The Origins of Gay-Affirming Religion in the South

169 Pages·2015·1.63 MB·English

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History Theses Department of History
8-3-2006
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Jodie Talley
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Talley, Jodie, "A Queer Miracle in Georgia: The Origins of Gay-Affirming Religion in the South." Thesis,
Georgia State University, 2006.
doi: https://doi.org/10.57709/1059623
This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of History at ScholarWorks @ Georgia
State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in History Theses by an authorized administrator of
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A QUEER MIRACLE IN GEORGIA:
THE ORIGINS OF GAY-AFFIRMING RELIGION IN THE SOUTH
By
JODIE LIND TALLEY
Under the Direction of Duane Corpis
ABSTRACT

The intersection of homosexuality and faith values, a very controversial topic in the United
States, has generated both social accommodation as well as “culture war.” In the past forty years
this nation has witnessed the establishment of predominantly gay congregations, gay
“welcoming” and “affirming” mainstream congregations, as well as virulently anti-gay religious
organizations. This study investigates the origins and evolving history of gay and gay-affirming
religious traditions in America with an emphasis on Atlanta and Georgia. Primarily an oral
history, this project draws from eighty-two interviews as well as primary and secondary
documents to construct this history. Several conclusions unfold: 1) Southern culture, though
uniquely religious, has been more accommodating of gays and lesbians than heretofore
appreciated; 2) citizens of Atlanta and the state of Georgia have been primary historical producers
of gay and gay-affirming religious culture and institutions in America; 3) gay religious history
pre-dates the Stonewall Rebellion, thus troubling and adding nuance to the traditional
metanarrative of LGBTQ history; and 4) the paths of and to gay-affirming religious activism and
institution building follows several distinct patterns.
INDEX WORDS: Homosexuality, Gay, Lesbian, Queer, Religion, Oral History, MCC,
Atlanta, Georgia, Southern, Stonewall, Congregation, Gay-Affirming
A QUEER MIRACLE IN GEORGIA:
THE ORIGINS OF GAY-AFFIRMING RELIGION IN THE SOUTH

by

JODIE LIND TALLEY

Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of
Master of Arts
in the College of Arts and Sciences
Georgia State University

2006
Copyright by
Jodie Lind Talley
2006
A QUEER MIRACLE IN GEORGIA:

THE ORIGINS OF GAY-AFFIRMING RELIGION IN THE SOUTH

by

JODIE LIND TALLEY

Major Professor: Duane Corpis
Second Professor: Cliff Kuhn

Electronic Version Approved:

Office of Graduate Studies
College of Arts and Sciences
Georgia State University
August 2006
iv

In loving memory of
Saint David Edwards, David Chewning, Father Roy Pettway, Bishop Bennett Sims,
and all the courageous gay and gay-affirming saints, martyrs, and activists
who went before us…

And to the living saints
Archbishop George A. Hyde, Rev. Elder Troy Perry, Dr. Louie Crew
and every narrator who shared his or her special story
for the benefit of this history
v
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This project could not have been completed without the kind and tireless assistance of my
thesis advisor and mentor, Dr. Duane Corpis. From the independent LGBTQ studies
course he oversaw in 2003 to every last note on this thesis, he has been there not only to
bring out the very best in my work and research but also to encourage me on my path as a
scholar and to provide support as a trusted friend. He has my ceaseless gratitude. Homo
doctvs is se semper divitias habet.

Certain other individuals at Georgia State University have encouraged the project or
offered appreciated support. I offer many thanks to Dr. Clifford Kuhn for his expertise in
Atlanta, Southern, and oral history, and for helping me think through the project while
building on and working through both my strengths and weaknesses as an historian and
writer. He remained enthusiastic yet challenging at all times, and for all his invaluable
help I am much obliged. I will also remain grateful to Dr. James Heitzman for early
inspiration and for forcing me into the Jimmy Carter archives. I am thus also grateful to
Robert (Bob) Bohanan and the archivists there, who were very helpful and encouraging.
Thanks also to Dr. Michelle Brattain, Paula Sorrell, and Carolyn Whiters for general and
consistent support and for making our department a delightful place to work. Vigilando,
agendo, bene consulendo prospera omnia cedunt.

