It was my complete pleasure to be a guest on this dynamic Blog Talk Radio Show! Just want to clarify a statistic I shared about the number of people infected in America with HIV/AIDS -- I meant to say 100,000 people are infected or may have died from AIDS related complications -- not 100 million! Feel free to go to this link to learn more about HIV/AIDS in black America: http://ww.nationalblackaidsday.or g/.

BISHOP TERRY ANGEL MASON is a leading civil rights advocate for the gay and lesbian community, a Pulitzer prize nominee and the National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Spokesperson.  Angel has been published worldwide and as a minister and civil rights advocate, brings a vibrant, loving and compassionate voice to Christianity.

Website:  Terry Angel Mason

Terry Angel Mason

Terry Angel Mason is an internationally renowned author, columnist, keynote speaker, poet, singer, songwriter, minister, and Civil Rights activist who currently resides is Southern California. He is the author of three popular titles, Love Won't Let Me Be Silent, They Say That I am Broken, and The Dream Keeper, set to be released in 2012. A revered leader and global change agent, Terry Angel Mason's mission is to inspire, educate and empower millions around the world, and promote love and acceptance for all people. A highly sought after author and activist, Mason has been featured in (Lee Bailey's) eurweb.com, Healthy Black Men, The East County Magazine, Five (5) Magazine, Whosoever Magazine, SGL Weekly Magazine, Outword Magazine, The NBJC Newsletter, The Advocate, Frontier Magazine, Broadway World, The Windy City Times Newspaper, New Pittsburgh Courier, New England Informer, Our Weekly Magazine, Out Impact, The San Diego Gay and Lesbian News, The San Diego Gay and Lesbian Times, The San Diego Union Tribune, ME Magazine, POZ Magazine, The New Civil Rights Online Magazine, A&U Magazine, Religious Tolerance, Marriage Equality International, Homorazzi, BN&S News Commentary, Real Health Magazine, Q Magazine, MSNBC News Vine, ILGA, Out Military Online Magazine, Proud Parenting Web Magazine, Fuse Magazine, Echelon Magazine, The Bay Area Reporter, Connextions Magazine, and in many other publications.

Black. Gay. Christian. To be a member of any one of those groups is fraught with all the ugly, untoward stereotypes a country like ours rarely hides. Or, if it does, it’s blanketed in a sort of subtle gloss that shields the perpetrator with an unbelievably high level of unawareness.

But for some people, therein lies the challenge; succumb to the race-baiting,homophobia and reflexive distrust we have for organized religion or overcome it. Pulitzer Prize-nominated author, activist, poet, civil rights activist and humanitarian, Bishop Terry Angel Mason chose the latter.

Born in Los Angeles, Calif., with a home there and in our very own backyard here in San Diego, Angel, as he prefers to be called, has made a name for himself with his tireless advocacy on behalf of the black community, specifically the black,gay, Christian community. He emphatically rejects outright the idea that gay black men, wounded from years of ostracism and homophobia from the very moral epicenter of the black community – its churches – has inflicted a perverse sort of spiritual carnage that cannot be undone.

In his first book, Love Won’t Let Me Be Silent, Angel explores the experiences and trials of parenthood from an African American gay male perspective and sensitively chronicles Angel’s search for love and self-hood. In his follow-up, to be released in hardcover this spring, They Say That I Am Broken, he expands his already formidable range by addressing everything from healthy same-gender-loving relationships and tackling some of the uglier recent chapters in our history including Kobe Bryant’s ill-informed comments at a recent Lakers game to Tracy Morgan’s callous remark about killing his own child during a comedy routine to the state of same-sex marriage in California and the barbaric political posturing going on in Uganda today.

San Diego LGBT Weeklyhad a chance to catch up with the Bishop to discuss his views on a variety of subjects and found, like his writing, he pours every ounce of passion into his responses. We are honored to have him speak with us.

        I was saddened and deeply troubled as I read Reverend Clenard H. Childress Jr.s’ article featured in the New England Informer and numerous other publications, entitled, “Why Homosexuality Is Wrong!” Reverend Childress contends in his essay that homosexuality is wrong philosophically, Biblically, biologically, and physiologically.  When reading the article, it is readily apparent from the outset that what is truly wrong is his initial premise! The reason as to why his initial premise is flawed and erroneous is that despite the fact that he is a pastor, Reverend Childress forgets or zealously overlooks the fact that it was God who created same-gender-loving people and GOD DOES NOT MAKE MISTAKES!

