CCM Icon Leaves The Closet

Contemporary Christian Music icon Ray Boltz came out of his closet yesterday in an interview with the Washington Blade. The singer/songwriter, best known for perennial Sunday School Appreciation Day anthem Thank You For Giving To The Lord, has been out to family and friends since late 2004, but this marks the first public acknowledgment of his sexuality.

So much of Ray Boltz’s story is similar to the stories of other gay men, especially ex-ex-gays, and to a certain extent, my own. I had the same conversation with myself when I realized that this is the way God made me, and that no amount of prayer or begging or trying or wishing had made a dent in 25 years. I finally accepted that I wasn’t broken, that in fact, I would become closer to God’s intention for me by telling the truth about my homosexuality. I’m so glad Ray had the same epiphany.

From Joey DiGuglielmo’s interview:

“I really had no master plan here,” he says. “I’ve just been trying to go with the idea that you can either live your life out of love or out of fear. I could just stay here in Florida and be pretty anonymous. I could go work at Wal-Mart or something where nobody knows who I am, but to me, that’s kind of living in fear.”

Even though Boltz plans no triumphant homecoming to Christian music, there may be rough days ahead. The Contemporary Christian Music scene has traditionally held its artists to much higher standards than their pop counterparts and it’s only been those who’ve shown repentance for their perceived sins, who have been able to rebuild their careers.

Even [Metropolitan Community Churches executive director] Cindi Love anticipates tough times ahead for Boltz.

“He needs to get through this initial coming-out process and just see how that feels,” she says. “A lot of people will probably throw a bunch of stuff at his family. I pray they don’t, but I bet they will.”

[Producer Joe] Hogue, who worked with Boltz on his 1991 album “Another Child to Hold” and has helped him record a few new songs for a still-evolving possible new project, says he hopes for a day when Christians will see homosexuality as no more a perceived sin than it used to be for women to be ministers or for divorced Christians to hold leadership positions in churches.

Boltz admits to some nervousness, but says ultimately, he isn’t worried.

“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 send me to hell if I am who he created me to be … I really feel closer to God because I no longer hate myself.”

For more information on Ray Boltz’s coming out to his family, as well as what’s happened between then and now, please click through to the extremely thorough article from the Washington Blade.

Welcome out, Ray.