Reverend Bitch, Sir

Faith Priorities

2012-01-27T07:51:00.000-08:00

I was digging around for something to write about for this week's blog, and came across the blog I wrote for the last election cycle. I am not sure if I am happy to have found it.

We have indeed made history by electing the black person to the office of the President of the United States. This President has done more for the LGBTQIA community then the entire previous President's combined, so yes I am happy about that, even excited.

While I am excited about these things, it really appears not much has changed in 3 years since it was written. So here is a re-tread with a few edits here and there to bring it up to date.

This election cycle is historic, and we are behaving like a people caught up in a moment of dramatic change. Things are being said and done that go beyond every day politics. The level of sexism, racism, homophobia, nationalism are at a boiling point, all because more change is coming regardless who wins this election.

I have been an un-apologetic activist for a long time. So when the religious and political right started hammering on the President from day one with quotes like, “I hope this President fails”, or “My job for the next 4 years is to ensure Obama does not get a 2nd term”. I knew the President's desire to bring the county together was in serious trouble.

I also knew the distance between the far right and the middle was as far apart as I have ever seen in my life time. This is also true of the left. In a word “racism” is very much alive and well in our country today despite us patting ourselves on the back for making such great progress. Think I am wrong here?

How about a congressman shouting at the President during a speech to Congress “liar”?

How about commenting publically about the First Ladies posterior?

How about the absolute idiotic claims of the birthers?

How about descriptions of the First Lady as an “angry black woman”?

How about the claims the POTUS is a Muslim, as if that should matter.

How about referring to the POTUS as the “food-stamp” President? Yes, former President Jimmy Carter hit the nail square on the head when he said; there are a lot of “code” words being used in the political world.

Despite the great strides we have made in the LGBTQIA community, “homophobia” is alive and being practiced with great abandon by almost everyone right of center, either spiritually or politically. Think I am wrong here?

How about the Presidential Candidate who said a kid would be better off with a father who is in prison rather then 2 dads who are at home?

How about the Presidential Candidate who has indicated they would put “DADT” back in place?

How about the Presidential Candidate who is so concerned for “family values”, despite having had affair after affair while married and gets pissed off when it is mentioned?

So, as a Pastor I want to say something pastoral, something that will give comfort and peace to folks as they prepare to cast a ballot this fall that will once again has the potential to literally change the course of this country. I was stuck, how to say anything without getting caught in the rhetoric of the political parties, how to teach without exposing my own personal thoughts, preferences and leanings toward one candidate or another?

How does one not vomit over the ignorance, rhetoric and posturing that is so brazenly dressed in theological and patriotic drag?

Then I got into the blog from “08” and see this from Sojourners magazine. This is a weekly e-mail of spirituality, politics and culture. Jim Wallis, who is the editor and is the author of a book called “The Great Awakening”, is very keyed in on the pastoral response to this election.

I have to tell you he put on the screen what I wanted to say but apparently am not gifted enough to come up with on my own. Yet, this is what I hope each of the readers would let sink in during this time in America. So here with his permission is the re-post of pastoral advice he has offered. Not that it matters to him, but I give a loud and excited amen to his article and pastoral words.

Read closely and prayerfully and when you are done come November if you do nothing else that day VOTE. In the mean time do not let yourself be turned back.

My Personal 'Faith Priorities' for this Election

In 2004, several conservative Catholic bishops and a few mega church pastors like Rick Warren issued their list of "non-negotiable," which were intended to be a voter guide for their followers. All of them were relatively the same list of issues: abortion, gay marriage, stem cell research, etc. None of them even included the word "poverty," only one example of the missing issues which are found quite clearly in the Bible. All of them were also relatively the same as official Republican Party Web sites of "non-negotiable." The political connections and commitments of the religious non-negotiable writers were quite clear.

I want to suggest a different approach this year and share my personal list of "faith priorities" that will guide me in making the imperfect choices that always confront us in any election year — and suggest that each of you come up with your own list of "faith" or "moral" priorities for this election year and take them into the voting booth with you.

After the last election, I wrote a book titled God’s Politics. I was criticized by some for presuming to speak for God, but that wasn’t the point. I was trying to explore what issues might be closest to the heart of God and how they may be quite different from what many strident religious voices were then saying. I was also saying that "God’s Politics" will often turn our partisan politics upside down, transcend our ideological categories of Left and Right, and challenge the core values and priorities of our political culture. I was also trying to say that there is certainly no easy jump from God’s politics to either the Republicans or Democrats. God is neither. In any election we face imperfect choices, but our choices should reflect the things we believe God cares about if we are people of faith, and our own moral sensibilities if we are not people of faith. Therefore, people of faith, and all of us, should be "values voters" but vote all our values, not just a few that can be easily manipulated for the benefit of one party or another.

In 2008, the kingdom of God is not on the ballot in any of the 50 states as far as I can see. So we can’t vote for that this year. But there are important choices in this year’s election — very important choices — which will dramatically impact what many in the religious community and outside of it call "the common good," and the outcome could be very important, perhaps even more so than in many recent electoral contests.

I am in no position to tell anyone what is "non-negotiable," and neither is any bishop or mega church pastor, but let me tell you the "faith priorities" and values I will be voting on this year:

1. With more than 2,000 verses in the Bible about how we treat the poor and oppressed, I will examine the record, plans, policies, and promises made by the candidates on what they will do to overcome the scandal of extreme global poverty and the shame of such unnecessary domestic poverty in the richest nation in the world. Such a central theme of the Bible simply cannot be ignored at election time, as too many Christians have done for years. And any solution to the economic crisis that simply bails out the rich, and even the middle class, but ignores those at the bottom should simply be unacceptable to people of faith.

2. From the biblical prophets to Jesus, there is, at least, a biblical presumption against war and the hope of beating our swords into instruments of peace. So I will choose the candidates who will be least likely to lead us into more disastrous wars and find better ways to resolve the inevitable conflicts in the world and make us all safer. I will choose the candidates who seem to best understand that our security depends upon other people’s security (everyone having "their own vine and fig tree, so no one can make them afraid," as the prophets say) more than upon how high we can build walls or a stockpile of weapons. Christians should never expect a pacifist president, but we can insist on one who views military force only as a very last resort, when all other diplomatic and economic measures have failed, and never as a preferred or habitual response to conflict.

3. "Choosing life" is a constant biblical theme, so I will choose candidates who have the most consistent ethic of life, addressing all the threats to human life and dignity that we face — not just one. Thirty-thousand children dying globally each day of preventable hunger and disease is a life issue. The genocide in Darfur is a life issue. Health care is a life issue. War is a life issue. The death penalty is a life issue. And on abortion, I will choose candidates who have the best chance to pursue the practical and proven policies which could dramatically reduce the number of abortions in America and therefore save precious unborn lives, rather than those who simply repeat the polarized legal debates and "pro-choice" and "pro-life" mantras from either side.

4. God’s fragile creation is clearly under assault and I will choose the candidates who will likely be most faithful in our care of the environment. In particular, I will choose the candidates who will most clearly take on the growing threat of climate change, and who have the strongest commitment to the conversion of our economy and way of life to a cleaner, safer, and more renewable energy future. And that choice could accomplish other key moral priorities like the redemption of a dangerous foreign policy built on Middle East oil dependence, and the great prospects of job creation and economic renewal from a new "green" economy built on more spiritual values of conservation, stewardship, sustainability, respect, responsibility, co-dependence, modesty, and even humility.

5. Every human being is made in the image of God, so I will choose the candidates who are most likely to protect human rights and human dignity. Sexual and economic slavery is on the rise around the world, and an end to human trafficking must become a top priority. As many religious leaders have now said, torture is completely morally unacceptable, under any circumstances, and I will choose the candidates who are most committed to reversing American policy on the treatment of prisoners. And I will choose the candidates who understand that the immigration system is totally broken and needs comprehensive reform, but must be changed in ways that are compassionate, fair, just, and consistent with the biblical command to "welcome the stranger."

6. Healthy families are the foundation of our community life and nothing is more important than how we are raising up the next generation. As the father of two young boys, I am deeply concerned about the values our leaders model in the midst of the cultural degeneracy assaulting our children. Which candidates will best exemplify and articulate strong family values, using the White House and other offices as bully pulpits to speak of sexual restraint and integrity, marital fidelity, strong parenting, and putting family values over economic values? And I will choose the candidates who promise to really deal with the enormous economic and cultural pressures that have made parenting such a "countercultural activity" in America today, rather than those who merely scapegoat gay people for the serious problems of heterosexual family breakdown.

That is my list of personal "faith priorities" for the election year of 2008 (2012), but they are not "non-negotiable" for anyone else. It’s time for each of us to make up our own list in these next few months. Make your list and send this on to your friends and family members, inviting them to do the same thing.

For me, I would only add a number 7, which is to say I will look for leadership that understands LGBTQIA not as moral alphabet soup from which political hay can be made. But rather, LGBTQIA are Americans who desire to live in a country where the words,

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all … are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”

“A House of Cards”

2012-01-13T05:57:00.001-08:00

Let me start by saying there is no one who is running for the Presidency of the United States on the Republican side of the aisle that is going to be helpful to the LGBTQIA community. In fact, the vast majority of them if they get their way are flat dangerous to our community. We will find all if not most of the progress we have made over that last 30 years washed away in an over whelming wave of fundamental conservatism such as we have never seen.

If one listens closely to their rhetoric, we hear that all that is wrong with the world, ethically, economically, and spiritually, can be traced back to the LGBTQIA community. God, almighty is raging God’s wrath upon the earth because of our desire to have life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness.

They will never admit the problems we face as a nation are due to greed, arrogance, hypocrisy, and the desire for absolute power. Nope-it is too easy to blame us.

Nor will they ever admit homophobia is a sure moneymaker. As long as they preach their fear of the LGBTQIA community, the donations roll in. The politicians use us as a wedge issue while the Christian churches have conferences designed to put God and us in a box. I will say again both groups use each other with one common goal, our destruction.

As long as the “Christian Church” allows the lies about us to continue and even teaches them, then we will continue to die, get killed, lose our best health care, our mental health, our jobs, our kids, our right to visitation, and our property. We will continue to be thought of as “not God’s best”. That last phrase is where the most powerful lie of the church gets its power; “love the sinner and hate the sin.” Damn it folks our love is NOT a sin.

Can we not see this is all connected? Have we not seen that when we as a community continue to support these fools with our presences, our money, our votes and our membership in their organizations and churches, we are only hurting ourselves?

Next month on February 18th here comes the biggest Christian liar in the country, Exodus International. They will arrive in Atlanta to do another one of their “Love Won Out” conferences. Under the guise of love they will tell anyone who will listen how they can help a person who is unhappy and struggling with their homosexuality.

First, if it wasn’t for people like them and their equine fecal matter, most LGBTQIA folks would not be struggling and unhappy. This group flat knows people’s sexual orientation cannot be changed. The great tool they use is something called “reparative therapy”

In order for reparative therapy to work, one must assume that "homosexuality" is a disorder of some kind or a personality defect to be corrected. These assumptions are:

1. We are called to love gay and lesbian people "struggling with sexual orientation"

2. homosexual orientation is chosen or is the result of bad childhood experiences; and

3. people cannot condone this "sinful" behavior that was chosen by their loved ones, and therefore "cannot accept their gay, lesbian and bisexual family members".

These 3 points are countered by:

1. Sexual orientation is not a disease. In 1973. The American Psychiatric Association removed the term "homosexuality" from the list of mental and emotional disorders. Therefore, it does not need to be cured.

2. "Reparative therapy" doesn't work. In 1990, the American Psychological Association stated that scientific evidence does not show that conversion therapy works and that it can do more harm than good.

3. "Reparative therapy" is dangerous. In 1998, the American Psychiatric Association stated it was opposed to reparative therapy, stating, "Psychiatric literature strongly demonstrates that treatment attempts to change sexual orientation are ineffective. However, the potential risks are great, including depression, anxiety and self-destructive behavior..."

4. According to the American Medical Association, "most of the emotional disturbance experienced by gay men and lesbians around their sexual identity is not based on physiological causes but rather is due more to a sense of alienation in an un-accepting environment. For this reason, aversion therapy is no longer recommended for gay men and lesbians."

5. The Surgeon General's Call to Action to Promote Sexual Health and Responsible Sexual Behavior (2001) asserts that homosexuality is not "a reversible lifestyle choice." (Information supplied from: "Reparative" Therapy or "Ex-Gay" Ministries page of P-Flag website: http://www.pflag.org/education/reparative.html)

I would like to note for the record that "struggling with sexual orientation" is a key card in the "house of cards therapy". To this I will offer this. I am 56-year-old gay man who has been with my partner for 30 years. I also am the Pastor of an inner-city Christian Church, own a home, pay my taxes, contribute to the national economy, vote in every election, and live a full, loving, and exciting life. What struggles I have had are from fighting to have the same rights and privileges of those so-called heterosexuals who think my love is a sin.

It should also be noted this whole idea of "reparative therapy" or conversion therapy is a religious question trapped inside a psychological costume. Since the religious right no longer has a strong theological argument for condemning homosexuality…they have turned to the secular world to help them.

Even Exodus International leader Alan Chambers has been quoted as saying, “The majority of people that I have met, and I would say the majority meaning 99.9 percent of them, have not experienced a change in their orientation or have gotten to a place where they could say that they could never be tempted or are not tempted in some way or experience some level of same-sex attraction.”

"Reparative Therapy" is based upon several religious lies or more correctly "Christian" lies. Examples:

A LIE:
The Book of Leviticus expressly forbids homosexual sex.

THE TRUTH:
The purity laws of the ancient priesthood are a code of ethics rooted in a time and culture that is far removed from today's world. Among other things, it forbids shaving, wearing clothing made of two different materials, eating rare meat, and many other things. The edict against homosexual sex is part of this code, no more or no less important than the verse that forbids harvesting an entire field of grain or piercing an ear. It is important only as a historical document, not as a set of rules to follow in this time.

A LIE:
Sodom was destroyed for the sin of homosexuality.

THE TRUTH
Sodom and homosexuality were not connected until the Middle Ages. In Biblical days it was acknowledged that Sodom was destroyed for greed and inhospitality. While some believe that it was probable that the men of Sodom were bent on raping Lot's visitors, this was an act of violence, not an indication of the sexual preference of the male population of the city. There are many references of Sodom in the Bible (Ezekiel 16:49; Mark 6:11; 2 Peter 2:6-8, among others) but none of them mention homosexuality.

A LIE:
There are scriptures affirming the Biblical condemnation of homosexual sex.

THE TRUTH
Many of the references to eunuchs in the Bible refer to homosexual men, not necessarily to castrated males. Jesus himself said: "For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 19:12). The book of Isaiah holds one of the greatest promises to us. "To the eunuchs that keep my Sabbaths, who choose the things that please me and hold fast my covenant, I will give, in my house and within my walls, a monument and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off." (Isaiah 56: 4-5.)

The Bible is a collection of sacred writings that come from different time periods and are written by different authors trying to explain from their point of view who God is and how we as humans relate to and journey with God. The views of each of these authors are as varied as the authors themselves.

One must always remember that the Bible is a history and guide to a faith. The Bible is not the end- all and be-all on any subject of faith. It may be divinely inspired but hardly divinely written.

One's psychological sanity and safety should never be set aside for the sake of a particular religious belief, particularly when there is on going evidence for one's sexual orientation being formed at an early age and having far more to do with genetics then religion. The "religious right" and Exodus International have spent so much time trying to eliminate the LGBTQIA community; they have missed the vast majority of people in the community who lead wonderfully wholesome lives.

If today’s post seems especially cranky, I apologize. However, I am very tired of having to justify my love for my partner. I am in agony over watching people in my community spiritually beaten into submission because of the church’s lack of courage and its sexual insecurities. I hope on the 18th of February there will be many who will express the same thing.

Ten Reasons to Own Your Faith

2011-12-30T06:12:00.000-08:00

Since it is the end of the year and everybody seems to be doing a list. I thought I would jump in with one of my own. Please understand, I am writing this from my point of view as a follower of Jesus. If that is not the path you follow I pray after you have finished reading some of the arrogant sting of the so-called Christian faith will have been removed. The Creator of this universe is far bigger then any self described human made faith or set of beliefs.

Now it has been said my writing style is not the warm comforting and cuddly stuff but rather more “in your face,” "take it or leave it style." This list will be no different.

For far too long the institutional church has taken the position they own the faith and simply rent it to us. They give us traditions, pronouncements, laws and creeds and if we do not live by them since we are nothing more then renters we get evicted, or as the Roman Catholic Church has done for centuries ex-communicated.

A quick read of Matthew 23 makes my point about the institutional church pretty clearly. To my brothers and sisters in the clergy all I can say here is if the shoe fits…

It is pretty apparent Jesus knew and said the everyday people were being sold a bill of goods. They were being forced to rent their faith.

So without further delay, here are the 10 reasons to own your faith rather then rent it.

10) There is no “Hell” to be sent to.

The institutional church has used this bogus concept for centuries to keep our fear button pushed in all the way. Hell by translation and definition is a “state of being” not a place. Further, it is a state one places themselves in through their own action. By definition “hell” is the total absence of God. God's biggest desire is to be in relationship with that which God created. It stands to reason, then, that God never wants to be totally absent to us. Why else would Jesus warn of that “blasphemy of the holy spirit” was only unforgivable sin? The only way that could be accomplished is if one was totally absent of God to begin with. That absence would be our choice, our action, not God’s. Own the fact that when we die we will be with God. Further, all the biblical discussion around hell is simply drawing a picture of what it must feel like to be totally absent of God not a place to be found on a map or geological survey.

9) Forgiveness is the only way to experience total freedom

The only way to stay in a relationship with God is to forgive as God forgives us. To be in relationship with God is to be in relationship with those whom God created. It is only through setting aside our anger, our hurt feelings, and our indignity that we find our happiness, peace and our dignity.

Remember the first words of Jesus from the cross were, “Father, forgive them.” If he does not do that then there isn’t any resurrection, dead is dead. If we do not find a way to forgive there is only death and destruction to follow. Own your life, don’t rent it and lose it.

8) God is a lot more creative than God gets credit for

I remember a great piece of theology from one of the original Star Trek shows, where aliens explain to Captain Kirk why they appeared as humans rather then their natural state. They said, “We appeared to you humans as you would understand us.”

It certainly explains why there are so many different faiths, races and cultures. Everyone and everything is at a different place of understanding and learning and God meets us wherever that place or understanding is. Own the fact that God is greater then the limitations we place on ourselves by renting our faith.

7) Our relationship with God is far more important then any sin we commit

I think the best example of this being true is in the story of the “Prodigal son” from Luke 15:11-32. Jesus tells this story to give us an idea of what God and heaven are like. There are three very important points here: 1) the son desired to be in relationship. 2) “When he was still a long way off, his father saw him. His heart pounding, he ran out, embraced him, and kissed him.” 3) "But the father wasn't listening” Get it? When we desire to be in relationship with God, God runs to us, finds us embraces us, our shortcomings (sin) don’t matter. Own your relationship with God, don’t rent from sin.

6) The Bible is not the infallible, inerrant word of God.

