Today, I received an e-mail communication from New York Pride Agenda announcing Governor Paterson’s appointment to fill the seat left open by Hillary Clinton. The announcement read: Continue reading ‘Gillibrand to be New York Senator’
Archive for January, 2009
As we have entered the blogosphere, new vistas have been realized for Rev Jenna Zirbel, my wife, and me. On one hand, new opportunities for getting our writings out in public have become obvious. On the other, new considerations of personal and ethical conduct have reared their heads. For this post, the subjects are (i) the difference between authoring, writing and posting written materials, and (ii) the issue of attribution, being the way you show who really contributed to the article. Continue reading ‘Authoring vs. Writing vs. Posting’
Continued from: God as Mother – more traditional than you might think. Or go to Table of Contents
WHAT DID JESUS DO?
The most common reason given for calling God “God the Father”, “Father God” or “Father” is that Jesus did, and told us to do so as well. That is true, of course, only when you read a translation of the New Testament in something other than Greek. Greek had some interesting abnormalities that affect translation – unusual facets that were easy to miss, or to ignore, depending on your perspectives or intentions. Continue reading ‘God as Mother – lost in later tradition (Pt 2)’
20
Jan
09
Another One of Those Days
This is a re-post of Rick336’s thread on Soulforce. I loved it so much, I was envious, so I asked to re-post it here. Rick, being the ever so kind person he is, granted me that permission. It amazes me that Rick has summed up amost exactly the same recollections of history that I remember. Thanks Rick – you make me look good.
Continued from Deconstruction and the Hermaneutic of Suspicion or go to Table of Contents
GENESIS 1:26-28 – THE IMAGE OF GOD
Underlying much of feminist biblical hermeneutics, obviously, is the issue of equality of the genders, with many feminists directly addressing the issue of “the image of God” or imago dei. This concept originates with Genesis 1:26-28, and is picked up in a few other biblical texts, most notably 1 Corinthians 11:7-8. The problem with the imago dei from the viewpoint of feminist theology is not so much the meaning of “made in the image of God”, which has generated all manner of exceedingly complicated theological discourse since Iranaeus’ misconceptions were corrected by Augustine of Hippo[1], but rather the question of who was made in the image of God. Continue reading ‘Feminist Perspectives and Gen 1:26-28 (Part 5)’
Continued from: Feminist Theology or go to Table of Contents
DECONSTRUCTION AND THE HERMANEUTIC OF SUSPICION
Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza has been a leading advocate of a hermeneutical approach that incorporates a “dual emphasis on deconstruction and reconstruction.”[1] This process necessitates delving into what is ambiguously stated, omitted from or is inferred in a passage, as well as what is said. It calls into question the patriarchal formulation of orthodoxy, including the process of rejecting other ancient works in the development of the canon, as part and parcel of the church’s historical approach to marginalizing women. Continue reading ‘Feminist Perspectives on Biblical Authority (Part 4)’
Continued from Biblical Authority or go to Table of Contents
FEMINIST THEOLOGY
Many groups with special theological interests found considerable fodder in the development of this multiplicity of investigative approaches to scripture, among them various kinds of “Third World” liberation theologies and, of particular interest here, feminist theologies. It is difficult to represent a norm for feminist theology, since there are several schools of thought. The common denominator, as expressed by Letty Russell, is a theological approach of advocacy for women that “represents a search for liberation from all forms of dehumanization … advocating full human personhood for all.”[1] Continue reading ‘Feminist Perspectives on Biblical Authority (Part 3)’
Continued from The Creation Story or go to the Table of Contents
BIBLICAL AUTHORITY
The “authority of scripture” has quite a range of meanings in Christian theology and, for the purposes of this essay, will be discussed in quite broad strokes with relation to scriptures. The status of authority extends from scripture simply being considered the word of God. This is viewed in several ways, and is to some extent indicative of how we approach God. Continue reading ‘Feminist Perspectives on Biblical Authority (Part 2)’
17
Jan
09
God is in Gaza and Israel
On another forum site on which I participate, a thread was started entitled “The Victimization of Hamas.” Basically, the premise of the original poster was that Hamas was getting what it deserved, and the civilians being killed, maimed and hurt were somehow complicit by the very presence in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip. Shockingly, to me at least since this is generally a socially, politically and theologically progressive forum, many agreed. This was my latest response:
15
Jan
09
Ray Boltz for Soulforce
This is a moving video from my friends at Soulforce.org
15
Jan
09
G-6.0106b Commentary
In an article questioning whether now is the time to consider replacing G-6.0106b, Barbara G. Wheeler wrote:
I still think that G-6.0106b must be removed. It is a blot on the Constitution. It was tortuously worded to create the appearance of fairness — the same standard for gay and straight officers — as cover for its discriminatory intent, the exclusion of gays and lesbians. It promotes misuse of the church’s great confessions of faith as catalogs of sins. Continue reading ‘G-6.0106b Commentary’
14
Jan
09
The Parable of the Ministers
The Kingdom of Heaven will look something like this. The bishop of an unnamed denomination called in two new probationer ministers to make appointments to two churches based, of course, on the gifts and graces he perceived in each candidate. After interviewing the two probationers, the bishop appointed the first to a suburban church with over five hundred members and a brand new, spectacular building. The second was appointed to an inner city mission church with less than a hundred members and a somewhat dilapidated building located in a blighted neighborhood. The bishop, of course, disappeared from view until it was time for the next round of appointments.
Continue reading ‘The Parable of the Ministers’
Go to Table of Contents
WHAT IS REALLY AT STAKE
What is at stake is the outright condemnation and rejection of a significant portion of God’s children by the church based, according to most, on scriptural authority. I argue that the very few Biblical passages that possibly decry homosexuality lose their veracity since the Levitical condemnation of “abomination” is, at the least, suspect. It is incumbent on the church to wrestle out the implications of this in a very public way,
Go to Table of Contents
THE ORIGINS OF “AS WITH A WOMAN”
Where, then, did the English translations derive the meaning so frequently interpreted as a prohibition against same-sex relations. We need look no further than the Vulgate, the Latin translation of scripture ascribed to St Jerome in the early fifth century. Continue reading ‘The Case Against LGBT – no, the KJV Part 4’
Rev Andy Little
MINISTRY FROM TWO POLES 
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