More than 40 years after leaving the Evangelical, fundamentalist world for sake of my own mental health, I still feel that nostalgia sometimes.

Hearing a lovely hymn like It Is Well With My Soul often inspires me to hum along.

As I mouth the words, “When peace like a river,” I can feel a nostalgic sense of peace and safety.

Last August at my dad’s memorial service hosted by an Evangelical congregation, I experienced again how wonderful those potluck dinners are.

The food is indeed amazing.

The culture of the Evangelical church is part of who I am and always will be. I was formed and shaped by some of its more positive values.

Sadly, being a gay man, the price of belonging to that world was impossible to meet.

So I shall remain forever nostalgic.