When I started this blog in June, 2005, I had no idea what to expect. It never occurred to me that people in 152 nations would read it. I didn't know so many people would comment and e-mail me to let me know that this little corner of the blogosphere made a difference in their lives. It has been a challenge I'm glad I accepted and a blessing beyond anything I could have ever expected.
It is time, however, for me to move in a different direction. I have been hearing that message from the Lord for several weeks and have finally decided to submit to it. I am being led into a new season where I will focus on studying the Word and moving into a full-fledged Pastor role in my church. I will continue to work to bring the Good News of Jesus to ALL God's people, especially those GLBT people who have been pushed away by the church.
The Lord wants me to move away from the computer and spend more time reaching out to people. He wants me to spend less time networking through e-mail and more time with my head and heart in the Bible building a stronger foundation in His Word so I can better serve Him as a leader in ministry.
I will keep this blog up so the resources I have accumulated are still available. I will also be contributing to the ministry of our Believers Covenant Fellowship website when our current revamp is launched in a few weeks.
Sharone will probably post an occasional update, but I will miss this part of my ministry work. Thanks to those of you who have supported me with your words and your prayers.
If you're going to be in the Washington, DC area and want to visit our ministry, please drop me a line and let me know.
Until our paths cross again, either in person or on the Internet in some form down the road, may God richly bless your life like he has mine.
Jim Johnson
August 17, 2008
August 15, 2008
MySpace Friend of the Day: Elder Sue Love of Oasis Fellowship Ministries
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=361543971&MyToken=53187eac-b8a2-4d69-ab86-8ea5c3cd94aa
Elder Sue Love is a native of Belleville, Illinois where she was raised by loving and nurturing parents who pastored a United Pentecostal Church. She received the baptism of the Holy Spirit at the age of 12 and began playing the organ for her father’s church at the age of 13. She was formerly educated in the public school system of Belleville, IL.
Elder Sue continued her ministerial training and music education at Jackson College of Ministries in Jackson, MS. under the tutelage of Lanny Wolfe, song writer of such songs as “More Than Wonderful”, “Surely The Presence Of The Lord Is In This Place” and many others. She received her Bachelors of Arts from Southern Illinois University.
Elder Sue began her professional career as Minister of Music at the age of 20. Her first position was at Radio Tabernacle in Herrin, IL in 1977. In 1980 she became the Director of Music for Kent Christian College in Dover, DE where she managed a staff of ten with a student body of approximately 125. In 1983 she relocated to Apopka, Florida to become the Minister of Music for the Pentecostals of Apopka. There she served for ten years. Since that time Elder Sue has served as Minister of Music for New Covenant Baptist Church of Orlando and Greater New Hope, both located in Orlando, Florida.
In addition to serving as Minister of Music, Elder Sue formed Keynote, Inc. in 1991. It is through this corporation that she has introduced into private Christian schools the concept of bringing private piano lessons into the academic day. The idea has since caught on, as most private Christian schools desire to offer their students extracurricular opportunities geared toward the arts.
In June of 2003 Elder Sue and her life partner Pastor Brei Taylor became members of Potter’s House Fellowship, an open and affirming ministry in Tampa, Florida. It was then that her ministry took on a new dimension as she began to minister for the first time in “Spirit and in truth” by walking out her call as the unique individual God has truly purposed her to be. After more than two years of faithful service at Potter’s House, Elder Sue and Pastor Brei were appointed by God to begin a work in Orlando, Florida. On Sunday, October 1, 2005, Elder Sue Love became one of the Founders of Oasis Fellowship Ministries, Inc. where she serves as Elder and overseer of the Ministry of Praise and Worship and in Administration.
Elder Sue Love is a native of Belleville, Illinois where she was raised by loving and nurturing parents who pastored a United Pentecostal Church. She received the baptism of the Holy Spirit at the age of 12 and began playing the organ for her father’s church at the age of 13. She was formerly educated in the public school system of Belleville, IL.
Elder Sue continued her ministerial training and music education at Jackson College of Ministries in Jackson, MS. under the tutelage of Lanny Wolfe, song writer of such songs as “More Than Wonderful”, “Surely The Presence Of The Lord Is In This Place” and many others. She received her Bachelors of Arts from Southern Illinois University.
Elder Sue began her professional career as Minister of Music at the age of 20. Her first position was at Radio Tabernacle in Herrin, IL in 1977. In 1980 she became the Director of Music for Kent Christian College in Dover, DE where she managed a staff of ten with a student body of approximately 125. In 1983 she relocated to Apopka, Florida to become the Minister of Music for the Pentecostals of Apopka. There she served for ten years. Since that time Elder Sue has served as Minister of Music for New Covenant Baptist Church of Orlando and Greater New Hope, both located in Orlando, Florida.
In addition to serving as Minister of Music, Elder Sue formed Keynote, Inc. in 1991. It is through this corporation that she has introduced into private Christian schools the concept of bringing private piano lessons into the academic day. The idea has since caught on, as most private Christian schools desire to offer their students extracurricular opportunities geared toward the arts.
In June of 2003 Elder Sue and her life partner Pastor Brei Taylor became members of Potter’s House Fellowship, an open and affirming ministry in Tampa, Florida. It was then that her ministry took on a new dimension as she began to minister for the first time in “Spirit and in truth” by walking out her call as the unique individual God has truly purposed her to be. After more than two years of faithful service at Potter’s House, Elder Sue and Pastor Brei were appointed by God to begin a work in Orlando, Florida. On Sunday, October 1, 2005, Elder Sue Love became one of the Founders of Oasis Fellowship Ministries, Inc. where she serves as Elder and overseer of the Ministry of Praise and Worship and in Administration.