"The Bible has been used for centuries by Christians as a weapon of control. To read it literally is to believe in a three-tiered universe, to condone slavery, to treat women as inferior creatures, to believe that sickness is caused by God's punishment, and that mental disease and epilepsy are caused by demonic possession. When someone tells me that they believe the Bible is the 'literal and inerrant word of God,' I always ask, 'Have you ever read it'?"

Episcopal Bishop John Shelby Spong.

The Bible contains an understanding of the will of God, but parts of the Bible do not reflect God's will. Every injunction, instruction, prohibition, etc. in the Bible needs to be analyzed carefully to determine whether it was directed to a specific culture at a specific time and place, or should be applied to all cultures and all eras.

Further, the Bible was written by individuals to promote their own evolving spiritual beliefs. Many of the authors were severely limited by culture and their lack of scientific knowledge. I believe that it is important to recognize that many biblical passages contain factual errors and that many do not reflect accurately or consistently the will of God. Of course, in order for one to know this or conclude this, one has to do the hard work of studying the Bible for oneself. Own your Bible, don’t rent it from the church. In addition, this means one needs to read a variety of scholarship on this collection of sacred text as well. This can be a difficult challenge since many people are like lightning and take the path of least resistance.

5) God is all about inclusion not exclusion

We only need to look as far as the life and ministry of Jesus to see that everyone is invited, some may choose not to come but everyone is invited. There are some who would say Jesus was exclusionary and cite the story of the rich man. However, over the years, the story has gotten twisted into meaning that wealth is bad. In reality it was about the heart. Where was this man’s heart in relationship with God or his riches? God, or Jesus, didn’t exclude him - he excluded himself. This is what makes owning one's faith a difficult task, it requires we take responsibility for our choices.

4) No one can be denied a place at the Lord’s table

This has been a major point of power and control the institutional church since it has assumed the power to say who is in and who is out. Jesus said “as often as you do this, do this in remembrance of me.” There are no strings attached to this, no dogma, no creed, no formula for belief, no magic words. Just a simple act of memorial designed to remind us what we have been taught by Jesus. When one owns their faith they can never be denied a place at the table. It is only when we rent our faith we get tuned away.

3) God is a “Chess Master” not a “Puppet Master”

Over the years Fundamentalism has turned God into the ultimate magician. God will fix that, do this, heal this or that. This alone has set up the war between faith and science. God created us with a mind and the ability to think. As we learn and grow we can, and will, do more things that seem astounding. Jesus is quoted at one point saying, “These things I have done you will do and even greater things.” Yup, that will happen when we use our God-given brains to think.

God is not a puppet master. If anything, God may be a chess master. This game of chess is a little different. God is not interested in taking our King, because God has already given us God’s. So it is all about the moves that are made in the game (life). We make a move; God makes a move in response. This is the way we prepare for our next spiritual step. It is called growth. Growth does not come without experience, choice and the consequences of those choices. Owning one's faith lets us take responsibility for our actions without playing the blame game or having a puppet master.

2) “Do not commit murder” applies to the courts, the state, the feds and most assuredly all people.

Jesus could not have been clearer when he is recorded as saying, “Let the first one without sin cast the first stone." Sin is recognized as any thought, word or deed that separates you from God. Well who has not done that? There is no twisting this folks; we are not supposed to be in the business of killing folks. We can give all the excuses we want, however it is pretty clear renters of the faith can justify killing, owners of the faith cannot. Couple this teaching with the whole concept of forgiveness and my point is made.

1) Ultimately we will be measured by who we feed, dress, give drink to and/or visit, not by some “sinners prayer.”

I am amazed at the smoke and mirrors the institutional church has used over the years. They have come up with all kinds of rules to be obeyed, directives to be followed and even prayers to be said to get into heaven. This completely ignores what the man they claim to follow said about the subject. Read Matthew 25:31-46 for yourself, but suffice it to say when one owns their faith this will be the focus of their life rather then a whole host of things which grab us now.

So as we move into 2012 how can you (we) have a much better year despite the challenges? Tearing up the rental agreement we have with our faith and taking ownership of it would be a good place to start. Count with me now 10, 9, 8…

“Wag the Dog” of Christmas

2011-12-16T05:46:00.000-08:00

Well, we are nine days away from what Christians have come to call Christmas. I find it hard to understand and almost laughable at how twisted and screwed up this “church” celebration of it’s founder has become.

I want to share this obvious observation: Even if there were some remote chance I could become pope…they would never let me. The reason is simple and it is not because of my progressive views of Christian theology, or the fact that I am unapologetically gay or even the fact that I do not believe the bible is the inerrant word of God.

Nope, it is because I believe December 25th is one of the biggest scams ever pulled on humanity.

Those who are pastors know that what I am suggesting is very true. Y’all went to seminary and know that saying Jesus was born on December 25th is like saying there is a real living breathing Santa Claus. Of course this is but one of many transparent lies and traditions that are based on fiction rather then fact.

We have kind of a “Wag the Dog” scenario. You remember the movie: The story of a US President running for office and before elections, a spin-doctor and a Hollywood producer join efforts to "fabricate" a war in order to cover-up a presidential sex scandal.

I think the first time I heard this Christmas script of a “war on Christmas” was from Bill O’Reilly. What has now become the ultimate fundraiser of those on the “Christian and political right”: “The War on Christmas” is fought for the entire 12 weeks leading to December 25th. Do you say “Happy Holidays” or “Merry Christmas”? Legal fights jam our courts over these phrases or worse when a nativity scene gets set up. Conservative Christian websites fire up the war by warning their readers and members that “Christmas is about to be stolen from them so send us money to protect you!”

However if you really think about it, this so-called “War on Christmas” is simply a ridiculous marketing idea that fits our arrogance, selfishness and greed to a “t”. Read me clearly here: the conservatives, fundamentalists, liberals and progressives have all bought into a huge marketing adventure of “wag the dog”.

For the Christmas season, which begins long before the 1st Sunday in Advent, actually right after Halloween, we are subjected to twelve weeks of Christmas messages that have little to do with or about our Christian faith. In fact, most of the preparations and so-called traditions have been borrowed or should I say stolen from pagan practices! Although many marketing people cleverly package their presentations in the form of a cute little baby in a cute well-manicured and warm manger scene.

People begin making plans for family gatherings and the perfect gift to make the perfect statement of love or impression. This is all destroyed when Johnny announces he is bringing Tom home for Christmas or Susie tells the family she will be spending this holiday with Tammy and her family.

Money, jobs, friends, illness, those dying, families, the homeless, starving children, criminals of all kinds and political games all become the all consuming thing that will happen in that particular year or in a lifetime coming up to December 25th.

Starting with Thanksgiving and through Christmas day every story has a Christmas slant meant to make one feel guilty, or believe it is possible for one day if enough money is spent, to be a day of perfect perfection.

Almost every retail business, in America anyway, is geared to this time as making or breaking them for the entire year.

Legislation, which is vital to so many people’s lives, is either held hostage or used as extortion leading to December 25th.

Also, starting with Thanksgiving our food consumption just simple goes off the charts, eating far too much of everything and especially the wrong things. Alcohol consumption also goes off the charts but hey, you got to drink something with all that food.

The normal everyday challenges of life become a crisis of faith because “tis the season”.

People’s social and pageant schedules become so jammed there is no time to take a breath or enjoy a quiet moment of peace and wonderment at God’s creativity in this world in which we live.

We are pushed to acts of kindness because it is the Christmas season, rather than it is the right and just thing to do.

I could go on and on but you get the point.

Now for those who have at this point decided I am some sort of Scrooge or Grinch that stole Christmas, be patient and give me a few more sentences.

When I was young my Grandfather told me the reason one should not lie is because once you tell a lie, you have to tell another lie to cover the first and another to cover the 2nd and pretty soon you are just having to lie all the time because you have lost track of the truth and you can’t remember what you said and to whom.

We have been told and believe so many lies concerning Christmas that we have almost completely lost why this particular birthday is important, why we celebrate a life which in thirty-three years (a couple years more or less) had such an impact as to change the very course of human events.

In all the perfection we strive for in the holiday season, we forget this birth was anything but neat, clean and glamorous. We forget or by cheesy tradition, explain away that this child was conceived out of wedlock, borne in abject poverty and grew up in a world that was most certainly as dangerous to human life as it is today. We forget or don’t talk about how the gossips of the day must have had a field day both inside the temple and outside.

We jump past the truth of this story which tells us that no matter how bad things are or get God can raise us up out of the ashes of despair to a place with the Creator.

We forget this is a birth that gave us a moral compass for living a life that would be pleasing to the God who created us because it leads to a life of doing justice, acting mercifully and walking humbly with God.

When we first bought the lie of December 25th, it became easier to buy the other lies. In fact the Christian and political right’s fear of Christmas being stolen while a lie itself was a self-fulfilling prophecy. For you see, I don’t think we have to worry about Christmas being stolen…it already has been stolen and replaced with the craziness that we call the “Holiday Season”.

It is the fact that Jesus of Nazareth was born that we celebrate. The truth of the date is somewhere between April and August depending on whose math you believed. About the only thing certain about the date is it was not the 25th of December. The story of the circumstances of his conception and birth give us real hope that it gets better. Jesus’ life and work gives us a working model and road map for our life. His life is indeed one we can look up to and not be disappointed in what we see. His arrest, faulty conviction and the administration of capital punishment followed by a resurrection give those us who call ourselves followers of “The Christ”, the assurance that nothing in this world including death of the physical body can keep us from God.

Maybe the date we celebrate the birth in the wider view is not as important as getting back to why we remember this birth like no other birth in history.

So it is with the spirit of being authentic in our celebration I ask us to consider how our “Christmas” celebration this year will measure up to the words attributed to the one we celebrate, we remember, we strive to be like:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.

Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Creator in heaven. Matthew 5:3-16 (New International Version, ©2010)

It seems to me that December 25th is as good as any day to get back to the authentic reason for giving honor to the birth of the one called Jesus. So to those who have bought into the “Wag the Dog” scenario of Christmas, how about we just get back to basics and let people enjoy the season in peace?

AIDS: Still Kills, Maims and Destroys

2011-11-30T13:19:00.000-08:00

My coming out days were lived out in Chicago, Illinois (1965-1982). I also came out prior to HIV/AIDS being part of our everyday lives.

During my time in Chicago, the gay community was party central but also a close-knit community. Over the years I developed close friendships with a group of people that at its peak numbered fifteen.

We all hung out together, spent time at the clubs together and I guess by today’s standards could have had a reality TV show made about us.

We compared notes on our boyfriends, went to parties, gossiped about straight people, got jobs, participated in the community and marched for our rights. We were always there for one another no matter what the circumstance.

I didn’t think about it at the time but now I know we had something special-we had a group of people who had become VERY close friends and became a support system to one another that I don’t suppose will ever be repeated.

Starting in 1981 through 1982 the group started to drift apart. Some got jobs that took them out of Chicago and into other parts of the state, some got involved in long term relationships and moved to the suburbs, others found themselves struggling to find the love of their life or way through life as a gay man and; lacking direction or support turned to heavy amounts of alcohol and drugs.

In June of 1982, needing a fresh start I moved to Cincinnati where, within a month of arriving I would meet the man I am still with today. The choice to move probably saved my life.

For you see, the crushing and deadly wave that we would come to know as AIDS arrived in Chicago in the latter part of 1982. By the time my partner and I had been together for twelve years, my best friend and I were the only ones still alive from that group of fifteen. None of them had reached the age of forty.

Today, as I write this at the age of fifty-six and in the thirtieth year of marriage (Yes, despite what the world says I am married), I am the only one left who is alive and HIV negative. My best friend died at the age of forty-seven after getting the disease because of cheating and an abusive boyfriend.

I was no angel in those days and I guess every year at this time when I think of my friends who died much too soon I get a case of survivor’s guilt.

I have also been ordained since 1986, so I have twenty-five plus years of pastoral ministry. In those years I have probably done funerals for more people under the age of fifty than most pastors do in an entire career.

What is really heart breaking is that HIV/AIDS is not done yet, despite media spin “that this is now a manageable disease”. That is a lie and severe distortion of the truth. AIDS still kills at an alarming rate and the rate of infection is on the rise.

According to UNAIDS (2010) 'UNAIDS report on the global AIDS epidemic' “Since the beginning of the epidemic, nearly 30 million people have died from AIDS-related causes.”

Every month I still counsel people who are newly infected. Every month I am there with someone who has died or in support of a partner, family and friends who have lost someone. Our congregation has a number of people who have tested positive and are at various stages of health challenges.

A friend in Atlanta is HIV positive and while he is healthy and living a productive life…the meds that he has to take are anything but pleasant. The side effects require he not get too much sun, eat the correct foods and not get too stressed, as the reaction is more then a pain in the ass, it is debilitating.

So, I guess I am writing this today to remind folks that the AIDS pandemic is not over. Not by a long shot. We cannot afford to get comfortable. We cannot afford to not continue to educate, stress prevention, and harm reduction (translation, safe sex and needle exchanging).

We must remember God’s people are dying…

I am asking the readers of this blog to get involved in harm reduction, to recognize this pandemic knows no boundaries.

Mark Harrington From Treatment Action Group offered 17 radical steps to end the “AIDS Epidemic” http://www.thebody.com/content/art49274.html

I offer some of the more important steps to the readers as a point of education, meditation and action:

We must strive to continue to lower the numbers newly infected. There are several ways we could dramatically reduce infections rapidly if we are willing to take some radical steps around the world.

1) Universal treatment for women equals universal prevention for infants

We must ensure that every pregnant HIV-positive woman has access to full antiretroviral therapy (ART) from the time her pregnancy is known to when she completes breastfeeding, and then for life if indicated by her CD4 and health status. And we must ensure that every HIV infected baby is diagnosed at birth and treated for life.

2) End gender-based violence and strengthen the legal and health rights of women and sexual minorities

We must demand and achieve equal status for women, gay men, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgender people and end the violence against them everywhere.

3) End the war against sex workers

We must insist on decoupling efforts to stop human trafficking from the current stigmatization and exclusion of sex workers from their full human, health, and economic rights to live and work in dignity, legally and safely.

4) End the war against drug users

We must end the punitive, expensive, and wasteful global war on drug users. We must work in countries around the world to decriminalize possession of drugs; provide universal access to drug substitution therapy, clean syringe exchange, and safe injecting rooms and equipment; and provide services for people reentering society after being unjustly incarcerated for nonviolent drug use.

5) End health disparities everywhere

HIV rates among black Americans are eight times higher than those of white Americans; 600,000 black Americans are living with HIV and 30,000 new infections occur among them each year. The epidemic among black Americans is the same size as that in Côte d'Ivoire, and bigger than that of seven priority PEPFAR countries put together.

The U.S. government and its people are obliged to address this epidemic with the same urgency with which they are now addressing the global pandemic.

The United States must develop and implement a national AIDS strategy with specific targets, timelines, and the goal of reversing the epidemic, with special attention and resources targeted toward black Americans, Latino/Latina Americans, women, and men who have sex with men.

6) Scale up HIV testing and improve HIV epidemiology

We must massively scale up HIV testing globally. New York City has belatedly introduced a policy to test -- voluntarily and with opt-out -- any resident of the Bronx who presents to the health system. If HIV testing can be massively scaled up in Lesotho, it certainly can and should be massively scaled up in New York City, still the epicenter of the U.S. epidemic.

We must have access to much better, more accurate, and timelier information about where the epidemic is and where it is moving to. Recent revisions downward by UNAIDS on the global pandemic and upward by the CDC on the U.S. epidemic have left the impression that we are still far from having a clear enough picture of the size, scope, distribution, and movement of the epidemic in its 28th year.

7) Prevent, diagnose, treat, and cure TB

Everyone has a responsibility to do a much better job of reducing the impact of TB among people with HIV. HIV clinics around the world must implement infection control procedures, intensified TB case finding, and earlier TB diagnosis and treatment so that no one contracts TB while accessing HIV care.

Routine screening for TB at every clinic visit should also allow healthy HIV-positive persons in pre-ART care to receive cotrimoxazole and isoniazid preventive therapies, which despite overwhelming evidence of efficacy are not routinely used in most sites due to overblown fears about resistance, toxicity, and adherence.

8) Diagnose, prevent, and treat viral hepatitis and common opportunistic infections

We should strive to obtain serology and, when possible, treatment for hepatitis B and hepatitis C infections among HIV coinfected persons. Because of the overlapping activity of certain ARV drugs, we are already treating many people who are coinfected with HBV and HIV without knowing their HBV status. As HBV and HCV treatments mature and oral combination therapy becomes possible, we must be ready to scale up hepatitis treatment globally.

Better opportunistic infection prophylaxis and treatment are also needed. Key drugs must be added to the essential medicines formulary and their prices brought down: amphotericin-B for cryptococcosis, azithromycin for MAC and a host of other infections, rifabutin for tuberculosis, and valganciclovir for CMV retinitis.

9) Develop better first-, second-, and third-line antiretroviral (ARV) regimens

We still need cheaper, safer, and more durable first- and second-line ART regimens to guarantee the longest possible duration of viral suppression free of side effects. Though the ART treatment space is maturing, there is still room for better combinations with greater durability, less toxicity, higher barriers to resistance, and cheaper manufacturing costs.

10) Intensify investment in biomedical research, including AIDS research

The last five years have seen stagnation in U.S. investment in research at the National Institutes of Health. The AIDS research budget, nominally $2.9 billion, has lost about 20% of its purchasing power due to inflation during this time. We must demand that the next U.S. president and Congress increase support for all NIH research -- including AIDS research -- by 15% in each of the next five years.

Other rich countries in the European Union and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development must double or triple the amount they invest in biomedical research, including research for AIDS, TB, viral hepatitis, and other diseases. Emerging and developing countries need to increase investment in biomedical research five- to tenfold to help address persistent gaps in health research.

11) Show solidarity with activists, health workers, policy makers, and scientists working on global health issues

We cannot afford a divisive debate that pits advocates for different diseases against each other.

12) We need greater unity

We must become more united if we are to become an even more powerful force for global public health, human rights, and social justice, with our goal of universal access evolving into comprehensive and universal primary care for all. To those who say it cannot be done we must reply, "¡Si se puede! Yes, we can!"

So today I remember, honor and place in memorial all those who have died.

Today, I pray and proclaim the hope and healing for all those who live and are affected by this virus. For you, I will not be silent. I will speak out persistently, loudly and with a clear voice for justice.

Today, I once again say to my friends who have been received in the loving arms of God:

Timothy, Gerald, Brandon, Billy the nerd, William, Paddy, Tyrone, Tom, Chuck, Thomas, Sammy, Joey, Philip and John…I love you. You did not die in vain and I will never forget you.

Here We are Again

2011-11-18T06:57:00.000-08:00

Sunday is a day of mourning. It is not a day that is on the national calendar. In fact, with the exception of a small percentage of people in this country, this day of mourning will pass completely unnoticed.

If these words I write look familiar, they are because nothing has changed since I last wrote them, except some people are more aware.

Again this year those who take a moment and remember on this day will find themselves swinging between tears of grief and deep waves of anger not to mention a certain amount of fear of further attacks.

The devastating images of those viciously killed in 2011 for simply trying to be themselves is something we should remember, something that should burn in our souls.

The people we mourn for this day are a part of the community most would just as soon not deal with. Oh we go to watch the drag shows and tell our jokes and we have added a “T” to the GLB_Q but still don’t take seriously enough that folks in the transgender community live in a very dangerous and un-supportive world. This year’s danger and lethal transphobia is no different from any of the last twenty years.

