Blessed by Difference in the News:
Selected Articles, Videos and Audio
Featured Articles
LGBT RIGHTS ARE NOT INCOMPATIBLE WITH RELIGIOUS LIBERTY UNLESS WE MAKE THEM SO WASHINGTON EXAMINER BY MARIAN EDMONDS ALLEN & DEREK MONSON
“We, the two authors of this piece, are something of an odd couple. One of us is an advocate for LGBT equality, the other an advocate for religious freedom. Two years ago, we began a discussion about gay rights and religious liberty. We learned something that the country sorely needs today: Dialogue centered on genuine equality, through mutual accommodation, is a better way forward than culture wars grounded in political fights to the death.”
CAN RELIGIOUS FREEDOM HEAL THE LGBT+ AND FAITH DIVIDE? PUBLIC SQUARE MAGAZINE AND REALCLEAR RELIGION BY MARIAN EDMONDS-ALLEN
“As an LGBT+ person, why bother with religious freedom, the obvious enemy of LGBT+ rights? I hear this question all the time, along with its counterpoint directed to conserving religious individuals engaged in religious freedom legislation: “Why should your religious beliefs trump my right to even exist?”.
THE REV. MARIAN EDMONDS-ALLEN: FINDING YOUR PLACE IN AMERICA DESERET NEWS BY MARIAN EDMONDS-ALLEN
“…to heal our nation’s divides, please make a friend or rekindle a friendship with someone who is very different from you. These seemingly small acts are actually the powerful forces of love. All that is required is for you to be the person you were born to be, a person worthy of respect, deeply connected to our world, and sharing your gifts of curiosity and love.”
Featured Videos
Faith Leaders for Fairness: A Virtual Summit
Rev. Marian Edmonds-Allen, Executive Director, Parity
Shirley Hoogstra, President, Council for Christian Colleges and Universities
Walter Kim, President, National Association of Evangelicals
Justin Giboney, Esq, President, AND Campaign, Inc.
Notre Dame Religious Liberty Summit Panel – “Overcoming Polarization of Religious Liberty”
Prof. John Inazu, Washington University in St. Louis
Ms. Asma Uddin, Religious Liberty Attorney & Scholar
Mr. Justin Giboney, AND Campaign
Rev. Marian Edmonds-Allen, Parity
“Inclusive Freedom: Protecting Religious Freedom and LGBTQ” event at Brigham Young University Law School with Derek Monson, Sutherland Institute and Rev. Marian Edmonds-Allen, Parity
RADICAL CIVILITY PODCAST BY BENJAMIN PACINI
Marian Edmonds-Allen and I discuss “covenantal pluralism” which can fix LGBTQ+ and faith divides. We review her history, and religion helping LGBTQ+ rights.
I'm excited about this interview, friends. I sit down with Marian Edmonds-Allen to discuss her recent article about "covenantal pluralism" which she believes (as I now do too) can heal many of the divides in our country, including and especially the LGBTQ+ and faith divide. We talk about her history and background, how religious freedom and LGBTQ+ rights can bolster each other rather than threaten each other, and about what covenantal pluralism is. Not only did I learn from her, I also now count her a fast friend. I think you'll enjoy the interview.
Featured Audio
CONDUCTING HOLY DIALOGUES - WITH WELTON GADDY
“Key to creating a more just, inclusive and prosperous world is solidarity among people of different backgrounds and beliefs. And how does one create solidarity? Through constructive dialogue — which is what the Holy Dialogues series seeks to do among people with very different relationships to LGBTQI+ identity and religion. The Rev. Marian Edmonds-Allen, one of the hosts of the series, will join Welton to discuss the details of the Holy Dialogues project. A growing library of dialogues is available at http://www.holydialogues.org
THE GIVING COMPANY PODCAST: BLESSED BY DIFFERENCE
A longtime holy warrior against homelessness, Rev. Edmonds-Allen has served in many pastoral capacities, including church planting, parish ministry and chaplaincy. She has paid a price for her controversial stances on LGBTQ+ issues, even losing her place in one seminary because of it, but Rev. Edmonds-Allen still tries to bring people together through what she calls “holy dialogue.” It’s the “curious and collaborative bridging” in which she helps the LGBTQ+ community find and build relationships with the faith community, based on common ground. “I’m seeing God at work in it,” she says. “Everyone’s a winner when people come together and share core to core.”