Ray Boltz comes out

By Heather Murphy

I listened to a lot of Contemporary Christian Music when I was a teenager.  Amy Grant, Sandi Patti, DC Talk, Petra, Whiteheart, I had all of their cassettes.  I even had One Bad Pig; beat that, readers.   My very first mix-tape, given to me by a friend of the family, included Ray Boltz's "Thank You," which I have stuck in my head right this very moment even though I haven't heard it in years.  His "Watch the Lamb" was the focal point of my first Easter cantata.

CCM isn't a field that's forgiving of what it considers to be moral failings- at least it wasn't when I last checked in on it.  So the coming-out of Ray Boltz is a big deal.  I can relate to the path he discusses, first fighting against what he was, then trying to fix it, and ultimately accepting it. 

So congratulations, Ray, on your coming out.  Feels good, doesn't it?  I'm looking forward to hearing from some of the other closeted voices in CCM, too.  You know who you are.  Come out, come out, whoever you are...