August 14, 2008
Link of the Day: GayAgenda
http://www.gayagenda.com/
GayAgenda is a political based news site featuring stories that affect the global GLBT community.
Categories include:
Politics
Gay Rights
Health
Gay Marriage
Money and Finance
Religion
Right Wing Watch
Entertainment
GayAgenda is a political based news site featuring stories that affect the global GLBT community.
Categories include:
Politics
Gay Rights
Health
Gay Marriage
Money and Finance
Religion
Right Wing Watch
Entertainment
August 13, 2008
MySpace Friend of the Day: Stonewall--Education4All
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=271106940&MyToken=53187eac-b8a2-4d69-ab86-8ea5c3cd94aa
You think anti-gay bullying is a problem in your school? You're not alone, it happens in most schools. It can be stopped though, just check out the links here.
Add us as your friend to show your support for Stonewall and our campaign against homophobia and homophobic bullying in schools.
Help us make people realise homophobia isn't acceptable. Some people are gay. Get over it!
For more information on Education for all, click here.
You think anti-gay bullying is a problem in your school? You're not alone, it happens in most schools. It can be stopped though, just check out the links here.
Add us as your friend to show your support for Stonewall and our campaign against homophobia and homophobic bullying in schools.
Help us make people realise homophobia isn't acceptable. Some people are gay. Get over it!
For more information on Education for all, click here.
"When Saying Sorry is a Risk"
From the Sydney (Australia) Morning Herald:
WHEN Mike Hercock, a Baptist pastor, put out a call for Christian clergy who wanted to make a public apology to gays and lesbians, he was knocked over in the rush. But when the time came for the priests and pastors to march at this year's Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, some of the so-called "100 Revs" lost their nerve.
"A few days before the march, I started getting phone calls," said Mr Hercock, a pastor with the Hope Street community project in Darlinghurst. "The harder calls were the ones saying, 'The dog ate my homework and I can't make it on Saturday to march.' "
The apology should have been big news. But as word spread that the 100 Revs would issue a statement condemning the church for being "profoundly unloving" to gays and lesbians, church leaders flew into action.
The Baptist Union sent a one-page letter to its members warning them that it did not support the apology. Catholic priests and Uniting Church ministers were discreetly told not to get involved.
A preacher at a Pentecostal church received hate mail.
In the end, only 30 ministers marched. Even those who did not worried about their jobs.
Mr Hercock said signing the apology was a career-defining move for many of the 100 Revs. "For a lot of people it was always going to be a tough call," he said. "It can affect your ordination; it can affect your call to ministry. I don't know of one person who signed without going through some kind of internal process. They had to go through what the cost was to them, professionally and personally."
WHEN Mike Hercock, a Baptist pastor, put out a call for Christian clergy who wanted to make a public apology to gays and lesbians, he was knocked over in the rush. But when the time came for the priests and pastors to march at this year's Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, some of the so-called "100 Revs" lost their nerve.
"A few days before the march, I started getting phone calls," said Mr Hercock, a pastor with the Hope Street community project in Darlinghurst. "The harder calls were the ones saying, 'The dog ate my homework and I can't make it on Saturday to march.' "
The apology should have been big news. But as word spread that the 100 Revs would issue a statement condemning the church for being "profoundly unloving" to gays and lesbians, church leaders flew into action.
The Baptist Union sent a one-page letter to its members warning them that it did not support the apology. Catholic priests and Uniting Church ministers were discreetly told not to get involved.
A preacher at a Pentecostal church received hate mail.
In the end, only 30 ministers marched. Even those who did not worried about their jobs.
Mr Hercock said signing the apology was a career-defining move for many of the 100 Revs. "For a lot of people it was always going to be a tough call," he said. "It can affect your ordination; it can affect your call to ministry. I don't know of one person who signed without going through some kind of internal process. They had to go through what the cost was to them, professionally and personally."
The struggle to match one's actions to their convictions is often a difficult one, even (sometimes especially) for leaders in the church.
Click here to read the rest of the story.
Thanks to "A Life of Unlearning" for the link.
August 12, 2008
Link of the Day: Seven Straight Nights
http://www.sevenstraightnights.org/
Atticus Circle and Soulforce are pleased to bring back Seven Straight Nights for Equal Rights, a national event that will provide straight Americans with opportunities to do justice and motivate new allies to stand up and be counted for equal rights.
Last year, stories of friendship and political transformation emerged across the country during Seven Straight Nights, a first-of-its-kind event. Through Seven Straight Nights, the power of straight ally voices resonated in 38 cities in 28 different states across the country. Soulforce and Atticus Circle partnered with more than 30 national and statewide equality organizations to bring together a true grassroots effort on the part of straight allies standing up for equality.
We want YOU to be a part of the action this year!
Seven Straight Nights for Equal Rights consists of nighttime vigils led by straight allies during the week of September 14th through 20th, 2008.
The vigils are led by families, individuals, or groups, and focus on their personal decision to speak out on behalf of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) equality. Depending on the city, Action Leaders will either offer thanks for their state's positive policy record or issue a call to action on pertinent issues such as hate crimes, employment discrimination, and marriage equality.
Straight leaders are also needed for this effort. Here is a link to the press release regarding that effort.
Atticus Circle and Soulforce are pleased to bring back Seven Straight Nights for Equal Rights, a national event that will provide straight Americans with opportunities to do justice and motivate new allies to stand up and be counted for equal rights.
