The "Post-Gay" Church

"The Gospel at its best deals with the whole person, not only the soul but the body...Any religion that professes to be concerned about the souls of people and is not concerned about the slums that damn them, the economic conditions that strangle them and the social conditions that cripple them is a spiritually moribund religion awaiting burial." --Martin Luther King Jr.

I long for the day when the Church will be post-gay. By this I mean, I long for the day when being gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered is no big deal. Some churches and church-related organizations seem to have the need to create a visible, identifiable enemy in order to rally the troops and raise funds. [Right now that enemy is the LGBT community, especially the issue of gay marriage.] Wouldn't it be great if all of God's people got passionate about the true evils in our world such as poverty, the AIDS pandemic and global warming? Wouldn't it be great if the Church could direct its energies and resources toward healing the divisions that exist between people and between nations instead of adding to the polarization that already exists in our world?

Being a post-gay world would be a good thing. I do not think it would be the end of civilization as some conservatives claim. In fact, I think it would be a step forward in our evolution as human beings. Believe it or not, I am not the enemy. I am not evil incarnate. I have the same hopes and dreams for my family as everyone else. I pay my taxes, volunteer in my community and try to be a good neighbor. I go to church, tithe my income and pray on a daily basis.

I have a dream that, one day, I will be able to work side by side with my conservative brothers and sisters in Christ. I have a dream that, together, we will put an end to the hate and animosity that exists between us, and spend our days bringing light and hope and healing to the darkest corners of the globe. With God, all things are possible so, perhaps one day we will become a post-gay world. I'm working toward that goal. How about you?

You Gotta Have Faith

There is no such thing as a little faith any more than there is a little pregnancy. Faith is an overwhelming power no matter how weak it may seem. Given half a chance it will take over and direct our lives, comforting us when we are discouraged and challenging us when we are complacent. -- Father Andrew Greeley

Faith is defined in many different ways by many different people. I like Andrew Greeley's definition because it reminds us that faith is not something we can loose easily. It has suction cups and sticks to us through the most difficult of times. This is good news for all people of faith, but it is especially good news for the LGBT community.

I've had numerous conversations with gays and lesbians who have endured rejection and outright hostility from the church and have, not surprisingly, left in despair. They begin to wonder if they still have any faith at all. However, I have discovered that they are still spiritual people at their core. The church may have knocked them against the ropes, by they are not out of the fight yet. There is a yearning inside of them to reconnect with God. That yearning, I believe, if faith.

No matter what bad experiences we've had with the church [and our straight friends can tell as many horror stories as we can] I hope that we will not give up but let faith do its work in our lives. God loves all God's children [LGBTSQ and any other letter of the alphabet we may identify with] and has planted a seed of faith in our lives that will not die easily. It is there to comfort us when we are discouraged and challenge us when we are complacent. Let us open our hearts and spirits today so that faith can do it's miraculous work in our lives.

Unity vs. Uniformity

"A healthy pluralism is needed.  We don't want to force everyone into the same mold.  Uniformity is different from unity.  Unity means pluralism, with everyone respecting how others think, and among all of us, creating a unity that is greater than just my way of thinking."  - Bishop Oscar Romero

Lately, I've been reading a collection of meditations written by Oscar Romero.  This one on the subject of unity particularly caught me eye.  After another nasty political campaign, I long for the time when people who disagree with one another do not have to demonize those who disagree with them.  I tend to vote Democratic but I don't think that those who vote Republican are in league with the devil.  I'm certain they love their kids, pay their taxes, love their country, etc.

The same goes with my conservative Christian brothers and sisters.  I have no doubt they have a deep desire to serve God faithfully just like I do.  The Bible is very important for both of us.  Church, family and community are valued institutions for both of us.  In writing this blog I've tried not to attack those who disagree with me on LGBT issues.  I hope one day, my opponents will do the same. [Enough with the nasty anonymous comments that are posted on my blog.  Is that REALLY necessary?]

Can we really achieve unity without uniformity?  I hope so!

Karma and Grace

At the center of all religions is the idea of Karma. You know, what you put out comes back to you: an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, or in physics -- in physical laws -- every action is met by an equal or an opposite one. It's clear to me that Karma is at the very heart of the Universe. I'm absolutely sure of it. And yet, along comes this idea called Grace to upend all that "as you reap, so will you sow" stuff. Grace defies reason and logic. Love interrupts, if you like, the consequences of your actions, which in my case is very good news indeed, because I've done a lot of stupid stuff. --Bono from "BONO in conversation with Michka Assayas"

I don't think it's any surprise that one of the most popular hymns on the planet is "Amazing Grace." It has been sung at nearly every funeral I've presided over. Why? Because grace, as Bono says, "defies reason and logic." It goes against our human nature whose gut instinct is to attack those who have attacked us. We're really good at the "eye for an eye" stuff, but grace is another matter altogether. It is countercultural and revolutionary at its core.

Many of Jesus' parables dealt with the subject of grace. In the Prodigal Son story a young wayward son is surprised by the generous embrace of his father [Luke 15:11-32]. In the parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus' audience is surprised that a Samaritan, whom they thought had no redeeming value, was the agent of God's healing and compassion [10:29:37]. In the parable of the Vineyard Workers, the owner of the vineyard is so gracious in rewarding some of his employees that it leaves others complaining bitterly and scratching their heads [Mt 20:1-16].

Grace is powerful stuff. In a world where there are too many divisions between Christians and Muslims, conservatives and liberals, Republicans and Democrats, gays and straights, grace is the only hope we have of holding the human race together. It's easy to retaliate. It's easy to beat each other up with words and with guns. However, it's much harder to show grace toward those we think have wronged us. It is the only hope we truly have for healing and reconciliation in our world.

