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Georgia Megachurch Pastor Jim Swilley Comes Out -- Willingly!
It feels like a megachurch pastor getting caught in a sticky situation with some gay prostitute happens every other day, but in the case of Georgia pastor Jim Swilley, the story is a little different: he came out willingly, and in front of his entire congregation.
Swilley, 52, is a twice-married father of four who has been with his wife Debye for 21 years. Apparently Swilley, who heads up Georgia's Church in the Now congregation, was always upfront with his wife about his homosexual tendencies and his battle to keep them at bay. But when the marriage ended and they divorced, Debye encouraged him to accept his homosexuality and make it a part of his life. Swilley says he's known he was gay since childhood.
Swilley formed Church in the Now 25 years ago and since coming out has seen a drop in attendance and attacks from anti-gay Christian websites, but he says after the string of gay suicides, he felt like he needed to say something. "I know all the hateful stuff that's being written about me online, whatever," Swilley told Atlanta's WSB-TV. "To think about saving a teenager, yeah, I'll risk my reputation for that." He also said most of his congregation has been supportive of his coming out. See WSB-TV's report after the jump.
It feels like a megachurch pastor getting caught in a sticky situation with some gay prostitute happens every other day, but in the case of Georgia pastor Jim Swilley, the story is a little different: he came out willingly, and in front of his entire congregation.
Swilley, 52, is a twice-married father of four who has been with his wife Debye for 21 years. Apparently Swilley, who heads up Georgia's Church in the Now congregation, was always upfront with his wife about his homosexual tendencies and his battle to keep them at bay. But when the marriage ended and they divorced, Debye encouraged him to accept his homosexuality and make it a part of his life. Swilley says he's known he was gay since childhood.
Swilley formed Church in the Now 25 years ago and since coming out has seen a drop in attendance and attacks from anti-gay Christian websites, but he says after the string of gay suicides, he felt like he needed to say something. "I know all the hateful stuff that's being written about me online, whatever," Swilley told Atlanta's WSB-TV. "To think about saving a teenager, yeah, I'll risk my reputation for that." He also said most of his congregation has been supportive of his coming out. See WSB-TV's report after the jump.
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