I Was A Married Pastor - Until I Fell In Love With A Man | LOVE DON’T JUDGE

A CHRISTIAN dad-of-four lost his pastor job after falling in love with a younger man in the deep south of America. Eric, 48, began his relationship with Matt, 27, after employing him at his demolition business. But neither man had come out as gay yet and faced judgment from their Bible Belt community. Eric told Truly: “It's not acceptable in [the community], it was difficult.” The couple are now married but when they first met Eric was a pastor with four children. He explained how their local community reacted to the news, “our hometown is mostly conservative, I was immediately dismissed from my post.” He can now feel liberated, finally expressing how he feels inside after many years of self-doubt. “I set it aside, but it would never go away.” The age gap also added to the public backlash, “they think we're just dad and son”, Matt explained. He even had a family member who said, “somebody will kill you.” Despite these initial setbacks they have found an accepting church to attend and Eric believes he has been blessed by his faith. “I believe that my relationship with God is stronger because he already knew, but now I'm more honest with myself.”