In fact, in almost (not all) but damn near every community meeting, the plight of the Trans community is brought up as an afterthought, kind of “oh yeah, let’s not forget the T’s”.

While progress has been made, while things have gotten better, there is still a long way to go and this community is still too often just an afterthought.

We still do not take it seriously enough that these children of God find it extremely difficult to get jobs, get health care or any kind of support and dignity. In fact, many in our community, never mind the straight community, think if they would just dress correctly and be happy with how they were born there would be less trouble.

In our fair city of Atlanta, the shelters are still not required to accept those who are in transition unless they are willing to accept being forcible moved backwards in that transition. Again, we arrive at this time of the year and nothing has changed.

People in transition walking down the street at the wrong time or in the wrong neighborhood stand a good chance of being stopped by the police and questioned about drugs, prostitution or both.

I am well aware there are some in the neighborhoods who think the Trans folks working the streets are responsible for the crime in the neighborhood and with vicious language have launched a crusade to rid the streets of this so called epidemic.

Let us get real here; if these sisters and brothers could get a job or be protected in the job they have maybe, just maybe they would not have to turn to the streets.

The fact is, most political leaders of the community still see the trans community as nothing more then a “political calculation”. In fact, far too often these people are something to be added or subtracted from the political equation. The political leadership has not and does not have the courage to stand up and say, “Enough!”

Instead, it’s “let’s study the issue, let’s explore what we can do”. News flash: One’s gender identity has zero to do with the administration of equal rights, just do the right thing!

I still see far too often in community meetings the eyes roll or heads shake when the needs of the Trans community are brought up.

I am so sick of hearing that bringing justice, being fair and honorable and less phobic is so complicated when it come to the Trans community. News flash: Gender, just like sexuality, is a very fluid thing and to attempt to fit everyone into the same narrowly defined box is the height of ignorance.

So here we are this year and it is still open season on those who would dare to transition from one gender to another.

Let us not forget that it was these folks who started the whole “gay rights” movement we know today when they stood toe to high heel with the New York City police department at Stonewall.

Let us today acknowledge they have been with us every step of this bloody fight for our rights, our self worth and our very souls.

Let us recognize and have more than a passing thought that each day when they get out of bed and step into the world it may in fact be their last day.

So on this day I implore you to remember the transgender community…to pay attention to the day that has become known as “Transgender Day of Remembrance”

May we who mourn and remember today, take some comfort in these words:

"God is King, despite the chaos that may be roaring around us." (Ps 93)

“If one member suffers, the whole body suffers…” (I Cor 12)

“Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? … Nothing in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom 8)

"Be still and know that I am God" Psalm 46:10

"The Lord takes care of me as his sheep; I will not be without any good thing. He makes a resting-place for me in the green fields: he is my guide by the quiet waters. He gives new life to my soul: he is my guide in the ways of righteousness because of his name. Yes, though I go through the valley of deep shade, I will have no fear of evil; for you are with me, your rod and your support are my comfort. You make ready a table for me in front of my haters: you put oil on my head; my cup is overflowing. Truly, blessing and mercy will be with me all the days of my life; and I will have a place in the house of the Lord all my days." Psalm 23

Sunday evening, here and all around the country, may we find ourselves moved to pray.

May these prayers be for all of the victims, their family and friends.

May we pray for our government to have the wisdom, the courage and a compassionate response to this insanity. Let us pray for God's protection and a calming of theirs and our fears.

And may our prayers be accompanied by expressions of our faith – in which we are not conformed to the ways of the world and how they will respond to children of God, but to the way the Christ would respond. May we be in our speech and actions, the love of God.

Once again let us ponder the words of Gwendolyn Ann Smith,

We have lost so many people in our community to the hand of hatred and prejudice, yet we still are not seemingly willing to fight back. Meanwhile, we die at the hands of a lover, of police, of medical practitioners, and even parents, while the news media calls us “freaks” — and worse.

In fact, the media’s reluctance to cover our deaths lies near the heart of this project. It can be all-but-impossible to find honest, reliable media on the death of a transgender person: It either does not exist (which is how one can cover thirty years of cases and still only have as many as I have to present), or it uses names that the deceased did not own, and pronouns that did not fit their reality.”

In the world we live in today there is no “safe way” to be transgender: Some are living very out lives, and some are living fully “stealth” lives. Some are identifying as male, some as female and some as both and neither. Some live in small towns, and some in major metropolitan areas.

There are things we can do and must do, if the killing is to stop. I would encourage our community and friends to:

• Let us educate ourselves about transgender issues.

• Let us be aware of our attitudes concerning people with gender-atypical appearance or behavior.

• Let us make more than a good faith effort to use names and pronouns that are appropriate to the person’s gender presentation and identity.

• Let us not make assumptions about transgender people’s sexual orientation, desire for surgical or hormonal treatment, or other aspects of their identity or transition plans.

• Let us keep the lines of communication open with the transgender person (s) in our lives.

• Let us become more aware of the things which would make life easier and the transition smoother, i.e. markers on drivers licenses, applications and forms.

• Let us not just sit on our lack of knowledge and understanding. Let us seek out support in dealing with our feelings. This is the 21st century and there are plenty of resources for us to get help.

Finally, but not least, let us turn out en masse this Sunday evening at the State Capital to show the “T” really is apart of LGBTQ and it does not stand-alone. I know it is Sunday night and I know you want to quit reading this every year. So here is the deal:

I will stop repeating this blog when we as a whole community are as enraged as when they raided our bar, as enraged as when Matthew Shepherd was beaten to death or when the fight to pass protective legislation for our community includes the “T” as something other then an afterthought or a political piece to be thrown under the bus.

Taking Ownership of Our Faith

2011-11-04T06:23:00.000-07:00

If you live in Georgia the story of Shorter College and the faith statement one is required to sign is about a week old. There has been no shortage of opinions concerning this “goodie-two shoes” approach to controlling people’s lives.

I guess as a private institution they can have any rule they want. With that said, the college has absolutely no business in people’s bedrooms. They choose to quote the Old Testament for the reasoning for this rule...I believe that in the Old Testament polygamy seemed to be acceptable, stoning wives for adultery was the law of the day and marriages for the most part were arranged. Shorter University is certainly on a power trip of the worst kind.

Yet there is a deeper and far more dangerous issue which is occurring in regards to this faith statement that people are being forced to sign.

In fact, it is just not Shorter College and their homophobia; it is a “Church Universal” problem from almost every main-line traditional church to the most conservative, evangelical church. This dangerous issue happens to one degree or another in each and every organized congregation.

The “Church” does not want you and me to own our faith. The “Church” requires you and me to either rent or lease our faith. Sadly, that has been the situation for a very long time.

Remember when Jesus chastises the Jewish leadership in his day:

Now Jesus turned to address his disciples, along with the crowd that had gathered with them. "The religion scholars and Pharisees are competent teachers in God's Law. You won't go wrong in following their teachings on Moses. But be careful about following them. They talk a good line, but they don't live it. They don't take it into their hearts and live it out in their behavior. It's all spit-and-polish veneer.

"Instead of giving you God's Law as food and drink by which you can banquet on God, they package it in bundles of rules, loading you down like pack animals. They seem to take pleasure in watching you stagger under these loads, and wouldn't think of lifting a finger to help. Their lives are perpetual fashion shows, embroidered prayer shawls one day and flowery prayers the next. They love to sit at the head table at church dinners, basking in the most prominent positions, preening in the radiance of public flattery, receiving honorary degrees, and getting called 'Doctor' and 'Reverend.'

"Don't let people do that to you, put you on a pedestal like that. You all have a single Teacher, and you are all classmates. Don't set people up as experts over your life, letting them tell you what to do. Save that authority for God; let him tell you what to do. No one else should carry the title of 'Father'; you have only one Father, and he's in heaven. And don't let people maneuver you into taking charge of them. There is only one Life-Leader for you and them—Christ.

"Do you want to stand out? Then step down. Be a servant. If you puff yourself up, you'll get the wind knocked out of you. But if you're content to simply be yourself, your life will count for plenty.”

I would encourage the reader to read the rest of the chapter as Jesus has hit the nail right on the head.

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2023&version=MSG

Think about when one signs a rental agreement. There are always lists of things that can you evicted from the property. If there are problems with the property the owner may listen and respond or they may not…if you are not happy, too bad…move out.

Sound familiar? Think really hard, isn’t that what belonging to a church is all about? What is really sad and dangerous is what this does to the individual person of faith.

The “Church” has a list of those things that keep us in good standing as far a renting your faith from God. Screw up enough of them on the list and we are told our relationship with God is no longer valid. Think I am kidding? Consider:

My partner’s father was a hard working man with twelve children. The family was Episcopalian. With twelve children to support and a stay-at-home wife, it required him to work an extra job. The extra job kept him from coming to church very often.

When he suddenly died at the age of fifty-seven from a massive heart attack (probably from working much too hard) the church refused to conduct the funeral or give him a proper burial because he was not in good standing.

What about if we don’t confess prior to participating in “Holy Communion”? We can be refused the host and drink. Don’t take Communion for long enough and we are considered outside the faith.

Are we baptized? If not, then our relationship with Jesus is not valid with God.

Be outside the proscribed norm for the understanding of sexual orientation, the proper participation of sexual activities or not follow the proper definition of gender identity and we are told our relationship with God is not valid.

Another problem with renting instead of owning is there is no reason to invest, grow or improve what is being rented. Why? Because it is not ours, it can all be taken away in an instant…so why bother? How many empty pews are there on Sunday morning these days? People have given up, walked away or found all these rental agreements set forth by the “Church” to be irrelevant to their everyday lives.

Not to be outdone, “The Church” has taken to a marketing campaign to fill it’s quota of rentals not because it cares about our spiritual needs and relationship with God but because… well, please just read Matthew 23. The methodology is even more heinous then in Jesus’ time… PowerPoint presentations, full orchestras, only the best of the best singers, grand buildings, and huge congregations complete with pastors who are nothing more than snake-oil salesmen convincing you if you buy their product you will be saved and if you don’t buy it there is a place reserved for you in the fiery pit of hell.

Shorter College is a perfect example.

The “Church” has had it backwards for a very long time. Jesus taught and lived in such a way that it was clear it was about owning our faith with God and not renting it.

People who own something invest in it. They make an effort to improve it, place value and priority in it. People, who own it, protect it with their lives. Ownership does not allow for one to just walk away and replace it on a whim. When Jesus said the greatest love we can show is by laying down our lives for another…that doesn’t happen with a rental faith…that only can happen when we own our faith.

I have come to understand our job as persons of faith is not about the conversion of souls…it is about the protection of souls. Our job is not to figure out why one has a need and how bad they were to get to this needed place but rather simply meet the need.

Not once did Jesus ever tell someone how screwed up they were but rather treated them as owners of their faith and met the need in measure with their faith.

In today’s world, if we dare to take ownership of our faith, we will be told we are crazy, misfits or rebels. If we dare to claim that our relationship with God is ours and we will no longer allow for guilt trips to be laid upon us or told how and when to practice our faith, we will be called heretics, scandalous or worse, perverts.

When we own our relationship with God rather than rent or lease it, this gives us the ability to understand that maybe by accident or maybe with intentionality, the “Apple” company had it exactly right theological-speaking when they wrote:

“Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules, and they have no respect for the status-quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. But the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”

When we own our faith we can then live out the meaning of these words found recently on the internet: http://queen7d.deviantart.com/art/The-Choice-is-Mine-135928929

“I choose…to live by choice, not by chance;
to make changes, not excuses;
to be motivated, not manipulated;
to be useful, not be used;
to excel, not compete;
I choose self-esteem, not self pity;
I choose to listen to my inner voice(God), not the random opinion of others.”

A Pastoral Thought

2011-10-21T08:44:00.000-07:00

The Occupy Wall Street protest seems to have taken on a life of its own, spreading from Wall Street to many major cities and across the world.

I find it amusing in an ironic way that those who supported the Tea Party folks find the Occupy Wall Street folks as repulsive. One would think both of these movements would literally shout that there is something VERY wrong with our society.

With all the mess going on...and the awful things each side are saying to each other, with the news media behaving like vultures and people jockeying for positions to be called heroes, we now see this embarrassing fighting standing in the way of making sure the folks of our country are protected, secure and safe...

I was doing some meditation time and this particular passage struck a deep nerve.

"If you've gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care— then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don't push your way to the front; don't sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don't be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand." (Philippians 2:1-13 (The Message))

Regardless if one is a Christian or not...it seems to me this is a formula for working through this mess...a way of peace, a way of strength, and a way of walking the talk. A way in which everyone could walk away saying they had a hand in working through the challenge.

I guess I want to ask the question of all; what are you personally doing to help this come to reality? See, I get that both sides are deeply entrenched on their side of the argument; however what is each side doing to make the words of the quoted passage a reality?

I am sitting at my desk wondering if this country and it's leadership have become so jaded and drunk with power, they have forgotten the basic tenet of our country which says, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all... are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among the people, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it..."

Maybe it is indeed time for a change. I think this crisis proves what we have known for a long time...the politicians do not really care if you or I can pay the mortgage or rent.

They do not really care if you or I have enough money to pay our bills or put gasoline in our vehicles.

HIV and it's spread only matters if a large block of voters suddenly die or there is oil in the country.

They do not really care if you live or die unless it gives them some sort of leverage in the power and control game.

No, the only thing at stake is their position of power, money and comfort, and they would sell their own mother if they thought it would keep them in power.

The recent behavior of the political and religious right and big business proves that all those "so-called Christians" have forgotten a key to their faith..."Don't be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand."

Yes, maybe now is the time to call for a change...and in the meantime all I can say to our government is:

Shame on you Mr. President.

Shame on you Mr. or Mrs. Congressperson.

Shame on you Mr. or Mrs. Senator.

Shame on those of you in big business that have lost sight of the people upon whose backs you made your money!!

Finally, but not least by any stretch of the imagination, shame on all those big CEO's and big business people who forgot why they were in business to begin with,"...that all... are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

We are faced with the conservative political right and the religious right constantly beating us over the head with their brand of morals and practice of faith, telling everyone how to think and what the bible says.

We are faced with the political left not listening to the real concerns of folks and the progressive people of faith forgetting it is not a contest of "their way or my way".

Damn it, folks, read this passage one more time:

"If you've gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care— then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don't push your way to the front; don't sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don't be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand." (Philippians 2:1-13 (The Message))

So the real questions of the day perhaps are these:

What are you doing to find agreement with those around you?

What have you done to become deep-spirited friends?

Are you pushing to the top or are you waiting your turn?

Are you a person who says what you mean and means what you say or are you a B.S. artist?

Have you stepped outside of yourself to help another get ahead?

Are you obsessed with getting your way?

Can you forget yourself long enough to offer a helping hand, without judgment?

Just a passing pastoral thought…

"Fear Doesn’t Live Here”

2011-10-07T05:18:00.000-07:00

Every year about this time I start having this debate in my head…do we really need “Gay Pride”? Do we really need to go all the trouble and expense of throwing what appears to be a weekend long party? Then something like this crosses my desk:

A gay Tennessee couple was reportedly attacked — physically and verbally assaulted — by a Christian Pastor and his deacons to prevent the same-sex couple from entering the Pastor’s church. Sadly, the pastor is the father of one of the two members of the gay couple. Also sadly, the church members and bystanders did not lift a finger to help the couple or to stop church leaders from perpetrating the crime. Further, initially, local authorities refused to allow the couple to file charges.

Via WBBJ:

“I went over to take the keys out of the ignition and all the sudden I hear someone say ‘sick’em,’” said Gibson County resident, Jerry Pittman Jr.

Pittman said the attacked was prompted by the pastor of the church, Jerry Pittman, his father.

“My uncle and two other deacons came over to the car per my dad’s request. My uncle smash me in the door as the other deacon knocked my boyfriend back so he couldn’t help me, punching him in his face and his chest. The other deacon came and hit me through my car window in my back,” said Pittman. He said bystanders did not offer assistance. He said the deacon yelled derogatory homosexual slurs, even after officers arrived. He said the officers never intervened to stop the deacons from yelling the slurs.

To make matters worse when the police arrived they really didn’t do anything to stop the beating.

What on earth kind of perverted translation of the bible is this preacher reading? How on earth can this possible be justified? Then it hits me…this is not about the bible, well, maybe on the surface. However, deep down where the heart and the soul intersect it is pure raw fear.

The church universal is so fearful of our community they will justify anything to stop us from being accepted as normal and thriving and contributing members of society.

Now mind you, I am fully aware it is not every church and some churches have made tremendous progress in getting rid of their fear…but if one is totally honest the biggest obstacle to our community is the moderate to conservative Christian Churches who it seems will do anything to stop us.

They are deeply fearful of us…they are in two words, “deeply homophobic”.

Homophobia: Function: noun date: 1969: irrational fear of, aversion to, or discrimination against homosexuality or homosexuals. (Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary)

Interesting how this irrational fear of the religious zealots of the world becomes their strongest weapon against our friends and us.

The religious zealots of the world are so “fearful” of homosexuals or for that matter anyone that doesn’t fit their definition of gender identity or orientation. They fight so fiercely to throw every manner of fecal matter at the fan and it just blows out all over the place and some of it sticks to us. Some of that crap that we are stuck with:

The fear about where we will end up after death. Not to mention the fear of another Sodom and Gomorrah.

Some people seem to fear that if we pursue the life of our God-given orientation we will end up in this place that some call hell; a horrible place where we will be separated from God for all eternity.

I have come to recognize that this fear and concern are deeply rooted in the way we were and are taught to view God. So in essence, the only way to get past those fears is to change the way we view God.

I have recently been re-reading a book written by Bruce Bawer, called Stealing Jesus: How Fundamentalism Betrays Christianity. From this book I have come to understand the real source of our fears when it comes to sexuality.

The source of this fear is the difference between an attitude of love and an attitude of law. On page 5 of this book Mr. Bauer states:

"Simply stated, conservative Christianity focuses primarily on law, doctrine, and authority; liberal Christianity focuses on love, spiritual experience and the priesthood of all believers. If conservative Christians emphasize the Great Commission--the resurrected Christ's injunction, at the end of the Gospel according to Matthew, 'go to all the nations and make them my disciples'--liberal Christians place more emphasis on the Great Commandment, which in Luke's Gospel reads as follows; 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.'"

What these few words essentially say is that we have a choice as to whether we understand and live with a God as a strict authoritarian who demands that all come to God in a specify way or we understand and live with a God as a loving Creator who desires that all would come to God and would treat each other accordingly.

All one has to do is read the story of the prodigal son to make the obvious choice.

Yet, what we get focused on is a point of view that is based on the law and authority figures that have decided they speak on behalf of God. “The whole world will go to hell in a hand basket if the homos are given any dignity, acceptance or love.”

So, yes there is a choice to be made.

However, I must say that to believe God would create something with free will and then ultimately destroy that creation because it did not make the choice to follow the law is rubbish.

Why did Jesus spend almost his entire earthly ministry bringing the outcasts, those outside the law back to the fold?

Why did Jesus, when asked to state what the greatest commandment was, say to Love God and to love your Neighbor?

He never said that in order to be okay with God and not go to hell you must obey the law of the day, rather he spent all of his time telling folks to love God and giving them example after example of how they could show and could live that love.

The women caught in adultery released, the raising of Lazarus, the blind person healed, the Roman Centurion slave healed, the woman with the issue of blood healed.

Jesus' words:

"Be not judges of others, and you will not be judged. For as you have been judging, so you will be judged, and with your measure will it be measured to you. And why do you take note of the grain of dust in your brother's eye, but take no note of the bit of wood which is in your eye?"
--Matthew 7: 1-3

"Then Jesus said to the people and to his disciples: The scribes and the Pharisees have the authority of Moses; All things, then, which they give you orders to do, these do and keep: but do not take their works as your example, for they say and do not. They make hard laws and put great weights on men’s backs; but they themselves will not put a finger to them...
Matthew 23:1-4

"But a curse is on you, scribes and Pharisees, false ones! Because you are shutting the kingdom of heaven against men: for you do not go in yourselves, and those who are going in, you keep back. A curse is on you, scribes and Pharisees, false ones! For you go about land and sea to get one disciple and, having him, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves. A curse is on you, blind guides, who say, whoever takes an oath by the Temple, it is nothing; but whoever takes an oath by the gold of the Temple, he is responsible. You foolish ones and blind: which is greater, the gold, or the Temple which makes the gold holy?"
--Matthew 23: 13-17

Yes, the hypocritical religious right of center has chosen to live in fear by the law and the authority of those around them, while we have chosen to live by the words of Jesus and his examples.

They belong to the church of the Pharisees, Scribes and St. Paul; we belong to the faith that Jesus spent his ministry building and ultimately died for, unconditional love.

In the end the religious right gets and maintains its power from our fear.

Fear of what our relationship with God is going to be and look like in the hereafter.

We need no other reason for bringing 300,000 people to Piedmont Park each year then this and to say:

“We are not afraid of you, our love cannot be taken away no matter what you do, say or threaten.”

To live in fear is the exact opposite of everything Jesus taught. If we are to really be the beautiful creation that God intended then we must listen to, believe and live the words of Jesus when he said to the disciples and to each of us today; “fear not, it is I!” With the celebration of Gay Pride each year we say loudly and clearly: "Fear Doesn’t Live Here”

Yes, Gay Pride serves our community, it builds our community, it strengthens our community, it expresses our love, but most assuredly it destroys our fear.

Gay Pride allows us to say to the oppressive religious zealots, in the words of Glinda from the Wizard of Oz: “You have no power here, be gone before someone drops a house on you.”

And Jesus Wept…

2011-09-23T10:25:00.000-07:00

A few years back there was a TV show called “In the Heat of the Night”. It was a spin-off of the movie by the same name. The TV series starred Carroll O'Connor as Chief William O. 'Bill' Gillespie and Howard E. Rollins Jr. as Chief of Detectives Virgil Tibbs.

The events of yesterday (the execution of Troy Davis) have unsettled me in a way I did not think was possible.

In one of the shows entitled; “A Trip Upstate” (1989) George Brownlow sends word to Bill Gillespie that he wants to see the Chief at Parchman prison on the day of his execution. George was the driver in a bank holdup. Two bank robbers killed a guard and a customer before Bill killed them in return. As an accomplice, George was sentenced to die.

At Parchman, Bill sees George, who persuades Gillespie to stay until he is gone. The execution is devastating to the Chief. (Thank you to Internet Movie Database (www.imdb.com))

When the Chief returns he and Detective Tibbs have a conversation about capital punishment and if it is the right thing to do. Tibbs points out the US Constitution makes reference that no cruel or unusual punishment can be administered. It is at this point the Chief relates his experience with the person who was executed. After hours of listening and watching the condemned man, he comes to the conclusion there is no way to invoke the death penalty and have it not be cruel or unusual.

He then gives this example (I couldn’t find the script so this is from memory).

“You take the man who is about to be executed for his crime and you sit him in a chair in front of you. You then tell him he is forgiven and that he is free to go. Then in the moment you see in his face the relief, the happiness at such good fortune, you tell him he is free to leave and go home. As he stands and turns to leave for his newfound freedom, you step up behind him and shoot him in the back of the head.”

To say the least I was stunned. In that bit of TV writing I recognized there is no way to kill another human being without being cruel or unusual.

At 6:30pm last night on CNN it was announced that the execution had been put on hold as the US Supreme Court took a final look at it. According to the experts Mr. Davis would have already been in the “death room” with the I.V. in his arm and preparing to receive a sedative to calm him. Then suddenly everything stops. I don’t know if they left him on the gurney or took him someplace close by; however his final hours were exactly what torture is all about. The really sad thing about it is the State of Georgia was really trying to do the right thing by waiting. According to Georgia state law they didn’t have to, they could have proceeded.

So, now I sit here and think damn, this was a cruel execution.

Thanks to Amnesty International and their website for some basic facts about the death penalty. www.amnestyusa.org

“Since 1973, over 130 people have been released from death rows throughout the country due to evidence of their wrongful convictions. In 2003 alone, 10 wrongfully convicted defendants were released from death row.

Factors leading to wrongful convictions include:

Inadequate legal representation
Police and prosecutorial misconduct
Perjured testimony and mistaken eyewitness testimony
Racial prejudice
Jailhouse "snitch" testimony
Suppression and/or misinterpretation of mitigating evidence
Community/political pressure to solve a case”

So how on earth can we continue to fight for a system of such a final solution if it has been wrong 130 times and maybe 131 times if you count Mr. Davis? How can “we the people” allow the government to kill even one person if the system is that broken? Those who are constantly harping about us being a Christian nation do not get this?

At least Governor George Ryan of Illinois, in January 2000, said,

"I cannot support a system which, in its administration, has proven so fraught with error and has come so close to the ultimate nightmare, the state's taking of innocent life... Until I can be sure that everyone sentenced to death in Illinois is truly guilty, until I can be sure with moral certainty that no innocent man or woman is facing a lethal injection, no one will meet that fate."

Thereby

“declaring a moratorium on executions in his state, after the 13th Illinois death row inmate had been released from prison due to wrongful conviction. In the same time period, 12 others had been executed.”

I shudder to think how many people have been executed for a crime they did not commit.

How about this little factoid:

In a 1990 report, the non-partisan U.S. General Accounting Office found "a pattern of evidence indicating racial disparities in the charging, sentencing, and imposition of the death penalty." The study concluded that a defendant was several times more likely to be sentenced to death if the murder victim was white. This has been confirmed by the findings of many other studies that, holding all other factors constant, the single most reliable predictor of whether someone will be sentenced to death is the race of the victim.

Wow, the system is not only broken but it appears to have a deep bias.

The most troubling thing for me is that “Capital Punishment” is about as far from a Christian response as one can get.

In the book, “The Shack”, the main character Mac is having a conversation with God about his inability to forgive the man who brutally raped and murder his very young daughter. The character of God says this in response to Mac’s trouble with forgiveness;

“For you to forgive this man is for you to release him to me and allow me to redeem him.”

I know this is not a scriptural quote but isn’t that really what Jesus taught? There is no real way we can decide a person should die and be justified. All of the New Testament is about “agape”, unconditional love and forgiveness. So as Christians, how do we come to the conclusion that someone is beyond God’s reach and it is ok for us to come up with all kinds of fancy ways to kill them?

People who commit heinous crimes against others are a reason that calls for us to get revenge, get even, to get a pay back. However, while that may be our knee jerk reaction, my friends, that is not what we are taught…instead we are taught to let the first one without sin cast the first stone. We are taught to forgive not once but seventy times seven.

Forgiveness acknowledges that a wrong was committed.

Forgiveness changes us from a victim to a victor.

Forgiveness takes the power from a bad act and turns the act to good.

Forgiveness is the only road to freedom.

Jesus, as near as I can tell, never made the act of forgiveness a bargaining chip for revenge and judgment.

I did not know Troy Davis, nor did I really know a lot about his particular case, except that he was convicted of shooting an unarmed off-duty police officer. Was this crime anymore heinous then the fella in Texas who dragged a black father to his death and was then executed on the same day as Troy Davis?

I also know there was enough hell raised around Mr. Davis’s case to know that something was terrible wrong. I also know there was no hell raised about the execution of the man in Texas and this too says something is very wrong. Has our lust for blood, retribution and power become such we now want God’s job? Do we get to decide a color code for heinous crimes and then ignore our faith teachings and kill?

A Presidential candidate recently bragged about how many people had been put to death in Texas, while claiming to be a born again Christian. The audience was filled with Christians and they cheered his accomplishment. Really? Oh my God, really?

This might be a stretch here but I would guess most of the folks in the audience and the presidential candidate himself are also what some would call “pro-life”. How does this square with “Capital Punishment”? I mean, if all life is sacred and cannot be terminated; does that not make these folks who support “Capital Punishment” nothing more than “late term abortionists”?

Our Christian faith and its leader Jesus are very clear on this point. We do not have the ability to make clear judgments which allow the government to take a life. 130 plus wrong convictions is really all the evidence we need.

I wonder who in this whole debacle showed more mercy and justice? Troy Davis, who asked for a polygraph test and was denied, said as his final words;

“The incident that night was not my fault, I did not have a gun…I did not personally kill your son, father and brother. I am innocent.”… “Those about to take my life, may God have mercy on your souls, may God bless your souls.”

Was the State of Georgia merciful in waiting to see if there was some “legal” reason to stop the execution or were they just covering their political ass?

Today, I am heart-broken and weep at the thought there are those who really believe it is okay to play God. I am heart-broken that in the end there are far more than a few who can see past forgiveness and a direct command from Jesus; “Love one another as I have loved you”, and find creative ways to come up with all kinds of justification as to why it is ok to ignore the teachings of the one that Christians call Savior.

Today, I have a better understanding of why Jesus sat on a hill outside of Jerusalem and wept. May God have mercy on us all.

“To Serve and Protect”…NOT

2011-09-08T23:58:00.000-07:00

Leave it to the Atlanta Police Department to give me more grey hair, or something to write about or maybe just vent or maybe just bitch or make a call for action.

Seems the Atlanta Police Department is in what is known in the world of sports as a prolonged slump.

Generally, in major league baseball when a prolonged slump gets too long the President of the ball club fires the manager.

In the case of Atlanta, the manager is the Chief of the Atlanta Police Department George Turner and the President is Mayor Kasim Reed.

Mayor Reed appointed Turner chief, after being less than honest during his campaign for mayor by saying he was going to do a national search and get the best person for the job in the country.

Chief George Turner was the Mayor’s man. Really? This choice was best in the entire country? Really?

“The Ramage Report”, Atlanta's well-informed commentary on policy and politics noted in an on-line article from February 12, 2011, as Mayor Reed was getting ready to do a national TV interview:

Reed’s “police year,” however, began in January 2010 when he appointed former Deputy Chief George Turner as interim police chief with the obvious goal of shoehorning him into the chief’s job—something Reed eventually accomplished by overruling the citizen committee he had appointed to choose Atlanta’s next police chief.

The New York and Washington-based journalists on “Meet the Press” won’t trouble themselves with Atlanta’s public safety concerns. The show focuses on national and world issues and its regular guest journalists make their careers by identifying rising figures on the national political scene. It is no accident that one so often hears them say “Well, as I pointed out, you may recall, back in…” Reed has carefully positioned himself as a rising star in the national Democratic Party. Meet the Press will look more at Reed’s affinity with Gold Dome conservatives—regardless of his long track record of carrying water for the Democrats—than at the effects of hiked permit and parking fees on small local businesses. These talking heads think in terms of ideology, facts be damned, and that is one reason that American politics has become a matter of branding rather than a matter of public service.

They certainly won’t consider the fruit that Reed’s underhanded manipulation of the police chief search has produced.

But for Atlantans, that fruit is undeniable. For the past year Atlanta’s taxpayers have dug into their shrinking bank accounts and shelled out cash for lawsuit after lawsuit filed against the police department: The $1 million-plus lawsuit over the Eagle raid developed almost entirely under Reed despite the raid itself having been carried out under his predecessor; the relatively frugal $40,000 lawsuit over police illegally taking a cell phone from a resident grew out of an incident that happened several months into Turner’s interim tenure; and another lawsuit, this one over officers unlawfully strip searching citizens during a traffic stop, is on tap. And there are others in the pipeline.

Though there are certainly some cops who are simply stupid and evil, at some point we must face the fact that these lawsuits were not a matter of a rogue cop here and there. The reality of the APD is that it is a rogue organization with intelligent, well-trained, ethical police officers who do their jobs not because of the department but in spite of it. They work, to the point of exhaustion, for little pay, without needed equipment or support, under stress generated by supervisors and command staff who promote an environment of ass-covering to the detriment of the citizens’ safety. Cops with about 10 years or more on the force are painfully aware that most of their co-workers are clueless when it comes to criminal procedure. They are also aware that an alarming number of their co-workers are little more than criminals themselves.”

That was just a year into the loosing streak of the APD. Here we are 7 months further along and the Eagle mess is still not settled. Further those officers who committed criminal offences have not been arrested and charged for their crimes.

Like the “gift that keeps on giving” a 2nd lawsuit has been or will be filed soon. The outcome of this lawsuit is sure to once again cost Atlanta taxpayers a boatload of money.

Within the past week or two we have also been let in on a really big secret. Many of the officers of the APD on the streets making arrests, supposedly protecting us from all from the dangerous homeless, the ever present prostitutes, those damn sex driven queers and those awful people who pee outside (tongue firmly in cheek) lack the authority to make those or any arrests because they have not met state requirements for certification.

When the story broke the Atlanta Journal Constitution in an on-line article from August 18th wrote:

“The Atlanta Police Department is still reviewing records but already has found that dozens of officers lacked the authority to make arrests because they had not met state requirements for training.

“The APD administration’s failures have just compromised a ton of criminal convictions and pending cases,” said a past president of the Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Christine A. Koehler. “Somebody’s not doing what they are supposed to be doing over there. ... They have big problems.”

At least 51 APD officers had not received the state-required 20 hours of training per year, and that meant they could not make arrests. Maj. Jeff Glazier, commander of the Atlanta police training academy, said Thursday that more APD officers will likely be found deficient as agency investigators still have about 600 files to review -- or about one-third of the force.”

Chief Turner says it is not his fault. Really? Really? Who the hell is in charge at the APD if it is not the Chief?

Adding further fuel to the fire we have this little gem reported by Copwatch of East Atlanta which according to their website is a group of civilians organized to protect our communities from police abuse. They monitor police stops, using video cameras to document any brutality or violation of rights. They also educate people about their rights and how to file complaints about mistreatment by the police:

Nearly a dozen officers and medics were surrounding a man who was lying on the street in handcuffs and appeared to be writhing in pain.

Officers poured water on the man's face and made comments suggesting police had pepper sprayed him earlier.

Officers asked us to step back, and we complied. However they then began to move us even further down the block, using up to four officers and their bicycles to obstruct our view of the person in custody. Officer Basile, told us that it was illegal for us to film the man on the ground. When we asked if he was ordering us to stop filming, Basile replied "yes".

An ambulance arrived and further obstructed our view, so we moved to the other side of the street. The four officers followed us, continuing to obstruct our view and attempt to intimidate us. At one point, officer T. Dziamba asked if we had media credentials and told us to stop filming if we didn't.

Although we were pushed to the end of the block, other civilians were allowed to walk through the scene.

As a result of a lawsuit brought by Copwatch, APD now has an official policy of not interfering with civilians recording police. A recent federal ruling reinforces that right. However as this report shows, police on the street are still determined to use intimidation, interference, and lies to prevent the public from seeing what they do.”

Then of course if you live in and around midtown, it appears the APD has given up law enforcement to Midtown Ponce Security Alliance as their newsletter shows;

“During the early morning hours of August 31st, MPSA Patrol responded to a 911 call about an apparently unconscious person in the rear of a property in the 700 block of Piedmont, and found a white male lying face down near a dumpster.”

Make sure you read this quote closely and ask yourself a question; since when does a non-profit security company answer 911 calls? In fact if you read their webpage it reads like they run the operation as if it is a bona fide police force.

Let us not forget the gay men who were cutting through Piedmont Park after spending an evening at Blake’s who were roughed up and arrested by APD.

It should also be mentioned here about the kids who are routinely hassled by APD at Piedmont Park for doing nothing more then dancing…really? For dancing?

Yes, we all know the APD is understaffed and under paid and that is never good for moral or encouraging a smooth operation. However, one would think the Police Chief would be spending his time trying to fix this challenge, however it appears like many other happening within the APD this is not his fault.

So why the reader might be asking at this point is a pastor who is writing a faith blog writing about this?

The answer is simple. The sworn duty of the APD is to “serve and protect” the citizens of Atlanta. It is far too obvious from these brief examples our city is neither being served nor protected by APD. One only needs to read the 2 reports issued concerning the Eagle raid to see and understand our tax dollars are going to an agency that is out of control.

In fact if you read these reports and are not worried about what might happen should you come in contact with APD I respectfully say you are naïve.

We are coming up on the 2-year anniversary of that raid and precious little has been done to correct the situation.

Read what Copwatch of East Atlanta is reporting and it becomes painfully obvious APD does not want to be held accountable for their actions.

What is happening within the APD is without good ethics and is an immoral handling of the power given to them by the citizens of our community.

I think my friend Art Izzard summed it best when he said on his Facebook page:

“Seriously, we've had a 92 year old woman shot to death in her living room. Patrons at the Eagle have had their civil rights violated. Men have had cavity searches performed on them in public. 85 officers don't even have the certification required to perform their duties. Now we learn the APD has denied employment to a HIV+ applicant who was otherwise qualified. How low can this department stoop and for how long will the citizens of Atlanta foot the bill for the never ending lawsuits and settlements?”

Yes how long? How long before the community as a whole and in vast numbers begins to express it’s outrage over the chaos that is APD. How long before we figure out that like in baseball you can’t fire the whole team but you can fire the manager? In this case the Chief of Police.

So here are the questions that are begging for an answer. How many more lawsuits have to be brought to court? How many more unanswered 911 calls? How many more 911 one calls being answered by some other non-profit agency rather then APD? How many more wrong establishments being raided, wrong homes being invaded, or citizens bullied? How many more officers do we have to find without proper certification?

How much more will we take before the Mayor of this city hears a unison cry from the people; Hey, Hey, Ho, Ho this police chief has got to go!

Our Spiritual Titanic

2011-08-12T13:34:00.000-07:00

If there is one thing that is sure as the rising or setting of the sun, it is “Christians” do not like to be called on their crap.

After my last blog I have caught more then my share of grief from folks who think the “Christian Faith” is the one and only answer in the universe. Therefore, there is nothing “they” could do that could be considered terrorism. They hide behind theology that says the only way to God is through Jesus the Christ. They measure a person's worth by whether they are “saved” or not. They say they help those who are hungry, homeless or on society's edge because it is the right thing to do. However, lurking behind that hypocrisy is the real reason: To win souls for Christ.

It is precisely this kind of arrogance, questionable traditions and just flat out power and control issues that have left churches empty, churches struggling to pay the bills and worship services looking more like a Hollywood production then actual worship.

Where does this come from? Simple…it is the mis-reading, mis-interpretation or mis-translation of some of the sacred text. The two most often quoted are John 14:6...