Last year, stories of friendship and political transformation emerged across the country during Seven Straight Nights, a first-of-its-kind event. Through Seven Straight Nights, the power of straight ally voices resonated in 38 cities in 28 different states across the country. Soulforce and Atticus Circle partnered with more than 30 national and statewide equality organizations to bring together a true grassroots effort on the part of straight allies standing up for equality.
We want YOU to be a part of the action this year!
Seven Straight Nights for Equal Rights consists of nighttime vigils led by straight allies during the week of September 14th through 20th, 2008.
The vigils are led by families, individuals, or groups, and focus on their personal decision to speak out on behalf of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) equality. Depending on the city, Action Leaders will either offer thanks for their state's positive policy record or issue a call to action on pertinent issues such as hate crimes, employment discrimination, and marriage equality.
Straight leaders are also needed for this effort. Here is a link to the press release regarding that effort.
Are Gays Becoming More Domesticated?
Is the focus among GLBT people becoming more toward having a family and less toward being fabulous? Sounds like it according to this study.
A new study finds a vast generational shift among LGBT people.
The survey, for Logo Network, discovered that more LGBT people expect to lead an integrated life raising families in suburbs or small towns while maintaining their identity and sense of community.
The study was conducted in in partnership with Simmons and TRU. 365gay is owned by Logo, a division of Viacom Inc.’s MTV Networks.
The survey found that 79 percent of gay people think it’s important to integrate into the greater culture and 64 percent are open about their sexual orientation to at least their family members.
It also found that less than half of gay people want to live in a city and a majority want to live in suburbia or small-town America. Regardless of where they want to live, 58 percent want to live closer to other gay people.
The researchers said that two-thirds of younger gay people expect to be partnered with kids at some point in their adulthood, while less than a third of gays 35 and older expect the same.
Younger gay people have an even mix of gay and straight friends, the network said in a statement. And overall, gay people rank marriage equality as the number one issue about which they’re passionate, followed by the environment, health care and the economy.
“We’re trading in West Hollywood for West Texas and big disposable incomes for disposable diapers,” said Lisa Sherman, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Logo.
“Most important, we’re integrating without abandoning our community or sense of identity. These developments are good for LGBT people and good for America.”
The research also found that despite gay people’s love for mainstream media, they want entertainment that speaks to their uniquely gay lives and experiences. Sherman said that this finding supports Logo’s efforts to develop programming like the recent Sordid Lives: The Series that tell authentic LGBT stories, sometimes with many LGBT characters and sometimes only a few.
The research involved a qualitative study in partnership with TRU Research of 21-45 year olds in New York and Dallas as well as a national survey in partnership with Simmons of 1,800.
A new study finds a vast generational shift among LGBT people.
The survey, for Logo Network, discovered that more LGBT people expect to lead an integrated life raising families in suburbs or small towns while maintaining their identity and sense of community.
The study was conducted in in partnership with Simmons and TRU. 365gay is owned by Logo, a division of Viacom Inc.’s MTV Networks.
The survey found that 79 percent of gay people think it’s important to integrate into the greater culture and 64 percent are open about their sexual orientation to at least their family members.
It also found that less than half of gay people want to live in a city and a majority want to live in suburbia or small-town America. Regardless of where they want to live, 58 percent want to live closer to other gay people.
The researchers said that two-thirds of younger gay people expect to be partnered with kids at some point in their adulthood, while less than a third of gays 35 and older expect the same.
Younger gay people have an even mix of gay and straight friends, the network said in a statement. And overall, gay people rank marriage equality as the number one issue about which they’re passionate, followed by the environment, health care and the economy.
“We’re trading in West Hollywood for West Texas and big disposable incomes for disposable diapers,” said Lisa Sherman, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Logo.
“Most important, we’re integrating without abandoning our community or sense of identity. These developments are good for LGBT people and good for America.”
The research also found that despite gay people’s love for mainstream media, they want entertainment that speaks to their uniquely gay lives and experiences. Sherman said that this finding supports Logo’s efforts to develop programming like the recent Sordid Lives: The Series that tell authentic LGBT stories, sometimes with many LGBT characters and sometimes only a few.
The research involved a qualitative study in partnership with TRU Research of 21-45 year olds in New York and Dallas as well as a national survey in partnership with Simmons of 1,800.
August 11, 2008
MySpace Friend of the Day: Untold Stories
http://www.myspace.com/mtvuntoldstories
So you fancy yourself as the next Martin Scorsese? You actually give a **** about HIV and AIDS, and the number of lives it affects? You want to do something about it… make an impact?
Untold Stories is a competition that gives you the chance to do exactly this (while simultaneously exercising your creative super powers…!)
So what’s the skinny? It’s really simple – take a look at the three videos below… decide which one you think rocks – and then… finish it off. Its ending is determined entirely by you…
On September 2nd, the person whose ending really packs a punch' and impresses our panel of judges will be chosen as our winner. If you’re that lucky person, you’ll get to make the script into a short film – with the help of MTV producers! Not only will your finished masterpiece be shown on MTV channels, but you’ll also be whisked off to watch your film played to a rather large audience, at a World AIDS Day event, in India.
So you fancy yourself as the next Martin Scorsese? You actually give a **** about HIV and AIDS, and the number of lives it affects? You want to do something about it… make an impact?
Untold Stories is a competition that gives you the chance to do exactly this (while simultaneously exercising your creative super powers…!)