Same-gender-loving people or homosexuals as Childress describes them are born with their sexual preferences firmly established within their psyche just like heterosexuals! It is not learned behavior or a psycho-sexual attitude that can be can be quickly cast off or transmuted at a whim in the face of religious and political oppression and pressure. Same-gender-loving people know that their sexual orientation is an immutable manifestation of their God-given sexual identity. It is strong, it is unshakable, and it cannot be changed! It can be suppressed and repressed, but only at great psychological harm to the individual. Asking a same-gender-loving person to change their sexual orientation to heterosexual is equivalent to asking a heterosexual to reject their sexual orientation and become homosexual. It does not work in either case unless the individual has the inclination for bisexuality which many psychologists state that all men and women have within them, but because of culturally and religiously instilled homophobia, they are afraid to acknowledge, explore and express that part of their sexual nature.

        Moreover, our loving and wise God created a world with a diversity of plant life, animal life, and human life. In addition to this marvelous diversity, God created diversity in sexual expression. To condemn any one of God’s creations as wrong or flawed (in my opinion) is the epitome of spiritual ignorance and arrogance, no matter how many academic or theological degrees the condemning person might possess.

        Reverend Childress begins his essay with a quotation of  Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., which I find ironic because Dr, Martin Luther King. Jr., the noted theologian, human rights activist and advocate for tolerance, had a same-gender -loving person Bayard Rustin as one of his closest advisors at the beginning of his civil rights career. Dr. King wisely understood that even though they did not share the same sexual orientation, they did share the mutual commitment and passion for civil rights and the advancing of freedoms for black people. Subsequently, because of this spiritual maturity on Dr. King’s and Rustin’s part, they were able to work harmoniously and productively together. Reverend Childress’ use of biblical justification for his anti-gay essay is also problematic because of the fact that the spiritual truths of the Bible were framed within the cultural context of the people at the time. Our same beloved Bible was used to condone and justify the oppression of Black people, the rights to own slaves, and the subjugation of women. This was possible because at that time it was socially and culturally permissible and acceptable to be racist, have slaves, and elevate male entitlement. However, as we spiritually evolved and culturally matured, we realized the horrific injustice in continuing to condone these practices and institutions, so subsequently we abolished them and doing so, made a gigantic leap in becoming a more and just society. But, I have neither doubts nor any illusions that reactionary people back then also fought the advancement of those reforms with the same biblical fervor and justifications for maintaining their policies of social, sexual, and gender disenfranchisement, just as present day reactionary and homophobic members of church and society are seeking to do the same, by offering biblical sophistries against same-gender-loving people as they advocate for their equal rights.

        Reverend Childress seeks to further support his anti-gay premise with biological and anatomical arguments that the sexual practices of same sex couples are not natural, yet heterosexuals have been enjoying these same methods of sexual pleasure for thousands of years in the past and they will continue to do so for thousands of years to come (and of course, he conveniently fails to mention this).

        Reverend Childress then argues that marriage between same-gender-loving people will harm and destabilize marriage between men and women. Nothing can be further from the truth! If the institution of marriage between men and women suffers, it will be because of the participating men and women who do not value their relationships, nor possess the emotional, mental, and spiritual maturity to realize that marriage takes work, commitment, sacrifice, and compromise. What is even more troubling is that a great many married couples do not comprehend this truth, so is it any wonder that half of heterosexual marriages result in divorce. Marriage is a serious endeavor not to be entered lightly nor capriciously. It is a meaningful joining of hearts, minds, spirits, bodies and resources. The wonderful benefits of marriage, if sincerely and lovingly undertaken, will bring positive emotional and spiritual development to the partners of the marriage and to the children being raised within the marriage, regardless of the sexual orientation of the partners.

        Make no mistake about this rebuttal. I am not attacking Reverend Childress personally. I am confident that he is sincere in his beliefs and I pray that he is not intentionally homophobic nor means any malicious harm  to the same-gender-loving community, but what I am attacking are his  misguided views on this issue because no matter whether benign or malicious,  these homophobic views are still  harmful to the LGBT community. They create and foster an atmosphere of intolerance, sexual bigotry, and misunderstanding for those of us who had no choice in this matter, but to accept the fact that this was how we were born and this is how God created us! And although Reverend Childress might be sincere, he sincerely seeks to invalidate the right for same-gender-loving people to spiritually and sexually co-exist alongside our heterosexual counterparts and enjoy the same God-given rights that they enjoy. And yes, I purposely used the expression God-given because we were created by God and as I asserted before, GOD DOES NOT MAKE MISTAKES!

        In conclusion, I wish to state that I have written several articles that are published on this site that address many of these issues in greater detail. And because this is such a hot-button topic, it is also the theme of my new book entitled: They Say That I Am Broken. Following, is an excerpt from They Say That I Am Broken, as well as a compelling audio version of the excerpt. Please take the time to read the excerpt and to listen to the audio presentation. I guarantee you that your life will never ever be the same, once you have heard this dynamic message!

By Angel Mason, Global Author

Poetic written and AUDIO excerpt from: They Say That I Am Broken They Say That I Am Broken

They say that I am broken like an expensive crystal glass that has just fallen to the floor and been shattered into a million pieces.

