The Church of the Resurrection, led by Kansas Democrat U.S. Senate candidate Adam Hamilton, urged the use of gender-neutral language instead of references to boys and girls so children would “feel welcome,” according to a message provided to – News. The message included an image that credited a transgender-identifying singer and LGBTQ activist as an inspiration for the suggested terminology.
“Hey! In follow up from our conversation on Sunday about our words and working towards being more gender neutral so that all kids feel welcome….here is the promised list of words we can start using instead of boys/girls,” the message stated.
The message obtained by – News featured an image titled “Gender-Neutral Terms to Address a Group.” It listed dozens of alternatives to gender-specific greetings, including “peep-a-doodles,” “homo sapiens,” “niblings,” “kiddos,” “kitties,” “comrades,” and “folks.”
Adam Hamilton’s List of Gender-Neutral Terms, Provided to – News
The image’s attribution at the bottom states, “Inspired by @sara.levine1 @themilajam.”
The second account belongs to Mila Jam, whose full name is Jahmila Adderley. Wikipedia describes Jam as an American transgender singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, and LGBTQ activist.
Jam celebrated becoming the “1st Black Trans Artist to co-headline BOSTON PRIDE” and promoted nonbinary identification by writing, “Happy Non-Binary Awareness Week to all my Enby Fam.”
At the 2024 Democratic National Convention, Jam praised former first lady Michelle Obama, posting, “Nothing like witnessing the Queen of ‘Do Something’ in person.” Before the presidential election, Jam expressed support for former Vice President Kamala Harris by sharing a photograph with an early-voting sticker and the caption “Ready for Madame President.” After the election, Jam wrote, “When I grow up I wanna be protected I want my rights I want autonomy,” before concluding, “Elect WOMEN, not misogyny.”
Hamilton likewise supported Harris in the 2024 presidential race. He acknowledged voting for her and donated $500 to her campaign on July 23, 2024, two days after former President Joe Biden withdrew from the reelection contest.
KEEP READING: Tulsa Man Sentenced To Death – Trial Update Of Ondriel Smith – NewsFinale
The children’s ministry message is the latest controversy involving Hamilton’s church as he campaigns to defeat incumbent Sen. Roger Marshall, R-KS, in November.
– News previously reported that the Church of the Resurrection, the nation’s largest United Methodist congregation, partnered with Kansas City PrideFest to sponsor a “Drag Queen Story Time & Gay Pride Festival.” Images listed the church as a 2025 PrideFest sponsor and promoted the event’s “Youth & Teen Tents,” which included stage performances, free books, story time, arts and crafts, and other activities.
Hamilton has publicly supported affirming same-sex marriage within the United Methodist Church, legal abortion, and Black Lives Matter. During a 2015 pastors’ panel hosted by the LGBTQ-affirming Reformation Project, he challenged traditional interpretations of scripture. After discussing how congregants who came out to him as gay caused him to reconsider his understanding of the Bible, Hamilton asked, “How much latitude do we have to push back on it? Where can we say, you know, ‘Here I think Paul’s wrong?’” In a January 2025 sermon, he argued that churches barring women from preaching had misread Paul’s letters.
Hamilton also questioned whether belief in the Virgin Birth is required to follow Jesus Christ during an episode of his Making Sense of Faith podcast, although he personally affirms the doctrine. “So I say to people who tell me, ‘I’m not really sure I can believe in the Virgin of birth.’ I’m like, ‘That’s okay. I just want you to follow Jesus,’” he said. Hamilton argued that the Apostle Paul would have referred to the Virgin Birth more often if it were essential to Christianity. The doctrine appears in both the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed.
In a separate sermon delivered in 2022 and titled “Is the Bible True? Is Jesus the Only Way?” Hamilton argued that followers of other religions could ultimately be saved through Jesus Christ without recognizing him during their earthly lives. “And when it comes to other faiths, I believe as a Christian that they are going to — when they get to heaven, they’re going to see Jesus and they’re going to say, ‘Ah, it was you all along that I was searching for,’ but I don’t fear that those folks will spend eternity in Hell,” he said. Hamilton referenced C.S. Lewis and John Wesley in explaining his view of salvation and has separately stated that the Bible contains “hundreds” of mistakes or errors.
In an October CNN interview, Hamilton acknowledged that church officials should have contacted police immediately after allegations of sexual abuse involving church camp volunteer Scott Moore. Moore was accused of molesting teenage boys at retreats in 2005 and 2006. “Absolutely. Like, we should have called the police immediately,” Hamilton said, explaining that the church did not require immediate reporting under its policy at the time. Marshall has accused Hamilton of allowing Moore to return as a counselor after earlier allegations, after which another child was allegedly victimized.
In a 2018 sermon, Hamilton referenced Jesus Christ’s warning that people who harm children would be better off with a millstone tied around their necks and being thrown into the sea. He applied the passage to migrant family separations during the Trump administration, saying, “When you see news stories where children are crying and they’re being taken away from their parents, you should look at those stories in the light of what Jesus said about what happens when you harm children.”
During a January 2020 sermon titled “What Would Jesus Say About Climate Change?” Hamilton discussed the contribution of beef consumption and cattle production to greenhouse gas emissions. “Some of the things that we grow, because we like to eat them, like cattle, end up producing more carbon dioxide than other crops that we could grow, other forms of food that we could have,” he said. Kansas ranks as the nation’s third-largest beef-producing state, with about 5.8 million cattle and 2.9 million residents. Marshall criticized Hamilton’s comments, while Hamilton’s campaign responded that the senator had previously discussed lowering methane emissions from cattle.
– News also reported on October 18 that Hamilton’s financial disclosure listed a net worth of up to $20 million, an annual Church of the Resurrection salary of $394,239, and $417,372.70 in publishing royalties from United Methodist Publishing House. He also owns a vacation property at Missouri’s Lake of the Ozarks valued at nearly $1 million and a primary residence in Stilwell, Kansas, reportedly worth about $1.4 million. The disclosures have drawn attention as Hamilton campaigns against the role of billionaires and special interests in politics.