About Nick

Who is Nick

Nick Scarantino is a queer Christian striving to bridge the gap between the faith and queer communities. Because he has been hurt by both communities for his involvement in the other, he wants to be an example to both communities that they can coexist. He does this by reminding the faith community that their only assignment from God is to love without qualifications and showing the love of God to the queer community that so desperately needs to feel it.

Nick Scarantino

Nick's Mission and Values

To impart life into others through meaningful((Meaningful- Having a purpose. The purpose of the relationships is to bring about a growth, and is done so through trust, openness, and love for each other)) relationships, Biblical values, and radical((Radical- Relating to/affecting the fundamental nature of something. Love touches the core of who we are, and brings us closer to ourselves, others, and God.)) love.

Logic

Emotions are valid and important, but they aren't always accurate. Taking time to dig into and understand the logic of something prevents misunderstandings.

Empathy

Every person has a different life experience. Listening to and learning from others is key building meaningful relationships and maintaining your own heart.

Truth

Engaging with logic and emotion allow truth to be found and embraced, changing pre-conceived ideas rather than doubling down on them.

Nick's Story

Nick grew up in a Christian home. Going to church at least once a week, he heard countless times that God was love, and the church was a family. But Nick never really felt fully connected. Because, not only was Nick taught that God was love, he was also taught that being gay was wrong. Growing up as a Christian who also happens to be gay, Nick struggled for many years with feelings of inadequacy. Like he wasn’t good enough for God. He tried to make up for his sexuality by being overly involved in the church and zealous in his evangelizing.

This eagerness to serve God led him to pursue an education in youth ministry and biblical studies. Attending a conservative school, Nick worked hard to hide his identity for years. However, after confiding in some other queer Christians, the administration fired him from his role as a small group leader and forced him to attend on campus counseling. These experiences of exclusion, judgement, and the inability to truly open up to others pushed Nick to explore his faith and the teachings of the church even more deeply. Nick wrote papers and gave speeches questioning the evangelical teachings of the church about homosexuality through the very principles of biblical interpretation the school taught.

These studies opened Nick’s eyes to the truth- God doesn’t care what your sexual orientation is. God loves everyone the same. God welcomes everyone the same. Knowing what it’s like to grow up feeling like an outcast, like you can’t be your true self, alone, Nick now strives to help others realize they are loved. He wants nothing more than anyone who interacts with him to feel loved not only by himself but by God. His narratives strive to emphasize this in creative ways, and his music connects with people who have felt the same way in ways that only music can, while he still engages in biblical scholarship, questioning many long-held beliefs of the evangelical church he grew up in.