MINISTRY FROM TWO POLES

Archive Page 8

Apr

Then Comes New York

Categories: Marriage & Sexuality
Tags: cultural competence, Equity, Ethics, GLBT issues, homophobia, inclusive, initiatives, marriage equality, Progressive, society

A week ago, I asked, “Where is New York?” Vermont’s legislature had just passed a marriage equality bill, and Empire State Pride Agenda’s Executive Director had just made a press release. New York’s legislative bodies, however, have been bandying the notion around, but seemed reticent to bring it to the floor.

Now enter Governor Paterson of New York. After ordering New York state departments to recognize same-gender marriages performed out of state, and to extend insurance and other rights to same-gender partners, Gov Paterson today announced that he will introduce legislation to allow same-gender marriages in New York. The full story can be read on CNN at http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/04/14/ny.same.sex.marriage/index.html.

Citing New York’s history of involvement with civil rights issues, the governor said, “There is clearly a problem in that those individuals who are gay or lesbian who would live in a civil union are still not entitled to somewhere between 1,250 and 1,300 civil protections” available to married couples. We would like to try to address that at some point in the near future.” It is time to start wotking in earnest on our state senators.

Apr

Resurrection – Pain & Joy

By Rev Andy Little Leave a Comment

Ah! Easter Sunday! Christ has risen. Alleluia.

I always imagine the early morning Easter sun breaking through the darkness of the night. I picture the angels Mary saw dressed in white. There she was, standing in a garden filled with the color and the smell of Easter lilies, hyacinths, and azaleas. Okay! So it’s not exactly accurate, but it is, for me, a brilliant and dazzling scene – a scene that inspires me and brings hope.

There are substantial differences in the four Gospel versions of the resurrection story. Much has been made of these differences – perhaps more than has been made of the other differences that exist in scripture. There are enough differences that, while each depicts a brilliant and dazzling scene, it is tough to know which, if any, may be historically accurate. Continue reading ‘Resurrection – Pain & Joy’

Apr

Post-Christian or Pro-Christlike

By Rev Andy Little Leave a Comment

Categories: Ethics, GLBT & Queer Theology and Liberation theology
Tags: bias, Christ, Christian, Church, conflict resolution, cultural competence, Ethics, Faith, GLBT issues, God, group dynamics, history, Holy Spirit, inclusive, initiatives, Kingdom of God, oppression, PC(USA), poverty, Progressive, reconciliation, Theology

” “A remarkable culture-shift has taken place around us,” Mohler [R. Albert Mohler Jr.—president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary] wrote. “The most basic contours of American culture have been radically altered. The so-called Judeo-Christian consensus of the last millennium has given way to a post-modern, post-Christian, post-Western cultural crisis which threatens the very heart of our culture.” When Mohler and I spoke in the days after he wrote this, he had grown even gloomier. “Clearly, there is a new narrative, a post-Christian narrative, that is animating large portions of this society,” he said from his office on campus in Louisville, Ky. ” Quoted from Jon Meacham’s The End of Christian America.

My good friend, Daniel, posted a link on Soulforce.org to the above article in order to start a conversation about what “Post-Christian” might mean. Daniel, a former Assembly of God member now more comfortable with Buddha, has an attitude about Christianity that may best be descibed using Gandhi’s statement, “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” Continue reading ‘Post-Christian or Pro-Christlike’

Apr

Better Living Through Chemistry

By Rev Andy Little Leave a Comment

Categories: Personal Stories

That’s what they say, but I’m yet to be convinced. I am taking a bit of a hiatus while my doctor tries to adjust my meds. Finding the right combination for Bipolar II is something of a trial and error process, or even possibly a crap shoot, and the subject of the experiments (in this case me) gets to enjoy the roller coaster ride. Those who love me just get to watch and care, while feeling helpless.

To keep the blog alive, I reposted a couple of things I particularly liked and they even got a little more read time this time around. I feel like it’s cheating a bit, but I’m having difficulties concentrating and writing anything new at the moment. For those people who regularly read my ramblings – both of you – don’t give up on me. I am sure I’ll find some kind of equilibrium or, failing that, enter into brief periods of hypomania during which I will probably write profusely.

There is something very humbling about being tossed to and fro by the effects of little pills. For a recovering control freak, it’s a little scary. I have missed two Sunday services because I can’t ensure that I can maintain emotionally for a couple of hours straight, and people could be disturbed by displays of emotion – never mind the possibility of breaking down in the pulpit. Now I’ve been advised to take medical leave for at least another couple of weeks. I have a feeling a recommendation for long-term leave might also be coming.

The possibility looms large that I may be done in ministry. In an already challenging ministry, this interruption may prove too much for the church to bear. I know it might be the death knell of this particular call. I also question whether it is appropriate for someone who gets their personality from a pill to minister to others, when the potential always exists for erratic and unpredictable emotions. So, little by little, as the days tick by, my heart breaks just a little more because I can’t quite envision how God can use a vessel quite this broken.

I would appreciate your prayers – for wellness and discernment.

Apr

Vermont legislates equality – where is New York?

By Rev Andy Little Leave a Comment

Categories: Marriage & Sexuality
Tags: bias, Ethics, GLBT issues, homophobia, inclusive, marriage equality, oppression, reconciliation, society

Shortly after Vermont’s legislature voted to override Gov. Douglas’ veto earlier today, we released the following statement:

“We are thrilled that Vermont—another one of New York’s neighbors—has passed a marriage equality bill through the state legislature. Less than a week after Iowa’s Supreme Court recognized the need to recognize and protect same-sex couples and our families, more than two-thirds of Vermont’s legislature sent the same message by overriding Governor Jim Douglas’ veto.

Vermont was the first state to pass a law recognizing same-sex couples through civil unions and now becomes the first state to provide real marriage equality for same-sex couples through a vote in the state legislature. This is truly a victory for LGBT people in Vermont and across the country.

But I’m embarrassed for New York State. Continue reading ‘Vermont legislates equality – where is New York?’

Apr

Crazy Baby

By Rev Andy Little 2 Comments

Categories: Personal Stories

Every time I hear this song, I can believe Joan Osborne is singing it directly to me. Perhaps it speaks to where I have been the last week.

Mar

Tending the Garden

By Rev Andy Little Leave a Comment

Categories: Personal Stories
Tags: Christian, Church, cultural competence, Faith, God, IMAGE OF GOD, initiatives, PC(USA), Progressive, reflections, Theology

Not being accustomed to gardening in the Northeast, I am somewhat amazed to see perennials starting to shoot out green in March. Past winters, except for the one spent in England a few years ago, have been suffered in less hospitable climates than upstate New York. I remember the stares of incredulity as I planted Iowa gardens before Mother’s Day, as well as covering up those plants in early May to protect them from a deep freeze. Of course, there’s nothing to say that I won’t have to do the same here.

I view gardening as one part of participating with God, in some small way, in the act of creation, Continue reading ‘Tending the Garden’

Mar

Homophobia, Apartheid, et al

By Rev Andy Little 1 Comment

Categories: Ethics, GLBT & Queer Theology and Liberation theology
Tags: bias, conflict resolution, cultural competence, Economy, Ethics, Faith, GLBT issues, homophobia, Liberation theology, oppression, PC(USA), poverty, Progressive, reconciliation, society

Periodically, I suffer from the delusion that culture and society can actually be understood, and that I can speak with some knowledge towards that understanding. This fabrication in my mind, fortunately, passes with time, saving poor innocent bystanders the terror of witnessing the inner workings of my mind. Alas, this is not one of those times.

Reader beware! These may be nothing more than the ramblings of a madman.

I am recovering from my former life – being a recovering addict, recovering economic exploiter, recovering sexist, recovering racist and recovering homophobe. In my newer life, I am a combatant in a war against all manner of exploitation, oppression, manipulation and dehumanization of any and all people. There is, as you know, no worse critic that someone recovering from a particular expression of a disorder. Continue reading ‘Homophobia, Apartheid, et al’

Mar

Wrestling with Personal Theology

By Rev Andy Little 3 Comments

Over the last few years, one of my favorite preaching topics has been the abandonment of self-interest, selfish ambition and conceit that is extolled in Philippians chapter 2. The call to humility contained within that passage culminates with “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,” (2:12) which, I remind the congregation I am addressing, is difficult to do with someone else’s theology tucked under your arm. To be free of your own conceit requires being free of theological tenets that establish authoritarian norms of belief. It is to acknowledge that certainty is the opposite of faith, not doubt. Continue reading ‘Wrestling with Personal Theology’

Mar

A Parable based on Gen 19:1-15

By Rev Andy Little 1 Comment

Categories: GLBT & Queer Theology
Tags: bias, biblical authority, Christian, Church, Ethics, Faith, Genesis, GLBT issues, group dynamics, IMAGE OF GOD, inclusive, Kingdom of God, Liberation theology, oppression, Progressive, reflections, Sodom, Theology

Two gay men and two lesbian women came to Sodom in the evening as Rev Lot was communing with some local folk downtown. When Rev Lot saw them, she rose to meet them and extended her hands, because she saw, in the faces of these people, the image of God – the very tired and rejected faces of Christ. Continue reading ‘A Parable based on Gen 19:1-15’

Mar

Covenant Stressed

By Rev Andy Little Leave a Comment

Categories: Ethics
Tags: Christian, Church, conflict resolution, cultural competence, Ethics, Faith, group dynamics, inclusive, initiatives, Kingdom of God, PC(USA), Progressive, reconciliation, society, Theology

