I recently completed narrating a fascinating story of courage in the face of threats to career from creed and community. Jimmy Creech's memoir, entitled Adam's Gift: A Pastor's Calling to Defy the Church's Persecution of Lesbians and Gays, describes the outrage that results when Pastor Creech prays God's blessing on the holy union of two lesbians. The key events, which took place in the late 1990's, in my hometown, were among the earliest rays of light in the dawn of the public’s recognition of the discrimination that exists toward those in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. The growing acceptance of the need for fair treatment of lesbians, gays, bisexual and transgender people, as evidenced in the evolution of the thinking of President Obama, the acceptance of gay marriage in nine states and the District of Columbia, the reconsideration of the discriminatory policies of the Boy Scouts of America, and the U. S. Supreme Court’s consideration of the constitutionality of “defense of marriage” laws, in the current term, all owe a debt of gratitude to Jimmy Creech, who was among the first to challenge our collective consciousness to these injustices.
Duke University Press originally published this book in 2011. The audiobook, released by University Press Audiobooks in 2013, is available through Audible, Amazon and iTunes. An excerpt from the first chapter is available here: