Popular Christian TV host comes out

[gatorboy]

http://outandaboutnewspaper.com/article.php?id=2550

Local Nashvillian and host of The Remix, a popular Christian youth show, Azariah Southworth, announced today that he has come out.

“This has been a long time coming. I’m in a place where I’m at peace with my faith, friends, family and more importantly myself. I know this will end my career in Christian television, but I must now live my life openly and honestly with everyone. This is my reason for doing this,” Southworth says.

Southworth has been hosting and producing the popular Christian TV show, The Remix for a year and a half. It is in syndication and can be seen in more than 128 million homes worldwide. It averages more than 200,000 viewers weekly on one of three networks. It has featured major Christian acts such as Jars of Clay, Avalon, Superchick, Building 429 and Rachael Lampa.

Southworth has been featured in national publications such as Charisma Magazine and many other national Christian media outlets. “I know I will be cut off from many within the Christian community, and if so, then they didn’t get the point of the life of Christ. I believe by me living my life honestly and authentically now, I am able to be a better person and a better Christian. We all know there are so many other gay people in the Christian industry; they’re just all scared. I was scared, but now I’m no longer afraid,” notes Southworth.

[mikelgb]

1. "Christian industry"

exactly

(off topic but blatant)

[SpiralHawk]

10. Exactly

Sheesh.

[Octafish]

21. They walk through the valley of the shadow of greed...

Thou knowest the story, SpiralHawk.

A Walk in the Valley of Greed

Robert Scheer
Column Left
The Nation posted January 29, 2002 (web only)

What would Jesus do? It's a no-brainer; he would leave the Christian Coalition, take a consulting job with Enron and then use his divine power to make George W. Bush president.

Read that way, there's nothing sinister in the recent revelation that it was Bush's top political advisor, Karl Rove, who in 1997 hooked up former Christian Coalition leader Ralph Reed with Enron. After eight years of making Pat Robertson look good, Reed was exhausted and ready for a career change. The private sector is even more lucrative than televangelism, and Enron was just one of many fat consulting contracts that was Reed's for the asking.

For the Bush people, it was also a good deal. George W. was still a few years away from announcing for the presidency. In the meantime, it wouldn't hurt to park the former spokesman for the Christian right with the Bushies' close friends at Enron. Think of the synergy in that relationship. Two years later, when the campaign was officially announced, Reed would be added to the Bush payroll without having to sever his ties to Enron, since there were lots of other folks in the Bush camp doing the same thing. Reed knew that Bush would win because "He (God) knew that George Bush had the ability to lead in this compelling way."

But in the interim, a fellow has bills to pay and that Enron consulting job--which paid $10,000 to $20,000 a month and lasted until Enron's bankruptcy--was a nice little favor.

Of course, that's not the way White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer sees it. He 'fesses up that "Karl Rove gave Ralph Reed a good recommendation" for the Enron job but insists that was only because he was the most qualified. "Ralph Reed is excellent at what he does," Fleischer opined.

Makes perfect sense. What Reed did before entering the private sector was spread the message of the Gospel, and of course that's exactly what Enron was looking for. Particularly the commandment that says, "Thou shall not honestly report corporate profits." Or the other one, "Thou shall not regulate electricity."

CONTINUED...

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20020211/20020129

My goodness there are lot of aspens in it.

[Ellen Forradalom]

2. Good for him!

As for the phrase "Christian industry".... :scared:

[DCKit]

9. Good for a lot of repressed and frightened youths too.

A fine example has been set.

[panader0]

3. " no longer afraid" Good for him.

He knows he'll give up his job to be honest.

[Ellen Forradalom]

4. He's got a greater life ahead of him.

I'm glad he had the faith to move towards it.

[alittlelark]

5. He has started to think for himself.

More power to him!

[spoony]

6. Cool

I hope he'll find that while he may "be cut off from many within the Christian community," that just as many of us will embrace him happily. There are a lot of us, we're just not as loud as the haters.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

16. Yes, there are plenty of "welcoming congregations" around the country

which do not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation.

[Jamastiene]

7. People should be whoever they are.

Life is not worth living if you are constantly in fear of being found out for who you really are. Good for this guy for being honest and standing up and being counted. The world needs more people to give love to gay people, not so much of the hatred that there is to go around for us. I hope he helps other gay people in strongly right wing religious areas come to terms with who they are and help them cope with the abuse they have to suffer so they, too, can get to a better point in their lives as well.

[and-justice-for-all]

8. So is he now an Atheist, buddist or satanist??

which is most feared by the Xtian Kultist?

[gatorboy]

11. He's still Christian, sounds like.

And I'd say more Christian than most.

[and-justice-for-all]

12. that poor kid..

still clinging to invisible friends like a child clings to his/her favorite blanket.

[Divine Discontent]

17. dismiss faith all you like, much like the judgmental right-wing evangelicals will do to him

but what he did is extremely brave and will help save many youths lives who looked up to him from his show, b/c there is a massive push to 'cure' gay teens that is pushed by many churches, from Exodus Int'l. God bless him!

[spoony]

24. What does all that hate feel like, in the pit of your stomach?

[Zynx]

26. My experience is those really hateful people are nasty ones to be around.

Kindness, understanding, and forgiveness. Always.

[and-justice-for-all]

28. I am not religiously tolerant. nt

[and-justice-for-all]

27. I do not know, you tell me. nt

[Divine Discontent]

18. right on, gatorboy! EOM

[uppityperson]

13. I wish him peace and positive things in the future.

[AwakeAtLast]

14. He will save many lives because of his bravery.

Those people who are taught to be ashamed of their sexuality to the point of suicide will be well served by his actions.

[Divine Discontent]

15. More Power To Ya, When You're Standing On His Word! YOU ROCK AZARIAH!

:hug:

[DLnyc]

19. Something about honesty.

It just feels better.

Good for him.

[sutz12]

20. I've made enough money...now I can finally be honest.

Sorry, I don't give him any credit at all. He was a hypocrite to work in the "Christian Industry" for so long as a closeted gay. Now he comes out?

Fuck him. He should have come out when he really had something at stake, not when he can comfortably retire on all the money he sucked out of the gullible fundies.

Enjoy your retirement, but just STFU and disappear. You're not a gay hero. You're a Christian whore.

[Divine Discontent]

22. you have no idea what his life has been & to cast dispersions on him in a blanket manner

is unfair of you. he came out at a young age when he had potentially millions to gain from staying in the entertainment business. Instead he bravely said no thanks because he realized who he was and he wasn't going to let them torture him emotionally and spiritually anymore.


on edit - his life led him to this point and he will have a far greater impact on people with the breaking of this story in the Christian entertainment media, than had he not been with that show for a year and a half. He was afraid, he admitted, but thankfully he has nothing to fear anymore, he is living who he is.

[Melynn]

23. I hope he outs other members of the "Christian Industry"

I think it is funny when they are outed.

[cherokeeprogressive]

25. You think it's funny. Good on you for that.

:sarcasm:

[alfredo]

29. Good for him for stopping living a lie. Takes guts to be real.

[NashVegas]

30. This Is Kind of Huge, Actually

Nashville has a fairly open gay scene (hence, the paper above), but between the country and Christian music industries there are plenty of job opportunities for beards when it comes to the wider public. The Christian music industry keeps its creative people on tight leashes. To see their muscle eroded like this is fantastic.