Cracked liked a piece of fine porcelain or priceless ceramic pottery, even after a master sculptor had labored over me for hours to mold me and create me in His own image.

So shattered, it was easy to be misled, enslaved, and seduced by others to live a lifestyle that many claim dishonors humanity and insults deity.

For years, I believed them before I understood, before I knew the truth, and before I knew how deeply and passionately He loves me!

They had me so convinced, that I was broken and in need of repair until at times, I began to despise the desires that were natural to me and desperately tried to disown them, rip them from my being, and declare with everything in my consciousness that they were not my own and could never be my own!!! And in desperation, I cried out a million times in prayer to be delivered and repaired.

Surely He can repair me since He created me, I reasoned! After all, wouldn't He love me more? Wouldn't people accept me and embrace me more if I were not broken and shattered?

Stay in fellowship, pray without ceasing, sing in the choir, usher on the Usher Board and fast until every evil desire is uprooted like a dead plant a gardener discards and uproots because it has withered and died, were my goals.

So I walked with my brothers and sisters, prayed with them, sang with them, gave my hard-earned money to them, spent the night with them in all-night church prayer shut-ins, let them drench me with anointing oil until I was soaked, and cast the demons out of me. Why did I do it? I did it because they said I was broken and in need of repair.

But one day while walking with them on life's journey, my feet began to bleed, and in utter horror, I looked at them, wondering what had cut my feet so severely. I knew what the glass looked like from my own so-called brokenness, but the huge sharp, jagged pieces in my feet did not resemble anything of mine.

I thought to myself, where could all this shattered glass be coming from? As I looked up the road, I shuddered because I could see nothing but an unending sea of broken glass ahead. But strangely enough, the people who were walking in front of me were not bleeding at all. Their feet had been so bruised, so calloused, so scarred, their consciences so seared and hearts so hardened -- so used to walking in broken glass, until they could not see that they were in need of repair and were wounding me!

As I examined the glass more closely, trying to dodge it on the ground so I wouldn't get cut anymore, I saw fragments that reflected their adultery, bitterness, unforgiveness, jealousy, deception, hypocrisy, orgies, hatred, prejudice, drug abuse, child abuse, spousal abuse, misappropriation of church funds, alcoholism, infidelity, countless children born out of wedlock, abandoned and uncared for by church mothers and fathers — a list far too numerous to recount!

Instinctively, I knew that if I did not stop following them, eventually my feet would be cut to shreds, and I would not survive the journey.

So I began to discreetly and quietly walk down another road, but when they noticed that I was no longer following them, they screamed at me from a distance: "You are going to hell! We always knew you never loved Him! Your perversion has blinded you! You are deceived and in error! This is the reason why the institution of marriage is deteriorating in our society today, because of perverts like you!"

Tears streamed from my eyes, and my heart was broken. Condemnation overwhelmed me, and guilt worked hard to persuade me to turn around. And just as I was about to, I met a man on the road, carrying a cross. And I thought to myself, why is He walking down this road carrying such a huge wooden cross? It must be heavy! It must be a tremendous burden to carry!

As I got closer to Him, I noticed my name written on the cross. And in utter amazement, I stopped; but before I could ask Him the reason for the inscription, He answered and said, "Because the Father loves you!" And then out of nowhere, another man appeared and took His cross from Him while He bent down to remove the jagged pieces of glass from my feet that had caused them to bleed so terribly. I immediately began to weep and apologize for all the broken glass and for taking up His time, especially since He was carrying such a heavy cross. He looked into my eyes and said, "Why do you apologize for the brokenness of others?" The brokenness of others?, I thought!!!

"Do you know why you were able to find me on this road?" He asked "No," I replied. "I didn't expect to see anyone on this road because of the way I was living, how differently I was made, because of what I desire, and the things I had done in my past!"

That is when He asked me to look up. I thought He was directing my attention to the sky, but I knew it could not be so because the light that was emanating from His body seemed to out-shine the sun. As I gazed around, I noticed a simple sign by the side of the road that said "HIGHWAY OF TRUTH."

As I looked into His beautiful hazel eyes, He smiled and said, "All who worship Me must worship Me in spirit and in truth! The Fathers seeks and loves those who do!"

But I am broken; I am shattered! I am -- that is when He took my hands and placed them in His side and said, "Wounded for your transgressions, bruised for your iniquities, the chastisement of the world's peace was upon Me and by my stripes, you are healed!" I looked at my feet, and they were no longer cut and bleeding, but miraculously healed. But I don't understand, sir! How did you do this? How did this happen?

His reply: "Love compelled me, and compassion inspired me and moved me to action!"