“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know[b] my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

This is not a bible study, but let it suffice to say, to use this for the basis of no one getting to God outside of Jesus is to take the quote out of context. In fact one needs to read the entire 13th and 14th chapters to see the context of this remark. Here is a hint; nowhere did Jesus ever utter these words in public.

And Mark 16:15-18

He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”

Here is the footnote you find in most bibles concerning this verse: [The earliest manuscripts and some other ancient witnesses do not have verses 9–20.]

So the centerpiece for justification for killing, threatening people with someplace called hell and the general thought of “my way or the highway” are based on a mis-interpretation and an “add on” long after the fact.

This is serious stuff because the approach to faith is from a point of judgment rather then relationship, which is the complete opposite of the Gospel Jesus proclaimed.

Really, you say? Try this…

A couple years back I got a phone call from one of the local pastors or maybe it was an email, inviting our church and me to join them on a “prayer walk” through Piedmont Park. The purpose of this prayerful walk was to call on God to “take back midtown” from the drug dealers, prostitutes and bars. I have been accused of being arrogant in my day but sorry my first thought was…and who the hell are you to decide midtown Atlanta needs saving?

Of course this Pastor and I ended up in a rather testy conversation about the attitude and the approach of the Church. His position in a nutshell was, the only way to be saved was to have Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and once that was done in massive enough numbers drugs, prostitution and the bars (source of lewd and awful behavior) would go away. I assume this would be because more and more of the converted would be so appalled by the drugs and prostitution that they would force the police to arrest and prosecute the offenders, sending off to jail the offending element of society.

I am not sure what the outcome for the bars would be; I suppose they would go from alcohol sales to the sale of soft drinks thereby ending lewd and awful behavior.

Nowhere in this conversation was there anything said or raised about a concern for the individuals and what their stories were, just the desire to wipe out perceived sin and bad behavior via walking around a park looking and sounding like a bunch of circus freaks.

My theology on the other hand, has always been a field of dreams kind of thing. In the movie the theme was “build it and they will come”. I adjusted the theme to say, “Walk the talk and they will come.” This has nothing to do with winning souls to Christ, but rather simply living out Christ's one and only command; “Love one another as I have loved you”.

So, if that is the commandment of Jesus, and I don't mean to sound too critical here, but damn doesn't it make more sense to find out why folks are using drugs or to find a way to end the need for drugs? How about finding out why people are selling themselves or buying services from others? How about visiting a watering hole and getting to know people and listening to their stories? If we follow that command, would we not take this approach because it is not about saving a soul but rather healing that soul from destructive behavior? Oh wait, that is too risky, one might get sucked into the sin if they actually make contact with those sinners or worse if you are seen, people will assume you are a druggie, prostitute or bar whore. So, instead we will just pray for God to do something…

If this was from a mainline, charismatic type of church it would be bad enough, but this was coming from a gay pastor and a gay affirming church.

Of course the problem with “save the sinner” kind of theology is that it requires people to do good things to save souls and correct the perceived sinfulness of the world. As opposed to doing justice, acting mercifully and walking humbly with God because it is the correct way for them to live out their faith and follow what the Creator desires. (Micah 6:8)

This “save the sinner” approach causes one to say and think, “You are worse than me and I going to save you for me, God, and country”. “I am saved and now I am going to save you”.

I have had several pastors who are involved in homeless ministries and feeding programs say the church is there to “save souls”. Really? They are not doing this ministry because these people have a need and deserve shelter and most assuredly need to eat? These church programs are doing this to “save” people rather than doing an act of justice and meeting the need?

So, folks feed the hungry not because it is the right thing to do, but because they are looking to save souls, to get a convert in their trophy case. They want to stand before God and say “see how many souls I saved”. I cannot tell you how many times I have heard people say: “I feel so sorry for those people, I just want to introduce them to Jesus and save their souls.”

Wow, I think my response to that would be, “save your own damn self and leave me be.”

I would also be remiss if I didn't also mention that “saving souls” is not what will save you; rather it's having a relationship with God that will save you.

When I was part of a board of a non-profit they received a gift of $100,000.00 to feed the hungry. We sat in this meeting for over two hours coming up with the rules for handing out the food. Designing ways that we could make sure we were not being abused or taken advantage of. Also laying out what the criteria was for someone to get food and how much.

I was asked by one of the pastors to share my thoughts as I had not said a word up to this point. I indicated they might not want to hear what I had to say, but I was encouraged to share.

I said that this reminded me of “Jesus and the feeding of the 5,000”. Most the pastors nodded their heads and even chimed in that that is what we could name the program. I said, “However, let me finish. You see I am wondering which of the disciples went into the crowd of 5,000 and got the proper paper work filled out? Which disciple determined whose need was real and whose was irresponsible? How did they determine who was just following Jesus around so they could eat?”

A pastor sitting next me offered this advice, “Paul, I understand your idealism, but this is the real world and we have to be responsible with this gift or God will take it away”.

My response was, “Well, if you don't just simply meet the need, then you will lose the entire ministry”. This non-profit closed their doors for good a couple of years ago.

The real problem with the Christian traditional church is that over the years it is majoring in minors. Jesus is quoted at one point, observing:

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to. “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are.

Matthew 23:13-15 (New International Version)

So, the solution? Spend some time with this: "Love one another as I have loved you". What does that command mean to you? If you follow it will your life be different?

For me, following this command allows me to sum things up with a thought from a friend of mine that captures the truth and heart of my faith and belief: Here's my personal take on my Christian beliefs: I refuse to tell you that your religion (or lack of religion) is wrong, and I refuse to insist that you change if what you believe works for you. I'm convinced in my heart that God (however God appears to you) loves and embraces everyone: queer or straight; white or black or polka-dotted; believer or non-believer; liberal or conservative.

And Who are the Terrorists’?

2011-07-28T22:30:00.000-07:00

"I like your Christ; I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ." -- Mahatma Gandhi

Maybe it is because I am getting old and my ability to just blow things off takes more energy then I have or it may be because Mahatma Gandhi’s observation of Christianity is right on the mark. Sadly in this day to call oneself a Christian has become embarrassing in the world we find ourselves living.

So if this blog today seems like a rant, maybe it is. However, I would like to think it is a call to those in the Christian faith who see the teaching of Jesus as far more important than the institution of the church, to start speaking loudly and clearly, as it seems the extremists now own the faith. I really think it is due time for those who follow the teaching of Jesus to take back the conversation rather then letting the extremists destroy us.

I find it curious that the extremists in the Christian faith can judge the actions of a few extremists in another faith who do acts of terrorism and label the entire belief system and everyone within it as part of a terroristic faith.

Yet, when some extremist coming from the Christian faith does an act of terrorism it is labeled as an act of a mad man or some fringe element and it is never thought of as the entire faith that we need protection from. Yet, the way our brand of Christianity gets played out we are no better than those we blame for all the terrorism in the world.

Take for example the heinous tragedy in Norway… Many of the extremist commenter’s from the political and Christian right have been quick to point out this was a lunatic, a mad man. Really?

According to an article published by the ADL,

“Breivik's focus on "left-wing" multiculturalists destroying white European culture in favor of minority cultures such as the Muslim community is common among the far-right and the groups that straddle the far-right and conservative worlds in the U.S. They blame the government, universities, and the media for promoting diversity and minority cultures over European or American culture and accuse them of undermining "Western civilization" or European-American values.”

Damn, that sounds like the same bile being spewed forth by our own Christian extremists.

If this wasn’t so damn serious and deadly it would be laughable that these wing nuts from the Christian right actually set this kind of stuff up with their rhetoric and then act all shocked at how someone can be so extreme.

The anti-choice crowd has always found a home in the extreme Right’s worldview through the church. The results? One look no further than “Anti-abortion violence in Wikipedia”:

“According to statistics gathered by the National Abortion Federation (NAF), an organization of abortion providers, since 1977 in the United States and Canada, there have been 17 attempted murders, 383 death threats, 153 incidents of assault or battery, and 3 kidnappings committed against abortion providers.

According to NAF, since 1977 in the United States and Canada, property crimes committed against abortion providers have included 41 bombings, 173 arsons, 91 attempted bombings or arsons, 619 bomb threats, 1630 incidents of trespassing, 1264 incidents of vandalism, and 100 attacks with butyric acid ("stink bombs").[9] The New York Times also cites over one hundred clinic bombings and incidents of arson, over three hundred invasions, and over four hundred incidents of vandalism between 1978 and 1993.[13] The first clinic arson occurred in Oregon in March 1976 and the first bombing occurred in February 1978 in Ohio.

The threat of anthrax: The first hoax letters claiming to contain anthrax were mailed to U.S. clinics in October 1998, a few days after the Slepian shooting; since then, there have been 655 such bioterrorists threats made against abortion providers. None of the "anthrax" in these cases was real.

Some of those opposed to abortion have sometimes resorted to very public demonstrations of violence in an effort to achieve their objective of curbing the termination of pregnancy. Those who engage in or support such actions defend the use of force—as justifiable homicide or defense of others—in the interest of protecting the life of the fetus.”

I would also point out the vast majority of people in these affected clinics were there for something other than the termination of a pregnancy.

Type “Christian terrorism” into google and the list is mind-boggling and heart breaking.

Here is some of what I found:

Salem witch trials – Christian (while tradition has this about burning witches this is not historically correct as a dozen plus were hung and one was crushed to death), Waco Texas – Christian, Timothy McVeigh – Christian, Jones Town – Christian, KKK – Christian, Nazism – Christians, Adolph Hitler – Catholic, Serbians – Christian, IRA (Irish Republican Army) – Christian, Iron Guard – Christian, Irish Republican Army – Christian, Christian Patriot movement, Christian Identity Movement (According to Chester L. Quarles, professor of criminal justice at the University of Mississippi, some of the Christian Identity movement's followers hold that non-Caucasian peoples have no souls, and can therefore never earn God's favor or be saved.[1] Believers in the theology affirm that Jesus Christ paid only for the sins of the House of Israel and the House of Judah and that salvation must be received through both redemption and race.)

By the way let us not forget the emotional terrorism that is played out by the faithful and churches, which say “believe the way we say to believe or burn in hell for all eternity”!

We need to look no further then Rev. Fred Phelps and the Westboro folks.

For those who are going to argue that true Christianity does not advocate violence and the Quran does, I would refer you back to Gandhi’s observation.

For while the founder of the Christian movement certainly did not advocate violence and even is quoted at one point saying to a follower, “if they are not against us, then they are for us”, many of those who have followed have been anything but passive, forgiving and loving. In fact if one reads the words of Jesus closely we do very little of what he advocated and we do a whole lot of stuff which he preached and taught against.

Jesus clearly removed “capital punishment” as an option yet the State of Georgia pays no attention to the teaching and continues to execute people at an alarming rate. Even when there is a better than even chance they didn’t do it or the mental capacity was so diminished as to be considered “mentally handicapped”.

Jesus taught to turn the other cheek, but good Christian politicians want to put a gun into the hand of everyone.

Jesus taught for us to be merciful, but mercy is sorely lacking.

Jesus never addressed the issue of being LGBT, but those in the church have spent lifetimes trying to cure us and if that fails, kill us.

In fact the institutional church pays very little attention to some of his strongest teaching:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

(Matthew 5:3-10)

I wonder how much different our world would be if we became more intentional about just these two teachings of Jesus? I wonder if the bulk of our time, energy and efforts went into seeing that just these two teaching became the norm rather than the exception if we could say, “No Mr. Gandhi we are not there yet but we are really trying”.

When he finally arrives, blazing in beauty and all his angels with him, the Son of Humanity will take his place on his glorious throne. Then all the nations will be arranged before him and he will sort the people out, much as a shepherd sorts out sheep and goats, putting sheep to his right and goats to his left.

Then the King will say to those on his right, "Enter, you who are blessed by my God! Take what's coming to you in this kingdom. It's been ready for you since the world's foundation. And here's why:
I was hungry and you fed me,
I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
I was homeless and you gave me a room,
I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
I was sick and you stopped to visit,
I was in prison and you came to me."

Then those 'sheep' are going to say, "Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?" Then the King will say, "I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me — you did it to me."

Matthew 25:31-40

When the Pharisees heard how he had bested the Sadducees, they gathered their forces for an assault. One of their religion scholars spoke for them, posing a question they hoped would show him up: "Teacher, which command in God's Law is the most important?"

Jesus said, "Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence." This is the most important, the first on any list. But there is a second to set alongside it: "Love others as well as you love yourself." These two commands are pegs; everything in God's Law and the Prophets hangs from them.

Matthew 22:34-40

Our Not So Secret, Secret

2011-07-15T06:19:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago the blog was about an Elephant in the room or as one editor at GA Voice called it: “Did you see the elephant in the room during the raid on the Eagle?”

In case the readers missed it, the point of the blog is that homophobia was at the heart of a police raid on that quiet bar in Atlanta.

So this week as the whole Eagle mess took another turn as if it were some kind of horror soap opera, I was looking for something different to write about. I posted on my Facebook page a request for topics and was caught off guard by this particular request: “queer-on-queer violence (mental, emotional, and/or physical)”

It seems last weeks Elephant might have been the bigger African vs. the Asian variety but regardless the room is getting a little crowded.

This is a subject that does not get much press or community attention but as some research this afternoon made clear this is definitely an elephant in the room and it seems we have good reasons and are doing a good job of ignoring it.

Why?

According to “An Abuse, Rape, and Domestic Violence Aid and Resource Collection” it is like an onion with several layers.

“Domestic violence in the GLBT community is a serious issue. The rate of domestic violence in same-gender relationships is roughly the same as domestic violence against heterosexual women. As in opposite-gendered couples, the problem is likely underreported. Facing a system which is often oppressive and hostile towards those who identify as anything other than "straight", those involved in same-gender battering frequently report being afraid of revealing their sexual orientation or the nature of their relationship.

Additionally, even those who attempt to report violence in their alterative relationship run into obstacles. Police officers, prosecutors, judges and others to whom a GLBT victim may turn to for help may have difficulty in providing the same level of service as to a heterosexual victim. Not only might personal attitudes towards the GLBT community come into play, but also these providers may have inadequate levels of experience and training to work with GLBT victims and flimsy or non-existent laws to enforce on behalf of the victim.

Although much advancement has been made in the provision of services, the enforcement of the law, and the equality of protections available to those in GLBT relationships over the last decade, it is important for you to be aware of your rights and options as they relate to your attempt to escape an abusive relationship.”

See there are indeed 2 elephants in the room and while they are not exactly the same they are surely related.

According to what I was able to find 1 in 4 men are victims of “queer on queer” violence or more traditionally called “domestic violence”. Friends this is a very disturbing figure and one which should give us pause.

According to Dr. Amy Menna, who wrote “Gift From Within - PTSD Resources for Survivors and Caregivers”, our community has a serious problem.

“The number of studies designed to measure domestic violence in the LGBT community pale in comparison to their heterosexual counterparts. However, studies indicate the prevalence to be equal between the LGBT community and the heterosexual community. Results from the National Violence Against Women survey indicated that gay males are more at risk than gay females. Approximately 23% of gay males studied reported to having been raped, physically assaulted, and / or stalked by another gay male. Slightly more than 11% of gay females also reported the same circumstances. With a victimization rate of approximately 10 to 25 percent, the statistics for either being abused or knowing someone who has been abused is alarming.”

Sadly there is not a whole lot of data for the women in our community so if this seems like I am concentrating on the men it is not because it is not happening in the women’s community. It is in fact found in both communities and the damage caused to everyone involved is staggering.

“GAY MALE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE & REASONS VICTIMS STAY” by J. Michael Cruz (Journal of Men’s Studies), March 2003, No. 3, Vol. 11, p. 309) gives us a glimpse of what is happening;

The limited research that has examined the dynamics of gay male domestic violence (see for example, Merrill and Wolfe, 2000) has found that most experience pushing, shoving or grabbing, with other forms of violence occurring with decreasing prevalence – restraining, punching or hitting, and slapping. The reasons, in previous research, that gay men have given for staying in relationships in which they are being abused include: hope for change, love, fear, lack of assistance, loneliness, loyalty and lack of knowledge regarding domestic violence. Gay men have been found to define domestic violence in similar ways to Heterosexual women with an emphasis on power and control (see Cruz and Firestone, 1998); with some additional factors such as control, jealously and internalized homophobia. Gay men’s constructions of masculinity have also been found to have an impact on gay male domestic violence as well as some of the reasons that gay men stay (Cruz, 2000).

As I write this I am aware there are three potential types of readers. First are those who are victims; second are those who were victims; third are those concerned enough to care and to learn and to help, but were never victimized themselves.

My hope is by then end of this blog each group will find the dignity, freedom from fear and compassionate acceptance each of us deserve and have a right too.

Most of us think of domestic violence as physical assault, but in fact it is far more then that.

Dr. Amy Menna gives the following definition; “…domestic violence is when one seeks to control the thoughts and behaviors of the other partner. It is about power and control. It entails a pattern of violence where one seeks to control the thoughts, beliefs, or conduct of their intimate partner as well punishing the partner for resisting their control. The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence defines domestic violence as a pattern of behavior used to establish power and control over another person through fear and intimidation. It often includes physical violence where one person believes they are entitled to such control. Domestic violence often carries no visible signs. Although physical and sexual abuse is common, many types of control are non-physical such as emotional, psychological, or economic abuse.”

Emotional Abuse

· Yelling, screaming, name calling, or other methods of shaming
· Threatening to "out" the other partner
· Threatening to tell someone about their partner's HIV status
· Isolating the partner from family and friends
· Discouragement of independent activities such as work or taking classes
· Accusations of infidelity
· Constantly criticism of partners weight, physical appearance, or abilities
· Using children to gain control by blatantly undermining partners parenting decisions
· Controls all decision making (i.e. going out to eat or to where to live)

Physical Abuse

· Hitting, kicking, or pushing the partner
· Throwing things
· Breaking things
· Harming pets
· Cornering the partner
· Punching walls

Sexual Abuse

· Making the partner engage in sexual activities that he or she is not comfortable doing
· Inviting a third party without the consent
· Creating video tapes of the partner doing sexual acts then blackmailing them by telling them they are going to show them to others
· Forced sex
· Refusing to wear protection when one's HIV or STD status is either positive or unknown
· Any acts of aggression or violence during sex without consent

Economic Abuse

· Control of all the finances
· Withholding money and/or credit cards
· Forbidding the partner to have anything in his or her name
· Putting all debt in the partner's name
· Making the partner account for every penny
· Preventing the partner from working at a job
· Sabotaging the partner's employment

I can assure you after 25 years of activism and advocacy in our community, the afore mention behaviors are chronic and progressive; they do not go away without intervention.

As one reads down the list it becomes apparent as to why this is a difficult situation to address in the LGBTQI community.

