Please join Spirit of Life Unitarian Fellowship in welcoming Anthony Venn-Brown as our speaker on 23 January. Services are held each Sunday as follows. Visitors welcome.
Service: 10:30 – 11:30 followed by coffee, tea and biscuits
Location: Kirribilli Neighbourhood Centre, upstairs gallery. 16-18 Fitzroy Street, Kirribilli, NSW
- What happens when you come to the realisation that the Christian belief system you have built your life on, caused you to live in denial, reject and even destroy your true self?
- How do you reconcile a belief system that tells you your homosexuality is an abomination and makes you unacceptaple to God and those close to you?
- What do you do when you have more questions than answers?
- How can you separate what is eternal, universal truth from what is man made truth?
- What price would you pay to be true to yourself?
Anthony Venn-Brown was an ordained minister of the Assemblies of God and high profile preacher in Australia’s Pentecostal mega-churches. But there was a problem. Behind the scenes of a successful ministry he was fighting a secret battle. For 22 years he tried to change his sexual orientation through psychatric treatment, ex-gay programs, exorcisms and 16 years of marriage. Falling in love with a man at the age of 40 was the catalyst that forced him to face the reality; he was, is and always wiill be gay.
In front of a congration of 800 people, believing his faith and his homosexuality were irreconcilabe, Anthony resigned from the ministry and walked away from the church and his faith. Whilst now out of the closet about his sexuality another closet of denial and unresolved issues about his faith and spirituality had been created. Thus began his ‘Life of Unlearning’ everything he had believed God and his homosexuality…….in order to find the truth.
Anthony’s award winning autobiography ‘A Life of Unlearning – A Journey to Find the Truth’ is in its second print and has assisted people around the world to reconcile the percieved conflict between their faith and sexuality. He is also the co-founder and president of Freedom 2 b[e] ; Australia’s leading network for LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) people from Christian backgrounds.
Anthony has become an ambassador for the LGBT community building bridges and breaking down the walls that have separated religion and gay and lesbian people. In 2007 Anthony’s name appeared on the inaugural list of the 25 Most Influential Gay & Lesbian Australians, and again in 2009 in acknowledgement of his pioneering work in the area of Christianity and Sexuality.