COVENANT STRESSED – Why Ministers and Laity Leave Church

Much has been written, over the last several years especially, about the level of stress experienced by clergy. Stressors are cited as reasons for clergy infidelity, sexual misconduct, power abuse and the number of professionals leaving ministry. Conflict, usually at the local church level, is the most common type of stressor cited. Quite understandably, much of the work done in this area of study uses the techniques and language of sociology and psychology. Covenant, however, is not a concept strictly, or even commonly, associated with either of these disciplines, while it is a central tenet of the bulk of Christian pastoral effort. Covenant is a mutual relationship. Church members, clergy and officers are equally important in the relationships of the church, and can fall prey to exactly the same kinds of stresses. In my estimation, studying the role of covenants, or rather broken covenants, might yield far more meaningful results for understanding church stress generally, and the reason so many leave the church specifically. Continue reading ‘Covenant Stressed’

Mar

Road Trip to Love

By Rev Andy Little Leave a Comment

Categories: Feminist theology, Liberation theology and Sermons & Studies
Tags: Christian, Church, cultural competence, Ethics, Faith, God, Kingdom of God, PC(USA), Progressive, reconciliation, society, Theology

When driving on a long trip, the route I take depends on whether I am driving for pleasure or expediency. If my schedule is tight, needing to travel a long distance in the shortest time possible, I prefer to travel on the interstate. I want to get where I’m going quickly; I print off a map, set the cruise control, zoom past the sights and stop only when absolutely necessary. But when time is not a big factor, and the sun is shining, my priorities change. Then, I avoid the interstates whenever possible – they’re boring. I drive on state routes and even occasionally back roads, enjoy the scenery and occasionally stop in interesting towns even if I don’t need to gas up. I always have several options for getting from one place to another.

When Jenna is with me, a third way to travel sometimes develops. You see, Jenna is kind of averse to going too far without stopping to see something interesting, or to enjoy a moment of peace. Generally, she reminds me that I also need this kind of break in the journey – generally. Continue reading ‘Road Trip to Love’

Mar

God’s Economy

By Rev Andy Little Leave a Comment

Categories: Economic Theology and Ethics
Tags: Capital, Christ, Christian, Church, cultural competence, Economy, Equity, Ethics, Faith, PC(USA), poverty, Progressive, reconciliation, society, Theology

Having accepted the challenge to discuss economic theology with a Presbyterian session of a large metropolitan church, and having overheard in conversation the “ideal” minister being described as a “CEO” type, I began with a simple exercise – one I had presented several times before to different audiences. The exercise takes advantage of the preponderance of business language and processes being used by sessions and boards of religious institutions.

Continue reading ‘God’s Economy’

Mar

Anatomy of Conflict

By Rev Andy Little Leave a Comment

Categories: Ethics and Justice & Mercy
Tags: Christian, Church, conflict resolution, cultural competence, Ethics, Faith, group dynamics, PC(USA), Progressive, reconciliation

Any group of people, whether it is a club, company, church, synagogue, association or other entity, is a body or system. While very few of the people involved may relish conflict, it is a critical component of a healthy system. Absent opposing pressures, the system will cease to function. The body serves as the best example, as almost all muscles are formed in pairs. Movement of any kind, even as simple as changing the gaze from a near point to a far point, is accomplished by the opposing mechanical processes of muscles. A healthy system recognizes the inherent value of conflict, mitigates the normal human responses of “fight or flight”, and uses the opposing pressures to create healthy and viable action. That being said, most human systems or organizations have little to no capacity for utilizing conflict constructively. Continue reading ‘Anatomy of Conflict’

Mar

Critical Life Incidents – Entering Seminary

By Rev Andy Little 1 Comment

Categories: Personal Stories
Tags: bias, Christian, Church, conflict resolution, cultural competence, Ethics, Faith, God, initiatives, memories, Progressive, reconciliation, remembrance, Theology, writing

In August 2001, I began my seminary education as a “special” student. The special classification was because I had no undergraduate degree. I was allowed to take three courses for each of two semesters, after which the admissions committee would decide if an exception to the undergraduate degree requirement would be granted.

Two seminary professors I had met in different circumstances had originally told me of the exception. Each had been aware of my interaction with students who were experiencing difficulties – some while on an immersion trip in Mexico, and another while doing her internship at a church where I worked. In each case the exception was used as a trump card when I played my “I can’t go to seminary – I don’t have a degree” card. Continue reading ‘Critical Life Incidents – Entering Seminary’

... or, preaching from both ends

Rev Andy Little

WELL, HELLO! YOU’RE HERE.

That's too bad - I'm so sorry. Oh, well, just try to make the best of it. What you'll find here is a variety of essays and ramblings to do with things theological, social, whimsical and, sometimes, all three. I don't write to get famous - trust me, I've been told how futile that would be - but to express myself. I love to communicate and browbeat - ummm, I mean dialogue - about the things I find intriguing. Since you're here, and the door's locked, why don't you stay a while. There's a page bar under the header with links to information about us - I mean me. Don't forget to tell me what you think - in a nice way, I mean.