Those of you who followed me while I was doing community work for Portland’s Q Center between 2010-2014 are most likely already familiar with the story of my Inter-Community Dialogue Project between the LGBTQ Community and Mars Hill Church…or, at least, you might think you are familiar.

I have been sitting on a documentary I made over the course of those years, but with everything going on in the world right now, it feels important to finally let people know what REALLY happened.

One major note that’s not captured in the film, is that Mars Hill Church members from our group subsequently denounced the teachings of their former leader and disassembled all of their congregations after we shot the final scenes.

Here is our story…

Watch “Lead With Love”

ABOUT THE FILM

What happens when an out, gay musician befriends an anti-gay church leader?

Notoriously anti-gay conservative evangelical megachurch Mars Hill landed in Portland, Oregon in 2011.  The public reacted swiftly in protest of the arrival of these unwelcome ideals and the media picked up the story of their purchase of “the castle” immediately.

When local musician and LGBTQ activist Logan Lynn, who was working as the spokesperson and publicist for Portland’s Q Center at the time, was quoted in The Oregonian as saying he would “extend an olive branch“ and “be respectful of them and try to make friends“ – and then he proceeded to do just that — all hell broke loose in the media, as well as in the community.

From broken windows to broken hearts, through death threats and violence, this is the true story of what can happen when sworn enemies set aside their differences and get to know one another as people.

“People have been telling the story of what happened between me and Mars Hill Church completely wrong for years,” Lynn says about the controversial inter-community dialogue project, which he created. “I gave up correcting strangers and the media half a decade ago, but I also made this documentary as it was all happening so that the truth could someday be told. That someday is now.”

After the final scenes of Logan Lynn’s “Lead With Love” documentary were shot, the controversial founder and leader of the church, Mark Driscoll, resigned and all of the Mars Hill Church congregations were dissolved across the nation.

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My new record ADIEU is “Vinyl of the Week” over at Forestpunk this week! Check out their killer review HERE, or keep reading below.

From Forestpunk: (1/28/2017)

“Vinyl Of The Week: Logan Lynn – Adieu Review
A synthy Indie Pop “jazz hands mental crisis” from Portland‘s Logan Lynn on Adieu, Lynn’s eighth LP.

Both the record sleeve and the LP decals for Adieu feature a super cute crimson Pomeranian against a striking, cheery chartreuse backdrop. A closer examination reveals the pet being fed with blood from a slit wrist. It’s an apt entry point for Logan Lynn’s jaunty, musical theater-informed song cycle on breakups, mental health, suicidal thoughts, and recovery. Self help never sounded so fun!

Taken at the surface level, Adieu would simply be another peppy, upbeat synthpop record – albeit a very good one – with sharp, tight arrangements and eloquent lyrics. Diving into the lyric sheet (thoughtfully included with the 2xLP) cracks the shiny veneer, revealing an unexpected darkness, as Lynn peels off his skin, to share his shredded nerves and modern-day anxieties, delving into the seamy, sleazy side of life, while sounding like a Threepenny Opera.

Lynn and longtime collaborator Gino Mari broke the mold on Lynn’s traditional methodology, with Lynn writing all the vocals and lyrics acapella, then bringing them into the studio for further embellishment, both synthetic and organic. Classic piano pop – a la Ben Folds, Harry Nilsson, Randy Newman – meet lo-fi synths and canned beats, as heard on album opener double header “I Like It All The Time” followed by “Go There Where You Want To Be Loved” – the catchiest, most tuneful take on abandonment you’re likely to hear this month.

The melodicism and catchy arrangements – like the toppling piano chords and pots-and-pans percussion of “Go There” – are a perfect microcosm of what makes this album so exceptional, so unique, so palatable. Lynn laces the abyss with a wheelbarrow full of sugary Indie Pop. Read the rest of this entry »

Check out my new video “Oh, Lucifer” this week on “NewNowNext” over at MTV’s Logo Network! Click HERE, or keep reading below.

From Logo TV: (1/23/2017)

“Logan Lynn Is Reclaiming Hell As A Safe Space For Queers – ‘Oh, Lucifer’ skewers the religious right in a most devious way.

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