Pastor Came Out As Queer Days Before His Suicide

The Christian Post reports:

Days before he was found dead in Alabama of an apparent suicide, Steve Austin, a former youth pastor, suicide survivor and mental health advocate, sought financial help from subscribers to his newsletter as his wife, Lindsey, battled a mental health crisis a week after he publicly came out as queer.

Days later, the author, podcaster and life coach was reported missing from his home in Alabaster. He was eventually found dead in a vehicle in the parking lot of a business early on the morning of Monday, June 7, AL.com reported.

Austin had a book set for publication on July 20, titled Hiding in the Pews: Shining Light on Mental Illness in the Church, in which he tackled the issue of mental health in the Church. Austin’s suicide and his book come in the wake of his May 23 declaration that he identified as queer, which he revealed to his wife for the first time in 2018.

Read the full article. Austin’s suicide has dominated the Christian sites I monitor for several days and I had expected this development. The clip below is from 2016.

Days before he was found dead in Alabama of an apparent suicide, Steve Austin, a former youth pastor, suicide survivor and mental health advocate, sought financial help from subscribers to his newsletter as his wife, Lindsey, battled a mental health crisis a week after he… pic.twitter.com/UEsxbZlyI4

— The Christian Post (@ChristianPost) June 15, 2021