So what’s the skinny? It’s really simple – take a look at the three videos below… decide which one you think rocks – and then… finish it off. Its ending is determined entirely by you…
On September 2nd, the person whose ending really packs a punch' and impresses our panel of judges will be chosen as our winner. If you’re that lucky person, you’ll get to make the script into a short film – with the help of MTV producers! Not only will your finished masterpiece be shown on MTV channels, but you’ll also be whisked off to watch your film played to a rather large audience, at a World AIDS Day event, in India.
Support for Same-Sex Couples During Straight Couples' Weddings
From the Canadian Press via Freedom to Marry:
When Marisa Miller married David Wolfson last year, the couple added a statement to their vows that they both passionately believe in the right of all people to marry regardless of sexual orientation.
With gay friends making up about 20 per cent of guests and two openly gay religious clergymen officiating, it seemed appropriate to note they felt "somewhat out of step with society's views on marriage."
"I thought it was really, really beautiful and very healing," said the Rev. Nate Walker, who presided with Rabbi Frank Tamburello. "It brought tears to my eyes, thinking that I am legally entitled to marry this wonderful couple but I am not entitled to have the same joy in my own life."
Such statements have become more common at heterosexual weddings. But not all gay guests appreciate the gesture. Some, like Pattrice Jones, compare straight couples' efforts at solidarity to a white person joining a whites-only country club and making a quick statement of support for blacks who are excluded.
"Just don't join the club, it's that simple," said Jones, a lesbian author.
After a wedding last year in which a straight couple read a statement of solidarity with gay couples, Jones said her "gay friends rang to tell me about it. They were horrified and really annoyed. We all felt it was so wrong to grab all the benefits that marriage gives you and just make a little statement to calm your guilt."
That last statement strikes me as misdirected anger and way off base. When Brenda and I got married, we had no reason to feel guilty because the several same-sex couples in attendance could not also enjoy those legal benefits. I wish now we had included a statement of support in our ceremony, but everyone there knew how strongly we felt about equality so we didn't feel it was necessary.
In fact, Brenda has presided at same-sex committment ceremonies, and I participated in the only one we've had at church since I've been attending.
These statements are nice, but need to be followed up with action to have any real meaning. In the meantime, those who support same-sex marriage who currently have the legal right to marry should do so without apologizing to anyone.
Click here to read the rest of the article.
When Marisa Miller married David Wolfson last year, the couple added a statement to their vows that they both passionately believe in the right of all people to marry regardless of sexual orientation.
With gay friends making up about 20 per cent of guests and two openly gay religious clergymen officiating, it seemed appropriate to note they felt "somewhat out of step with society's views on marriage."
"I thought it was really, really beautiful and very healing," said the Rev. Nate Walker, who presided with Rabbi Frank Tamburello. "It brought tears to my eyes, thinking that I am legally entitled to marry this wonderful couple but I am not entitled to have the same joy in my own life."
Such statements have become more common at heterosexual weddings. But not all gay guests appreciate the gesture. Some, like Pattrice Jones, compare straight couples' efforts at solidarity to a white person joining a whites-only country club and making a quick statement of support for blacks who are excluded.
"Just don't join the club, it's that simple," said Jones, a lesbian author.
After a wedding last year in which a straight couple read a statement of solidarity with gay couples, Jones said her "gay friends rang to tell me about it. They were horrified and really annoyed. We all felt it was so wrong to grab all the benefits that marriage gives you and just make a little statement to calm your guilt."
That last statement strikes me as misdirected anger and way off base. When Brenda and I got married, we had no reason to feel guilty because the several same-sex couples in attendance could not also enjoy those legal benefits. I wish now we had included a statement of support in our ceremony, but everyone there knew how strongly we felt about equality so we didn't feel it was necessary.
In fact, Brenda has presided at same-sex committment ceremonies, and I participated in the only one we've had at church since I've been attending.
These statements are nice, but need to be followed up with action to have any real meaning. In the meantime, those who support same-sex marriage who currently have the legal right to marry should do so without apologizing to anyone.
Click here to read the rest of the article.
August 10, 2008
Is Anglican Church Head Actually Sympathetic to Gays?
According to this article from Time magazine, it would appear the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, the leader of the Anglican Church (and it's American branch, the Episcopal Church) is putting order in the denomination ahead of his personal convictions regarding the issue of ordination of gay bishops.
Last week, 670 bishops of the Anglican Communion returned from the Lambeth Conference outside London to their dioceses around the world, their faith fortified by 19 days of prayer and theological debate and buoyed by relief that the once-a-decade meeting had passed off with little public acrimony or mention of schisms.
But just days later, the patient efforts of Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury and the man charged with holding the Anglican church together despite huge internal differences over the issue of gay clergy, lay in tatters following the leak of letters to the London Times newspaper that show where Williams' own sympathies lie on the matter.
In correspondence dating from 2000 and 2001 with Welsh psychiatrist and evangelical Christian, Deborah Pitt, Williams described how his literal faith in the scripture's prohibitions against homosexuality began to crumble after about 1980 and that 20 years of study and prayer had led him to the "definitive conclusion" that "an active sexual relationship between two people of the same sex might therefore reflect the love of God in a way comparable to marriage ..."
In itself, the revelation comes as no surprise to either liberal or conservative camps within the Anglican church. But Williams' previous writings on the subject have been few and couched in theologisms. This is how he tackled the issue in his essay The Body's Grace in 1989: "The absolute condemnation of same-sex relations of intimacy must rely either on an abstract fundamentalist deployment of a number of very ambiguous texts, or on a problematic and non-scriptural theory about natural complementarity, applied narrowly and crudely to physical differentiation without regard to psychological structures."
