James Melville "Mel" White is an American clergyman and author. White was a behind-the-scenes member of the Evangelical Protestant movement through the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, writing speeches and ghostwriting books for televangelists such as Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, and Billy Graham. After years of writing for the Christian right, he came out as gay in 1994. In 1962, White graduated from Warner Pacific College. That same year, he married his wife Lyla. They had two children, one of whom is the actor/comedian and screenwriter Mike White. After receiving his B.A. from Warner Pacific... College, then graduating with an M.A. in communications from the University of Portland, White followed with graduate work in communications and film at University of Southern California, UCLA, and Harvard. He received his Doctorate of Ministry from, and was a professor of communications and preaching for over a decade at, Fuller Theological Seminary. During this time he also worked as an evangelical pastor. After their marriage, White admitted to his wife that he had always been attracted to men.
more