Different religious worlds. I wish I’d been raised in a mainline Protestant tradition like that. As it happens my dad was an Evangelical minister — first a youth minister, then an assistant pastor, and shortly after the vomiting story, the pastor of his own church.

Our religious tradition was very much about social conservatism and conservative activism. It wasn’t yet political in the sense of endorsing politicians, that all went unspoken in the 70s, an undercurrent that people understood, but that pastors didn’t preach from the pulpit.

But oh, did they ever preach about homosexuality! Anita Bryant and Jerry Falwell started all that, made it a cause.

I had dinner last night with an ex-Evangelical minister, and we spent our time reminiscing about how all that got started and about all the harm it’s done to people over the years.

I’m working on a story now examining some of the implications.

I’m finding myself inspired right now, and I’m glad you are too!

Jim