We can be thankful, at least, for his later brevity.
When he wrote his letter to Pitt, Williams was the Archbishop of Wales, his homeland and a diocese where he openly ordained gay priests. His appointment as Archbishop of Canterbury in 2003 was made in the full knowledge of that and liberals within the Church reasonably assumed that he would be the charismatic champion of the kind of church they longed for.
The realization that Williams would prioritize unity over change came when he balked at appointing as bishop the openly gay priest Jeffrey John. In this, Williams aimed to assuage the protests of a number of more traditional bishops. In a painful meeting, Williams persuaded John to withdraw his candidacy — an act that many liberals in the church saw not only as a capitulation but also as a missed opportunity to plant a flag for his true convictions. "Had he gone through with it," a gay vicar in Wales and a friend of Williams told TIME over 18 months ago, "We would not be where we're at. It would either have nailed the problem or it would have caused a split very quickly. He's delaying the inevitable."
An early indication of how he would manage the discrepancy between his views and the requirements of his high office come in the leaked letters. "I don't see myself as a campaigner for a new morality," Williams writes in a letter of September 2000, "but if I'm asked for my views, as a theologian rather than as a church leader, I have to be honest and admit that they are as I've said". But the logic of his position unravels when he notes that the church has "shifted its stance on several matters, notably the rightness of lending money at interest and the moral admissibility of contraception, so I am bound to ask if [homosexuality]is another such issue." Change can be slow, but it is never won by sitting on high, uncomfortable fences.
Leadership is supposed to draw people off the fence and point them in a specific direction. Failure to do so isn't very effective leadership, if it even qualifies for that title at all.
Last week, 670 bishops of the Anglican Communion returned from the Lambeth Conference outside London to their dioceses around the world, their faith fortified by 19 days of prayer and theological debate and buoyed by relief that the once-a-decade meeting had passed off with little public acrimony or mention of schisms.
But just days later, the patient efforts of Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury and the man charged with holding the Anglican church together despite huge internal differences over the issue of gay clergy, lay in tatters following the leak of letters to the London Times newspaper that show where Williams' own sympathies lie on the matter.
In correspondence dating from 2000 and 2001 with Welsh psychiatrist and evangelical Christian, Deborah Pitt, Williams described how his literal faith in the scripture's prohibitions against homosexuality began to crumble after about 1980 and that 20 years of study and prayer had led him to the "definitive conclusion" that "an active sexual relationship between two people of the same sex might therefore reflect the love of God in a way comparable to marriage ..."
In itself, the revelation comes as no surprise to either liberal or conservative camps within the Anglican church. But Williams' previous writings on the subject have been few and couched in theologisms. This is how he tackled the issue in his essay The Body's Grace in 1989: "The absolute condemnation of same-sex relations of intimacy must rely either on an abstract fundamentalist deployment of a number of very ambiguous texts, or on a problematic and non-scriptural theory about natural complementarity, applied narrowly and crudely to physical differentiation without regard to psychological structures."
We can be thankful, at least, for his later brevity.
When he wrote his letter to Pitt, Williams was the Archbishop of Wales, his homeland and a diocese where he openly ordained gay priests. His appointment as Archbishop of Canterbury in 2003 was made in the full knowledge of that and liberals within the Church reasonably assumed that he would be the charismatic champion of the kind of church they longed for.
The realization that Williams would prioritize unity over change came when he balked at appointing as bishop the openly gay priest Jeffrey John. In this, Williams aimed to assuage the protests of a number of more traditional bishops. In a painful meeting, Williams persuaded John to withdraw his candidacy — an act that many liberals in the church saw not only as a capitulation but also as a missed opportunity to plant a flag for his true convictions. "Had he gone through with it," a gay vicar in Wales and a friend of Williams told TIME over 18 months ago, "We would not be where we're at. It would either have nailed the problem or it would have caused a split very quickly. He's delaying the inevitable."
An early indication of how he would manage the discrepancy between his views and the requirements of his high office come in the leaked letters. "I don't see myself as a campaigner for a new morality," Williams writes in a letter of September 2000, "but if I'm asked for my views, as a theologian rather than as a church leader, I have to be honest and admit that they are as I've said". But the logic of his position unravels when he notes that the church has "shifted its stance on several matters, notably the rightness of lending money at interest and the moral admissibility of contraception, so I am bound to ask if [homosexuality]is another such issue." Change can be slow, but it is never won by sitting on high, uncomfortable fences.
Leadership is supposed to draw people off the fence and point them in a specific direction. Failure to do so isn't very effective leadership, if it even qualifies for that title at all.
August 09, 2008
This is NOT from God
From the blog "Rising Up Whole":
A week or so ago over at Beyond Ex-Gay (bXg) we received a feedback comment on our website from Anthony Falzarano (an ex-gay leader and the founder of the anti-gay PFOX organization, shown in a PFOX ad at right) addressed to Darlene Bogle. I forwarded the letter to Darlene.
Yesterday I received this email from Darlene (shared with permission). You can read her story at Beyond Ex-Gay in which she writes about her journey out of Exodus. Part of her story is that her partner of twelve years, Des, passed away from breast cancer in 2005.
Dear Christine!
Thank you for sending the feedback email from Anthony Fazarano addressed to me at the bXg website!
