Reconciling Ministries Network

Reconciliation and God's Leaven, 1 of 2

2008-07-25T01:24:57-05:00

by Peter L. DeGroote

I believe the gift that the reconciling movement brings to the church is a reminder that Jesus's teachings are all about reconciliation. One illustration is found in the Parable of the Leaven:

God's domain reminds me of yeast which a woman took and concealed in fifty pounds of flour until it was all leavened. Matthew. 13:33; Luke 13:20-21.

A.Jesus left us with an image of a uniquely active God. Mysteriously present in creation is leaven (yeast) which energizes lifeless dough, altering its character, producing texture and taste, making it something it cannot be by itself.

B. John Wesley called the Rule of Love the foundation of all that Jesus taught. Love is the leaven by which we discover who we are, who we are meant to be, and who we can become.

C. Jesus was unique in inextricably tying the love of God and the love of others together; you can’t have one without the other. We love God when we join in God’s love for others, when we love others we are nurtured by the leaven of living in harmony with God’s love.

D. Love is not an abstract idea; it is activity that forms relationship. We learn by doing.

We discover the relationship is like a tall triangle. God is at the top angle, we are at one of the base angles, and others are at the third angle. The lines of the triangle symbolize the relationships of love through which we find out as much about God from discovering God’s activity in others as we find from God's activity within us. We slowly learn that our harmony with God is very much related to our harmony with others.
Experience teaches us that love has many shades of meaning. For everyday living it has to begin by honoring and respecting God. To do that, we have to join in God's honor and respect for others. We often begin by saying "God loves me" but in the end, we discover it is not enough. We have to finally say, "God loves all of us," with an emphasis on the "us."

E. Leaven requires receptive dough—we need to respond to God's activity. Worship, prayer, and spiritual disciplines help define our thoughts, intentions, and feelings. They are also tools that help us listen for and respond to God’s activity. Yet we need to be receptive, allowing the leaven of love to work within and around us. We find our harmony with God by joining with God in loving (honoring and respecting) all that God has created.

AN EXERCISE FOR ONE OR MORE:
A. Draw a tall triangle like the one described in D.1., above, with someone you know at the “others” angle. Think about, or in a group talk about:

Do the lines represent love, honor, and respect?
How do I (we) go about keeping both of the lines (relationships) that touch us active?
What does it mean to me (us) if the line between the other person and God is not there?
Does this help us think about being leaven (a reconciler)? How?

B. Do the same as a group, your group in place of yourself and another group (church, community, etc.) in place of “others.”

C. As we all have multiple relationships, it might be helpful to do the same exercise focusing on different persons or groups.

I've got a good idea. Let's sue the Bible.

2008-07-24T09:46:49-05:00

By Heather Murphy

Every word of the Bible is literally true, the word of God directly from the mind of God. Their meanings do not change over time, they are not affected by cultural mores or interpretation or the march of history. If different parts of the body appear to contradict each other, the flaw is not in the Bible, but in the reader who has failed to understand it fully.

Well, that's what they told me in Sunday School. What, you didn't go to that class?

Which brings us to this guy. Bradley Fowler. Fowler is suing Zondervan and Nelson, the foremost Bible translators, over their use of the word 'homosexual' in 1 Corinthians 6:9. Fowler noticed that the word 'homosexuals' was added to the list of condemned groups in the mid-seventies, then quietly changed to a more accurate translation in the early nineties. He's holding the publishers responsible for discrimination and homophobia throughout the English-speaking world, which, by his reckoning, is worth $80 million. Fowler is representing himself.

My first thought on reading the headline was that he was a nut, and his suit was entirely frivolous. After reading a few articles, I have to admit that Fowler sort of has a point. Since the English word 'homosexual' doesn't translate any word or concept that existed in the world of the Bible, it probably was added- and removed- for reasons that have more to do with current events and private opinions than solid scholarship and best translation. But is it really accurate to say that without that translation, there would be no homophobia, and gay and straight would all be happily coexisting today? I'm feeling dubious.

I've seen some pretty lively debates over the Bible, but I've never seen one happen in a court of law before. It might be interesting, the nuances of Bible translation being aired for the general public, John Stewart and Bill O'Reilly boning up on their Koine Greek, long interviews on NPR with bemused scholars whose opinions have never been of national interest before... but I'm thinking that's not how it's going to play out. I'm thinking instead that this is not going to make it to trial, that it's going to be dismissed long before that. I'm also thinking that, when I am old and grey, we'll still see this being used by the right as an example of how those naughty gay people want to abolish the Bible.

