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Progressive Christian

Dear John

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March 2024

March 02, 2024

Am I going to hell because I’m bisexual?

(The following is excerpted from the book Ask John: John Shore's advice column from...

July 2020

July 08, 2020

Christians shouldn’t get depressed? What BS.

"Any person who makes a point of telling you how God feels about you wouldn't...

July 03, 2020

Can this born-again gay Christian woman find happiness?

I want to share with you a letter written to me by a lesbian Christian....

June 2020

June 25, 2020

I’m in an open marriage. Can I still call myself a Christian?

Dear John, I am an unfundamentalist reader with a question for you about faith and...

December 2018

December 27, 2018

“My dad wants to invite his girlfriend–who’s a porn star–to my wedding.”

If Brandi’s life in porn was an extension of her suffering, do you really want...

January 2017

January 24, 2017

The Women’s March is over. Now what?

A young woman, angry and depressed over our current political situation, asks what she can...

August 2015

August 17, 2015

My son is 17, gay, and miserable

Dear John, Over the past couple of years, I often wondered if my son...

June 2015

June 24, 2015

She’s 17 and bi–and her parents won’t allow it.

Sometimes honesty isn't the best policy.

May 2015

May 24, 2015

Christian counselor to suicidal woman: “Do it and you’ll go to hell.”

Jesus was hardly Mr. Turn That Frown Upside Down.

May 11, 2015

She has no sex drive. Is it immoral to allow her husband to sleep with his ex?

Is it immoral for a woman without a sex drive to allow her husband to...

May 07, 2015

When your parents love who they want you to be more than who you really are

Sometimes all it takes is a kind word or two.

April 2015

April 28, 2015

When Bad Christians Happen to Christians in Love with Non-Christians

Ah, young love. Even awful Christians can't stop it.

December 2014

December 10, 2014

“It was terrifying for a young girl just beginning to realize that she was a lesbian.”

From hatred, hope.

December 04, 2014

The tragedy of Christian fundamentalism strikes again

His sister became a toxic fundamentalist Christian. Now what?

October 2014

October 24, 2014

Freaky Friday

The other day a friend of mine instant-messaged me, "How come you never publish any happy...

October 22, 2014

Conservative Christian couple wants to out their gay teen

It's great how much they care. Up to a point.

October 13, 2014

Jesus Christ wouldn’t know most of Christianity today from a McDonald’s

Forget what all the negative people of the world do and say. If you give...

October 10, 2014

Pastor torn between being an LGBT ally and being angry with a young father who suddenly wants to live as a woman

Here's a letter I got in yesterday from a pastor whom I know to be...

October 08, 2014

Pastor calls his Christian teenage son “disgraceful, demon-possessed poison.” Guess why.

I've been trying for hours to think of how to respond to the poor young...

October 06, 2014

New pastor refuses church membership to beloved church congregant with cancer. Guess why.

The pastor shifted positions in his chair, and said, "You're not going to like the...

October 01, 2014

A Christian mother on raising her gay teen

I wish this letter from the Christian mom of a gay teen could be read...

September 2014

September 24, 2014

When Christian parents of a gay teen disagree on homosexuality

The gay-affirming Christian mother of a gay teen writes to ask how I would advise...

September 22, 2014

“We’re Christians whose son-in-law has come out as transgender. What do we do?”

Her beloved son-in-law, the father of her granddaughter, has revealed that he is transgender and...

September 17, 2014

Is there a pro-LGBT equivalent to “It’s in the Bible”?

If for some reason I find it incumbent upon me to boil down into one...

September 10, 2014

Challenging the evil empire of anti-gay Christians, and the resurfacing of old fundie fears

How to I deal with Christians promoting hate; how do I quell my old fundie...

September 03, 2014

Pastor tells mom her lesbian teen can’t be a Christian

A pastor tells a concerned mother that her gay daughter can't be a Christian unless...

September 02, 2014

No hell for people who constantly sin? Really?

If there is no hell, then what happens to people who sin constantly and live...

August 2014

August 27, 2014

Combating the downward pull of Christian negativity

Wherein I answer a couple of letters from mothers of LGBT kids.

August 05, 2014

Dude: Being a Christian doesn’t mean your girlfriend has to be one, too

He says that he wants to be with her, but can't because she's not a...

August 01, 2014

Her husband wants to explore his bisexuality

Her husband wants to sleep with a man. How should she feel about this?