It reads:
Darlene, I'm glad I ran across your blog. I still miss you. I am sorry to hear that your lover died of breast-cancer. Darlene is God sending you a message? Please consider coming back to Exodus. You are loved and missed. Why would God call you back to lesbianism, give you a lover and then take her away. I'm sorry that you are going through this. My heart is breaking right now but I believe that you belong to the Lord and "He chastizes the one's that he loves". I believe He is calling you back. If you want to talk I am here to listen. Please call me at [removed] if you want to talk.
May God Bless You,
Anthony Falzarano
Folks, this is about as unGodly as it gets. God does not "punish" us for our perceived misdeeds by killing off our loved ones! This kind of manipulation and twisting of God's love makes me ill.
Here is an excerpt of Darlene's response:
Apparently he feels that if you follow God, nothing bad will ever happen to you. Des and I had 12 years together and she was a special gift of God to me. I stood at her bedside the night she entered heaven, and saw her sweet smile as she met her Lord face to face. Would God give us 12 years together, then take her to heaven as a judgment? No, but through the life she lived, and that we shared, I came to know His love in deeper ways, and to be a more caring, compassionate and kind human being. I wouldn't change it for any experience. Serving God does not insulate you from death. I think we are all going to keep that appointment that was established by God before we were ever born. (Psalm 139)
Anthony believes God is calling me back? To what? The judgmental teachings of Exodus that say you have to change your orientation to be acceptable to God. Long ago I committed myself to acknowledge God in all my ways and allow Him to direct my path. How can I go where God isn't?
If you want a better understanding of how God can work through a loving same-sex relationship, I urge you to read the rest of Darlene Fogle's response.
Thanks to my friend Peterson Toscano for alerting me to this exchange.
A week or so ago over at Beyond Ex-Gay (bXg) we received a feedback comment on our website from Anthony Falzarano (an ex-gay leader and the founder of the anti-gay PFOX organization, shown in a PFOX ad at right) addressed to Darlene Bogle. I forwarded the letter to Darlene.
Yesterday I received this email from Darlene (shared with permission). You can read her story at Beyond Ex-Gay in which she writes about her journey out of Exodus. Part of her story is that her partner of twelve years, Des, passed away from breast cancer in 2005.
Dear Christine!
Thank you for sending the feedback email from Anthony Fazarano addressed to me at the bXg website!
It reads:
Darlene, I'm glad I ran across your blog. I still miss you. I am sorry to hear that your lover died of breast-cancer. Darlene is God sending you a message? Please consider coming back to Exodus. You are loved and missed. Why would God call you back to lesbianism, give you a lover and then take her away. I'm sorry that you are going through this. My heart is breaking right now but I believe that you belong to the Lord and "He chastizes the one's that he loves". I believe He is calling you back. If you want to talk I am here to listen. Please call me at [removed] if you want to talk.
May God Bless You,
Anthony Falzarano
Folks, this is about as unGodly as it gets. God does not "punish" us for our perceived misdeeds by killing off our loved ones! This kind of manipulation and twisting of God's love makes me ill.
Here is an excerpt of Darlene's response:
Apparently he feels that if you follow God, nothing bad will ever happen to you. Des and I had 12 years together and she was a special gift of God to me. I stood at her bedside the night she entered heaven, and saw her sweet smile as she met her Lord face to face. Would God give us 12 years together, then take her to heaven as a judgment? No, but through the life she lived, and that we shared, I came to know His love in deeper ways, and to be a more caring, compassionate and kind human being. I wouldn't change it for any experience. Serving God does not insulate you from death. I think we are all going to keep that appointment that was established by God before we were ever born. (Psalm 139)
Anthony believes God is calling me back? To what? The judgmental teachings of Exodus that say you have to change your orientation to be acceptable to God. Long ago I committed myself to acknowledge God in all my ways and allow Him to direct my path. How can I go where God isn't?
If you want a better understanding of how God can work through a loving same-sex relationship, I urge you to read the rest of Darlene Fogle's response.
Thanks to my friend Peterson Toscano for alerting me to this exchange.
August 08, 2008
Link of the Day: OUTFront!
http://www.amnestyusa.org/Our_Issues/LGBT_Human_Rights/page.do?id=1011002&n1=3&n2=36
This is the LGBT rights initiative within Amnesty International USA.
While homosexual relationships continues to be criminalized in many countries (where punishment can include the death penalty), and real or perceived homosexuality often constitute the basis of a violent act against a person, there is a growing global movement to recognize the rights of LGBT people and the need to combat these human rights violations. One of the most powerful ways to promote the continued evolution of LGBT human rights and to interrupt the cycle of violence against LGBT people is through education. Learning about human rights and learning how to respect others and defend their human rights is fundamental to creating a culture that supports the human rights of all.
This is the LGBT rights initiative within Amnesty International USA.
While homosexual relationships continues to be criminalized in many countries (where punishment can include the death penalty), and real or perceived homosexuality often constitute the basis of a violent act against a person, there is a growing global movement to recognize the rights of LGBT people and the need to combat these human rights violations. One of the most powerful ways to promote the continued evolution of LGBT human rights and to interrupt the cycle of violence against LGBT people is through education. Learning about human rights and learning how to respect others and defend their human rights is fundamental to creating a culture that supports the human rights of all.
Religious Leaders Fight HIV Travel Restrictions
From the Christian Post:
The faith community will continue to advocate for the lifting of travel restrictions on people living with HIV until the rule is removed worldwide, vowed religious leaders at the 17th International AIDS Conference.