What will we do today to be more gracious to those whom God has placed in our path and in our world? It's a question worth pondering.

"Don't fear conservatives, especially those who don't want you to talk about social issues, about thorny subjects, in the way the world needs today.  Don't be afraid that those of us who talk about these things have become Communists or subversives.  We are only Christians, taking from the gospel the consequences that today, at this time, humankind, our people, need." -- Bishop Oscar Romero, 1977

It's hard to believe this was written in 1977 because it sounds like it was written yesterday.  Advocacy work in the church is ALWAYS hard work.  There are those in our congregations who don't like change no matter what it is.  There are those in our congregations who cannot look at LGBT equality as a human rights issue.  For them it just "feels wrong."  No amount of logic will be able to convince them otherwise.  There are also those who insist on demonizing us because we believe that LGBT people of faith are beloved children of God just as much as our straight brothers and sisters in Christ.

The good news is that some people are getting it.  They come in all ages, races and socioeconomic backgrounds.  They understand that being gay is simply a part of who we are.  Nothing more.  Nothing less.  Some days are really tough as we strive for equality in the church but we continue the fight because we know it is what Jesus would do.  So, take heart, and let us keep our eyes focused on the future.  The world desperately needs the church to birth something new....a gospel of radical inclusion for ALL of God's people.  We cannot settle for anything less than this.

Facing Difficult Times

I came across a poem the other day by Susan Palo Cherwein from her book "Crossings: Meditations For Worship." It is a word of encouragement for those of us who have experienced loss of any kind:

"Difficult Times"

The hard part is trusting.
When life is overfull with sorrow songs,
When we fall into the deep pit,
When the forces of nature seem to conspire against us.
When the clouds gather in the west
When the fierce winds whip about us
When the rain pelts our bare backs
When our fingers bleed from extorted work
When our throats knot and beg to cry out.

When life is overfull with sorrow songs,
The hard part is to sing:
Glory hallelujah!

It is difficult to raise our voices in praise when life has thrown us a curve ball; when we have more questions than answers; when the darkness seems to be overtaking the light in our lives. However, our God promises that no matter what we are going through, God will be there and will travel with us.

There are many Scriptures that testify to this truth. One of my all-time favorites has to be Isaiah 43:1-3 which says "Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior."

We can sing "Glory, hallelujah!" because we have a God who has promised that when we feel like we're drowning and we're in way over our heads, the waters of life will not overwhelm us. We can sing "Glory, hallelujah!" because we have a God who has promised that we can remain unscorched by the fiery trials of life.

Take heart, my friends! Difficult times will always be a reality in our lives. However, we have God and we have each other. That is most certainly worth celebrating, even in the darkest of times.

Help Wanted

When Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor." And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to say to them, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." [Luke 4:16-21, NRSV]

This is the first time we hear Jesus define the nature of his ministry in the gospel of Luke. Up until this point there have been a number of prophecies about him but we have not heard from Jesus himself directly. If we're serious about answering the question "What Would Jesus Do?" then we definitely have to pay close attention to what Jesus said he would do.

Looking at this quotation from the prophet Isaiah, we learn that Jesus intends to 1) bring good news to those who only have bad new in their lives, 2) release those who feel like they are imprisoned, 3) to help people see clearly, 4) to end oppression, and 5) to announce "This is God's year to act."

This is not a bad job description for Jesus. It's not a bad job description for us either. Our calling as people of faith is to do as follows: 1) Proclaim the good news that everyone is welcome to attend the feast of God's kingdom. Faith in Jesus is the only requirement to make it onto the guest list. Sexual orientation is a non-issue. 2) Help those who are imprisoned by fear, hate, worry, etc. We do not have to be haunted by the ghosts of our past, present or future anymore. 3) Give people eyes to see the true nature of who Jesus is. He wasn't concerned with the minute details of the Law. He was far more concerned with whether we showed mercy and compassion toward all of our neighbors and not just the ones we like. 4) Become a voice for justice on behalf of those who are being oppressed for any reason. 5) Act now and become God's visible kingdom here on earth instead of waiting for the heavenly kingdom to come.

That should keep us busy for a while. Any questions?

It Gets Better Reformation Sermon

Here's a link from a friend of mine who preached this sermon on Reformation Sunday.  Click HERE to view a transcript of his sermon.  Enjoy!

50 Very Insightful Blog Posts

Just wanted to share a link with you for an article entitled "50 Very Insightful Blog Posts on GLBTQ Spirituality.  I haven't checked out the rest yet but I'm sure there's some interesting stuff on the site.  Click HERE to reach the site.

Karma Chameleon Spirit

"The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit. [John 3:8, NRSV]

"Karma Chameleon, you come and go, you come and go" -- Boy George

John 3:8 is a delightful verse which tells us something about the way the Spirit works in our lives. The word "wind" used here is PNEUMA in the Greek. It can also be translated as "spirit" or "breath." The verb "comes from" is ERCHOMAI and can be translated as "coming" or "going."

As I listen to this verse, I am reminded that the Holy Spirit is wildly unpredictable. Like the well known Culture Club song, it comes and goes, it comes and goes. It is a force of creativity that cannot be contained. Acts 2 describes it as "the rush of a violent wind" and "divided tongues, as of fire." Does that sound like a boring, predictable power to you?

Do not let anyone try to squelch the Spirit that is blowing mightily within you. Do not let anyone tell you that the Spirit cannot be at work in your life because you are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, or "different" in some other way. They are wrong! Give the Spirit free reign to come and go in your life and see what it can do to fill our world with God's reconciling and redeeming love.