LAMBDA a non-profit, gay / lesbian / bisexual / transgender agency dedicated to reducing homophobia, inequality, hate crimes, and discrimination by encouraging self-acceptance, cooperation, and non-violence, has these points as to what makes this even more difficult for the LGBTQI community:

· It is frequently incorrectly assumed that lesbian, bi and gay abuse must be "mutual." It is not often seen as being mutual in heterosexual battering.
· Utilizing existing services (such as a shelter, attending support groups or calling a crisis line) either means lying or hiding the gender of the batterer to be perceived (and thus accepted) as a heterosexual. Or it can mean "coming out", which is a major life decision. If lesbians, bi's and gays come out to service providers who are not discreet with this information, it could lead to the victim losing their home, job, custody of children, etc. This may also precipitate local and/or statewide laws to affect some of these changes, depending on the area.
· Telling heterosexuals about battering in a lesbian, bi or gay relationship can reinforce the myth many believe that lesbian, bi and gay relationships are "abnormal." This can further cause the victim to feel isolated and unsupported.
· The lesbian, bi and gay community is often not supportive of victims of battering because many want to maintain the myth that there are no problems (such as child abuse, alcoholism, domestic violence, etc.) in lesbian, bi and gay relationships.
· Receiving support services to help one escape a battering relationship is more difficult when there are also oppressions faced. Battered lesbians and female bisexuals automatically encounter sexism and homophobia, and gay and bisexual men encounter homophobia. Lesbian or gay people of color who are battered also face racism. These forms of social oppressions make it more difficult for these groups to get the support needed (legal, financial, social, housing, medical, etc.) to escape and live freely from an abusive relationship.
· Lesbian, bi and gay survivors of battering may not know others who are lesbian, bi or gay, meaning that leaving the abuser could result in total isolation.
· Lesbians, bisexuals and gays are usually not as tied financially to their partner, which can be a benefit if they decide to end the relationship. However, if their lives are financially intertwined, such as each paying a rent or mortgage and having "built a home together", they have no legal process to assist in making sure assets are evenly divided, a process which exists for their married, heterosexual counterparts.
· The lesbian, bi and gay community within the area may be small, and in all likelihood everyone the survivor knows will soon know of their abuse. Sides will be drawn and support may be difficult to find. Anonymity is not an option, a characteristic many heterosexual survivors can draw upon in "starting a new life" for themselves within the same city.

So where do we start? How can we help? What are the resources?

We start by helping an individual who is in a domestic violence relationship via communication and support. Here are some ways to support an individual in a domestic violence situation that have been gathered from several sources;

· Reach out to them. Ask them what type of help they WANT. What they need might not be what you expect.

· Believe them and keep whatever you're told confidential. More important than anything else, you must maintain their TRUST. If you take actions on your own, even with the best intentions, you may endanger them, and lose their trust.

· Don't blame them. The abused person is NOT responsible for being hurt and does not deserve to be abused. Wanting the keep a relationship alive is NOT the same as wanting to be abused.

· Take the time to talk privately with your friend or co-worker. Each person needs to tell their story in their own time and space.

· Provide opportunities for them to talk about what's happening. Ask about suspicious bruises or fights that you know about.

· Validate feelings. Your friend may feel hurt, angry, afraid, ashamed and trapped. Don't minimize or try to "talk them out of" what they are feeling, even if you don't understand it or think it's irrational. What they are feeling and experiencing is reality for THEM.

· Understand that it is difficult to leave a home or someone you love, and that your loved one may go back several times. Remember too that leaving is the most dangerous time as the overwhelming majority of domestic violence murders occur when a victim is trying to leave and within the first 6 months after they've actually done so. Your friend has the most information about the abuser, and THEY are the best judge of when and how to best make a break in the safest way. Remember that your friend's solutions may not be the same as yours.

· Help them plan how to stay safe when violence happens, and for longer-term possible courses of action they might take.

· Avoid badmouthing the abuser or pressuring the victim. This can backfire! Victims may pull away and alienate themselves from those who are trying to help. Instead, help the victim to build confidence in themselves and what actions THEY may be able to take for themselves.

We can also help the batter by referring them to Men Stopping Violence (MSV) is located at 2785 Lawrenceville Highway, Suite 112, Decatur, Georgia 30033.

We can further help by encouraging our places of worship and community support groups to become aware and enlightened to the seriousness of this issue.

Pastors can and should be more then passive prayer partners; in fact we should be raising this subject from our pulpits at a minimum.

As a community we can advocate and support programs in our community that train, educate and promote awareness and action around this issue. We can encourage the political leaders in our community to pass laws, which will offer an easier and a clear legal route for help.

Finally and maybe most importantly we can help those caught in this vicious cycle and ourselves as well by claiming and acknowledging we are of great worth, our dignity is sacred and we have the right to live without fear of being abused in our all our relationships.

As to the resources in Atlanta either locally or via the web here are a few:

http://www.thehealthinitiative.org/index.php for women

http://www.meetup.com/Imanis-Corporation/ for women

http://gmdvp.org for men

http://www.gnesa.org/

http://www.united4safety.org/

If you are experiencing domestic abuse get help today. If you know someone you suspect is experiencing domestic abuse don’t ignore it.

The Elephant in the Room

2011-07-01T09:19:00.001-07:00

There is an old story that has been around for a long time and told with many variations to the moral of the story and so today this story sums up the raid on the Eagle Bar, the Atlanta Police Department and some of our brothers and sisters in our community.

One day three blind men encountered an elephant.

Upon touching the elephant's tail, the first blind man exclaimed, "I declare, an elephant is exactly like a rope."

The second blind man, bumping into the elephant’s side, said, "No sir, you are wrong. An elephant is exactly like a wall."

Then the third, having grasped the elephant's trunk, declared, "You are both mistaken. The elephant is exactly like a snake!"

Yes, it's all a matter of perspective. And it's that simple word: perspective that creates one of the biggest disconnects between the police department and the community they are trying to serve.

As everyone in Atlanta knows the official report concerning the raid of the gay bar known as the “Eagle” has been released. After having read the reports prepared by the Office of Professional Standards and Greenberg Traurig it is abundantly clear the Atlanta Police Department at it’s highest levels have no clue as to what the phrase “serve and protect” actually means.

What is also very clear is that there are those in our community who would sell out our community simply because they were pissed off because they didn’t get their way.

It should be noted unless otherwise noted quotes from the APD report can be found in their entirety at: http://www.scribd.com/doc/58976930/Atlanta-Eagle-Raid-Office-of-Professional-Standards-OPS-Investigation

Upon touching the elephant's tail, the first blind man exclaimed, "I declare, an elephant is exactly like a rope."

This whole 2-year fiasco started with one, count them one email:

“On May 15, 2009, an email was sent to the Mayor's Office complaining that wild sex parties were occurring at the Atlanta Eagle and spilling out into the surrounding neighborhood. This email was forwarded to Sergeant Lisa Keyes of the Public Affairs Unit.

May 20, 2009 Sergeant Keyes forwarded the email to Major Khirus Williams, commander of Zone 5,who in turn forwarded the email to Major Debra Williams, commander of the Special Enforcement Section, to handle. Major Debra Williams responded back to Major Khirus Williams that the Special Enforcement Section would look into the complaint and also sent the response to Sergeant John Brock and Sergeant Kelley Collier of the Vice Unit, and copied Lieutenant Tony Crawford, commander of the Vice Unit, on the email.

Sergeant Collier sent an email to Lieutenant Crawford saying He went by the Eagle and didn't see any illegal activity. Sergeant Collier told Lieutenant Crawford in the email that the Vice Unit would run a detail at the Atlanta Eagle later that evening, once they completed an unrelated detail.

Once the detail went inside the Eagle according to the report some unsavory stuff was seen. However, it should be noted nothing was done. I know there are investigative techniques for gathering enough evidence to go to court, however throwing a light switch with the flash of a badge and an arrest or two on the spot would have saved the city a million dollar settlement. But I digress…APD waits a month and goes back:

June 11, 2009 Under cover officers from the Vice Unit returned to the Atlanta Eagle for a second visit and again witnessed dancers on the bar exposing themselves. There was no sexual activity witnessed by the officers during this visit.

Again I am going to point out a flash of a badge, the arrest of a dancer or two would have saved the city a million dollar settlement. Also to be noted for the 2nd time in 2 months there was no sexual activity witnessed. How much rope did the APD need for their lynching? Apparently 3 months worth as that is how long it took them to go back.

September 3, 2009 the investigation into the Atlanta Eagle was reopened. Undercover officers went into the Atlanta Eagle to determine if illegal activity was still occurring inside the bar. Once inside the Atlanta Eagle undercover officers again witnessed men dancing on the bar and engaged in sex in the backroom. After this visit to the Atlanta Eagle it was determined enough evidence had been gathered to bring the investigation to a close. It was determined the Vice Unit would enter the Atlanta Eagle the following Thursday, September 10, 2009,for the purpose of making arrests on the individuals involved in illegal activity.

I am sure I am beginning to sound like a broken record, however, a flash of a badge (s) arrests on the spot would have in fact satisfied the one email complaint and saved the city a million dollar settlement.

Also, whom were they coming back to arrest the next week? Did they have pictures of those who were seen in compromising positions? Could they not have gone to the owner of the bar after any arrests were made at any point in their observation and issued a warning to put a stop to this? What possible reason could APD have for searching for a length of rope to hang this one small gay bar, which took 5 months to find?

My point here is one can go to any bar in the city and over a period of 5 months find some sort of illegal activity going on. A 5-month investigation when it could have been stopped after the first visit? Come on now we all know there is an Elephant in the room.

The second blind man, bumping into the elephant’s side, said, "No sir, you are wrong. An elephant is exactly like a wall."

As one reads the reports concerning the raid itself it reads like a mega drug bust in which a major cartel was going down. Police storm the building screaming at people to get down, cussing at people, by some witness accounts guns drawn and pointed at people, doors kicked in, people thrown to the floor, people handcuffed and search without the least bit of probably cause and id’s checked for apparently no other reason then a badge, a gun and a big flashlight with the help of one email says they can.

By the time the carnage was over only the staff and some dancers were arrested. No drugs were found, no charges of illicit sex, hell not even a fire code violation!

I suppose about this time the folks from APD were beginning to recognize they had stepped in it big time. So now the Elephant in the room becomes a wall. Nobody from APD remembers anything, emails disappear, stories of the nights events get stranger and stranger and officers involved in the raid just flat lie about who was doing what to and with whom.

Then there is this little problem of going before a judge to get a warrant and the higher ups in the APD command hiding behind assumptions about whether one was needed or not or just assuming one had been obtained. Damn, don’t you think this might be the one thing you would want to have crystal clear before you start throwing people to the floor and kicking in doors?

If this were not so serious it would laughable as I was in the courtroom for the trial or the hearing of the 8 arrested and the main officer in charge during the raid could not identify even one of the arrestees and what they were doing to cause their arrest. Of course the end result of that was the charges were dismissed.

Then the third, having grasped the elephant's trunk, declared, "You are both mistaken. The elephant is exactly like a snake!"

Dyana Bagby, of the GA Voice did an excellent job of reporting on how some of the planners of this raid saw this Elephant as a snake.

"Officer Jeremy Edwards (member of the Vice Unit at the time of the raid) for his statement during this investigation said that 'Seeing another man have sex with another man in the ass, I would classify that as very violent.'

Sgt. Brock stated in the OPS investigation and the independent investigation by Greenberg Traurig that he believed gay people were violent.

In the OPS investigation, Brock, who was a key player in organizing the raid, said he forced patrons to the floor because he believed there was violence associated with being in a leather bar:

"There's a risk factor involved when you're dealing with people you don't know anything about. S&M, that — that has a stigma of some violence," Brock said, according to the report.

In the Greenberg Traurig interview with Brock, he said he believed gay people were more violent.

"In the past I have as a patrol officer handled calls where there are gay couples living in residence where one is mad at the other, and they slash clothes, furniture, anything they can do. They’re very violent. So, no. I definitely do think there was a high risk there. I think the only safe way -- and I think you’re getting towards why I had everybody put on the ground," Brock said.

When asked if Brock thought gay people are more violent than other citizens, Brock responded that they are.

"My experience, yes. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, when they’re -- when they get mad, they get really mad. So ...," Brock said.

So, lets take a step back and see the Elephant that is really in the room: Bullying and Homophobia.

Because of some officer’s obvious homophobia, one email and the ability to bully a group of people because they wear leather 60 plus people were terrorized for the better part of 3 hours.

While the Chief of Police has taken quick action after getting the reports, the Mayor of the City has apologized, APD has been ordered to do training and the City settled a million dollar lawsuit…it is not enough.

Those who planned this raid, those who lied in open court and to investigators and those who assaulted the patrons of the Eagle under the guise of following orders should be fired.

If the Chief of Police and the Mayor are serious about not tolerating misconduct on the part of the Atlanta Police Department, if they are serious about not allowing homophobia to fester in the ranks and they are serious about the role of the police is to “Serve and Protect” then send a message which is loud, clear and concise.

The message will be loud, clear and concise when those who planned this raid, those who lied in open court and to investigators and those who assaulted the patrons of the Eagle under the guise of following orders are relieved of duty and no longer allowed to call themselves an Atlanta police officer.

The message will be loud, clear and concise if when the investigation shows evidence of the officers who broke the law, those who slaughtered peoples civil rights and those who assaulted the patrons there that night are charged, arrested and brought to trial for their crimes.

Until this is done this will simple be the story of the 3 blind men who encounter an elephant.

Giving Love A Chance Part 2

2011-06-17T06:13:00.001-07:00

I guess I should have been sharper when I wrote the last blog and knew it was not finished when I emailed it.

If you have not read it, please feel free to go back to it at:

http://networkedblogs.com/iGZ4c

My attempt was to offer an alternative to the wanton violence both physically and mentally our society seems to glorify. I also wanted to put the previous two quotes in front of us so we might give them more than a passing thought:

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction.... The chain reaction of evil -- hate begetting hate, wars producing more wars -- must be broken, or we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation”. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Strength To Love, 1963

“When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace.” Jimi Hendrix

So love is more than a noun, is in fact a verb, a word of action. I recognized from reading the particular writing again there are some actions which love is clearly not. We must see the two actions together and as one set of behaviors that have the potential to change not only our individual lives, but also the community where we live and the world of which we are a part. Hence part 2…

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7 New International Versions)

1) Love does not envy: When one lives in a capitalistic society it is hard not to be influenced by the expression, “the one who dies with the most toys wins.” We measure our success or failure by comparing ourselves to what others have or don’t have. Sometimes it will even get to the point of resenting others for having something we want but don’t have. Even worse for the person of faith, we sometimes reach a point of resenting God for what others have. Envy makes a statement of being more concerned about the well being of self rather than the well being of others.

2) Love does not boast: To boast is to lose perspective of one’s self. Bragging happens when we think we have accomplished something unique. Bragging often is about what we have accomplished on our own. After 25 years of ministry I can report we do not accomplish anything unique, as nothing is really new but rather simply tried or approached in a different way. Most, if not all of our accomplishments come about because of several experiences and complicated factors…even though a snowflake is unique, it takes hundreds of thousands to make a beautiful snowfall.

3) Love is not proud (some translations have the phrase “does not puff itself up”) Being too proud or puffing one's self up occurs when one looks down upon the homeless, the poor, the uneducated, or people of a different culture, with the attitude of “thank God I am not them”. The whole political argument around “American exceptionalism” while hundreds of thousands of people die from starvation, lack of medical care, clean water or our military drones, indicates we may have become a little puffy!

4) Love does not dishonor others (some translations have the phrase “behave rudely”): Rude by definition of Merriam-Webster is, “offensively impolite or ill-mannered: "she had been rude to her boss". This has the action of dishonoring the person to whom it is directed. Speaking truth can always be done without dishonoring or being ill mannered.

5) Love is not self-seeking (some translations have the phrase “seek its own advantage”) The action of love focuses on responsibilities rather than privileges. I wonder what happens to white privilege, sexism, homophobia to name just a few, if love is the operative word in one's life.

6) Love it is not easily angered (some translations use the phrase “lose its temper”): Being angry about something or another is one thing, but being pushed there easily or to lose one’s temper (i.e. control) is to make other peoples' lives miserable…think how damaging it has been to you when someone has just lost all control and started screaming…out of control anger is anything but love.

7) Love keeps no record of wrongs: In any conversation around love, the key is always about forgiveness. In order to not keep score one has to forgive and let go. I use to marvel at my mother-in-law who, during any disagreement, could bring up an endless list of things you had done wrong… a little forgetfulness might have ushered in some family peace at times.

8) Love does not delight in evil: Evil by any definition is that which causes harm, misfortune, or destruction. I think this is pretty self explanatory, don’t you? We need look no further than the sick and twisted logic of Eric Rudolph’s own words to give clarity to the definition. For those who don’t recognize the name, he was the one who set off bombs in Atlanta during the Olympics and also bombed medical clinics and a gay bar, killing one and injuring scores of others.

“Along with abortion, another assault upon the integrity of American society is the concerted effort to legitimize the practice of homosexuality. …But when the attempt is made to drag this practice out of the closet and into the public square in an "in your face" attempt to force society to accept and recognize this behavior as being just as legitimate and normal as the natural man/woman relationship, every effort should be made, including force if necessary, to halt this effort.

This effort is commonly known as the homosexual agenda. Whether it is gay marriage, homosexual adoption, hate crimes laws including gays, or the attempt to introduce a homosexual normalizing curriculum into our schools, all of these efforts should be ruthlessly opposed.”

So when we combine these two blogs it seems we have a viable alternative to the way things play out in today’s world. Yet the challenge remains with the whole concept of love. It is not that it is too difficult to understand; quite the opposite, it is too easy to know exactly what is being asked of us. The problem is being willing to do it.

Maybe this why the only command Jesus ever gave his followers was: "Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another” John 13:34(The Message)

Isn’t about time to give love a chance?

Giving Love A Chance

2011-06-03T11:30:00.000-07:00

A blog or 2 back I wrote and published a piece entitled “Forgive Me if I Don’t Raise a Toast”.

This was in response to all the over the top partying and Super Bowl like mentality of the killing of Bin-Laden.

My observation of the art of blog writing is one never knows where or what is in the mind
of someone who makes a comment. Some blogs get a lot of response and others get a
sum total of zero.

This particular blog got exactly one comment from a reader who read it at “The GA Voice”. The comment said; “You ask me to "forgive you".... sorry, I refuse. He got much less than what he deserved. I wish they could kill him once for each life he took.”

While readers are certainly entitled to their opinion and when one allows for a blog such as mine to be published, it is expected that some strong opinions will be expressed.

However, this one stopped me in my tracks and has been playing on my mind all this time.

First of all I am not sure if this person thinks of himself or herself as a Christian or a
person of faith but if they are then the refusal of forgiveness for a different outlook on the
subject hits me as terribly sad. Especially since one of the main themes of Christianity is
forgiveness as well as most other major faiths.

I am also pretty sure if one does the body count of people who have been killed by the
United States in the hunt for Bin-Laden it most assuredly surpasses each life lost on that
awful day of 9-11.

The anger and absolute hate expressed in the comment is bone chilling. Am I surprised by the response? No. This is the world we live in, where an eye for an eye is the reality. Yet my point then and now is that it can and should be different. We cannot keep doing what we are doing and expect to survive much less live in peace and security.

Let me remind the reader of two quotes from the previous blog:

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction.... The chain reaction of evil -- hate begetting hate, wars producing more wars -- must be broken, or we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation”. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Strength To Love, 1963

“When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace.” Jimi Hendrix

I guess this where I am going to go from “preaching to meddling”.

If we are going to call ourselves Christian or at minimum an ethical and moral people, then we owe to ourselves, our friends and our families to consider that we need another
starting point.