“For both the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) and the Lutheran World Federation this (travel restrictions on HIV+ people) is both an issue of faith and of human rights,” said the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of ELCA and president of LWF on Monday.
“As a religious leader, I am convinced that lifting discriminatory travel restrictions is a responsible act of justice and mercy. Most of those restrictions are born out of fear and ignorance,” Hanson said.
Hanson suggested religious groups consider to not hold national conferences in countries with HIV-related travel restrictions.
This is another positive step toward ensuring GLBT people, especially sick ones.
Click here to read the rest of the story.
The faith community will continue to advocate for the lifting of travel restrictions on people living with HIV until the rule is removed worldwide, vowed religious leaders at the 17th International AIDS Conference.
“For both the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) and the Lutheran World Federation this (travel restrictions on HIV+ people) is both an issue of faith and of human rights,” said the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of ELCA and president of LWF on Monday.
“As a religious leader, I am convinced that lifting discriminatory travel restrictions is a responsible act of justice and mercy. Most of those restrictions are born out of fear and ignorance,” Hanson said.
Hanson suggested religious groups consider to not hold national conferences in countries with HIV-related travel restrictions.
This is another positive step toward ensuring GLBT people, especially sick ones.
Click here to read the rest of the story.
August 07, 2008
MySpace Friend of the Day: QBliss
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=97450908&MyToken=4c0715ff-54ab-4c87-9bc1-b1004729e18b
Founded in 1999, QBliss is a not-for-profit, 100% volunteer community and life site created to celebrate the diversity of our lives by providing information and to increase awareness, support and effect change in our local, national and international Gay, Lesbian, Transgendered, and Intersexed (GLBTI) community and it’s Allies. Working in conjunction with some of the largest local, national, and international groups and organizations, QBliss offers a true community based information hub that focuses on GLBTI issues throughout the world. This is achieved by utilizing the Internet and its resources by offering QBliss.net, Yahoo® Powered groups, as well as real-time news feeds that tap GLBTI specific information as well as general world news that affects all people regardless of sexual orientation. All of these services are offered free of charge. Unlike many other GLBTI web sites that offer nothing more than adult material and a somewhat stereotypical twist on our community, QBliss is becoming a more visual entity on the Internet and our community by breaking down the stereotypes and creating real change. Please join us in an effort to put a real face on the GLBTI community and celebrating our diversity.
Founded in 1999, QBliss is a not-for-profit, 100% volunteer community and life site created to celebrate the diversity of our lives by providing information and to increase awareness, support and effect change in our local, national and international Gay, Lesbian, Transgendered, and Intersexed (GLBTI) community and it’s Allies. Working in conjunction with some of the largest local, national, and international groups and organizations, QBliss offers a true community based information hub that focuses on GLBTI issues throughout the world. This is achieved by utilizing the Internet and its resources by offering QBliss.net, Yahoo® Powered groups, as well as real-time news feeds that tap GLBTI specific information as well as general world news that affects all people regardless of sexual orientation. All of these services are offered free of charge. Unlike many other GLBTI web sites that offer nothing more than adult material and a somewhat stereotypical twist on our community, QBliss is becoming a more visual entity on the Internet and our community by breaking down the stereotypes and creating real change. Please join us in an effort to put a real face on the GLBTI community and celebrating our diversity.
Focus of AIDS Prevention Returning to Gay Men?
Yes, if the words of these world leaders are heeded.
From Bloomberg.com:
Discrimination against men who have sex with men must end, and countries must gear up prevention programs against AIDS in this high-risk group, the secretary general of the United Nations said yesterday.
Speaking at the opening ceremonies for the International AIDS Conference in Mexico City, UN chief Ban Ki-moon was one of several world leaders and health officials who spoke about the need for targeting the epidemic among homosexual men.
Margaret Chan, head of the World Health Organization's China unit, said health officials in all nations, including the U.S., need to acknowledge setbacks in a group that pioneered the earliest response to the disease. In the U.S., infections among gay men have risen 75 percent in 15 years, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
``We need to engage them, we need to take care of them, we should not forget about them,'' Chan said, referring to the homosexual community worldwide.
Click here to read the rest of the report.
From Bloomberg.com:
Discrimination against men who have sex with men must end, and countries must gear up prevention programs against AIDS in this high-risk group, the secretary general of the United Nations said yesterday.
Speaking at the opening ceremonies for the International AIDS Conference in Mexico City, UN chief Ban Ki-moon was one of several world leaders and health officials who spoke about the need for targeting the epidemic among homosexual men.
Margaret Chan, head of the World Health Organization's China unit, said health officials in all nations, including the U.S., need to acknowledge setbacks in a group that pioneered the earliest response to the disease. In the U.S., infections among gay men have risen 75 percent in 15 years, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
``We need to engage them, we need to take care of them, we should not forget about them,'' Chan said, referring to the homosexual community worldwide.
Click here to read the rest of the report.
August 06, 2008
Link of the Day: Crossing the T
http://crossingthet.wordpress.com/
Life at the intersection of Church and Trans with Rev. Allyson Robinson.
Life at the intersection of Church and Trans with Rev. Allyson Robinson.
New York Same-Sex Couples Will Enjoy "The Amtrak Option"
Last week, Massachusetts repealed a century-old law preventing out-of-state residents from marrying there if their home states would not recognize the union. Same=sex couples in the state of New York can directly benefit from that.
From the New York Times:
While some New Yorkers have flown across the country to marry in California since May, when that state became the nation’s second to approve same-sex marriage, gay-rights advocates expect many more to do the same in Massachusetts, since it is so much closer.
