Kathryn Griess, right
in photo, was field
staff for an
international
evangelical campus
ministry in Chile up
until May, 2006. She
now lives with her
wife, Esther, at left in
photo, in Buenos
Aires.  Griess first
found out about
Other Sheep and
Rev. Dr. Thomas
Hanks  "during a
desperate internet
search." Kathryn and
Esther met while they
were working for
evangelical campus
ministries in South
America.
Kathryn writes:
"Last year, while serving as a missionary to college
campuses in Chile, I came out of the closet and was
subsequently asked to leave ministry.   Since then I've
engaged in those nerve-wracking discussions in which
I've tried my hardest to learn how to hold my head up
and without shame speak clearly to the fact that I
believe God loves me just the way I am. I've emailed,
written letters, or spoken with former students, bosses
and colleagues, my father and even my pastor. Each
time I explained myself, I honed a little bit better a
description of who I am. A few months ago, I wrote a
letter to one of my best friends in which I summarized
my journey thus far as a queer Christian.  The
following excerpts are from that letter:"
Dear  Jack ,

I think there are two main paths that people take when wondering about challenging the sinfulness of
homosexuality . . . .  One is to pick apart each individual relevant verse, trying to find other definitions
and exegeses and commentaries and bits of church history that will allow you to distinguish another
possible interpretation.  

The other major path when talking about this issue is to go the opposite direction — you simply begin to
drift further away from trusting the scripture at all.   …  Is it a book you want me to read because it’s
inerrant or despite its errancy?  Should I receive it with divine authority, as a merely human creation, or
something in between?  

The conclusion I have reached that homosexuality is not sinful is based on personal experience. . . .  I’m
well aware that in evangelical circles, our experience, our ideas, our heart is not to be trusted.  And I
understand this.  

But just consider this for a moment: my entire walk with God, from conversion to becoming a campus
pastor to witnessing to serving in church to going to Chile to my relationships with other Christians, all of
it, has been based on what I think God has said to me, on what I believe are my experiences with Him.  
So why should I start to doubt that now?  Either I consider the fact that the Holy Spirit is still speaking to
me, crazy as the particular idea may sound, or I need to question everything I’ve ever talked about with
Him.  I see no reason to do the latter.

So that’s that.  Because of my personal experiences, and my ongoing and on-growing relationship with
God, I believe I am not in sin.  

I will continue to study in the other two paths, seeking the exact meaning of the relevant passages and
the exact character of the Bible itself, but I no longer see those studies as having the potential to derail
my faith or my life.
For the complete, unabridged text of Kati's letter to Jack go to Dear Jack
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