Fowler has several self-published books available for sale. May I offer you a word of advice, Mr. Fowler? The process of finding a publisher- or finding a lawyer- is a way of helping you decide if your book- or your lawsuit- has enough merit to make success probable. That's why it's a good idea, if no publisher will buy your book or no lawyer will take your case, to sit down and have a long, hard think about whether you really want to go through with this.

Pastor is church’s first openly gay bishop candidate

2008-07-23T08:17:33-05:00

The United Methodist News Service reports on an openly gay candidate for Bishop in the Western Jurisdiction.

Standing before an assembly that would elect two bishops, the Rev. Frank Wulf shared his problem as a candidate for one of the top clergy positions in The United Methodist Church.

"The problem is that I come as a gay man, and I know where our church stands on the issue of same-sex orientation," Wulf said in his candidacy address before the Western Jurisdictional Conference, which represents United Methodists in the western United States, Guam and other U.S. territories in the Pacific.

The delegates, who later approved four statements challenging the denomination’s position on homosexuality, listened intently as Wulf continued: "And I know that the church says … a practicing self-avowed homosexual shall not be ordained or appointed within our church."

By extension, Wulf noted that his candidacy created a quandary for jurisdictional delegates in a denomination that consistently has declared homosexuality "incompatible with Christian teaching."

"I know that if, by some chance, I were ever to be elected as a bishop within this jurisdiction or any jurisdiction, that all hell would break loose …," he said, explaining later that he would anticipate church judicial charges, threats and hate mail.

Full story:
Pastor is church’s first openly gay bishop candidate

Western Jurisdiction challenges homosexuality stance

2008-07-23T08:12:24-05:00

The United Methodist News Service reports on four resolutions passed at the Western Jurisdictional Conference challenging The United Methodist Church stance on homosexuality.

Challenging the United Methodist stance on homosexuality, the church’s Western Jurisdictional Conference approved four statements aimed at changing denominational policies and beliefs on human sexuality.

With no debate, the legislative assembly voted July 18 in favor of resolutions that presenters said will serve as "a witness to the general church."

One resolution celebrated a May 15 ruling by the California Supreme Court clearing the way for gay marriages, which began in that state June 16. It states, in part, that the conference supports "same-gender couples who enter into the marriage covenant and encourage(s) both congregations and pastors to welcome, embrace and provide spiritual nurture and pastoral care for these families."

Another asks that church leaders look for "creative ways" to "be in full ministry with all who come to us" and declares an intention not to penalize clergy or churches "for being agents of this ministry in God’s name."

A third resolution challenges decisions last April by General Conference, the denomination's top legislative body, that kept intact the church’s position that homosexuality is "incompatible with Christian teaching."

"We stand with our gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender brothers and sisters, both lay and clergy, who have been shunned by The United Methodist Church in polity and deed," the resolution states. "… As a welcoming and reconciling jurisdiction, we will take steps of inclusion in the sacred trust of marriage, ordination and leadership roles for all."

A fourth resolution affirms a statement approved by the human sexuality subcommittee of General Conference. That statement, which was not approved by the churchwide assembly, says United Methodists and other Christians "have struggled to find principles for applying traditional teachings to contemporary understandings of human sexuality." The resolution encourages "the medical, theological and social science disciplines to combine in a determined effort to understand human sexuality more completely."

As the only body that speaks for the entire church, General Conference affirmed its stance while holding that all people are "individuals of sacred worth created in the image of God." Meeting in Forth Worth, Texas, the denominational assembly also retained statements asking "families and churches not to reject or condemn lesbian and gay members and friends."

General Conference represents a worldwide denomination of 11.5 million people. Of those, 390,000 United Methodists are in the Western Jurisdiction, which covers the Western United States and some U.S. territories in the Pacific.

Full story:
Western Jurisdiction challenges homosexuality stance

Asking for crumbs

2008-07-22T15:56:37-05:00

By Jorge Lockward

During my high school years, as I faced academic subjects that were not my forte, my mother Lina offered the following advice,

            "Mi hijo, aspira a 100 para que saques 80,"
            which could translate in the US alpha based grading system
            "My son, shoot for an A+ so you get a B."