“We call it the Amtrak option, as opposed to the Jet Blue option,” said Cathy Renna, a communications consultant to gay and lesbian organizations.
Alan Van Capelle, executive director of Empire State Pride Agenda, a leading gay-rights group, said, “I think this is an incredible opportunity for same-sex New York couples who are hungry for some of the 1,324 rights and responsibilities married couples receive to obtain them.”
Governor Paterson’s decision placed New York alongside Rhode Island and New Mexico in recognizing same-sex marriages performed in Massachusetts, according to a Boston-based advocacy group, Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders.
A June memo from the Massachusetts Office of Housing and Economic Development estimated that 21,000 gay couples from New York might go there to marry if the state allowed. That is about 43 percent of the estimated 49,000 same-sex couples in New York. About 9,600 same-sex couples from Massachusetts married in the first three years after the state legalized such unions in 2004.
With Governor Paterson’s blessing, New Yorkers who get married in Massachusetts — or Canada or California — will be eligible for a host of benefits that they cannot receive now, according to Mr. Van Capelle of the Pride Agenda. Firefighters and police officers in particular have a lot to gain, because the state gives significant benefits to the spouses of emergency workers killed in the line of duty.
Another step toward equality. Click here to read the rest of the story.
From the New York Times:
While some New Yorkers have flown across the country to marry in California since May, when that state became the nation’s second to approve same-sex marriage, gay-rights advocates expect many more to do the same in Massachusetts, since it is so much closer.
“We call it the Amtrak option, as opposed to the Jet Blue option,” said Cathy Renna, a communications consultant to gay and lesbian organizations.
Alan Van Capelle, executive director of Empire State Pride Agenda, a leading gay-rights group, said, “I think this is an incredible opportunity for same-sex New York couples who are hungry for some of the 1,324 rights and responsibilities married couples receive to obtain them.”
Governor Paterson’s decision placed New York alongside Rhode Island and New Mexico in recognizing same-sex marriages performed in Massachusetts, according to a Boston-based advocacy group, Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders.
A June memo from the Massachusetts Office of Housing and Economic Development estimated that 21,000 gay couples from New York might go there to marry if the state allowed. That is about 43 percent of the estimated 49,000 same-sex couples in New York. About 9,600 same-sex couples from Massachusetts married in the first three years after the state legalized such unions in 2004.
With Governor Paterson’s blessing, New Yorkers who get married in Massachusetts — or Canada or California — will be eligible for a host of benefits that they cannot receive now, according to Mr. Van Capelle of the Pride Agenda. Firefighters and police officers in particular have a lot to gain, because the state gives significant benefits to the spouses of emergency workers killed in the line of duty.
Another step toward equality. Click here to read the rest of the story.
August 05, 2008
MySpace Friend of the Day: Episcopal Online
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=188836206&MyToken=c021b106-2394-4dc7-95fa-c567a4125243
The Episcopal Media Center is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that has served the Episcopal Church for over 60 years providing communications support and technology. The mission of our organization is to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ through all existing communications technologies. You can see our web site here or visit our online store which supports our mission driven activities. Thank you for your interest in us, if you have any questions feel free to send us a message and i will get right back to you.
The Episcopal Media Center is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that has served the Episcopal Church for over 60 years providing communications support and technology. The mission of our organization is to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ through all existing communications technologies. You can see our web site here or visit our online store which supports our mission driven activities. Thank you for your interest in us, if you have any questions feel free to send us a message and i will get right back to you.
Knoxville Church Sanctuary Redidicated a Week After Shooting
From the Tennessean:
Members of the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church rededicated their sanctuary Sunday as a place of love, despite the tragedy unleashed there a week ago when a man opened fire with a shotgun and killed two people.
"Beyond the fear that will not subdue us, we reclaim and share this, our worship space," said Brian Griffin, director of religious education. "We are safe; we are together; we are loved, and so it will be."
Community members packed the sanctuary, and others watched a telecast in an overflow room nearby during the rededication.
The Rev. Chris Buice said the slaying of Greg McKendry and Linda Kraeger triggered "unspeakable amounts of love." The shootings occurred during a children's performance of the musical Annie.
Sometimes the worst of circumstances bring out the best in people, and it appears this was one of those occasions.
Click here to read the rest of the article.
"A man tried to divide us into liberals and conservatives, gay and straight. Instead his actions united us," Buice said.
Members of the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church rededicated their sanctuary Sunday as a place of love, despite the tragedy unleashed there a week ago when a man opened fire with a shotgun and killed two people.
"Beyond the fear that will not subdue us, we reclaim and share this, our worship space," said Brian Griffin, director of religious education. "We are safe; we are together; we are loved, and so it will be."
Community members packed the sanctuary, and others watched a telecast in an overflow room nearby during the rededication.
The Rev. Chris Buice said the slaying of Greg McKendry and Linda Kraeger triggered "unspeakable amounts of love." The shootings occurred during a children's performance of the musical Annie.
Sometimes the worst of circumstances bring out the best in people, and it appears this was one of those occasions.
Click here to read the rest of the article.
"A man tried to divide us into liberals and conservatives, gay and straight. Instead his actions united us," Buice said.
August 04, 2008
Link of the Day: Gay Politics
http://www.gaypolitics.com/
GayPolitics.com, a project of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, features news, commentary and discussion about openly LGBT public officials and political candidates.
GayPolitics.com, a project of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, features news, commentary and discussion about openly LGBT public officials and political candidates.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
