Lutheran Pastor Patrick Preacher (ELCA) Closes Queer Led Message: Thanks Be to Dolly and Thanks Be to God
A worship service at a Lutheran church in South Carolina has drawn a renowned attention on the media after a speaker reigns praises on country music legend, Late Dolly Parton as an important figure for the LGBTQ+ community.
The now trending services is described as a Queer-led Worship gathering at Trinity Lutheran Church in Greenville, South Carolina. Patrick Preacher is an association of the church’s queer and justice ministry and has participated in the congregation’s queer-led worship services.
While leading the service, he reportedly highlighted Parton’s support for LGBTQ+ people and her open expressions of Christian faith. The presentation therefore portrayed the singer as an influential figure for queer Christians communities and further connected her message of acceptance with the worship gathering.
The segment reportedly concluded with the words, Thanks be to Dolly, and thanks be to God, a line that has attracted considerable attention online.
Parton has numerously spoken about her Christian faith and her open support for LGBTQ+ people. In one of her 2016 interviews with Larry King, Dolly said, “We are all God’s children.” The Associated Press has also reported extensively on the connection sitting between Parton’s faith, music and relationship with the LGBTQ+ community.
The statement has sparked discussion online about the role of contemporary cultural figures in Christian worship, and how different Lutheran congregations reportedly approach LGBTQ+ inclusion.
