Christian children's book author announces he's gay, is leaving his wife
Matthew Paul Turner, a Christian children's book author, has come out as gay and is in the process of divorcing his wife.
Turner is the author of at least 16 Christian books, including children's books, "When I Pray for You" and "When God Made You."
What are the details?
Turner, who is also the former editor of CCM, made the abrupt announcements on social media.
In a Friday Instagram post, Turner said he aims to "embrace freedom, hope, and God as a gay man."
“Dear friends, I have difficult news to share," he wrote. "After much thought, prayer, and counseling, Jessica and I have made the decision to end our marriage. While we're best friends and thoroughly love doing life, parenting, and pursuing our dreams together, ending our marriage is necessary because I am gay.
"[A]s someone who spent 30+ years in fundamentalist/evangelical churches, exploring God through conservative theologies, I've lived many days overwhelmed by fear, shame, and self-hatred," Turner continued. "But for the first time in my life, despite the sadness and grief I'm feeling right now, I can say with confidence that I'm ready to embrace freedom, hope, and God as a gay man."
Turner said that he still "deeply" loves his estranged wife, Jessica, despite the announcement.
"I fell in love with her 17 years ago and still love her deeply," he wrote. "Despite her own grief and pain, she has loved and encouraged me to be fully me."
Turner's wife, Jessica, shared a Facebook post about the former couple's future as well as the future of their three children.
"We are moving forward with ending our marriage, while remaining deeply committed to our family and each other. We are all adjusting to a new normal, with our home now extended under two rooftops," she wrote.
"We have worked for more than a year on trying to make our marriage work, even in light of Matthew's truth, but it wasn't healthy or fair to us or our children," she continued. "We feel confident that this is the next right step for each of us and our family."Turner added that he and his estranged wife plan to keep the children first.
"Our utmost desire is to move forward in love and compassion for each other and put the well-being of our kids first," he insisted. "Coming out to my kids was one of the hardest, most beautiful things I've ever done. Loving and protecting their stories will always be our first priority."
Turner said he still plans to continue his career as a Christian children's book author.
"Writing books about wholeness, hope, and God's love for children is an honor and privilege I do not take for granted," he said.
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(H/T: The Christian Post)
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