Love is not something one just reads and feels. A rather well known Christian writer says,

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7 New International Versions)

Love then is something one does. The problem with this passage and the whole concept
of love is not that it is too difficult to understand; quite the opposite, it is too easy to
know exactly what is being asked of us. The problem is being willing to do it.

If we were far more intentionally doing what this passage states it would revolutionize our
relationships in our homes, our churches or places of faith and in society as a whole.

Fifteen verbs reveal what makes this a tangible concept and not some pie in the sky
philosophy. We can see what love does and does not do. Hell, if we just become
intentional about the seven “do’s” the world would be a better, safer place.

1) Love is patient. How does this description translate into actions? Our church had a full-blown drunk showing up to service every week for three years. He was loud and rude. Offers of help were ignored. Yet the congregation continued to love him, hug him, feed him and let him know “it gets better”. The patience of the congregation paid off when 6 months ago Stanley had his last drink and he has said over and over again this
congregation saved his life.

2) Love is kind. There was once a person from my early ministry days who decided I was a heretic. They were very intentional in trying to get me fired from the church. They explained to me their actions were motivated by a love for me. Needless to say most of us hope we never had a “friend” like that. Love acts kindly; it does not work for the detriment of another. Acts of kindness come from recognizing a need of someone and
attempting to meet the need without strings attached.

3) Love rejoices with the truth. Ever notice that most arguments have little to do with veracity and more to do with winning? It has been said quite accurately there are three sides to every story: your side, my side and the truth. As a people of faith we owe it to ourselves to seek the action of that third side…the truth. It is not always easy to get at because it means we must really listen and respond rather than hear and re-act.

4) Love always protects (some translations say “bears all things”). No insult or betrayal should sidetrack love from the pursuit of its end. The prophet Hosea of the Old Testament pictures God as faithful to Israel but Israel turned to other loves. In the story God asks rhetorically if God should just let Assyria rule over Israel. Then God answers God's own question: “How can I give up on Ephraim?” The heart of God for the person of
faith is where we learn to love and continue loving despite rejection, trouble and heartache. One has to wonder what might have happen to Stanley had love only been a concept and not an action.

5) Love always trusts. Love creates a climate of trust. There are people who are very suspicious because they have never had the opportunity to trust or be trusted. A climate of trust is put into place when people say what they mean and mean what they say. Some would say it is “walking the talk”.

6) Love always hopes. For the Christian the very fabric of the faith says separation from God, death and evil have no real or lasting power. It follows then we as a people know that separation from God, death and evil of an individual can be transformed by a life-altering encounter with God. For the Christian this translates to understanding in our soul who and what Jesus taught, lived and died for. For me personally the real power of what is called the “Gospel” is the good news of a second chance, a third chance or as Jesus once said seventy times seven. Therefore even in depravity there is hope.

7) Love always perseveres (in some translations the verb here is “endures”). The verb means to conquer. Jesus' entire ministry was based on this concept. When the disciples didn't get it, he didn't give up he persevered. When the religious leaders didn't get it, he didn't give up he persevered. When he was denied, betrayed, arrested and sentenced to death he didn't give up he persevered. The love he taught and lived carried all the through to his last breath from the cross.

So here is my challenge to the readers of the blog. Since the way of the world has not been terribly successful, since the whole eye for an eye thing has not been all that…let's give love a try.

If that won’t work or seems to radical how about this: Rev. Richard J. Fairchild in a sermon he delivered a few years back had this advice, “In the wonderful little book called "Pocketful of Miracles", which is a daily devotional and spiritual growth guide, the author (Joan Borysenko), writes:

Shakespeare said, "Pretend a virtue if you have it not". Most of us are still locked up in the petty, self-centered concerns of our egos. Nonetheless we feel the ancient longing of our soul to move beyond ego to union with the divine. It doesn't matter if our motivation for Divine Union falters, or if selfish concerns predominate. If we just pretend the virtue of longing for God and being of service to others, eventually those virtues will arise spontaneously.”

Our Moral Responsibility

2011-05-20T06:02:00.000-07:00

In the last few days if I have been asked once I have been asked a dozen times…why would we sign on with the Somos Georgia / We Are Georgia’s BuySpot & Sanctuary Zone Community?

The answer is pretty simple, as Christians, as persons of deep faith we have an obligation to stand up and say no. To speak the truths that this law HB 87 “Georgia Illegal Immigration Reform and Enforcement Act” is probably not constitutional and it is certainly not morally correct.

Rev. Richard Nathan is the pastor of Columbus Vineyard Church made the point a while back when he wrote:

I would hope that Christians would first put on biblical spectacles when approaching the issue of immigration. The biblical Christian would:

1. Begin with the conviction that illegal immigrants are persons made in God’s image and are, therefore, worthy of respect and dignity (Genesis 1:26,28).

2. Appreciate the fact that many of our spiritual ancestors were themselves economic refugees. Thus Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob moved from the Promised Land on several occasions in search of food (Genesis 12:10; 26:1; 41:57; 42:6; 43:1-7). The story of Ruth is the story of an immigrant who continually crossed national borders in search of food. Other spiritual ancestors of ours were pushed out of their homeland because of war or persecution (Joseph, Daniel, Moses, David, and the baby Jesus). So immigration because of economics, war, and asylum seeking is not far from every Christian’s own heritage.

3. Specifically apply the Second Commandment to illegal immigrants: “The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the Lord your God” (Leviticus 19:34).

4. Care for immigrants since they had a central place in the laws and practices of ancient Israel. Israel was commanded to love immigrants because God loves immigrants. “He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigners residing among you, giving them food and clothing. And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt” (Deuteronomy 10:18-19).

5. Be hospitable according to New Testament teaching which literally means to “love the stranger” or the alien (Romans 12:13; Hebrews 13:2; 1 Peter 4:9). Jesus commanded his followers to welcome people who had no social standing, such as the poor, the sick, and the outsider (Luke 14:12-14).

The ACLU has a “Preliminary analysis of the HB 87 “Georgia Illegal Immigration Reform and Enforcement Act” which explains in great detail the constitutional problems with this law.

HB 87 signed into law by Governor Deal does not come close to doing any of those things pointed out by Rev. Nathan.

In fact most of the law does just the opposite.

The law allows the local police to have almost unlimited power to stop, detain and arrest on the simple suspicion of ones immigration status. Let’s be honest here, it won’t be white people the police will be taking a closer look at.

This law does not have the first hint of having Christian morality attached to it.

Pablo Otaola in a blog called Theology of Immigration had this observation;

“The history of immigration to the United States is the history of the country itself, and the journey from beyond the sea is an element found in American Folklore, appearing over and over again in everything from The Godfather to Gangs of New York to Neil Diamond’s “America” to the animated feature An American Tail (Rachel Rupin and Jeffrey Melnick, Immigration and American Popular Culture: An Introduction – 2006). Recent movies that speak to immigration, race and culture are The Namesake, The Visitor, Spanglish, A Day without a Mexican and others all which speak to the fact that there is a social awareness about issues with immigration that people want to dialogue about. Most movies and plays seem to have an overarching theme of sensitivity and amicability to racial differences and immigrant social justice issues that can be compared to God’s commandment to “love you neighbor as yourself,” but somehow these themes do not carry over in United States legislature with immigration laws.”

As Christians we are encouraged to “cast out all fear and replace it with unconditional love”…so then we must ask ourselves how does this Georgia legislation promote the love we are suppose to be living, the love we are suppose to be practicing, the love we are suppose to be sharing?

In our political world today the conservative and progressive’s seem to agree on very little but as a people of faith we indeed have some common ground.

Rev. Brain Clark a conservative pastor of Calhoun First United Methodist made an interesting post on his blog, which makes my point.

“Despite the fact that undocumented persons contribute to the State tax base, bolster the agricultural economy, and keep local businesses alive, the real issue before the committee isn’t economic. The real issue is that Arizona-style legislation is both immoral and unscriptural. The legislation is immoral because it threatens to tear families apart, destroy the lives of countless children and youth already living productive lives in our communities, and does nothing to advocate for a fair earned pathway to citizenship. The legislation is unscriptural because it ignores the biblical mandates to love our neighbors, to offer forgiveness, and to treat others the way we desire to be treated. God loves the undocumented persons living among us as much as God loves every natural born citizen and calls us to treat them with love and respect. Leviticus 19:34 says, “The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.”

(NRSV)”

The full blog post can be read here: If we heed his call then we must be willing to sign on to: BuySpot & Sanctuary Zone Community.

http://drbrianeclark.blogspot.com/2011/01/proposed-georgia-immigration.html

We as a people of faith cannot hide behind separation of church and state.

We must consider where we stand…how do we love others? Is this love up to the standards set by Christ?

Brothers and Sisters, what is written in the scripture?

And a certain teacher of the law got up and put him to the test, saying,
Master, what have I to do so that I may have eternal life?
And he said to him, what does the law say, in your reading of it?
And he, answering, said, has love for the Lord your God with all your heart
and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind;
and for your neighbor as for yourself.
And he said, you have given the right answer: do this and you will have life."
--Luke 10:25-28

If we are to be a state where justice prevails, mercy is a priority and we have true equality then we must not leave anyone behind; we must not leave any part of our community out.

Slicing and dicing families and turning them into fugitives from the law are not what our faith teaches in these matters.

Jesus came to proclaim good news for the poor. Right up to his death, he made himself one with the poor, including strangers. In this way he broke down the barriers that human beings erect and showed that the love of God is for everyone. It is thus correct to say that our treatment of the poor and of strangers is a test of how well we understand the Gospel of the love of God as it is revealed in Jesus Christ. In the parable of the Judgment of the Nations, Jesus exposes the ignorance, indifference and lack of concern that people show towards the least of those who belong to his family. And today, these words penetrate our minds too. No-one can say, "I didn't realize…" Jesus says, "I was a stranger, and you did not welcome me." How do we treat the stranger?

Apparently in the State of Georgia the stranger will be arrested, and those who help the stranger will be persecuted.

As a minister of the Gospel and as a “church without walls’ we cannot let this law go un-challenged. As persons of faith whose lives are dedicated to “doing justice, acting mercifully and walking humbly with God” we cannot and will not obey this law.

"An unjust law is no law at all", said St Augustine, providing the foundation of civil disobedience movements across the world. If a law is not really a law at all, it is argued, one has a right -- even a duty -- to break it. Martin Luther King articulated this view in his Letter from Birmingham Jail: "one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws".

We have signed because it is our moral responsibility and our duty to “walk our talk”.

Forgive Me if I Don’t Raise a Toast

2011-05-06T06:15:00.001-07:00

Let me start by saying that in the deepest part of my soul I am opposed to “capital punishment”. The hairs on my neck crawl when the State of Georgia injects killing poisons through the veins of anyone allegedly on my behalf. I take seriously the teaching of Jesus, which say the “one without sin” gets to cast the first stone.

However, I also know if at 2am someone breaks into my house and has gotten past CoCo and Koda (our dogs) and are coming up the stairs to my bedroom the phrase “Your soul had better be with God, because your ass is mine” comes to mind. I will do everything in my power to stop them up too and including killing them. With that I would probably spend the rest of my life in therapy trying to get rid of the nightmares of taking a human life.

Interestingly my husband who if faced with this situation, would simply shoot the intruder dead, go back to sleep and call the trash people in the morning. He would not feel an ounce of remorse because they were there to do him and his family harm.

Now it should be noted that neither of us would see ourselves as heroes nor would we throw a celebratory party with chants of “We got the bad guy”, we got the bad guy”. I know we would be embarrassed beyond all measure if police photos of the scene were made public.

The quandary for me is both scenarios have the same result…a human being dead.

However, it is the aftermath that is the spiritual dilemma. It is not even a question of whether the person deserved to die or not.

I would not be able to find fault in my husband for his lack of remorse or the fact that he killed this intruder. I also think my own hypocrisy is also understandable as well.

So the conundrum is about 2 different worldviews. In my case I make the choice to end another’s life. Right or wrong it is I who makes the choice. We all know there are consequences to choices we make.

In my husband’s view it is the criminal who made the choice and the consequence of that choice is death. However, we also both know and accept there is nothing to celebrate, nothing to be joyous about and most certainly nothing will be the same.

Our dogs would be dead and we would no longer feel safe and secure in our home.

So how does this all square this past week with the killing of Bin-Laden. Well had I come face to face with him I would have most assuredly killed him. There is no doubt my husband would have. However, 3,000 plus people in the United States would still be dead. The thousands of innocent Muslims who have been killed in the hunt for Bin-Laden would still be dead. We would still not feel safe or secure in our homeland.

So why the need to party? Why the chants of USA! USA! as if we have won a World soccer match? Why the chest beating for killing a monster that our foreign policy created?

Why do we need to see the bullet hole in his head? It seems to me President Obama had it right when he said, “there is no need to spike the football”.

Were we not as people of the United States mortified at the celebrations in the Middle East that took place after 9-11 by our enemies? Did we not think this made them especially bad? So is the killing of Bin-Laden and these celebrations the same thing that we say we abhorred on 9-11 but not on 5-11?

Lets deal with a raw truth…

From the moment Bin-Laden chose to come after the United States on her soil, he was a dead man…it is the way the United States and the world does business. However, as a person of deep faith in a loving God I am not sure this is something to be treated like a sporting event.

The real hard truth is killing our enemies will only succeed when everyone is dead. Please read that line again.

So maybe instead of thumping our chests, toasting the death of our enemies and then demanding to see the pictures that are the result of our lust for gore and death, we might find a moment to consider an alternative to killing everybody on the planet or at minimum glorifying the killing of everyone on the planet.

Maybe it is really time to begin to consider some alternatives. After all the current thinking doesn’t seem to be giving us a planet where love and peace are all the rage.

Jesus spent almost his entire time on earth telling us the way to peace was through forgiveness and the road to forgiveness was through the practice of agape (unconditional love). Of course we all know how that turned out. The powers of that day were not going to lose their ability to play God so they killed him.

Seems to me that today the extremists of any of these religious groups are playing God deciding who will live and who will die. Wow, are we slow to learn or what?

Yet we know ultimately in our heart of hearts what he taught was the best if not the only way to peace, security and safety.

So forgive me if I don’t join in the chant of USA, USA. Forgive me if I don’t raise a toast to the killing of an enemy of the state. Forgive me for saying that if the United States is going to lead the world to peace then it’s way of doing business in the world needs to change drastically.

It is time to give more then a fleeting thought to these ideas:

1) "Trying to keep in mind that how I respond to the death of my enemies says as much about me as it does about my enemies." Author Rachel Held Evans

2) “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction.... The chain reaction of evil -- hate begetting hate, wars producing more wars -- must be broken, or we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation”. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Strength To Love, 1963

3) “When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace.” Jimi Hendrix

If we can’t grasp that our security, safety, peace and prosperity can only be found when we are serious and intentional about practicing the afore mention ideas…then I fear somewhere in the universe we will not be remembered as a great people but rather a people who are extinct. God have mercy on us all.

“Just Thinking”

2011-04-22T10:59:00.000-07:00

This being Holy Week I have been spending a lot of time wrestling with what it means to be an independent, affirming progressive Christian.

If you have followed my blog or preaching, the you are familiar with those scriptures which drive me both as a person of faith and a pastor.

As long as I can remember these words of scripture have rested in my soul:

John 3:16
Micah 6:8
Matthew 22:34-40
Matthew 25:31-40
James 3:17
John 14:1-4
Romans 8:31-39

These are the passages that drive me, haunt me and really define who and what I am as a pastor.

I say drive me because to me they seem to be the core of what a follower of Jesus strives to be about.

I say they define me because despite falling far short I really try to live my life by what these passages proclaim. For me this is not a head thing but a matter of my heart, the depths of my soul. These passages help shape who I am.

I say they haunt me because the church I grew up in and the church universal today seems to have forgotten these passages and lives out an existence that is more about exclusion than inclusion, more about money and prestige rather than simple service, more about moral enforcement and judgment rather than sharing and proclaiming grace, more about dogma and creeds rather than openness and an intentional inclusive community.

Because of the aforementioned, the church universal is no longer safe, no longer a place of peace, no longer a place of refuge from the terrors of the world. Hell, it is not even a refuge from the terrors brought about by so-called Christian leaders.
So I am haunted…what would God have me to do? How does one little gay pastor push the church universal back to its roots, back to a time when God, not dogma were the order of the day? See, can any of us remember a time in which dogma did not rule our lives?

Frankly, I am pretty content to try and do this with Gentle Spirit Christian Church. We are a church “without walls”. Every day of our existence we try to “walk the talk” and some days we do better then others. Those scriptures I mentioned are a part of our core beliefs, they in fact drive our church.

Yet I and some of those around me have been restless, frustrated, and disappointed as we fall short in meeting the needs of the larger community.

This was made so clear to me a few years back when I was at a meeting with a group of clergy who had received a large sum of money to be used to feed the hungry.

We were a good hour into the meeting debating the rules for this food distribution. Rules for how to fill out the paper work, which people get the food, how much and how many times a month. There was even discussion, no actually an argument over how much info to keep on file and not mess with people's privacy.

To that point I had been very quiet and trying to devise an excuse to leave, when one of the pastor's asked me what I thought. I responded that they probably did not want to hear what I was thinking. However, I was encouraged to share.

So I told them I was thinking about the story of Jesus when he fed the 5,000. Of course all these pastors started nodding their heads in agreement. However, I was stuck on the differences of that story and what was being discussed. See, I wondered who of the disciples went through the crowd that day and had the folks fill out the paper work? Which of disciples did the assessments of who was in real need? Was there somebody who determined if the folks who got the food were just going from rabbi to rabbi to eat each day?

I have a friend who is a pastor in “The Progressive Christian Alliance”

There was a point in time I was working with him to get this movement in Atlanta off the ground.

Some of the “progressive and affirming” thoughts back then and still today offer a different way of approaching our faith.

• Jesus' central message is about radical inclusion, thus anyone is welcome to participate in our fellowship without judgment or forcing them to conform to our "likeness" or affirm our creeds in order to be accepted. We invite and offer all a place at the table - no exceptions.

• Faith is not about concrete answers, religious absolutes, creeds, or dogma. Faith is about the search for understanding, the raising of important questions, the open honesty of having doubt, and the realization that no one has it all completely right nor does any human hold all the answers. We seek to follow the advice found in 1st Thessalonians 5:21, which is to "seek truth out in all things and hold firmly onto that which is good."

• Religious absolutes of dogma, legalism, and strict doctrine become stumbling blocks and "litmus tests" for who is "in" and who is "out" of the circle of God's grace. These false tests that Jesus never required get in the way of truly following Jesus and his teachings.

• Following Jesus is counter-cultural, radical, and disrupts the status quo. The good news of the gospel is intentional in its inclusion of those who are traditionally marginalized and refused by Mainline Christianity.

• The words of Jesus found in the gospels are to be the focus for any disciple of him. We submit the rest of Scripture to the position of "sacred commentary."

• Recognition and affirmation of the differing belief systems of others, whose faiths offer a way into relationship with God and call upon them to further God's love and grace on the earth, is crucial. Jesus revealed this path in the acts and works of the Gospel. According to Matthew, chapters 5-7; and demonstrated this inclusion on many occasions - including in his witnessing and affirmation of the Samaritan woman, whose culture and people were looked down upon for worshipping God in a different way (the Gospel). According to John 4:1-42), As Jesus taught and revealed through example, any "spiritual" or "non-spiritual" person adhering to this way of life are indeed furthering the Reign of God and God's message of radical love and inclusion here on earth. As Jesus said, "Anyone who is for us cannot be against us" (the Gospel According to Mark 9:39-41).

