Leaving JERRY FALWELL: An Interview with Marc Adams

by Rod Gambassi

It isn't so much that Marc Adams doesn't do interviews, its more like he doesn't seek them out. 

 
Nine years have passed since the release of Marc Adams' first gay-themed book, The Preacher's Son.  In reality, TPS is his autobiography.  At least as much of an autobiography that can be written by someone writing about their life from age 3 to 23.
 
Now, Marc Adams has released two new books simultaneously.  LoveLife, a new poetry book, is chock full of the artful compositions which flow from his ever-evolving pen (er, keyboard).  The second book, (lost)Found is the most significant book Marc Adams has published since The Preacher's Son.
 
(lost)Found is a kind of follow-up to TPS.  Many things have transpired in his life since being 23 and (lost)Found chronicles a good portion of that journey.
 
Marc Adams gave me a couple hours of his time to talk about (lost)Found and where his life has brought him since 1996.

 

 
RG: It's been almost nine years since The Preacher's Son was published.  Where have you been?
 
Marc Adams: I've been almost everywhere!  I've been very busy with HeartStrong, the non profit I helped found in 1998.  I have also published five poetry books and co-authored another book titled, Do's & Don'ts of Dealing with the Religious Right.
 
RG:  So you've been busy.
 
Marc Adams:  VERY busy.  Oh, we also rescued two long-haired Chihuahuas, Goofy and Rufus, from the Seattle animal shelter.
 
RG:  The new book is titled, (lost)Found.  Tell me about it.
 
Marc Adams:  Well, I really wanted to convey the process of my journey as I escaped from fundamentalist Baptist Christianity and coming out to my family.  I touched on both of those subjects very lightly at the end of The Preacher's Son but I wanted to spend some time sharing more about the process I went through.
 
RG:  Was it a personal need or because people asked you to do it.
 
Marc Adams:  Probably both.  More so because people asked me to do it.  I started writing this book in September of 2001.  I initially had finished it at the end of 2003.  But at the beginning of 2004 right as it was ready to go to press, my grandmother died.  I had already included a lot about her in the original manuscript of the book but when she passed away, I felt that I needed to include some more, so I pulled the book.  I then added and rewrote some chapters and then it was complete.
 
RG:  You grandmother was the only person in your biological family who showed true unconditional love.  You talk about this in your presentations at colleges and universities.
 
Marc Adams: Yes, she was a perfect example of what groups like PFLAG are all about.  She was related to me by blood and also by love. A substantial portion of this book is about her and the relationship that developed with her after I came out.
 
RG:  Do you really think most non-religious people are interested in hearing a story about escaping fundamentalist Baptist Christianity?
 
Marc Adams:  Well, after doing about 2000 presentations over the past nine years to all different types of audiences, I have learned a lot.  One thing I have learned is that while some people think they could care less about this process, usually about halfway through my sharing, they are completely intrigued.  I think it all has to do with how it is presented.  And, I believe people should know.  There are hundreds of thousands of people who have gone through or are going through the same process.  How can you help someone's journey become easier if you can't relate to them in some way?
 
RG:  So why the title, (lost)Found?
 
Marc Adams:  I really feel like I have gone from being very, very lost to being found.  When you go through the upbringing that I went through and then walk away, it is very hard to not feel lost.  In fact, you know you are a journey to personal peace but you feel very empty.  I think I felt more lost once I walked away than when I was part of it all.  But then things change.  As I learned more about self-acceptance and I learned more about real familial love...through my grandmother's example...I started feeling alive.  To the point where I definitely feel found...by myself and others.
 
RG:  You've mixed poetry in with your non-fiction writing in this book.  What lead to that?
 
Marc Adams:  I don't really think it's poetry.  Before each chapter I have written several lines starting with, I believe..., I wish..., I think..., i'm afraid..., and I know...   It was just another method of me sharing some of my perspectives.  My poetry tends to be much more romantic than what is written before each chapter in (lost)Found.
 
RG:  Speaking of poetry, you have simultaneously published a new poetry book, LoveLife, with (lost)Found.
 
Marc Adams:  YES!  I am very excited about that also.  It is a collection of some work from the past couple years and I wanted it to be published separately but at the same time at (lost)Found because I think it goes right along with the theme of everything. 
 
RG:  Back to (lost)Found.  For the first time, you put on paper your spiritual journey and where you are with that.  Was that hard to do?
 
Marc Adams:  Definitely.  Aside from the chapter about my grandmother's passing, writing about my spiritual journey was agonizing.
 
RG:  How could that be agonizing?
 
Marc Adams:  Since I started doing my work with HeartStrong and especially since I started doing presentations at colleges/universities, etc., I have always been asked questions about my spiritual journey.  I have been stunned at the number of people in the gay community and elsewhere who have been so judgmental to me because I have moved to a different place in my spiritual journey than they would like me to be.  I think it's hard for some people to understand the concept of moving forward or evolving in this aspect of life.  I definitely feel I have evolved and my journey has taken me places that I never would have imagined.  And overall I feel very peaceful about my life now, especially in this area.
 
RG:  So where are you?  What church do you go to?
 
Marc Adams:  I think I'm going to leave that to be discovered by those who take the time to read about my journey in (lost)Found.  It has been a very important process to me and I don't want to trivialize that process in a short answer in an interview.
 
In part two of this interview, Marc Adams talks more about his family, his Chihuahuas and learning how to love.