Many others have made a difference to my work along the way as well. I wish to
recognize Mark Bowen of the LGBTran Religious Archives for providing me with
research data and for sharing information about my project in his newsletter, and also
Wesley Chenault at the Atlanta History Center for his valuable time and support. Dr.
Louie Crew went above and beyond the call of duty helping me make contacts and
cooperating with an interview here in Atlanta (as he actually lives in New Jersey). Rev.
Budd Friend-Jones of Central Congregation UCC offered his church whenever I might
need it for office space or for an interview/filming location, and I did make use of the
premises. Rev. Ike Parker of All Saints CCU and Rev. Paul Turner of Gentle Spirit
Christian Church also took time to offer personal and project support, and I thank all the
pastors for their kindness.

Finally, I offer sincerest personal thanks to Barbara “Bubbie” Vogel and Pastor Charlene
McLemore, who have been my primary spiritual/pastoral guides, my dear friends, and
ever “the salt of the earth,” for which I praise God. And none of this work would have
been realized without the endless love and support I have received from my precious
wife, Laurel Koontz, who first suggested we move to Atlanta, with whom I consult
constantly, who supported our financial investment in the project from the very
beginning, and who brings to my life all the peace and happiness that has helped see this
thesis through to fruition. Amor est vitae essentia.
vi

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS…………………………………………………… v

CHAPTER

1 INTRODUCTION………………………………………………… 1

Selective Historiography………………………………………… 3

Thesis Organization and Overview……………………………… 11

Orality and Narrators……………………………………………. 16

2 OLD VIEWS AND NEW PEWS………………………………… 22
An Accommodationist South And The Rebel Church of ‘46

Southern Is As Southern Does…………………………………… 27

History Buried in Memories and Graveyards……………………. 36

“Blessed Are The Pure In Heart…”……………………………… 44

Chapter Conclusion……………………………………………… 58

3 THE WATERSHED DECADE…………………………………... 60
Civil Rights, Stonewall, and a New Denomination

A Lost Prophet and Forgotten Dreams……………….………… 62

The Stonewall Watershed………………………………………. 67

Origins of the Unlikely Southern Bible Belt …………………… 72

The MCC Revolution…………………………………….……… 81

Chapter Conclusion……………………………………….…….. 89

4 THE FOUNDATIONAL 70s………………………………….…. 92
Gay-Affirming Religion Spreads Its Roots
vii
The First MCC Launches a Decade……………………….….…. 98

Carter’s Queer Concessions……………………………………… 102

The Gay Conservative Response to the 1970s…………………… 113

The Miracle on Peachtree Street…………………………….…... 132

Chapter Conclusion……………………………………………… 143

5 CONCLUSIONS……………………………………………….…. 147

LIST OF NARRATORS………………………………………………………. 157

WORKS CITED………………………………………………………….……. 159
1

Introduction

In 2003 I undertook a directed readings course to study lesbian, gay, bisexual,
transgender, queer (LGBTQ) history in the South, and much to my surprise I found little.
I had assumed that I would find this scholarly field tilled beyond meaningful
productivity, but when I scoped the glaring lacunae, I knew I would invest my thesis
research time and efforts to uncover a queer Dixie history focused upon Atlanta and
Georgia, an easily accessible yet promising region. Further, I knew immediately that I
wanted to focus specifically upon intersections with religion, as queer religious history in
general is also understudied. Additionally, my own life experiences (as a lesbian convert
to Pentecostal Christianity) in the South inspired me to set out blindly in this search for a
history about which I knew nothing concretely. I wondered about other LGBTQ
religious individuals and “gay” congregations, and I wondered even more about the
heterosexual faithful in the area who had reconciled homosexuality with their religious
traditions. I assumed I would find a number of congregations, perhaps a dozen, in the
Atlanta area that might take the history back to the early or mid-70s, perhaps, and I would
study their experiences and report findings. Fortunately, however, my serendipitous
historical mining and meandering yielded much more than I would have imagined.
Specifically, I chose to investigate the history and evolution of the (predominantly)
gay and also mainstream gay-affirming congregations in the Atlanta area, as well as
general intersections of gay culture and community with religion and spirituality. At a
time when many churches and the country itself are torn by conflict over homosexuality,
I felt this subject warranted prompt academic attention and offers the hope of informing