Pieter Valk on Christians and Gay Pride
Embryo Parson Posted on Saturday, June 8, 2024 at 01:57PM Pieter Valk is a homosexual man who professes orthodox Anglican faith and who has commited to a celibate life. He is a member of the Anglican Church of North America's (ACNA) controversial Diocese of Churches for the Sake of Others (C4SO), and the founder of the Nashville Family of Brothers, which bills itself as a "convent and monastery". There Valk lives in community with several other "brothers". (I'm not sure if there are actually any sisters there.) In any event, late last year Valk reaffirmed his "lifetime commitments" in a ceremony at "Luminous Church" officiated by C4SO "Diocesan" Bishop Todd Hunter, Bishop Steven Tighe, Fr. Andrew Defusco, JP Conway, and Nathan Hale.
Valk is the author of the "Dear Gay Anglican" letter addressed to members of the ACNA, which was so controversial that his bishop asked him to take the letter down from his page, a request with which he complied. I posted briefly on this back in 2021. Note the articles by Rod Dreher and Hans Boersma linked there.
Recently, Valk posted this on his Facebook page:
The deflection in this post is just astounding. Valk proudly waves the LGBT rainbow symbol, and instead of acknowleding the utter perversion that happens - in public, with kids watching - at Gay Pride events (see my post about this and "Luminous Church" here), he turns his sights on the historic "sins" of the Church with respect to how it has treated gays. And then there's this: "Gay Pride is a celebration, reminding gay people that they're valued and accepted. It's also intentionally showy (or even aggressive) to reassure gay people that they'll defend and protect each other." "Showy?; even aggressive"? How about reprobate?
Valk is a fellow who has both supporters and detractors in the ACNA. His supporters sing his praise because of his professed commitment to celibacy and his seeming desire to reach gays for Christ. His detractors, on the other hand, see him as something of a self-promoter who tries to push the envelope for reasons they suspect aren't wholly pure. The "Dear Gay Anglican" letter and this Facebook post would seem to substantiate their suspicions, as they tend to substantiate mine. And if there is any "diocese" in ACNA that pushes the envelope, it is C4SO.
Is the Nashville Family of Brothers truly a "convent and monastery"? Or is it rather more of a self-styled, thematic religious order of dubious foundation? It seems to me that any homosexual Christian who seeks to be saved in Christ and commit to a life of celibacy should do so in an actual convent or monastery, and not one run by liberal-left monastics, which are unfortunately legion. (Modern Benedictines seem to be notorious in this regard.) I think especially of the late Fr. Seraphim Rose, who confessed his homosexuality but who instead of creating a cottage industry around himself went to a ROCOR monastery and REALLY, SILENTLY REPENTED, to the end of his days. That should be the model, and Valk simply does not pass the smell test in this regard. At least not to me and some others in the ACNA.
Reader Comments (2)
Thank you for this, Father. I remember the incident. At the time I couldn't make up my mind what to make of Mr. Valk. I hoped for the best, and so I'm sorry to see that the naysayers were so fully right (as seemed possible even then). You do a good service warning the church about him.
At this point, Stephen, I am merely expressing concerns and asking questions. I do want to give credit to any gay Christian who commits to a celibate life, and that includes Valk. It's just that he is rather noisy and ostentatious about it all, and certain things he says - and doesn't say - raise concerns.