Do you still pray? How often? Do LGBTQI+ people pray? Does God listen to queer folks and do queer people listen to God? Why do you pray? What do you pray for? Or perhaps you’re struggling with praying or doubt its purpose and use? Or maybe you no longer believe in prayer and consequently no longer pray?
As progressive Christians, prayer will always be an essential spiritual practice and discipline for us as followers of the One whose life and ministry were grounded in prayer.
While at the same time we acknowledge that prayer has been promoted and imposed upon by conservative Christians in a terrible way: “Prayer answers all questions and doubts. It is the solution for every problem.”
While we recognize the terrible ways that prayer has been imposed upon, perhaps the response is not to GIVE UP prayer itself but to GIVE UP old perspectives on prayer taught to us by conservative religious leaders and churches. Maybe we can see and practice prayer in a different way and in a deeper level, and as queer people.
Henri Nouwen is a Christian Spiritual writer known for promoting Christian spirituality by contextualizing ancient wisdom into the problems, realities and struggles of modern living. Let us listen and consider scripture, Henri Nouwen and the preacher’s interpretation as we open ourselves once more to God in and through the practice of prayer.
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