Ray boltz gay
ABOVE: Ray Boltz. (Photo courtesy Ray Boltz Music)
The Venice MCC certainly has a history worth celebrating. On Feb. 19, 1995, Rev. Sherry Kennedy founded the church after Venice and Port Charlotte residents faced increased difficulty in traveling to the Manatee County MCC every week. Rev. Kennedy helped organize the first meeting, at which 78 members were present—a denominational record.
Twenty years later, the congregation will mark a milestone with a weekend long celebration that includes a performance by out Christian performer Ray Boltz. on Saturday, Feb. 28.
Boltz was raised Methodist and always had a love for music. In 1984, he kicked off his full-time music career with his album Watch the Lamb. He married his wife Carol in 1975; the two were married for 33 years and had four children together.
Today he lives in Fort Lauderdale with his talent agent and companion of eight years, Franco Sperduti. Boltz came out to his fans and the public in 2008.
In an interview with Watermark, Boltz shares his journey of becoming as a musician, coming out as a gay Christian painter and discovering his factual self.
WATERMARK: How did you become involved with Christian music p As news begins to circulate the Web, it becomes transparent this is a sad day for Christian music and fans of Ray Boltz. In an article on Friday, September 12 (2008) in the homosexual magazine, Washington Blade,Boltz announced he was gay (and had been for most of his life). There are echoes of this announcement from his website (www.rayboltz.com) where he writes “Still, I believed that if people knew who I really was, I would never be accepted.” It is a sad morning indeed. As Christians, we struggle with sin all our lives. The “sin gene” is “hard-wired” into our DNA but yet we are called to deny ourself, seize up our cross, and follow (Matthew 16:24). Several years ago, Carmen wrote a song which came to mind as soon as I began to peruse about Ray Boltz’s decision that he was gay: “America’s dead and dying hand is on the threshold of the Church, while the spirit of Sodom and Gomorrah vex us all. When it gets to the signal when people would rather come out of the closet than clean it, it’s the autograph the Judgement of God is gonna fall. “ (Lyrics from “America Again”) My heart breaks for Ray Boltz, his wife and children The headline in Christianity the other date was that Ray Boltz is gay!! Ray Boltz was a contemporary Christian music singer-songwriter who retired from the Music industry in 2004. In a statement on Ray's website he says "I believed that if people knew who I really was, I would never be accepted." Ray was married to his wife Carol for over 30 years when he 'came out' to her in December 2004. In the last limited years Ray start a church that supported his lifestyle and in the last week he decided to arrive out of retirement and out of the closet. Ray announced he was giving some concerts at two Metropolitan Community Churches; the proceeds would travel to benefit the new direction of his musical career (not sure what that means); and that he was homosexual. "This is what it really comes down to," he says. "If this is the way God made me, then this is the way I'm going to live. It's not like God made me this way and he'll deliver me to hell if I am who he created me to be … I really feel closer to God because I no longer loathe myself." So, Christian brothers and sisters, how should we react to this? This week, Ray Boltz, went public about being gay. Boltz, a CCM recording musician, is best known for his hit single, “Thank you”. Boltz, never went public until now stating on his website, if people “knew who I really was, I would never be accepted.” How should the church and the CCM community respond to Boltz? Should this revelation generate any difference for the church in being able to savor his body of Christian music? Was it really necessary for that pastor’s blog publish to end with “How melancholy for him and his family”? @Lars – It IS sad if he’s got a family and children, he’s divorced his wife. I don’t care whether you’re male lover or not, divorce is something God doesn’t approve of, it’s equivalent of leaving a widow and orphans is it not? Forget being gay, does God really want Christians to divorce? No, no, no and no! God has told us men to treat our wives like he treats the church. God likens his people to a bride. He told a prophet to marry a prostitute to signify this fact! Therefore, if you acquire married you have a duty to your wife. Using
How should we respond to Ray Boltz?
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