Ray Boltz: Singer, songwriter...Christian

Don't Tell Me Who To Love


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http://rayboltzblog.wordpress.com/

Hey, you're not allowed to be gay and save people, leave that atheist family alone!

Courtesy NG of NGblog
AFA's One News Now on Ray Boltz' now "devastated" family...

I presented an idea, based on an observation, and within hours it became a reality, via...
Now, there's already a story going on about how "ex-gay" Greg Quinlan's Greg Quinlan's pants are on fire, and you can read all about it here, here, and even pro-ex-gay-here. Not to mention Google.

So, now that you're caught up on...oh wait, that's right, re EGW, he also "now works with the New Jersey Family Policy Counsel in an unknown capacity."

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So NOW that you're caught up on the shenanigans of a one Mr. "ex-gay" Greg Quinlan, FINALLY we can get to the story. (though technically at this point I'm pretty much ready for bed)

ANYWAY...From the American Family Association's One News Now video outlet, Mr Quinlan had this to say about Christian Celebrity Ray Boltz' 'coming out' in the Washington Blade article

(It would appear that Mr. Quinlan had not even read the article before agreeing to the interview):

Jim Brown: Now Ray Boltz, he divorced in 2005, but he was married for 33 years, has 4 kids…tell us how devastating this is to his family, you know what happens in a situation like this.

Greg Quinlan: Well you start to wonder what predicated the divorce, if it wasn't this, or if he’s decided to go this route because of the divorce, I don’t know. Divorce is a horrible, horrible, horrible thing. But yeah, it’s going to have a tremendous impact on his children, and I would hope that he thought this out. I don’t know, and haven’t heard, and of course I shouldn’t have heard, whether he’s sought any help--about any same sex attraction or any feelings that he had. But there is help for him, there’s hope for him. And I would just hope that if he hears this, that he would start to seek that hope.

I mean, he can even contact me through you folks, and we can set something up. I mean, there’s no reason for him to be--in--to be stuck where he is, to be where he’s at.
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Ray Boltz: And I'm going to do a song right now that I wrote a long time ago. And I want to sing it and dedicate it to you guys, to Pastor Jeff...to my family...that I don't know where they are...they're they are...

Here's "the thing," not only was his FAMILY there in the audience to SUPPORT HIM, the first 8 songs of his concert set were clearly pro-gay-supportive.

Point being, he's put quite a bit of "thought" into the decision to be honest with himself, his family, and now the world. And to trivialize that, is an insult of the highest order.

If that is acceptable to you, then so be it. But know that his wife and his kids still love and support him.

Or would you say that he, or at least his family, have now become some unwitting participants in a so-called "homosexual agenda?"

This was the song he sang at the end of the above video clip. It's not from the same concert, but it's the same song. It's repeated a few posts down and it's primarily how I know him, and why I'm spending so much time on this subject.

Not just the song, but the whole of what this means. There are a lot of anti-gay "Christians" who are doing a lot of self examination right now, specifically, and just because of this. And that's why I think this event is so important.

"Thank You" By Ray Boltz

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PS I made a few edits on 9-27

Ray Boltz music critique, by Joey DiGuglielmo of the Washington Blade

This isn't regarding the same concert I posted about in the below post, but Joey did a much better job of critiquing Boltz' new set than I could have:

Nearly all the new material Boltz unveiled in his roughly 75-minute set addressed the gay experience. He joked that "Don't Tell Me Who to Love," an up-tempo dance number he sang to a pre-recorded track, might sound a bit too much like a Cher cut, but he said a producer he'd been working with in Los Angeles encouraged him to try it. The audience responded with a standing ovation at its clear, pro-gay message

Musically speaking, that song was the exception though. Most of the new material was performed with Boltz accompanying himself on acoustic guitar. Even though the audience was hearing these numbers for the first time, their accessible, uncomplicated lyrics made them easy crowd pleasers. The cleverly crafted "I Will Choose to Love," ominous, jangly "Swimming Hole" (about a hate crime) and emotionally bare "God Knows I Tried" were the standouts.

Read the rest here: Ray Boltz unveils new music during weekend D.C. mini concert

I look forward to his new CD, it will be a lifesaver for many.

He didn't just 'come out,' he came out to help.

