Undivided: Coming Out, Becoming Whole, and Living Free From Shame

Undivided: Coming Out, Becoming Whole, and Living Free From Shame
Vicky Beeching

Vicky Beeching, called "arguably the most influential Christian of her generation" in The Guardian, began writing songs for the church in her teens. By the time she reached her early thirties, Vicky was a household name in churches on both sides of the pond.Recording multiple albums and singing in America's largest megachurches, her music was used weekly around the globe and translated into numerous languages.But this poster girl for evangelical Christianity lived with a debilitating inner battle: she was gay. The tens of thousands of traditional Christians she sang in front of were unanimous in their view – they staunchly opposed same-sex relationships and saw homosexuality as a grievous sin. Vicky knew if she ever spoke up about her identity it would cost her everything.Faced with a major health crisis, at the age of thirty-five she decided to tell the world that she was gay. As a result, all hell broke loose. She lost her music career and livelihood, faced threats and vitriol from traditionalists, developed further health issues from the immense stress, and had to rebuild her life almost from scratch.But despite losing so much she gained far more: she was finally able to live from a place of wholeness, vulnerability, and authenticity. She finally found peace. What's more, Vicky became a champion for others, fighting for LGBT equality in the church and in the corporate sector. Her courageous work is creating change in the US and the UK, as she urges people to celebrate diversity, live authentically, and become "undivided".

Copyright (#u6c1eb7a7-90c0-56bf-95f9-63e511d67e3b)

William Collins

An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

WilliamCollinsBooks.com (http://WilliamCollinsBooks.com)

First published in Great Britain in 2018 by William Collins

First published in the United States by HarperOne in 2018

Copyright © Victoria Beeching

Victoria Beeching asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Designed by Yvonne Chan

Front cover Design by Matthias Roberts

Photos by Nicholas Dawkes

“Above All Else” here (#litres_trial_promo) by Vicky Beeching, copyright © 2001 Vineyard Songs (UK/Eire) (PRS) admin. in North America by Music Services.

“Undivided Heart” here (#litres_trial_promo) and here (#litres_trial_promo) by Vicky Beeching, copyright © 2010 Thankyou Music (PRS) (adm. worldwide at CapitalCMGPublishing.com (http://CapitalCMGPublishing.com) excluding Europe which is adm. by Integrity Music, part of the David C. Cook family. Songs@integritymusic.com) / Integrity Worship Music (ASCAP) (adm. at CapitolCMGPublishing.com (http://CapitolCMGPublishing.com)). All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are taken from New Revised Standard Version Bible. Copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.

Source ISBN: 9780008182144

Ebook Edition © June 2018 ISBN: 9780008182151

Version: 2018-07-18

Dedication (#u6c1eb7a7-90c0-56bf-95f9-63e511d67e3b)

This book is dedicated to the memory of Lizzie Lowe, a fourteen-year-old British girl who tragically took her own life in 2014 because she feared telling her Christian community that she was gay.

Research statistics show that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ+) young people are far more likely to self-harm, suffer from mental-health issues, and contemplate suicide than their heterosexual peers.

For Lizzie and the countless other LGBTQ+ young people who have ended their lives out of fear and shame: We will remember you. Your stories matter. We carry you in our hearts.

Contents

Cover (#ue035e415-99cc-52e4-8897-d3f8499c4281)

Title Page (#u039f61c0-f513-5488-a551-27b275e30f8f)

Copyright

Dedication

Preface

Chapter One (#u26d2fbea-d859-5913-a58d-9984c94adb7e)

PART I: BEGINNINGS

Chapter Two (#uc978a184-8579-5d98-92bb-386438e9bffa)

Chapter Three (#u8508ea1d-1a64-5ee8-9c6a-3e3f8191d224)

Chapter Four (#u3a8b25c3-84a2-572f-a857-cd447a0cc636)

Chapter Five (#u22f69d50-965f-50b7-b244-24f56feb49af)

Chapter Six (#u7c7bde1b-acdf-5aaa-93d5-025dce50f12e)

PART II: OXFORD

Chapter Seven (#ufbc05f98-294d-5f24-9913-6a62e05fa961)

Chapter Eight (#u99a7bfa1-3315-5b6c-a4b8-e73480d39d4d)

Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Twelve (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Thirteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Fourteen (#litres_trial_promo)

PART III: AMERICA