But why? Why for me? And just before I could say "I was broken" again, He said, "The world is broken! There is none good, none perfect, no, not one! Not the Pastor, not the evangelist, not the apostle, not the preacher, not the prophet or the prophetess, not the minister of music, not the teacher, not the deacon, not the Bishop, not even the church trustee!

Son, all of humanity is broken, and that is why I came! While they singled you out because of your uniqueness, they foolishly forgot that all are in need of a redeemer. Even if you had somehow managed to change your natural inclinations, suppressed them, and began to live another way, without my sacrifice, eternal life could never be yours. Do you want eternal life?" He asked. "Yes," I replied!

"Then believe on Me with your whole heart," He said, "and change your confession! Say no more 'I am broken'! Say no more 'I am shattered'! Instead, say 'I am healed'! Say 'I am redeemed'! Say 'I and the Father are one'! Say 'I walk in the newness of life'. "And when the appointed time comes, I shall return for you, and then I will complete my work."

"What work is that?" I asked.

"To restore the planet to its former state of perfection and transform your body from mortal to immortal in a twinkling of an eye; then take you to my Father's house. For there, He has prepared a marvelous banquet for you," was His reply.

Then suddenly, He and the man holding the cross vanished. As I sat quietly by the road, bewildered and pondering what had just occurred, I decided to continue my journey. As I began to walk, the road seemed to ascend and my legs became tired and my body weary from the tedious climb up the hill. When I got to the top, I noticed people huddled together in a circle (looking up), but I could not see what they were gazing at. Something compelled me to press my way through the crowd, and to my horror, I discovered the man who had healed me by the side of the road -- brutally beaten, slain, and hanging on a cross, with nails in His hands and feet. Who could have done this to such a beautiful, kind man? Why did they murder Him and hang Him on a cross to die? I thought, as buckets of tears streamed down my face.

That is when I remembered the words He spoke to me as I was on the side of the road -- cut, bleeding, rejected, and in despair: "Wounded for your transgressions, bruised for your iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes, we are healed! I am going away, but I will come again to renew the Earth and restore it to its former state of perfection, and I will transform your body from mortal to immortal in a twinkling of an eye and take you back with Me to my Father's house. For there, He has prepared a marvelous banquet for you! Say no more 'You are broken'! Say no more 'You are shattered'! Say 'You are healed!'"

By Terry Angel Mason, Global Author
Excerpt from They Say That I Am Broken
WWW.TERRYANGELMASON.COM

Tucked neatly within the pages of this inspiring non-fiction masterpiece are creative stores cleverly penned by Mason, in a genre of fiction that boldly knocks down taboos and transcends stigmas --
literally becoming part of the social
fabric of Black America today!

Release Date: SPRING 2011
You can pre-order a signed copy of They Say That I Am Broken
at a discounted price and have it mailed directly to you.
As an added bonus, you will also receive a FREE copy of "Get On The Royal Road to Riches" a special gift from this very gifted author.

This morning after dragging myself out of bed, I stumbled into my living room and sat down in front of my computer in order to check my email. After wiping the sleep from my eyes, I was shocked when I read an email from BlackPlanet.com and Newsone.com disclosing the fact that DeJuaii Pace (a renowned gospel singer, a member of the famous Pace Sisters) had just announced to the entire world that she is a lesbian and has been suppressing her natural inclinations since the age of four. The article also mentioned the fact that she would be telling her story of how she had overcome her food addiction and had come to terms with her sexuality this Tuesday on the OWN Network (owned and operated by Oprah Winfrey).

As I finished reading the article, I immediately scrolled down to the comment section of the article (s) to get some type of idea as to what other reader's reactions would be, regarding DeJuaii's disclosure. I have to tell you that after reading several of the comments, my heart literally sunk into the pit of my stomach, due to the fact that the comments were filled with so much hatred and homophobic venom. The comments were so extreme until it made me ashamed to even refer to myself as a Christian! Nothing that anyone had to say even mirrored anything that looked, acted or sounded like the love of God! And the most offensive thing of all was that they did it in the name of Jesus, and felt justified in doing so! Anyone who knows anything about Christianity or the Bible will tell you that love is kind, patient, forgiving, not boastful, never arrogant, edifies and never destroys!

DeJuaii, like thousands of African-American children, grew up in a Pentecostal, holiness environment and any notion of even sleeping with a man before wedlock was completely out of the question and frowned upon by the Church in every way. If a young woman would come up pregnant, she would immediately be ostracized from the church and/or prohibited from participating in any aspect of ministry until she had come before the entire congregation to repent and ask forgiveness, before she could be reinstated. Instead of DeJuaii, yielding to the temptation of sleeping with a male or a female (like most contemporary Christians do) she did something that most of us could never fathom, and that was to remain sexually inactive. Even today, at the age of 45, she is still a virgin.

