John Gustav-Wrathall
FRIDAY | DECEMBER 6, 2019 | 7:30-9:30 pm
God is a god of miracles. Jesus is one of those miracles and so is John. Come feel the love and power of Jesus through the complex life and simple faith of this remarkable man.
GATHERING AT:
Home of Ed and Kristen Iversen
3582 Oak Rim Way Salt Lake City, UT 84109
Please don’t arrive more than 20 minutes early. Thank you.
It may be advisable to bring a light folding chair. Thank you.
If there is no parking to be found near the home you can also park in the “park & ride” lot on the NW corner of 3900 South and Wasatch Blvd. Oak Rim Way is just east of the intersection on the north side.
You’re invited to bring some finger food to share.
THE CONVERSATION:
In 2005, John’s yearning for deeper understanding opened him to promptings of the Spirit to return to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. John has been active, though excommunicated, in his South Minneapolis ward since October of that year, and in the intervening years has sought to discern and live his life in harmony with the promptings of the Spirit. John acknowledges complexity in his life choices and journey, and frequently faces skepticism and misunderstanding in both the LDS and LGBTQ communities. Nevertheless, he has a testimony of God, of Jesus Christ, of the Gospel, of the Restored Church and of its leaders, and he trusts that in the end all will be made whole and all questions will be answered.
John will speak on the theme of why faith today, in an age of rising skepticism about religion and religious institutions, is more relevant than ever, and how his relationship with Jesus Christ has enabled him to find wholeness, peace, and joy in the midst of complexity and conflict. His husband Göran will be present and may share some of his thoughts as well, either formally or informally.
There will also be an opportunity to share your thoughts about Jesus as we break into small groups and then again in the larger group. This is always completely voluntary and no one pressured to participate.
ABOUT JOHN AND GÖRAN GUSTAV-WRATHALL
John Gustav-Wrathall has been an LGBTQ community leader, scholar, writer and activist for decades since coming out in 1988. He is a former executive director, president, vice president and member of the board of Affirmation: LGBTQ Mormons, Families & Friends. He taught American Religious History at United Theological Seminary from 2008 – 2015, and is the author of Take the Young Stranger By the Hand: Same-Sex Relations and the YMCA (University of Chicago Press). He is excommunicated though active in his ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in south Minneapolis, where he works as a paralegal and lives with Göran, his husband of 28 years, and their two cats.
Göran Gustav-Wrathall is a fashionista and cat lover. He is a former drag performer and “Miss Gay Nineties.” He loves music, dance, and the arts. He and his husband John were the foster dads of a gay son. He grew up in a family of “seekers,” and explored just about every religion but Mormonism. He’s a charter member of the Delta Lambda Phi (gay) fraternity. Göran has worked as a law firm administrative assistant for over two decades. He enjoys traveling around the world with his husband John.
TRANSCRIPT OF JOHN’S REMARKS:
