A voice that anyone can appreciate. Romantic song. Not for the homophobe. Continue reading ‘Matt Alber – who knew he was terrific?’
Archive for the 'GLBT & Queer Theology' Category
I am posting this on both my blogs, because it is important (I think). It sets a stage for meaningful discussion about power and privilege. These are excerpts from the full article at my other blog.
Privilege is one of those very strange things. Those who lack it generally recognize it as either something to envy or something to despise. Those who know they have it and are inclined to have more, manipulate it to their own advantage. Then there is the great, largely clueless majority who, if asked, will tell you they don’t have privilege – they are just as downtrodden as women, people of color, GLBT or whatever other group they may name. Sometimes I think that the invisible unflective privilege is the most heinous and insidious.
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It is important to keep in mind that, just because a constitutional amendment is passed by popular vote, the amendment is not necessarily constitutional. Determining consistency with the overriding provisions of the constitution falls on the backs of the courts, which makes it a highly contentious and potentially unpopular part of the US system of justice. You might say that, when the courts get the most heat from the public, they may have come the closest to doing what they were created to do.
As a friend of mine pointed out, this “study” may already be frought with bias. Since it will study the “relationship between civil union and Christian marriage” can we assume that they will not study the far longer traditions of Christian unions and civil marriages. The study seems to suggest some fairly overt, albeit unreflective, bias to begin with.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Sharon K. Youngs, Communications Coor. February 4, 2009 (888) 728-7228, ext. 5750; sharon.youngs@pcusa.org
GA Moderator announces names for special committee to study civil union and Christian marriage
Committee of 13 will begin work in March
LOUISVILLE-The Reverend Bruce Reyes-Chow, Moderator of the 218th General Assembly (2008) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), has selected members for the General Assembly Special Committee to Study Issues of Civil Union and Christian Marriage. Continue reading ‘Presbyterians to Study Civil Unions and Christian Marriage’
This is a movie from the Courage Campaign in California. It is truly poignant. I encourage all, no matter your thoughts on same-sex marriage, to see this video and ponder the effects of potentially being forced to divorce your spouse.
Or, you can go to http://www.couragecampaign.org/page/s/divorce
Perhaps this begs a question. If you don’t believe they should be married to each other, who do you believe they should marry?
01
Feb
09
Marriage Denied
I would like to point you in the direction of a brief article that takes a different tack on the marriage issue.
It is brilliant in it’s simplicity, and makes a cogent point easy to understand.
It can be found at http://www.religiondispatches.org/blog/sexandgender/755/.
Enjoy the chuckle, but give serious thought to the implications.
24
Jan
09
Albany Presbytery Votes Pro-GLBT
On Saturday, January 24 2009, the Albany Presbytery voted to approve the constitutional amendment to three sections of the Constitution of the Presbyterian Church (USA). The primary change was to section G-6.0106b, the wording of which technically denied ordination to LGBT people seeking positions as deacons, elders or ministers. Before examining the potential effects on each ecclesiastical level of the church, you might want to check out the old and new wording. To do so, click here.
In some respects, this vote has the potential to have a major effect on the Presbyterian Church (USA), if it approved by 81 more presbyteries. It quite possibly will also be somewhat significant for the local presbytery. But, for the local church, little will change except that leaders will not be able to name a third-party as the reason it chooses not to ordain LGBT elders. The primary impact of this amendment is that it puts responsibility for determining the suitability of candidates for deacon, elder or minister squarely on the church body that approves the ordination – session for church officers and presbytery for ministers. Continue reading ‘Albany Presbytery Votes Pro-GLBT’
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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,
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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’
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SO WHAT IS THIS PROSCRIPTION REALLY ABOUT?
In true scriptural fashion, virtually all proscriptions are repeated several times – not just once or twice. While versions of the Decalogue – the Ten Commandments – appear three times, the admonishments contained therein are far more repetitive. Patterns and frequency of use, as mentioned earlier, help determine the meaning of difficult passages. There is, in fact, a pattern with regards to the significance of ‘bed’ in both the Hebrew and Greek.
Continue reading ‘The Case Against LGBT Falters – Part 3’
13
Jan
09
The Case Against LGBT – Part 2
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WHAT DOES “…AS WITH A WOMAN” MEAN?
Lev 18:22 You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.
Lev 20:13 If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall be put to death; their blood is upon them. (NRSV)
The wording of different English translations differs little with regard to these passages and, therefore, offers little help in examining meaning. The level of confidence in their validity, as prohibitions against same-sex relationships, is directly proportional to the credence given ‘literal’ readings of scripture. More literal – more important and damning; less literal – less consequential. I will argue, however, that the translations found in most English bibles are not very literal at all. In fact, quite generous interpretive licenses have been taken in the first place. Continue reading ‘The Case Against LGBT – Part 2’
MINISTRY FROM TWO POLES 
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