James Melville White ( born James 1939 ) is an American clergyman and author of books on religious subjects. White was a shadow member of the Evangelical Protestant movement in the 1960s , 70s, and 80s , writing speeches and books for preachers on American television such as Jerry Falwell , Pat Robertson, and Billy Graham . After many years working in the ranks of right-wing conservatives, White made a cuming out , announcing his homosexuality in 1994 . [2]
| Mel White | |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | |
| Place of Birth | |
| A country | |
| Secular education | |
Content
Biography
In 1962, White graduated from an educational institution called Warner Pacific College, in which the educational process is based on Christian values. In the same year, a girl named Lyla became his wife. In their marriage, two children were born, one of whom is a comedian, actor and screenwriter Mike White . After the marriage, Mel White admitted to his wife that he always felt attracted to the representatives of his gender. For a long time he tried to get rid of homosexuality through psychotherapy , prayer, electroconvulsive therapy and exorcism . None of these methods yielded results, which led White to an attempted suicide, after which the couple made a mutual decision to divorce.
In 1984, White began dating a young man named Gary Nixon. Until now, they have been partners in the leadership of the human rights interfaith LGBT organization called Soulforce and live in Lynchburg, Virginia.
In 1994, White wrote an autobiography entitled Stranger at the Gate: To Be Gay And Christian In America , in which he described in detail his past career as a right-wing conservative and an internal struggle for accepting yourself as homosexual. White's ex-wife agreed to write a preface to the book, which became an illustration of their benevolent relationship with each other.
In 1997, White received the National Civil Liberties Award from the American Civil Liberties Union, abbreviated ACLU, for her efforts to embody the principles of non-violent resistance of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King in the fight for justice for sexual minorities. After receiving a master's degree in communications from Portland University, White spent his graduate work in cinematography at the University of Southern California, the University of California at Los Angeles, and at Harvard University. White received his doctorate in religious studies from the Fuller Theological Seminary, where he subsequently taught for more than a decade. During this time, he also worked as an evangelical pastor. After committing a cuming out , White moved into the ranks of the Metropolitan Community Church , serving in gay affirmative positions .
White was a producer, screenwriter, and director of 53 documentaries and television shows on the subject of spirituality.
Writing
White is the author of sixteen of his own books, nine of which have become bestsellers. White also wrote works for his former fellow evangelicals such as Billy Graham (book Approaching Hoofbeats), Pat Robertson (book America's Date with Destiny) and Jerry Falwell (book Strength for the Journey and If I Should Die Before I Wake "). In all these works, White never opposed homosexuality. He began to gradually reveal his orientation at the same time that right-wing radical conservatives began to voice anti-homosexual sentiments. Since 1993, White devoted himself entirely to working with lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender people, representing them in the media, in politics and among his fellow religious leaders.
Books
- White, Mel. Stranger at the gate . Penguin Group (USA), 1995. ISBN 0-452-27381-1 .
- White, Mel. Religion Gone Bad . Penguin Group (USA), 2006. ISBN 1-58542-531-1 .