Title: Let My People In - A Lesbian Minister Tells of Her Struggles to Live Openly and Maintain Her Ministry Author: Rose Mary Denman Published by: Morrow, 1990 ISBN: 0-688-08470-2 [hardcover, 258 pages]
As a minister of the United Methodist Church, Rose Mary Denman entered the pulpit every Sunday to tell people that searching for, knowing, and living out the truth brought wholeness. Yet, at the same time, her own life was becoming increasingly more fragmented by the religion she loved. Rose Mary Denman had completed graduate school. She worked hard for her parish. She was a good mother. Only her sexual practices were deemed "incompatible with Church teaching." Rose Mary Denman was a lesbian.Let My People In is the behind-the-scenes account of the woman who appeared in the pages of The New York Times, Time, Newsweek, and The Boston Globe. People have heard about her from Main to Hawaii to Arizona - and around the world. She has found support in hundreds of letters - from both straights and gays since her startling outcry for justice: On August 4, 1987, Rose Mary Denman underwent a trial. The Methodist Church was trying to revoke her ministerial orders. The reason: her sexuality. And Denman was not going to let them get away with it.
For the first time we hear the story of a single woman caught in the middle of one of the most heatedly debated church issues of this decade. It is the story of a self-discovery. And it is a personal account of a fight for self-esteem and dignity. Nothing in Rose Mary Denman's past could have prepared her for this ordeal - no one would have know how to guide her. She was from a strict Catholic background.
She had served in the U.S. Air Force. She had been married and divorced. Then Rose Mary Denman stood up for all peoples' right to individuality.
Let My People In reveals the startling truth behind the closed doors of one of today's most powerful churches. It tells the true story of an outrageous act of defiance. And it shows us a confrontation with oppression whose boldness will make everyone cheer. Living the truth caused Rose Mary Denman to provoke anger from her church, experience personal pain in her relationships, and become isolated from her peers. Its final rewards were a renewed sense of pride, a broadened understanding of the Holy, and a more fulfilling partnership in her private life. Let My People In is the inspiring story of one woman's valiant call to break the shackles of repression that affected not only Rose Mary Denman but countless others in the ministry, and, for everyone, represents an unqualified act of empowerment.
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