The principle behind my mom's aphorism called me to look beyond what seemed "realistic," to set my aspirations higher than what I thought was possible, to ask boldly of myself, others, and of life itself.

Granting the limitations of this principle, particularly at moments where, after shooting high, realities on the ground call for the wisdom of negotiation and revised expectations, we would do well as a progressive movement to heed my mom's advice. Too often, it seems, we are content with accommodating our aspirations to anticipated obstacles before we even ask for what we really want. Too often we settle for moderate, sympathetic leadership when what we really need is risk-taking, courageous leaders. Too often we fall into the trap of incrementalism before we even give the Spirit's power a chance to shine and surprise us through our actions.

The price we pay goes beyond the tangible outcomes. A part of our soul is chipped away whenever dreams and hopes are suppressed before they are given a chance. Slowly, but surely, cynicism clouds and eventually take over our God-given dreams.

Wisdom and audacity are not mutually exclusive for there is a wisdom in timely audacity. There is indeed a time for everything under the sun; a time to ask, a time to withdraw, a time to move and a time to stand still. Beyond identifying the proper time, it is the quality of the asking, withdrawal, movement and stillness that requires our attention. When it is the time to ask, audacity is a virtue.

Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.
Matthew 7:7-8 (NRSV)

A Bishop’s Affirmation

2008-07-21T17:23:28-05:00

By David Braden

I returned home from the North Central Jurisdictional Conference in Grand Rapids, MI yesterday. We completed our task of electing a new bishop, the Rev. Dr. Julius C. Trimble, reporting the works of the jurisdiction, and confirming the nominations list for general boards and agencies. Sounds somewhat boring, but compared with General Conference it was delightfully more restful and peaceful!

I am still not sure how I feel about electing bishops and other leaders of the Church. For a process that we pray will be led by the Spirit and trust that the Spirit will lift up a candidate anointed by God and confirmed by the Body’s votes, I still cannot seem to get past the political nature of the process. We, lay and clergy delegates of these conferences, campaign and deliver literature and speeches. We meet with progressive and conservative caucuses to await endorsements. We covenant to vote for candidates for ‘x’ number of votes. We testify to the character of a candidate. We tell the truth. We spread rumors. We lie. Where is the Spirit in that?

I was pleased to meet Rev. Dr. Julius Trimble during one of the listening sessions where episcopal candidates present themselves, their vision for the world and church, as well as answer delegates’ questions. I told Rev. Dr. Trimble a bit of my story – that I am a gay man and lifelong United Methodist. That I have LGBTQ friends who feel barred from the Church. What will he do as a Bishop for the LGBTQ folks already in the Church and those who stand outside? A colleague of mine asked the even better follow-up question of “What have you already done in your ministries for queer folks?”

Rev. Dr. Trimble provided great answers, but I was more touched by the response of him and his wife, Racelder Grandberry, at the end of the discourse. Both Trimbles came to me, laid their hands on me, affirmed that I was a beloved child of God, called me courageous, thanked me for my question, thanked me for keeping the faith and staying in the Church despite its shortcomings, prayed that I would continue telling my story, and prayed for the day when the United Methodist Church truly becomes inclusive of all people. The Rev. Dr. Trimble and his wife did not have to do this. Yet they chose to be pastoral. For me it was a spirit-filled moment.

Ultimately, there were several candidates I would have been pleased to have as my bishop. I just pray that those hurt by this process might be healed and feel the embers of the Holy Spirit continue to burn within their hearts. I pray that our new episcopal leaders might live into their role as guardians of the faith and claim their prophetic voices. Only the Lord knows how much we need it.

The Sean Kennedy Story, Part 3 of 4

2008-07-20T23:21:26-05:00

By Antony Hebblethwaite

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

What kind of system, way of life, philosophy PRODUCED this wounding miscarriage of justice? Can a gay man get justice in a town like Greenville, SC, in a State without hate crime laws, with Senators that oppose Federal Hate Crimes Legislation?

"She can only sleep about two hours," reports the Greenville News, "Then grief wakes Elke Kennedy and she has to get up...Kennedy has been running on shock and the raw edge of adrenaline for the last 3 1/2 weeks." In those early days after Sean's murder, Elke found a poem among his belongings titled, "Grin".

I stand tall with all of my pride.
You hate.
You discriminate all who are not like you.
Yes, your words do hurt.
But I stand in the end.
I'm a strong person, bigger than you...
I'll be standing there with a grin.

About three weeks after Sean's death, I received an email at my Hatecrimesbill.org inbox from a gay man who wanted me to understand the true depth of the hate and discrimination LGBT people experience in Greenville, SC.

Dear Antony,

This is an outpouring about the poisonous atmosphere here against gay people based on religious intolerance.

Bob Jones University came to Greenville in 1949 and their faculty and students began their trojan efforts to control the city and county politically and in the 1990s succeeded whereupon they made their religious values law [see Part 2, Anti-Gay Resolution]. The latest case of this is in the South Carolina Constitution banning gay marriage which Focus on Family and Frank Page, President of the Southern Baptist Convention got put into the constitution.

In the 1960s, gay Bob Jones students were so suppressed, repressed and oppressed (as were most gay people here) that they were often seen by psychologists and psychiatrists. They were in general regarded as sick and as perverts and were often seen at the only gay bar for nearly 100 miles around--the Patio or Silver Dollar. They were illegally off campus which could have gotten them gone.

In the 1970s if one were found out to be gay--they were fired from their jobs, denied unemployment compensation (the SC Employment Commission was in cahoots with employers so that terminated employees never got a fair hearing), kicked out of apartments, denied loans, denied welfare benefits etc.

Beginning in the 1980s, gay people began to return home from San Francisco, New York and San Diego. Having see the world, they could not be kept down on the farm as the saying goes. Greenville's first gay organizations began and usually met privately in homes. Most of these organizations failed shortly after being founded because gay people here was skittish about being found out if they were gay.

In the 1990s, PFLAG was founded by Carol Lender, whose son was gay, and her friend. Carol recently passed away. They began to make the gay community more visible. PFLAG has since been the most stable gay group in Greenville and is still going. In 1998, Greenville had it's first and last gay pride event. During the planning, announcing of this event---the Baptist Church began to scream that gay people were going to hell and went on radio and television saying so. One preacher thought you could catch HIV by being in the same room with a person who had it. The Pride really brought out the anti-gay religious bigots and homophobes and hate speech from just about everywhere for 60 miles around as it was talked about on television.

We do have some good people here who are tolerant and gay friendly but they seem to be a minority and have little or no political power which the fundamentalist Christians have. Fundamentalist Christians have so much power here that a group called Christian Exodus plans to move into Greenville and South Carolina and turn it into a Christian Theocracy in which no one will have any rights except them.

Jimmy Creech arrived in Greenville, SC in October, 2007 with Faith In America's "Call to Courage" campaign dedicated to the memory of Sean Kennedy. The United Methodist Church defrocked Creech for marrying a lesbian and gay couple. The "Call to Courage" campaign launched less than 100-feet away from the scene of Sean's murder and sought to educate Greenville residents about the misuse of religious teachings to discriminate and isolate gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. The campaign included grassroots organizing, direct mail and paid advertisements (including radio, cable TV, newspaper ads and billboards). Elke Kennedy, Sean's mother, appeared on the Cable TV spot:

The "Call to Courage" campaign culminated with a town hall meeting. Around 200 people from the Greenville Community attended for a discussion on the history of religion-based bigotry and the harm it causes to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender citizens. Close to a third of the attendees at the meeting were from conservative area churches. The PBS Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly aired an episode on the town hall meeting:

Rev. Kevin Boling, the Evangelical Christian minister in the video above, said many other things at the town hall meeting that night. One comment sticks out in particular.

Jimmy Creech and a lot of people here tonight have made the inference that the church is responsible for Sean Kennedy's death. Sean Kennedy was killed out in front of a bar by a man who came out of the bar. What does the Christian community have to do with that?...If your beef is with anybody, it isn't with the church. It is with people who own bars.

Blaming the Bishop?

2008-07-20T10:35:08-05:00

By Leland Spencer

On one level, I was at least disturbed and perhaps hurt when I read the UMNS story about Bishop Shamana's ruling that the California-Nevada conference's affirmation of clergy who conduct same-sex weddings is "void and of no effect." After all, I thought Bishop Shamana was an ally. I love the chapter about her in Bishop Craig's The Leading Women, especially because she created a name for herself in order to extricate herself from the patriarchy of traditional nomenclature. Furthermore, I thought for sure when I read her inspiring sermon from the 2004 General Conference that she was an ally in the movement for full inclusion. How, then, could she use the word "void" to describe the faithful witness of the conference over which she presides?

