May Book & Podcast Discussion Club (Undivided by Vicky Beeching)
May 17, 2020
05:15 pm - 06:15 pm
Our Book & Podcast Club is open to anyone. In May we will be discussing Vicky Beeching’s Undivided. It’s currently available on Kindle for £3.99 and there are also a variety of podcasts where Vicky talks about the themes of Undivided, if you would rather listen to something than read the book. See links below.
Julia and Sam will be discussing the themes from Undivided during our Inclusive Gathering Birmingham Online Community Worship Gathering at 4pm on 17th May. Those who’d like to chat more about the book are invited to join us via Zoom at 5:15: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89827168206?pwd=RTR0SnRXVEwydWZhRG1KZzE0MGdTUT09
Read or Listen …
Undivided E-book on Kindle (£3.99): https://www.amazon.co.uk/Undivided-Coming-Becoming-Whole-Living-ebook/dp/B06W2JL9Y9/
(30 minute interview) https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2018/22-june/regulars/podcast/podcast-vicky-beeching-on-her-new-book-undivided-coming-out-becoming-whole-and-living-free-from-shame
http://queerology.libsyn.com/vicky-beeching-is-undivided-encore
About Undivided …
Vicky Beeching, called “arguably the most influential Christian of her generation” in The Guardian, began writing songs for the church in her teens. By the time she reached her early thirties, Vicky was a household name in churches on both sides of the pond.
Recording multiple albums and singing in America’s largest megachurches, her music was used weekly around the globe and translated into numerous languages.
But this poster girl for evangelical Christianity lived with a debilitating inner battle: she was gay. The tens of thousands of traditional Christians she sang in front of were unanimous in their view – they staunchly opposed same-sex relationships and saw homosexuality as a grievous sin. Vicky knew if she ever spoke up about her identity it would cost her everything.
Faced with a major health crisis, at the age of thirty-five she decided to tell the world that she was gay. As a result, all hell broke loose. She lost her music career and livelihood, faced threats and vitriol from traditionalists, developed further health issues from the immense stress, and had to rebuild her life almost from scratch.
But despite losing so much she gained far more: she was finally able to live from a place of wholeness, vulnerability, and authenticity. She finally found peace. What’s more, Vicky became a champion for others, fighting for LGBT equality in the church and in the corporate sector. Her courageous work is creating change in the US and the UK, as she urges people to celebrate diversity, live authentically, and become “undivided”.