From his website, rayboltz.com:

A few years ago I made the decision to retire from contemporary Christian music. I had won awards, performed in front of thousands of people, and sold millions of records. Still, I believed that if people knew who I really was, I would never be accepted. During the last few years I've learned that there are many people who feel the same way I did. One church in particular has helped me in many ways. The Metropolitan Community Church (http://www.mccchurch.org/) was started forty years ago by Rev. Troy Perry in the Los Angeles area and has an outreach to the LGTB (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) community. I am happy to announce that I have accepted an invitation to perform at two of their churches. On September 14th, I will be singing at the Jesus Metropolitan Community Church (www.jesusmcc.org) in Indianapolis at 6:00p.m. On September 21st, I'll be singing at the Metropolitan Community Church of Washington, D.C. (http://www.mccdc.com/) at 3:00p.m.
~~~~The following is the full recording of that concert, as highlighted above (and it's embeddible!):

Addendum, 9-23-08:

Introduction by Reverend Jeff Miner, Senior Pastor: Ray Boltz has written and sung some of Christian Music’s greatest hits; Thank You, Watch The Lamb, I Pledge Allegiance To The Lamb. He’s sold more than 4 million albums and songs. His songs have repeatedly reached the top of the Christian music charts, including 12 number 1 hits. He’s won 3 Dove awards, Christian Music’s highest honor. He’s been an icon in the Christian Music Movement, although if you’ve read the blade article, you know that I was not aware of that until recently [audience laughs]. But then 4 weeks ago in Sunday evening church I--someone asked us to pray for Payton Manning, and I said “Is he injured?” [more laughter]. So, all things are relative.

What an honor it is for this church, and for our congregation to have Ray here to sing tonight. The timing is a special honor. Many of us who sit in this room have gone through a process of coming out. Where we have reached that time and place in life where we just had to say completely, and authentically who we are, and that is not easy. And there is a price to pay. Not just financially, but in many realms of life. So it takes a lot of courage.

I think all of you know that on Friday of this week, there was an article in the Washington Blade, where Ray shared that information, his coming out story, with the Washington Blade, and therefore with the world. And he’s been getting a lot of…interesting mail. But the world will never again be the same, and for those who have gone through the process, although it comes with a cost, I don’t think any of us would ever say we’d ever go back. [audience: “Amen!” / applause] There is a freedom that comes with that, that nothing can match.

But, as most of us who’ve come out experienced, when you come out, you don’t just want to be known as “that gay person.” You’re still the same full and wonderful person as always. And I’ve talked to Ray enough to know that, that’s not his primary identity, just like it’s not ours. And so he is here tonight, not to sing to us as a gay man, but as a brother in Christ, who happens to be a gay man. And we are honored that his first concert after sharing that information with the world, would be here with us.

There’ll be many detractors as Ray moves ahead, and so tonight, our goal, is to surround you with love, to celebrate your courage [rousing applause], to say thank you…didn’t somebody write a song about that…[laughter]. Seriously, we want to say thank you tonight, so, sisters and brothers, let’s give a rousing welcome, and our loving best to Mr. Ray Boltz. [applause, standing ovation, concert begins] End addendum.

Ray Boltz in Concert from Jesus MCC on Vimeo.
So, grab a beer, pop some corn, put your feet up and relax...oh, and don't forget the kleenex (seriously, that should be first on the list).
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Ok, just to let you know, I'm only getting this through my left speaker, just in case anyone else is having the same problem.

Oh no! Does my salvation still count if it happened during a Ray Boltz concert?!!

First of all, this is from One News Now (AFA), and apparently they do videos now.

I've hyperlinked a few interesting and relevant side notes and sites regarding the article and video (linked below, you can pretty much run with it from there (if you haven't already))

It doesn't "sound" mean, but I thought some of the insinuations were merciless.

I can’t embed this, so you’ll have to watch it from the link, and/or here’s the full transcript:

Interviewer, Jim Brown: We’re here at the values voters summit in Washington and I have beside me Greg Quinlan, who is with the New Jersey Family Policy Council.

Greg has an incredible testimony. He lived over a decade in the homosexual lifestyle, and after accepting Jesus Christ as his savior, he left that lifestyle, and now he is helping people that are struggling with the sin of homosexuality.

Greg, I wanted to talk to you today about a very sad story that we’ve just heard of - Ray Boltz, a very popular, widely known Christian music singer, he has announced to the Washington Blade that he is a homosexual. He say’s ‘God made him that way,’ and I want to get your reaction. This is stunning news for the Christian community.

Greg Quinlan: Yeah, it is stunning news. I’m absolutely shocked. I’ve got some of his CD’s and cassettes tapes--tells ya how long it’s been around.