Tonex, now known as B. Slade was also publically and ruthlessly attacked by his gospel peers, (and so-called brothers and sisters in Christ) after disclosing that he was a same-gender-loving Christian man. Almost immediately, other gospel artists (who had claimed to be die-hard friends and fans) began to venomously slander him and quickly distanced themselves from him. Furthermore, they could even be heard in public arenas referring to him as a pervert, sexual vampire and heretic!

Ray Boltz, a renowned Gospel singer and composer, who sold about 4.5 million records before retiring from the Christian music industry a few years ago, rocked the Evangelical world after he disclosed to the world that he was also gay. Like DeJuaii Pace, Ray's life was plummeting into a valley of despair, and deep depression, and he almost committed suicide; the result of having suppressed his sexual preference for most of his life. In his own words Ray reveals the deep emotional trauma, mental anguish, and agony that he suffered for years while in ministry:

"I'd denied it ever since I was a kid," Boltz said, then 55. I became a Christian, I thought that was the way to deal with this and I prayed hard and tried for 30-some years and then at the end, I was just going, I'm still gay. I know I am. And I just got to the place where I couldn't take it anymore -- when I was going through all this darkness, I thought, 'Just end this! "

And that is exactly what thousands of children, teens and young adults have done over the past few decades, "They simply got tired of trying to change something about themselves that was a natural as their skin color or as an inherent as their musical gifts and abilities, which birthed some of the world's most anointed gospel music," - They just simply gave up and ended their mental and emotional torment by committing suicide! Had Tonex (aka B. Slade), DeJuaii Pace and Ray Boltz done the same, the world would have suffered a loss that they could have never recovered from or ever recreated! You see, we are all uniquely placed on this planet with a divine destiny and a divine purpose that only each of us individually can fulfill.

When the Ted Haggard and the Bishop Eddie Long scandal came out the entire Christian world was shocked and devastated after it was alleged that these revered spiritual leaders had been accused of engaging in gay sex. But if the truth be told, there are thousands of same-gender-loving people in the church (functioning in every aspect of ministry) and there always have been! Suffice it to say, if all same-gender-loving people would leave the church and/or refuse to participate in any aspect of ministry, hundreds, if not thousands of ministries would shut down!

Wednesday night, while in the midst of teaching Bible Study, I came across this marvelous scripture in the Bible, found in the book of St. John, Chapter 4, vs. 24

"God [is] a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship [Him] in spirit and in truth."

Nobody in the world will ever be able to convince me that we are worshipping Him in Spirit and in truth hiding who we really are, in a closet of self-rejection and denial. Moreover, we do this because we fear being rejected by the world. Yet, I must admit that this is exactly what countless heterosexual Christians do all the time. They may not be gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, but they sleep around with everybody and anybody which accounts for much of the spread of Std's and HIV in the African-American community today. They cheat on their husbands and wives, engage in unethical business practices daily and neglect their children. Yet, hypocritically, they are quick to point the finger at someone like DeJuaii, whom by the way is living a celibate and holy life! Makes you wonder just what is wrong with our ability to discern truth and walk in it.

On one occasion (in Biblical times) the people of the city brought a woman to Jesus whom had been caught in adultery, demanding that she be stoned. Instead of condemning her, Jesus quietly knelt down and began scribbling something in the sand. Many theologians believe that he was scribbling all the names of the people in the crowd who had slept with her and were just as guilty; hoping she would be stoned to death so that their sexual involvement with her would never be publically revealed. After a few minutes the crowds dispersed having left their stones lying in the street.

Jesus, immediately arose and asked the woman this question, "Woman, where are thine accusers?" She answered by saying, "They are gone!" He responded by saying, "Neither do I condemn thee..."
The other night I sat in a dimly lit room devastated by the fact that one of my most beloved friends refused to participate in an upcoming musical Christmas CD project with me, solely because I am a gay man. But what is most astounding is that this same person has been married over four times and has slept with more women on the planet than any self respecting God-fearing Christian man would dare to claim in good conscience. Ironically, he still is not living a celibate life, even though he claims to be a die-hard Christian!

And even though I have experienced this type of rejection all of my life, I must admit that it still hurts when someone you love rejects you in this manner. I was able to recover from the rejection but that is not the case for many same-gender-loving believers in the church who sit there Sunday after Sunday hearing sermons that reinforce self-hatred and brainwash people into believing that the Creator does not love them. Moreover, I sadly wonder how many more people will jump off bridges, take overdoses, eat themselves to death or shoot themselves in the head with a gun before the church wakes up and truly learns to walk in love.

By Terry Angel Mason, Global Author
http://www.terryangelmason.com/

Afraid to tell your family and friends that you are gay or lesbian?
Have a gay son or lesbian daughter and not sure how to handle the situation?
Know someone who is being bullied or rejected by family and friends because they are gay?

