LGBT Book, Film & Video Blog

Gay pastor bridges rap & church communities

It's hard to believe that a white gay pastor from rural Tennessee would be a pivotal bridge between Bronx rap culture and conservative black churches, but that's just one of the interweaving stories in author Eric Gutierrez' Disciples of the Street: The Promise of a Hip Hop Church.

How did the gay Latino journalist, former editor of the artsy High Performance, and founding board member of Out magazine, end up following a national tour of hip hop rappers with a religious streak?

It began with news that an alumnus from his alma mater, Harvard Divinity School, Father Timothy Holder, was being given an award for his community service. That led to Gutierrez penning an article for Out in 2006, which got the attention of his eventual publishers, Seabury Books. I've always had a religious background," said Gutierrez, who had previously written about gay Christians. "But I don't consider myself religious now."

Yet give him a few minutes to talk about his book, or on radio shows where he's chatted with the likes of Stevie Wonder and Tavis Smiley, and he can testify about the spiritual energy of his subjects.

"Religion and Christianity are not the enemy of peace, love and justice," said Gutierrez. "Religion has been a partner in every peace and labor movement, and, increasingly, the LGBT movement."

Disciples covers a broad range of real people, from Pastor Timothy, later dubbed "Poppa T," to fancy-hatted church ladies and seminal rap singer Curtis Blow, whose song "These Are the Breaks" marked the beginning of the early rap genre.

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posted by Tom Jackson @ Saturday, September 06, 2008