Mega church leader, Jim Swilley, says he’s always been gay
”[Debbie] caught me with another man, that is not true…. For those of you who heard that I left Debbie for another man, that is not true…. [That I] left Debbie for a next-door neighbor, I would like to tell you that our next door neighbor is a gay man who is 71-years-old. He has lived with his partner for so many years. They have been some of our closest friends…. Flattered as I think Arvin might be to hear that, that is not the case…. [If] I’m part of the Eddie Long scandal, no I am not….”
”There are two things in my life that are an absolute. I did not ask for either one of them. Both of them were imposed upon me. I had no control over either them. One was the call of God in my life…. The other thing, and wouldn’t have know what to call it at the time, was my sexual orientation. I know that a lot of straight people think that orientation is a choice, but I want to tell you that it certainly is not….”
”When I heard that the fifth teenager in the last few weeks committed suicide. It really makes me want to say to people who have no idea what people go through, ‘You probably don’t need to say anything about it.’ Because, I’ve got to tell you something; a 14 or 15-year-old doesn’t just say one day. ‘Hey, I think I’m going to make up this story that I’m gay so I can jump off the George Washington Bridge.”’
Bishop Jim Swilley of Church in the Now, a large, interracial, non-denominational congregation located in Conyers, Georgia. Swilley was twice married to women, and reportedly has four children. He told a local TV station that his wife, Debbie, has known he was gay before they were married. A video of his coming out speech was posted two weeks ago, and since then he has thanked people for the outpouring of support he’s received, and adds that he understands that some people feel the need to sever ties with his church. (LiveStream.com)
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