Voice for Equality: Rev. Albert Pennybacker

The Reverend Albert Pennybacker is an ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and serves as Religious Advisor to the Kentucky Fairness Alliance (kentuckyfairness.org). He served for over thirty-five years as a pastor in local congregations including Taftville Congregational Church in Norwich, Connecticut and Central Christian Church in Shaker Heights, Ohio. His concluding pastoral service for over 16 years was as Senior Minister of the University Christian Church, Fort Worth, Texas. In the summer of 2000 he returned to Texas as the summer pastor for the Creekwood Christian Church of Flower Mound in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. Currently he is active as a consultant to religious and community bodies in ecumenical and interfaith relations as well as on public policy issues. Learn more here.

On February 2, 2010, an Op-Ed piece by Rev. Pennybacker appeared in the Louisville, KY Courier-Journal challenging the positions held by the Catholic Archbishop of Louisville and other religious leaders that the freedom to marry is in opposition to "a received truth from God." Rev. Pennybacker wrote:

The sad truth is that religious bodies have done more than any other single force to stigmatize and demean people over their sexual orientation. The current opposition to same-sex marriage is one more example. It is simply duplicitous for those holding that view to claim “we embrace the dignity of those with same-sex orientation.” It is not unlike the frequent disclaimer “we hate the sin but love the sinner.” How ingenuous! Remember, those religious leaders who hold to such opposition are the ones who also oppose legal abortion, divorce, embryonic stem cell research, the use of contraceptives and any living together outside of marriage. It is a flawed religious mind-set toward all human sexuality, with little sense of the need for apology or change. [Link]

Freedom to Marry salutes Rev. Albert Pennybacker as a Voice for Equality! Learn about other Voices for Equality here.

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