Are you struggling with reconciling your sexuality and spirituality because you are a same-gender-loving person?
Click on this link to upload free excerpts from my bestselling book:
LOVE WON'T LET ME BE SILENT
LORD, MY CHILD IS GAY, WHAT DO I DO?
DOES GOD HATE ME BECAUSE I AM GAY?

On Sunday, July 11, 2010, Walter Hawkins, a Grammy Award-winning gospel singer, legendary composer and Bishop from Oakland, made his transition to heaven after battling Pancreatic Cancer. He was 61. Born in Oakland, Hawkins studied for his divinity degree at the University of California, Berkeley. At the time of his death, Hawkins was planning a new "Love Alive" CD concert recording for this fall. Besides his brother Walter, Hawkins is survived by two children, two grandchildren and a number of nieces and nephews.

I have no words that can adequately express to you how grateful I am to God for Bishop Walter Hawkins; truly a wonderful child of God who filled my life with anointed lyrics and music delivered to us directly from the portals of heaven. He leaves a legacy of music behind that is unquestionably legendary but what is even greater is the legacy that he leaves behind in terms of how ministry in the Black Church should be conducted. Walter pioneered something few will discuss or view as a great accomplishment and that was his obedience to the Great Commission, "Go into ALL the world and preach the gospel to ALL creation.” (Mark 16:15, NASB)

So many churches in our community for years have closed their doors to same-gender loving people and dubbed them “queer, unholy, the essence of evil, and most definitely hell-bound.” As recent as a few months ago, one of our most beloved Gospel singers even called same-gender-loving people vampires, (while in the midst of a Holy Convocation) who prey upon our children with the intent to satanically sabotage their spiritual journey and shipwreck their faith by luring them into an ungodly lifestyle that will most certainly damn their souls. But Walter did the unthinkable! In an era when everything and everyone was opposed to equal rights for same-gender-loving people, he dared to open “Love Center Ministries,” a place that welcomed people of all faiths, denominations, ethnicities, and yes folks, even people of different sexual orientations. He taught them the unadulterated Gospel, taught them to truly love one another, harnessed their talents and skills and showed them how to use their dynamic God-endowed gifts to bring tremendous glory to God!

This wasn’t an easy task, I know this because I, too, am in ministry and a Bishop, but he forged ahead in spite of criticism from haters and naysayers. Now here is what is so ironic, the Black Church is just beginning to wake up from their self-induced homophobic-coma and put in place many of the types of ministries that Bishop Hawkins pioneered years ago.

Yes, I will miss his wonderful music and beautiful smile, but I believe the Word of God that not only promises life eternal but assures us that one day the dead in Christ shall rise at the trumpet blast of the Archangel and all the saints (redeemed heterosexual and same-gender-loving) who are with the Savior now shall stand in the clouds while their mortal corruptible bodies are resurrected from this planet Earth, then changed to be like His immortal incorruptible body. And in a twinkling of an eye, Bishop Hawkins and all believers who have believed on the Christ shall be clothed in an incorruptible body -- in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye! (1 Corinthians 15:52)

Then we who are still alive on planet Earth and have not made our transition shall be caught up to meet them in the air (our bodies also changed [I Thessalonians 4:13-18]) and then all the saints, I repeat, all the saints will praise the Lord with thunderous shouts of praise as they gaze into the Savior’s eyes and realize that death was indeed swallowed up in victory when Jesus died on the cross of Calvary. (1 Corinthians 15:54)

Without a doubt, we shall see Bishop Walter Hawkins in his new resurrected body, no doubt leading the heavenly multitudes in songs of praise and triumph unashamedly as they SHABACH the King of the Universe with these familiar words of praise: “THANK YOU LORD FOR ALL YOU’VE DONE FOR ME!” (Revelation 7:9)

Bishop Terry Angel Mason, Global Author
Fountain of Life Word Center
WWW.TERRYANGELMASON.COM

The following excerpt is a from my book, "Love Won't Let Me Be Silent"
It is entitled:

A Letter from Heaven

Just the other day, I heard a sound at the door,

and to my surprise, through the mail slot a letter fell to the floor.

When I glanced at the envelope, it appeared slightly strange.

So I picked it up from the floor, and on it, was your name. I was stunned because I knew you had gone to Heaven only days before.

So how could you be writing me to tell me something more?

But clearly, the letter was addressed to me from you, so I ran to the door, but the mailman had gone.

And there I stood in the doorway, somewhat bewildered and alone.

But when I came to myself, I tore open the letter, and these were the words I read: “Beloved, do not worry because I am not really dead!

Jesus has rescued me from sin and death just like He said.

Eternity is so awesome my Beloved; something mere words could never describe! And the love we shared is still with me; it lives on deep within my soul, and there is no emptiness inside.

I know how much you loved me and how deeply you care.

But if you really love me, then trust me now and don’t despair.

