Andrew Marin discusses his book, "Love is an Orientation"

Andrew Marin's life changed radically in 2000 when, during three consecutive months, his three best friends all came out to him. A self-described homophobic, straight, Bible-believing, conservative Christian alpha-male, Marin's world was rocked by the revelations of his friends. Determined to find some answers to his crisis, he made the dramatic choice to become what he calls "the gayest straight dude in America," and followed God's call to move to a predominantly gay neighborhood in Chicago and immerse himself in the gay and lesbian community. In this video he discusses this life-changing experience and his forthcoming book, Love Is an Orientation, in which he shares the lessons learned, experiences had and lives touched in the eight years since.

Curious? Not sure what to make of him? You need to hear Andy's story.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Homosexuality
• Andrew Marin
• Andy
• Marin Foundation
• Love is an Orientation
• Christian
• Gay
• Church

[thethirdq]

I can tell talent when I see it. Great work!!!

[BeauZough]

Elevating the conversation? That shouldn't be too hard at this point, comparatively speaking. Even if people way below the Fred Phelps level on the hiearchy of hate would start being more civil, that alone would elevate the discourse out of the gutter. Other people's behavior towards me in the past has been appalling, discriminatory, and even violent. But as an Alabama-bred gay Episcopalian, I have never had trouble reconciling my faith with my day-to-day life and Christian sense of mission.

[hcjoel]

@doobiesmoke15 Did he 'proselytize' you? Have you met Andrew? Stop trying to be like Christians telling other people what to think. If you don't want to listen to him, go nuts. But don't be so arrogant as to tell other people to do what you choose. Andrew is a great dude who has a huge heart for all people.

[doobiesmoke15]

Beware of wolves in sheep's clothing. This guys main objective is to proselytize gay people.

[easyfortruth]

The book is heartfelt and Andrew's a sweetie. Brian McLaren's preface, however, is slap in the face with the typical "it was a choice" mentality which is a really shocking claim if you're a gay reading it. Doesn't Andrew look like Sean Astin? Oh, and by the way I've never had a problem with calling myself a homosexual, as I think it's very straightforward and comes from core truth. Anyway, God I think it's time to give someone the "unclean blanket of animals" vision again. Fan of Andrew's heart.

[AudreyBoston]

It's a good start. Evangelicals are really behind the times. Lesbians and gays have written for years from a lesbian friendly Christian perspective. Keep up the good work, and be sure to have 50% of your material be about lesbians! Our movement has always been about the full equality of women and men, both in Christian ministry, and in how we run our organizations. We don't hold women to be the subservient to husbands that's for sure.

[zaaaaazzzzz]

Take a loving devoted couple, who seek to enhance each others lives with the gifts that the grace of God has bestowed upon them.

A responsible relationship which expresses something of the raw, uninhibited, joyous and suffering love of God to the wider community.

What right has anyone to intrude upon what goes on behind the bedroom door.

In sorrow, I suspect that those who do pry and speculate are exposing varying degrees of their own personal sexual dysfunction and repression

[ChasingJase]

It's great to see people like you, Andrew, who are willing to bridge the gap between Christians and the GLBTQ community. So often gay people feel neglected by other groups especially conservative Christians. Thank you so much for sharing this video and your book.

[radicallyaltered]

lol 777 views! : )

this is amazing! thank you Andrew!

[PatrickMChapman]

Thanks for your reply Andrew. Obviously I hope your book is successful and is heard by the Evangelical community. Unfortunately the barriers are extremely high and the wounds are extremely fresh (evidenced by the Prop 8 ruling today in California). I hope you can convince Evangelical leaders to openly and very publicly repent of their sins against the lgbt community. If you would like to communicate with me further on this subject I'm more than happy to dialog with you. Best wishes.