Baptist minister and Harvard graduate, Peter Gomes was the Plummer Professor of Christian Morals at Harvard Divinity School and the Pusey Minister at Harvard’s Memorial Church. Gomes was considered a “great preacher” by many (in 1979 Time Magazine labeled him a “star of the pulpit”) and when he came out as gay in 1991, he used his celebrity status to advocate for LBGTQ rights.
He was a voice for tolerance throughout his career. African American, Republican for many decades, Democrat for the last four years of his life, Baptist, Ivy League, erudite, and progressive, Rev. Gomes didn’t fit neatly into any one box, which is perhaps why he was admired by so many.
Gomes was the author of The Good Book: Reading the Bible with Mind and Heart (1996), and also, The Scandalous Gospel of Jesus: What’s So Good About the Good News? (2007). Rev. Gomes shows that our community is not monolithic but very diverse and fluid. Let’s remember Rev. Gomes and discuss what his life and ministry might teach us still.