For if I was truly dead, you would have reason to mourn.

But the day I entered Heaven, it was as though I were reborn!

Don’t regret the fact that you couldn’t say all the things to me that you now want to say,

Because I know how much you loved me, and I hear them in my heart each day!

You see, love is the language that transcends time and endless space,

And love will be the reason I will again see your face.

One day, I’ll stand with Jesus in the clouds with all the saints. And then he’ll RAPTURE and TRANSFORM my body, never again to be weary, sick, or even faint.

I know this sounds so hard to believe, and today, you cannot fathom it or fully understand.

But THE WORD of GOD never lies, and you must go on because for you, God has a marvelous plan!

If you love me, live for me today and tomorrow. Don’t, because you think me dead, waste any time in sorrow.

For soon, your weeping shall suddenly flee away in the light of truth and victory, when He (Jesus) comes on that Glorious day.

I love you!!! And nothing can ever destroy our love. Know that when you miss me most, I’ll be looking down from Heaven above. Sing for me! Laugh for me until you see me again, and know the love we shared has bound us together more closely than friends. Soon, time will give way to the Master’s will,

And together, you and I shall stand on His Holy Hill.

Never again to be apart. No more tears, sorrow, or even pain.

Forever to rejoice and live in Jesus’ Wonderful Name!

by Bishop Terry Angel Mason

Lord, My Child is Gay, What Do I Do?

(Something every parent who has a child should read!)

Believe it or not, this statement has been heard in the ears of The Creator more times than you or I could ever imagine! It is the prayer of the desperate mother and father who fear that he or she has done something so wrong in rearing their child, until the outcome has been disastrous. Minutes go by, hours go by, and to the dismay of the parent(s), his or her petition has not been answered. Not a peep from Heaven, not even a whisper. But it never occurs to that mother or father that maybe the lack of a response to their desperate plea is an answer in itself.

Days go by, and a trillion questions fill the mind of that mother and father – with the most pressing questions being: What did I do wrong? Why is my child this way? What are my friends and relatives going to think? What are the people at church going to say? Does this mean my child will never marry someone of the opposite sex and I may never have grandchildren? Who’s going to carry on the family name? Did this happen because I was too overbearing as a mother? Did he turn out this way because he did not spend enough time with his father? And the list goes on. And of course for the mother and father who have deep religious convictions arises the ultimate question: “Will my child go to Hell because he or she is gay?"

And what is even more disheartening – perhaps more than the fact that the parent has now discovered that their child may be gay – is that all of their lofty dreams for that child have somehow been maliciously stolen in the middle of the night by some perverted thief while everyone was sleeping. However, in reality, that child didn’t just wake up and discover that he or she liked someone of the same gender; this was a natural process of development for him or her, as natural as how any other heterosexual child grows and matures.

Even though to you as a parent, it seems opposed to everything that you believe and everything you wanted and dreamed of for your child, denying who that child is will never change the outcome. You can’t pray it away, cast it out, fast it away, wish it away, hope it away, beat it out of them, or try to change their orientation by insisting they act more masculine or more feminine. It is who they are!

It is vital for each parent of every gay child to understand that when they attempt to force elimination or suppression of the most natural part of who that child is as an individual (that being “sexual orientation”), that lends itself to mental illness, weakens the immune system -- making the person more vulnerable to disease -- and prevents the child from forming wholesome relationships with people and with God. It also prevents the child from developing the people-skills that are necessary to establish and maintain wholesome loving relationships because he or she has been told that their expression of love is somehow sinful or wrong.

The result is often a slew of brief sexual encounters that never fully satisfy and endless sabotaged relationships that leave him or her bitter, alone, and loveless at the end of their lives.

As much and as hard as you may try to make time stand still while you catch your breath and wrap your mind around what is happening to you, remember: it is not just happening to you; it is also happening to your little Daniel or Julie, who has a whole lot more to figure out and process than you could ever imagine. He or she is now engaged in the greatest challenge any human being will ever have to face. If you poise yourself as the enemy of your child’s orientation, he or she may become a casualty of life and literally may not survive it. Statistics have proved that thousands of youths jump off bridges, take drugs, succumb to alcoholism, and become estranged from their own families in a desperate attempt to silence the inner conflict and pain that they feel inside because they now realize without a doubt that they are gay!

It is for this reason that I earnestly speak to the love in you, the compassion in you, the mercy in you, the wisdom in you, and most of all, the sanity in you on behalf of your child. I know that you dreamed of the day when you would plan your daughter’s wedding or hold your son’s newborn child in your arms, and you have waited an entire lifetime to be the doting grandparent. But again, I want to remind you that your child is engaged in a battle, in the very center of a fierce war zone, and the enemy called “LIFE” has the upper hand. Whether he or she comes out on the other side of the battle alive and unscathed not only depends on the psychological fortitude and stamina of the child but on you as a loving parent.