On a another level, I understand that her job as bishop is to offer a ruling based on the laws of the church. Therefore, she reached the conclusion she had to reach, and I don't think that surprises anyone. Of course the statement has no effect in the realm of church law, and its authors and supporters know that. I am certain that no one voting for the statement of support expected that statement alone to acquit pastors who are brought up on trial for violating church law by doing the ministry God calls them to do. The authors and supporters of the statement of support recognize that, in the words of MLK, "an unjust law is no law at all."

So where does that leave me? Well, I admit that I am still a little bit frustrated with the bishop. I know she had to issue the ruling that she issued--any literate bishop would--but I think she could have done it with more grace. "Void and of no effect" is harsh as well as redundant. I think my irritation in this situation echoes that of the Rev. Gayle Felton, who said in her sermon at the RMN convocation last summer, "I'm frustrated with bishops. If you can't be prophetic when you get to be a bishop, what are you waiting for?"

Additional coverage:
Ruling of Law (pdf)

Moral Dilemma: When Weddings Are a Career Risk

2008-07-20T10:11:00-05:00

The Wall Street Journal reports on California UMC Clergy marrying same-sex couples and the career risk involved.

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. -- On a Sunday morning last month, the Rev. Eileen Lindsay stood smiling at the front of her California church, sunlight streaming through the stained-glass windows. She was about to sign three couples' marriage licenses, and asked her congregation to join in blessing their unions.

It was a joyous occasion, but for one thing: The act could bar her from preaching in United Methodist churches. That's because the couples were gay.

"Most Holy God," she prayed before the assembled. "Today is a day of lament and a day of thanksgiving." Her congregation of about 100 people, many wearing rainbow pins on their shirts, read from their programs in response: "We confess that we are members of a denomination whose official policies hurt and oppress people."

The California Supreme Court's decision that gay couples can wed went into effect in June, with much national attention on images of happy couples. But it suddenly put religious leaders like Ms. Lindsay in a bind because of their dual duties: They must care for their flocks' religious needs, including performing marriages; but they must also adhere to church rules, which often bar them from performing gay marriages.

After the Supreme Court decision, Todd Marler and Tim Barron, a couple in Ms. Lindsay's congregation, asked her to sign their marriage license. Messrs. Marler and Barron had exchanged vows a few years prior and were eager to make the union official.

Ms. Lindsay faced a dilemma: Should she marry the couple and risk losing her right to preach -- or refuse to marry them, and risk damaging her relationship with them and her congregation?

Full story:
Moral Dilemma: When Weddings Are a Career Risk

Why do you ask?

2008-07-19T11:39:09-05:00

By Ann Thompson Cook

The questions started when I began standing up for LGBT equality in the mid-1980s. I still don’t have good answers for them. I know this because my answers so rarely satisfy the people who ask the questions.

The first question is, Do you have a gay child? My answer is, No, not that I know of.

But that doesn’t really answer the question. Many people then take it to another level by asking, So… why do you care?

My usual answer begins with my outrage that people are being discriminated against for who they are, and it ends with something like, Because I want the next generation of children—GLBT or not—to be free to be themselves….

Often people leave these conversations puzzled and unsatisfied. Some simply shake their heads and wait for me to come out. They assume I couldn’t have that kind of passion unless I was lesbian.

I too am left unsatisfied. What is behind these questions? Why can’t this person accept that it makes a difference to me to eradicate this “ism” that hurts so many–those who are LGBT and those who are not?

My guess is that behind the questions lies deep hurt, a backlog of experience of being let down and betrayed by straight people, even those who say they’re supportive. Meeting me for the first (and sometimes the 100th) time, many LGBT people can’t assume that they can trust me, can’t assume that I won’t let them down like so many others have before.

Of course, I’ve had similar experiences (without the explicit questions) as a white person among people of color. It’s the water that we who are privileged swim in with marginalized communities.

At first, I found these exchanges deeply frustrating. Over the years, I’ve learned to simply and profoundly pay attention.

I can remind myself that it’s not personal, it’s not about me. But I can also use the exchange as a reminder to continue the inquiry: Where am I still blind to, or comfortable with, the “givens” in my life that are not available to others?

Why? Because it’s blindness and comfort that, in the end, will likely be the source of my disappointing or betraying people that I say I’m standing with.