Summary: Pastor Tolton, Harlem’s first openly gay pastor, serves the gay and lesbian community as a voice for spiritual freedom, social justice and economic empowerment. He developed GayByGod.net to encourage GLBT individuals to reclaim the God that religious people have taken away and to create a forum to take on homophobia espoused by the traditional church – particularly the black conservative church. Additionally, the site is a spiritual zone for straight people who seek relief from punitive theology and advocate living and loving in truth. “I have always loved God and loved the Black Church. One of the most defining issues of my life has been the Church’s damning stance on homosexuality,” said Pastor Tolton. “As a boy, this condemnation shattered my spirit; as an adolescent, this ridicule broke my heart; and as a young adult, this disdain drove me to the brink,” he continued. Pastor Tolton’s ministry seeks to empower all people with the transformative power of the Gospel and to nurture disciples of Christ in the Pentecostal Apostolic tradition and GayByGod.net its manifestation. Listen to more SistersTalk Radio. Follow SistersTalk on Twitter. Add SistersTalk on Facebook. Contact Genia with comments.