When he says that he’s born that way, we now know for a fact that that’s false. In fact, just last year, in March, the director of the Human Genome Project, Dr. Francis Collins, said this; he says, homosexuality is not hard wired, there is no gay gene. We’ve mapped the human genome, we now know there is no genetic cause for homosexuality [Emp: Or you could just read (or even just skim through) this EGW article FROM LAST MAY]. In fact, study after study shows that nobody’s born gay, and if there’s any changes in brain abnormality, that usually comes after the behavior has started, not before -- it’s usually predicated on nurture, it's never nature.

Jim Brown: Now Ray Boltz, he divorced in 2005, but he was married for 33 years, has 4 kids…tell us how devastating this is to his family, you know what happens in a situation like this.

Greg Quinlan: Well you start to wonder what predicated the divorce, if it wasn't this, or if he’s decided to go this route because of the divorce, I don’t know. Divorce is a horrible, horrible, horrible thing. But yeah, it’s going to have a tremendous impact on his children, and I would hope that he thought this out. I don’t know, and haven’t heard, and of course I shouldn’t have heard, whether he’s sought any help--about any same sex attraction or any feelings that he had. But there is help for him, there’s hope for him. And I would just hope that if he hears this, that he would start to seek that hope.

I mean, he can even contact me through you folks, and we can set something up. I mean, there’s no reason for him to be--in--to be stuck where he is, to be where he’s at.

Jim Brown: Very interesting reaction from the Gospel Music Association, the group that gives out the Dove awards. They say that they’re not going to comment on the lifestyle choices of people in their community.

Mike Airhart from TWO caught that last one

Sidestepping any discussion of science, the Gospel Music Association mischaracterized Ray Boltz’s honesty, saying, “We do not comment on the lifestyle choices of people in our community.” (Emphasis is TWO’s.)

Greg Quinlan: Well does “comment” mean that you’re not going to retract any of his music, that you’re not going to ask for some of the awards back - I don’t know what that means, does that mean he no longer has membership?

You can’t---this is sin, you know, it’s a disorder, it should be called it that, but this is sin. Homosexuality is something that you can overcome like any sin you can do that. Sometimes it’s a struggle, sometimes it’s hard, I’m not going to tell you it was easy, it certainly wasn’t for me. But to sit there - when you make that kind of statement, it’s almost like you’re enabling a behavior, that is frankly, totally inconsistent, incongruent with the message of the gospel. But since no one’s born a homosexual, if you live as a homosexual, you are living against God’s purpose. It’s outside of His purpose, because His purpose was for a man and His purpose for a woman was to be together. Not two men, not two women.

Jim Brown: Greg, finally, the response from the Christian community, Christian radio stations, what should it be?

Greg Quinlan: Well, we should, you know, don’t hate Ray Boltz, you love him - except for the grace of God, you know, where would we be? He needs our prayers, in that sense, he needs our support. But I think Christian radio, and other venues, maybe we shouldn’t be playing his music. Powerful stuff, I mean, it was just powerful stuff. Passionate, just well done, but-it-just unfortunate that this has happened, but Ray Boltz needs our prayers, because this is something he can overcome.

Jim Brown: Some important words from Greg Quinlan, with the New Jersey Family Policy Council. Greg, thanks so much for your time.

Greg Quinlan: Thank you. Thank you very much.

Gospel singer Ray Boltz shares coming out journey in this Blade exclusive

(From Matt Algren. Not necessarily from his website, but from a post of his on Soulforce. (but don't tell him I said so.):

http://www.washingtonblade.com/2008/9-12/arts/feature/13258.cfm:

Ostensibly it was an innocuous thing to do, but for Boltz it was a big step. It eventually led to him opening up to Miner, one of the first times anybody outside Boltz’s circle of family and friends knew his long-kept secret: Ray Boltz is gay.

Wow! I really don't know what else to say.

(I apologize to those of you who are nontheists, but this song meant/means a lot to me - even if just for memory, melody and sentiments of the song's lyric's sake.)

"Thank You" By Ray Boltz

(This guy's a Christian superstar, he's the tipping point).


And as I said earlier on Soulforce, Thank you Ray Boltz. There are so many kids out there who are safer tonight because of you.

Thank you.
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More info here, from his website: One church in particular has helped me in many ways. The Metropolitan Community Church (http://www.mccchurch.org/) was started forty years ago by Rev. Troy Perry in the Los Angeles area and has an outreach to the LGTB (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) community. I am happy to announce that I have accepted an invitation to perform at two of their churches. On September 14th, I will be singing at the Jesus Metropolitan Community Church (http://jesusmcc.org/) in Indianapolis at 6:00p.m. On September 21st, I'll be singing at the Metropolitan Community Church of Washington, D.C. (http://mccdc.com/) at 3:00p.m.