• Creating fellowships and communities that are dedicated to lifting up, affirming, and equipping one another for the work the Spirit of God has called us to in Micah 6:8: active peacemaking, striving for justice and equality of all people and nations, loving those who are labeled by our government, society, and - at times - ourselves, as "enemies," caring for God's creation, and bringing hope to the poor and poverty-stricken.

• God created humans with a brain capable of discovery and reason. God does not require us to "check our brains at the door," along with our coat and hat in order to be a part of the faith. Faith and Science are not in conflict; they are in harmony. The Bible is not a Science textbook and should never be taken as such. We affirm that if God is truth, then any discovery we make about ourselves, our origins, or the way the universe was created has come from God and should not be viewed as heresy.

• The Church is not simply a four-walled institution, but a ministry without walls that surrounds and encompasses everything and everywhere we go. Our brothers and sisters are not only those who label themselves as "Christian," but are everyone we meet.
I do not believe scripture to be without error and I also believe that over the years some very important stuff got lost or left out. I think one has to follow the over riding theme of our faith in relation to the "good book"..."to do justice, act mercifully and walk humbly with God". It is following this theme which does not allow me to easily dismiss someones belief system just because they do not subscribe to mine.

Now what is interesting, there are some who will not even discuss or think about what is written here. Rather, I will simply get an email (s) stating I am a heretic or worse and I shouldn't call myself a Christian.

Which sort of makes my point does it not?

So on this “Good Friday” as I contemplate my relationship to God, my mind wanders to what would “The Church” look like if the focus of “The Church” was not to spend its time in matters of exclusion and conserving tradition and spent its time in progressing towards God and being intentional in the inclusion of all of God's creation…just thinking…

Love Triumphs Over All

2011-04-08T09:39:00.000-07:00

Here is a thumbnail sketch of what I think is wrong with the modern day church…”hell”

The modern church teaches hell, lives in hell and promotes hell. In fact the whole premise of the church has become do as it says or experience the fear of a God who will send you straight to hell.

The Church will fight to the bitter end anyone who does not fear God will send them to hell if they do not live in one accord to their traditional rules, polity and dogma.

The most recent target of the wrath of the Church is Reverend Rob Bell a pastor and author who has achieved rock star status in the Christian world, whom they say is preaching a false gospel. As near as I can tell the entire furor is simply because Rev. Bell says essentially that love trumps everything else including hell.

As reported by Eric Marrapodi, CNN Belief Blog Co-Editor
“On Saturday, in a blog post on the popular Christian website The Gospel Coalition, Justin Taylor blasted Bell's new book, out March 29, for teaching "false doctrine":
I’m glad that Rob Bell has the integrity to be lay [sic] his cards on the table about universalism. It seems that this is not just optimism about the fate of those who haven’t heard the Good News, but (as it seems from below) full-blown hell-is-empty-everyone-gets-saved universalism.
Universalism, in its broadest terms, preaches that everyone goes to heaven and that there is no hell. Critics say it represents a break from traditional Christianity, which they say holds that heaven and hell are very real places. In most Christian circles, universalism is a dirty word.”

First, let me say I probably will not cause as much of a stir as Rev. Bell, because I am just one small voice in an ocean of millions…he is the pastor of a church of 10,000 or so.
So here it goes. I not only agree with Rev. Bell but would also take it one step further and say there is no physical hell one is sent to by God.
Further, I believe for those of the Christian faith, Jesus is the Christ. I also believe God appears and speaks in many other visions, physicality’s and spiritedness for the many and varied creations in the universe.

I will not spend this blog writing a defense for my rather pluralistic belief; suffice to say I don’t think God is nearly as limited as the traditional Christian Church has made God to be. So to think there is only one way to be in relationship with God would be akin to saying there is only one way to have sex.

The Christian Church for two thousand plus years has kept it adherents in line with the threat of people being sent to hell. If anyone has dared to stand up to this weak theology they have been ridiculed, written off or at the end of the day called a heretic.

The main-line traditional church over the years has come up with so many rules and requirements just to be served Holy Communion are to have made it irrelevant for most.

In fact the church has spent so much time telling people all the things that will keep them from a God, a funny comedic line has become all too true for some; “If I am going to hell I am going to enjoy my time getting there”.

RBS, does not fear a place called hell because it is not a place, but rather a state of being. Further, God does not send one to hell, one chooses that destiny for themselves.

For the believer, the only path to this state of being called hell or if you will “the total absence of God” is to choose to not have a relationship with that which created us. I dare say the choice to be in relationship with God can and is often made in an instant, as the testimony of those who have died and or had that “outer body experience”. For the vast majority of folks their lives have changed for the better and there was no fire breathing God screaming “you didn’t do it my way”. In fact, the stories are just the opposite.

The Christian Church has capitalized on the people’s apathy and fear of being responsible for their own relationship with God. Why, because we are afraid of making a mistake or worse. People have often said to me, “Pastor, what if you are wrong?” My response is, “I am not wrong! God is about “agape”, unconditional love! To believe otherwise after reading the “red-letters” is to buy into the power and control of the institutional church.

I don’t know about the reader, but I need a moving, powerful and intimate relationship with the Creator of the Universe, not a puppet master relationship with the traditional church. In fact if one reads about Jesus closely enough they will see that is what Jesus life, death and resurrection was calling us too, a full, powerful and intimate relationship with God!

The Christian Church has missed the point of Jesus, which was to place people in a position of having a full and intimate relationship with the Creator.

Yes, Jesus spoke of hell but always from the point of view of what it is to be out of relationship with God. That is something we choose not God. God’s choice according to the teachings of Jesus is always to be in relationship with us. In fact as Rev. Bell has suggested love trumps all!

Read the story of the Prodigal Son…love triumphs!

The women caught in adultery…love triumphs!

The paralytic lowered through the roof…love triumphs!

The woman at the well…love triumphs!

The tax collector…love triumphs!

I could go on and on. However, I know some are already asking what is it that God requires for this unconditional love, for this relationship to be strong? We know what God requires, “to do justice, to act mercifully and to walk humbly with God.”

God’s love, not anger is what brings us home…gives us heaven in death and gives us peace while on this earth.

Just how do you think you know that RBS? You are nothing more than an inconsequential pastor with a small group whom dares to call itself a church, so how do you know?

I know because just as Dr. King said, “the arc of history is long, but it always bends towards justice.” There is only full justice when acts of love rule the day!

I know because at the core of my beliefs reside these truths:

John 14:1-4
John 3:16-18
James 3:17-18
Micah 6:8
Romans 8:31-39
Matthew 25:31-40
Matthew 22:34-40

Yup, there are those who will consider me a heretic or preaching a false gospel…but hey, love triumphs over all!

“Acceptance Strategy. Ain’t it grand?”

2011-03-25T06:48:00.001-07:00

Well it certainly has been an interesting few weeks. First after a community meeting to find some common ground as to how to handle a belligerent homophobe in the Georgia State House, I was told point blank that I had no clue as to how to get things done with legislators. I was also told I had no idea of what it was to be a target every day at work. Huh?

Then a couple of weeks later the Georgia State House passes a resolution honoring an openly gay politician for their work in our community, and our community is no where to be found in the document except in code and the word gay just doesn’t exist. Huh?

One of the local gay news outlets “The GA Voice” has an editorial piece questioning the legitimacy of the honor if it is handed out in code.

“It's one thing to utilize a subtle strategy to pass laws that benefit LGBT Georgians — like a general bullying bill that will help gay students, or a broader bill about hospital visitation when LGBT people are particularly vulnerable in these areas. Such an approach can be necessary to keep progress moving, even slowly, in a hostile legislature.

But I can't help but wonder about the value of a resolution — which is designed to honor an individual — if we have to hide our heroes in the closet in order for them to get it.”

This editorial was met with an immediate response from the author of the resolution, to which the long and short of the response is this:

“Instead of a “closeting strategy,” as your paper suggests, passing this resolution might better be described as an “acceptance strategy. And ain’t it grand?” Huh?

I am sorry folks but this just strikes me as a nicer and cleaner form of “don’t ask don’t tell”!

I may not understand how all the ingredients to making sausage legislation works but I do understand it is not my job or the communities job to make those who seek to do us harm or deny us our rightful place in American society either overtly or covertly comfortable.

In fact as leaders in the community our job is more like the old saying, “to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.”

I have been a pastor in our community since 1986, I have been married to my “husband” since 1982 and I have been out of the closet for 43 of my 56 years on this earth. Not once have I changed a pronoun, denied I was gay or allow homophobic slurs to go unchallenged. In fact when I answered the call to ministry and thereby becoming a leader in our community I took to heart the words of Jesus when he said, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed,” (Luke 4:18)

So with me it has always been, what you see is what you get. I will admit this has not gotten me a lot of invites into the “halls of power”.

A couple of years ago, I was called for jury duty in Fulton County. For those of you have been through this you know it is a huge cattle call. There are a couple of hundred people put in a room to wait to be called as potential jurists for a trial.

When they call you into a particular courtroom the vetting process begins with the attorney’s. They ask all kinds of personal questions including if you are married or not.

Teachable moment.

When asked if I was married my response was, “Not according to the State of Georgia.” Well the room of 60 or so folks got a small education in meeting a pastor who was gay and had been in a relationship longer than most of the room. The outcome? I didn’t get picked to serve but did give my card out to a half dozen people who wanted or needed a conversation about the whole “gay” thing.

When Representative Bobby Franklin says,

“we're told in 1st Corinthians it rattled off the homosexual, the adulterer, the thief, the liar, and such were some of you, but you've been washed, you've been justified and so forth. It's not what you were. You're not punishing a thought. But do you want an unrepentant drug dealer in the military? Same thing."

This cannot go unchallenged.

So when it was challenged you would have thought the world was about to end.

Had he said that about any other group of people, oh my God there would have been hell to pay! It is not enough they he went to our two openly gay representatives and allegedly apologized to them, saying, “I wasn’t talking about you darlin.”

First of all how sexist is that? Since when does one get to refer to a State Representative as “darlin”?

It also does not matter if most of his colleagues think he is nuts. What he said and what he has done since is vicious, arrogant and unacceptable. We as a community must hold him accountable. Are you reading this closely those of you who live his district? If you are in his district, time to step up and run against him and all his craziness. Your community is calling I pray to God you answer!

Our 2 representatives have faced bullying that is uncalled for in the least and would qualify as assault and sexual harassment in any other work environment. Where is the community outrage? Where is our community support? Do they not need our outrage? Do they not need our calls for dignity and decency? Calls? Hell no… demands!

Maybe that is why at least one of the representatives feels it necessary to have an “acceptance strategy”!

I have often said the folks on the “political and religious right” talk about us like we are not in the room or if they see us in the room they don’t care. They have been given a free ride, cause you know it is “just those homos who God hates.”

If I am correct even though our representatives chose to run and got elected to serve, they did not volunteer to do it alone without us to back them up when the “teachable moments” come.

I find it interesting there was a huge outrage and action on the part of our community when the Eagle was subject of a “raid”.

So now I wonder where is the outrage, the community out pouring of our time, talents and wealth, political and spiritual pressure when we are faced with:

1 in 4 black men being HIV positive

Our young people believing safe sex and relationships are passé because HIV is manageable.

1,000 plus on a waiting list for HIV meds

No shelter in the city allowing Transgender persons a place to lay their head as the gender they identify with.

It is still apparently ok to throw the Transgender community under the bus if it means the rest of the community gets what it wants.

Having no real protection from “hate crimes”.

Having no employment protection.

Having no property protection.

Having few ways of protecting our spouses with insurance.

Living in paralyzing fear our kids will be taken from us.

Allowing our relationships to be trashed in the State Constitution

Watching as immigrants in our state maybe required to show papers to prove who knows what-how far away can having a gay card requirement be? By the way some of those immigrants are GLBTQI and will be killed when they are sent back.

Allowing ourselves to be pushed out of our neighborhoods and clubs by neighborhood associations.

Allowing racism, sexism, ageism and the entire ism’s to go unattended in a meaningful way in our community.

The list goes on, but wait maybe the representative is right after all. Our non-profits are all suffering from a lack of volunteers and money and our leaders are feeling alone because we as the LGBTQIA community as a whole have become a little too comfortable with an “acceptance strategy. And ain’t it grand?”

Thirteen and Counting…

2011-03-11T08:14:00.000-08:00

On March 15, 2011 our little contribution to theological chaos will be 13 years old and the last 5 of those years we have made an intentional choice to conduct worship outside.

It was this choice that has moved us from a “gay-centric” church to a church which lives on the edge with all those who find themselves there as well. Of course the population of those who live on the edge of society has far more folks than LGBTQIA folks; yet, it has been interesting that even though we no longer see ourselves as a “gay church” the community label has stuck.

As we literally have become a “Church without walls”, this has been met with smiles, rolling of eyes and about 95% of the time an exclamation of “REALLY?” This is usually followed by, “What do you do when it rains?”

So a while back when I got a call from one of my friends that I have not seen for a long time, you can just imagine the conversation.

Stacy, who is a very conservative Christian, was concerned about my state of mind. She has never liked the fact I was gay and has spent the last 30 years or so praying God would turn me into a butch straight man. Right, like that was going to happen!

She had “bumped” into our website and after being horrified we don’t think “homosexuals” are going to burn in hell, her heart almost stopped when she read our mission statement.

Then she saw where we were worshipping, not just occasionally but 52 weeks out of the year.

She almost yelled at me, “Your church services are held in a park…outside…without walls…where everybody can see who you are…have you lost your mind? Don’t you know that if you are going to be a church and preach all this stuff that will piss good Christian people off, you should be inside where it is safe?”

Well, the long and short of it was I got her calmed down and we had a great conversation about why we moved outside and how the biggest desire of this congregation besides serving God was to “walk the talk”.

After I hung up I wondered how many other people think I (we) are insane. Maybe that is why growth has been a little slow. Yet this is a group of people with real guts to worship in a public park. I say this because:

1. The weather-there is sometimes too much heat; other times not nearly enough heat. Of course there are the times the roof (sky) leaks rather substantially. Of course then there is the wind. Things can and do blow around.

2. In the spring and summer there are plenty of ants, gnats, flies and mosquitoes, the occasional bee or wasp.

3. There are lots of other people in the park, with their kids laughing and carrying on. Cars coming and going.

4. The city garbage people managed to show up each week to empty the trashcans around the pavilion during our worship time.

5. There is a huge soccer league just across from us, which gets pretty loud sometimes.

6. There are also the strange looks you get from some folks as they walk by…

So yeah, I guess it takes some guts to meet outside for church. It takes a person really choosing to be there. It takes a willingness to let God be the decorator, rather then some architect. It takes a conscience choice to dress for the weather rather then for people’s approval.

It means being committed to bring food each time you come for the worship service, rather then having some committee sign people up to serve coffee and cookies after service.

It means that anyone and I do mean anyone, can show up for church and not look out of place. It also means that an important part of the congregation on any given Sunday is our pets.

It means you know where most of Jesus' ministry took place.

It also means one is willing to practice their faith right out in the open for everyone to see.

This also means that the walls that keep many folks out of church are now gone.

Over the years the church buildings and what goes on inside out of sight from the world has come to represent for some people the worst of Christianity.

You have rules for dress.

Rules for who is and isn’t a member.

Rules for who can be in the building and when.

Rules for when the building will actually be unlocked and available for prayer or meditation. I have to say most buildings are locked up tight all week and only open on Sunday.

Rules as to what groups can and cannot use the building.

Rules for building use-“we can’t have homosexuals, drug addicts, homeless people, transgender, drunks, non-bible believing Christians, or other unrepentant sinners occupying the property”.

My God, the fights…fights over whose property is it anyway? Think I am kidding; just ask any Episcopal, Lutheran, United Methodist or Presbyterian.

Fights over who gave more to the building fund and therefore should have more say in the building use.

Fights over the way the building should look; the fancier the better…the bigger the better.

Fights over the signage; what kind, how big, what should it say?

Fights over how the decorations will be placed or if there should there be decorations.

Fights over the flowers each week and what kind of flowers or plants he or she will bring.

The list is endless and when you really stop and think about all of the aforementioned stuff, it really gets in the way of the message and what church is suppose to be about.

It is pretty hard to worship God when you are upset about what happened at a trustees meeting and you find yourself sitting somewhere other then that special pew by the favorite stained glass window.

Maybe we have lost our minds but God’s actual house is pretty neat to worship in.

God’s house is decorated to perfection every Sunday. The seasonal church colors take care of themselves.

Even if nobody volunteers to be in the choir, each Sunday in God’s house there is a choir from the birds, kids’ laughter and the wind through the trees.

We have truly learned what it is to make a joyful noise!

In God’s house passers-by stop for a moment to say hello, meet the pets or wait until a prayer is finished.

In God’s house folks feel free to share a bite to eat.

In God’s house it will never be locked and is always available for prayer, walks or some alone time.

In God’s house there is room for any and all who want to come. There are no doors, windows or walls to block the movement of the Holy Spirit.

In God’s house there is a wild, crazy and wonderful feeling of peace, community and solitude all at the same time.

In God's house we have given the opportunity to meet and get to know some of the most unique and beautiful people of God's creation, who have taught us far more about unconditional love then we would have ever experienced inside.

Then of course there are the people who make this all work. These are the people who have made a choice to step outside the politically correct and trappings of tradition. For when one is outside, it not only means you are literally without walls, but it also reminds us our faith calls us to be without walls as well. One can actually see life as it is.

We have a core group of people who, with a simple phone call, will help with housing, food, medical, recovery issues, mental health issues, jobs, legal matters, financial needs and transportation.

We have people who have simply opened their homes to those who needed a place to stay; no conditions to length of time, no expectations of being paid…just opened their home.

We have people who, week after week, bring food for those who had none.

We have people who, week after week, have provided rides to doctors, grocery stores, hospitals, to jobs or back home.

We have people who have volunteered to help people move, gave money to those in need with no expectation of ever getting one dime back.

We have those who call the church office week after week to inquire about any special prayer concerns.

We have a few people who walk 2.5 miles to church each and every Sunday regardless of weather.

We have a group of people who can testify to the healing power of God almost daily.

These folks are all heroes because in a world where recognition, wealth, power and control mean everything, it means nothing to them. One’s sexual orientation (straight, gay or somewhere in between), gender identity, race, immigration status, socio-economic standing, a particular gender or faith walk have all taken a back seat to the practice of the Gospel. Except for here most of you will never hear of them in the media or in the power places of the community.

I thank God for these faithful people of God who over the course of 13 years and especially in the last 5 years, have “walked the talk”:

Braden, Allen, Robbin, Rev. Jarrod and Erin, Kim and Sharon, Gareth, Carmen,
Maru, Lance, Monica, Corey, Vicar Alyce, Teresa, Ann Marie, Estelle and Erin,
Christopher, Maura (Spike), Richard, William, Caroline Ray, Rev. Judy, Nancy, Bob, Clinton, Phyllis, Susan, Jeff, Father Warren, Charles, James, