I, Andrew Marin, am a straight, white, conservative, evangelical, 25 year-old male who cares absolutely nothing about any perceived dogma attached to doing what I feel I have been put on this earth to do. In originally creating The Marin Foundation, we set our mission as an organization that is to be the bridge between two diametrically opposed entities, the GLBT and religious communities; a strategy today that others have commended us for. Yet I have difficulty in seeing The Marin Foundation’s concept as something that should be viewed as a groundbreaking theory. When I look back to how The Marin Foundation has grown and look at our plans for the future, it is evident that there has not been one organization before us that has ever fulfilled this mission. Why not? Is it because the GLBT and religious communities should not interact with each other? Is it because the GLBT and religious communities are scared of each other? No on both accounts. The answer lies within the gaping disconnect between the religious/evangelical community and the GLBT community in that they both are guilty of creating crippling stereotypes towards one another. It is my challenge to both the evangelical and GLBT communities to put these duel stereotypes aside and be fully committed to reach out and attempt to bridge the gap for our Lord.

This past month has been a month of prayer and forward movement for The Marin Foundation, the GLBT and the evangelical communities; all of which have sent shockwaves to the very spiritual core of everyone involved. In early May, I had been invited to be a featured speaker at the Empire State Pride Agenda Conference in New York. For two days, I had the opportunity to speak on the subject of Thematic Biblical Overviews and Applications to One’s Faith Community to about 400 people in the GLBT community. As one of my colleagues put it, “Andrew, you have to realize that I don’t know if any straight male who is a conservative evangelical Christian has ever had the opportunity to speak to 400 people in the gay community and not be picketed and utterly rejected. Not only did that not happen to you in New York, but you received a standing ovation?!”

I was the final speaker to present on the last day of the conference, and after the completion of my workshop, two individuals walked up to me, and as clear as the blue sky I will forever remember the following conversation. They came to me and said, “We just wanted to let you know that we are both gay, and best friends.” As tears began to well up in their eyes, they continued on by saying, “We did not come to your workshop because we cared about what you had to say about religion and God because we are atheists. We just came because you had the last workshop and we were still here. We came into your workshop as atheists, and we are now leaving as Christians! Your teaching, for the first time in our lives, has shown us a true God of love and redemption. Thank you so much for saving our lives.” Then as tears began to come to my eyes, I marveled at how this conversation, the workshops, and the teachings that were expressed were not of my own doing; but from the Lord and the Holy Spirit who were able to fully work in those individual’s receptive hearts!

The GLBT community is ready for the Lord, and willing to fervently move forward theologically and biblically, growing and learning about what they have never been offered before. Since the conference ended, I have been relaying this story to everyone I know…straight people, gay people, churches, organizations, and anyone who will listen as proof of what the Lord has been able to accomplish through The Marin Foundation.

Through your prayers the wind has begun to shift. The Marin Foundation has been diligently praying and waiting for God to move within the strong conservative Christian churches, encouraging them to rise up in conjunction with the foundation; to step out from their comfort zones and realize the pending spiritual revolution that is about to happen in the GLBT community for our God. Ever since the inception of The Marin Foundation, it has been easier for the GLBT community to positively respond to our mission because we are bringing an intellectual and theological base of the Lord in an open and un-forced manner. On the other hand, it has always seemingly been more difficult for evangelical individuals and churches, to reach out and show God’s love to the GLBT community without passing any preconceived judgments or stereotypes. The Lord answers prayer however, and has recently brought along strong, influential evangelical churches to help bridge the gap. First Evangelical Free Church, Moody Memorial Church and Calvary Memorial Church have all met with The Marin Foundation to begin this building process.

Salvation shows no sexual preference. In the book of Matthew, the disciples asked Jesus who can be saved, and Jesus replied, “With man it is impossible, but with God all things are possible (19:25-26). Man cannot save gay atheists, only God can. It is time for everyone to rise up and work together to serve the God that does in fact do all things.

Thank you and God Bless,

Andrew Marin