Transcript of Jay Bakker on Gay Marriage

A friend asked for a transcript of Jay Bakker's stand for Gay Marriage.

(he wants to translate it into Portuguese. ...and the world continues to draw closer.)


Here it is:

I dream of God.

[clapping]

The dream, it’s the vision of community & change happening.

[applause & clapping]

I’ll tell you what. You are the temple of God. So in order for us to be able… we can live that dream because the dream is within us.

[applause… “Yes…” “Come on, Brother...” “That’s right!” “Oh yes…”]

And I love speaking here cuz you get a, “Oh yes… oh yes… " But uh, um…

[laughter]

And so often we don’t want a change in The Church. We don’t want to look at things differently. But we can, if we’re practicing things like justice and being gentle….

God blesses those who are persecuted because they live for God.

[“Oh yes”]

Just recently I had a pastor tell me that he felt that God was against me, and that Jesus was against me. …He forgot the Holy Spirit, so that’s cool. I’m good with Him. [laughter] …and that my whole ministry was going to disintegrate & dissolve and be destroyed.

[“Mmm” “Wow” “Mmmm-umm” ]

Well, and… and the reason is is because I… I.. I came out in the church recently and said, “You know what? I don’t… I’m pro-gay marriage. I don’t believe that that’s a sin.”

[silence]

…okay, that got dang quiet. Everybody’s like, “I ain’t sayin’ nothing now.”

[silence]

I guess we’re not ready for this yet, are we?

[silence]

It… it… it’s hard for me when people who’ve been through such persecution, a-and been judged against, all of the sudden, they don’t want freedom for anybody else.

[silence]

We gotta start living it folks. That’s why it’s a narrow road. That’s why it gets quiet in a church where everybody was hootin’ and hollerin’ 5 minutes ago.

So maybe you’ll get mad and go home and yell… but maybe, eventually, you’ll get over it. And you’ll realize that you might not agree with me, but at least you’ll learn to love me.

[silence]

Martin Luther King said, “It is not the words of your enemies that you will remember, but the silence of your friends.”

That’s why I [chokes up] can no longer be silent… cuz I love my friends.

[silence]

Uncomfortable

.

This was uncomfortable to watch.

It's in my nature to want to get along with folks. I don't love rocking the boat. I don't want to call people out or make them uncomfortable.

BUT, it's part of moving things forward. A necessary step in breaking down bigotry.

And it appears to be a thankless job most of the time.

.

But then I think of the countless people who had to, and continue to (right at this minute), endure far worse than social awkwardness from the business end of the bigotry barrel.

It seems like a small sacrifice compared to Matthew Shepard (and his family), or any one of the recent gay-bullying suicides that've only recently gotten a spotlight in the media.

We need to take courage & speak up.

Real people are suffering untold misery.

.

So next time I'm faced with rocking the boat, in my head I'll hear:

Uncomfortable awkward? Or..

Uncomfortable suicidal?

Uncomfortable gay bashed?

Uncomfortable lost my job?

Uncomfortable threatened?

Uncomfortable kicked out of the military?

Uncomfortable gang-raped?

.

Speaking out against bigotry is not as offensive as bigotry itself.

(I'm just reminding myself....)

.