Soulforce is pleased to announce our primary location, keynote speakers, and other participants for our upcoming symposium to be held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania!
On Saturday, November 6th the symposium will take place at the Historic Downtown Courtyard by Marriott. The hotel is adjacent to City Hall and offers some of the best views of the city. Participants of the Symposium may book rooms at the hotel for the rate of $99 per night, which is a nearly 70% discount! To book a room you may either call the hotel directly, at 215-496-3200, or call central reservations at 1-888-236-2427. Be sure to mention our code: SOULFORCE in order to receive the discounted room rental rate. Rooms with a king bed, or two queen beds are available.
We are pleased to welcome Jay Bakker and Daniel Helminiak as our key note speakers for the symposium.
Jay Bakker is a pastor who grew up witnessing both the good and bad of the church. His parents are Jim and Tammy Faye, ministers-turned-TV-hosts, who helped start both the Trinity Broadcasting Network and the 700 Club in the 1970’s, and later founded the PTL (Praise The Lord) Club. At the height of their popularity, they pastored the largest church in the country – until their lives were changed by one of the biggest scandals in American history. For the first time, Jay was exposed to the dark underbelly of religion; an experience that would stay with him to this day. In 1994, Jay, along with Kelli Miller and Mike Walls, started Revolution Church in Phoenix, AZ, to minister to those being ignored and rejected by the Christian church. He started a Revolution Church in Los Angeles, CA, and Atlanta, GA, before moving to New York and starting a church there in 2005. Jay has been an ally and friend to the LGBTQ community.
Daniel Helminiak teaches psychology and spirituality as Professor at the University of West Georgia. He is also a psychotherapist, Catholic priest and theologian, author, and lecturer. He holds a PhD in psychology from The University of Texas at Austin and a PhD in theology from Andover Newton Theological School and Boston College, where he was teaching assistant to Prof. Bernard Lonergan, whom Newsweek magazine called the Thomas Aquinas of the 20th Century. He is certified as a Fellow of the American Association of Pastoral Counselors and is licensed as a Professional Counselor in the state of Georgia. His book, What the Bible Really Says about Homosexuality (Alamo Square Press, 1994, 2000), is an international best-seller.
Our other presenters and participants include, but are not limited to:
Peterson Toscano
Christine Bakke
Christine Robinson
Darlene Bogle
More information: Bios & photographs of speakers and presenters | Register for the symposium
Even if you are unable to attend our symposium, you can still help Soulforce with this event, and the ability to hold future events: Donate here!
That evening, Ex-Gay Survivors Christine Bakke, Jallen Rix, Anthony Venn-Brown (Australia), Darlene Bogle, Mark Orozko (Barcelona) Daniel Gonzales, and Jacob Wilson told their stories to the conference participants – demonstrating great courage and strength in the process. They shared the many ways in which heterosexism encourages harmful reparative therapies. After a brief welcoming reception, conference goers attended a special Transgender Day of Remembrance event by viewing two films and the names of the more than one hundred transgender people who have been murdered in the past year. Friday night was a sobering reminder of the damage and destruction caused by heterosexism, religion-based bigotry, and societal prejudice. Conference participants went to bed eager to begin collaborating over the next two days on ways they can make the world a safer place for LGBTQ people.
