Continuing the recognition of our 25th years of ministry, the Presbyterian Historical Society has published a new blog post detailing our efforts to denounce violence and hold space for for the LGBTQIA+ community within the Presbyterian Church after the murder of Matthew Shepard in 1998.
"The two co-moderators conclude their statement by recommitting themselves 'to the extraordinary hospitality made incarnate in Jesus,' who invites everyone into his household, 'including our homosexual brothers and sisters.' "
Just a few days before the Covenant Network of Presbyterians published the statement about the murder, members of the Westboro Baptist Church protested at Matthew Shepard’s funeral service. In responding, Buchanan and Bohl were directly replying to the behavior and beliefs of Westboro's “hatred cloaked as religion.” The co-moderators expressed their sadness and discouragement at Christians who “have used the language of religion to insult his family with suggestions that his life was somehow less valuable.”