“A Tongue Untied: Queer Memories of a Pentecostal Boyhood” in Blessed Assurance: Our Stories, Our Songs
Document Type
Chapter in a Book
Publication Date
9-23-2026
Abstract
“Most folks only know the story that fits their fear.” – LaSoanyah Watson
What happens when faith meets truth? What emerges when the stories we were told to hide finally find their voice?
Blessed Assurance gathers the real, unvarnished, and deeply human testimonies of people who have wrestled with identity, trauma, calling, belonging, and the unflinching love of God. Told by LGBTQ+ ministers, survivors, parents, artists, healers, allies, and everyday saints, these stories reveal a God who meets us in breakage, walks with us through becoming, and welcomes us home.
Across three movements—The Break, The Shift, and The Return—this anthology invites you into sacred encounters found on city buses, in hospital rooms, church pews, family conversations, quiet prayers, unexpected revelations, and the holy work of telling the truth. Each story reveals the courage required to face ourselves, the tenderness necessary to love others well, and the fierce grace that restores our dignity.
This is a book about God’s relentless doctrine of love. In these pages, you will witness the healing power of belonging, the beauty of living one’s truth, and the transformative freedom that comes when we stop hiding from God—and from ourselves. These are narratives of resurrection in everyday life, stories that remind us: there are no mistakes.
Blessed Assurance is a homecoming for everyone who has ever wondered if they are loved by God exactly as they are. Spoiler alert: You are.
Authors: Samuel Autman + Tony Lamair Burks II + John Destito + Veda Overton-Houston + Bobbie Moore-Howard + Kemba Iheyinwa + Melissa Kadinger + Antonio Knox + LaTanya Mack + Davvid-Mykel Searcy-Ramer + Lavor Kente Troy Sanders + Bakarí Shuman + Mashaun D. Simon + Deborah L. Smith + Leevahn Smith + Penny Duncan Stephens + LaSoanyah Watson + Charles L. A. Watterson
Recommended Citation
Autman, Samuel. “A Tongue Untied: Queer Memories of a Pentecostal Boyhood.” in Blessed Assurance: Our Stories, Our Songs, ed. Independently published, 2026.