What I am asking you to do may seem difficult and at first unreasonable to you because deep down inside, you want something so different for your child. I am appealing to the SUPER PARENT in you that would go days without food if need be to make sure your child has food to eat. I am appealing to the deepest part of your humanity, and I am asking that part of you to RISE UP AND GET YOUR SECOND WIND and be determined that your child is going to live to fulfill his or her divine destiny and declare the glory of the Lord by blessing the world with all the gifts and abilities that lie in him or her – NOT DIE.

If the God you say you serve, that you claim is all-knowing, omnipresent, omnipotent (unlimited in power) -- if He is in fact all of these things, I can assure you that He can handle any problem or challenge you or your child is faced with. Know emphatically, however, that the only physical eyes your child sees (that represent God) are yours. The only loving touch he feels is yours. The words that he hears in his ears are yours. Since you profess to be a God’s child, it is vital that you not allow your fears, disappointments, and disapproval of his or her lifestyle to distort their view of God. This type of misrepresentation has been the main reason millions of same-gender-loving people have exited churches by the masses, falsely thinking that God does not love them – and even hates them because they are gay.

One day, I fear that many well-meaning Christians will have to stand before the Prince of Peace, The King of the Universe, stained with the blood of millions on their hands, having to give an account for those whom they bashed from the pulpit as they heralded legalistic doctrine instead of wooing them to Christ with love and mercy.

I realize that you desperately want to know the answers to all the whys, but what is more important is not to understand but rather to respect your child’s right to choose. No Pastor, Bishop, Priest, or Clergyman could ever deny the fact that God has given each of His created beings a free will and the right to choose. If The Creator will not override our will or deny us that right, then no human being has the right to deny any other human being of those God-endowed privileges.

While your child may not have chosen his or her orientation, he has chosen to face the reality that he is who he is. He has accepted the reality that even though his natural inclinations are different from many others around him, he has to be true to himself. This decision is perhaps more godly than you could ever imagine because Scripture says that God desires truth on the inward part (Psalm 51:6). Rejection of your child’s sexual orientation has the potential to lay the foundation for sham marriages and closeted DL relationships, possibly exposing unsuspecting spouses to life-threatening diseases. The DL brother and the cheating lesbian wife are proof of the fact that a person’s true orientation or preference is going to emerge and express itself in spite of what others may say or think.

Many will say that my recommendations for how to minister to your child are to adopt a “DO NOTHING ATTITUDE”; but on the contrary, what I am really suggesting is the opposite! Teach your child to love himself and to respect his or her body as a temple of God. Tell him sex is a beautiful experience, not to be taken lightly or to be engaged in haphazardly. Help him or her to understand that everything we do, every choice we make is not without consequences, and therefore, we must be ever mindful of these truths and make good decisions. Tell them how much you love them, how much God loves them, and do everything possible to prepare your child to successfully hurdle all the hateful comments -- comments like "God hates fags” and “all gay people are going to Hell" because these things are not so!

Do everything to shore up him or her emotionally so that they can successfully combat a society riddled with prejudice and homophobia, something he or she will undoubtedly experience in their lifetime as a result of being gay. Tell your child that there is no different measuring stick for gay relationships than for heterosexual ones when it comes to selecting a suitable companion. Make sure that you get over to him or her how important it is for them to develop the skills that will help them to properly discern when selecting a life partner, no matter what the gender.

They will interpret these actions in the light of truth and love, and your actions will speak volumes to them. For the love you demonstrate to them because they are your children will transform them into whole, balanced children with a true sense of pride and direction. You will ever rejoice for having rescued them from the throes of life, and your willingness to accept them as they are will reflect the awesome love of God and draw them to His loving presence. Then release them into His care with the assurance that He is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all you can ask or think! (Ephes. 3:20)

In Loving Memory of my Mother and Father,

Ethel and Paul Mason

who loved me unconditionally.

Afraid to tell your family and friends that you are gay?
Have a gay son or lesbian daughter and not sure how to handle the situation?
Know someone who is struggling with reconciling their sexuality and spirituality?

Then this excerpt from

LOVE WON'T LET ME BE SILENT
is just for YOU!

You can download this excerpt free and even email it to a family member or friend!

The French philosopher Voltaire declaimed,
"Nothing is more powerful than an idea whose time has come!"
That idea is equality for all.
Out of the struggle for equal rights, emerges one powerful compelling voice that touches the hearts of men and women everywhere,
passionately giving credence to that ideal.
This new voice has inspired a cultural revolution, motivating and empowering millions to stand up for their God-given rights.
Finally, today's generation has received their advocate
and their just due in the person of acclaimed author
and Civil Rights Activist,
Terry Angel Mason!
-Asim, Songwriter, Lyricist, Author and Creative Writer