Defending the Faith: A Local GLBT Church's Struggle for Understanding in a Hostile World

Positive identity, understanding and acceptance are important to both people and institutions such as  religious bodies. This study traces the progress of a local church’s struggles for such reorganization from  the community from its founding in 1976 to the present. This struggle is especially pronounced because it is  a church within the membership of the United Fellowship of Metropolitan Churches (UFMCC). UFMCC  was founded in 1968 by the Rev. Tory Perry in Los Angeles, California as a means to offer a Christian  denomination primarily, but not exclusively, for gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgender individuals  (GLBTs). Based largely on primary documents and published news reports, this discussion considers this  local church, Metropolitan Community Church Austin at Freedom Oaks (MCC Austin) and its many  challenges over the years to justify its right to exist evidenced through Christian theology and social and  political action. Faced with success and unfulfilled attempts, the church is now a congregation of some 400  members with growing acceptance by Austin’s religious and secular communities.  

Keywords: Church denominations, United Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches (UFMCC),  Metropolitan Community Church. Austin, at Freedom Oaks (MCC Austin), Social action, Political action,  Community acceptance, Queer theology, Christian theology, Austin, Texas, USA, GLBT Christians, Gay and  lesbian Christians, Legislative actions.