth Cronk at 443-2902 or eacronk@syr.edu to register.
  • Hendricks Chapel Luncheon Series: A Conversation with Jimmy Creech on Friday, April 8, at noon in the Hendricks Chapel Noble Room. Creech will participate in an open conversation about his life’s work advocating for those on the margins. Lunch will be provided for those who respond by April 1 to Elizabeth Cronk at 443-2902 or eacronk@syr.edu.
  • “Reconciliation or Incompatibility: Word Choices Matter,” a public lecture by Creech on Friday, April 8, at 7 p.m. at University United Methodist Church, 1085 E. Genesee St. In this communitywide dialogue event, Creech will explore the struggle of communities of faith working to end the persecution of LGBT persons and be authentically inclusive. A reception will follow.

On Wednesday, April 6, just prior to Creech’s visit, a “Shower of Stoles” exhibit will be installed at the University United Methodist Church. The “Shower of Stoles” is a collection of liturgical stoles representing the lives of LGBT persons of faith who have been excluded from service because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. For more information, see http://www.welcomingresources.org/sosp.htm.

The exhibition is free and will be open to the public at the following times: Wednesday, April 6, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.; Friday, April 8, 6-8 p.m.; Saturday, April 9, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; and Sunday, April 10, 9 a.m.-noon.

Creech’s memoir begins in 1984, when he first meets Adam, a gay parishioner struggling with the church’s exclusion of gay and lesbian people. Adam’s visit prompted Creech to re-evaluate his belief that homosexuality was a sin, and to research the scriptural basis for the church’s position. He determined that the church was mistaken, that scriptural translations and interpretations had been botched and dangerously distorted. As a Christian, Creech came to believe that discriminating against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people was morally wrong. This understanding compelled him to perform same-gender commitment ceremonies, which conflicted with church directives. Creech was tried twice by The United Methodist Church, and, after the second trial, his ordination credentials were revoked in 1999.

Creech is the former executive director of the North Carolina Religious Coalition for Marriage Equality, an interfaith same-sex marriage advocacy group; a co-author of the Dallas Principles; and was a participant in the Marriage Equality Express. He currently serves as board chair of the North Carolina Social Justice Project, a progressive policy and advocacy organization based in Raleigh, N.C.

For more information on the series of events, contact Hendricks Chapel at 443-2902.

  • Author

Kelly Rodoski

  • Recent
  • Future of News Production the Focus of NSF Planning Grant
    Thursday, January 21, 2021, By Wendy S. Loughlin
  • Funding Opportunities for Syracuse Abroad Summer 2021 programs
    Wednesday, January 20, 2021, By Ashley Alessandrini
  • College of Law Adds Vincent H. Cohen ’92, L’95 to Board of Advisors
    Wednesday, January 20, 2021, By Martin Walls
  • Students Invited to Network and Skill-Build with Alumni
    Wednesday, January 20, 2021, By Gabrielle Lake
  • ‘Confronting ‘Who We Are”
    Tuesday, January 19, 2021, By News Staff

More In Uncategorized

“People with disabilities desperately need the vaccine. But states disagree on when they’ll get it.”

Scott Landes, associate professor of sociology in the Maxwell School, was quoted in The Washington Post story “People with disabilities desperately need the vaccine. But states disagree on when they’ll get it.” Landes, an expert on the sociology of disability,…

“SU Professor says President’s Closed Social Media Accounts Fall Under Big Tech’s Terms of Service”

Roy Gutterman, associate professor of magazine, news and digital journalism in the Newhouse School and director of the Tully Center for Free Speech, was interviewed for the WAER story “SU Professor says President’s Closed Social Media Accounts Fall Under Big…

“First Amendment doesn’t guarantee you the rights you think it does.”

Roy Gutterman, associate professor of magazine, news and digital journalism in the Newhouse School and director of the Tully Center for Free Speech, was quoted in the CNN story “First Amendment doesn’t guarantee you the rights you think it does.”…

“Big Tech’s Crackdown on Donald Trump and Parler Won’t  Fix the Real Problem With Social Media”

Whitney Phillips, assistant professor of communication and rhetorical studies in the College of Visual and Performing Arts, was interviewed for the Time Magazine story “Big Tech’s Crackdown on Donald Trump and Parler Won’t  Fix the Real Problem With Social Media.”…

Danielle Smith writes “Images of the Capitol Riot Reflect a National Crisis.”

Danielle Smith, professor of African American studies in the College of Arts and Sciences and Director of the Renée Crown University Honors Program, wrote an op-ed for History News Network titled “Images of the Capitol Riot Reflect a National Crisis.”…

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.

Connect With Us

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
Social Media Directory

For the Media

Find an Expert Follow @SyracuseUNews
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • @SyracuseU
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • @SUCampus
  • Social Media Directory
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Campus Status
  • Syracuse.edu
© 2021 Syracuse University News. All Rights Reserved.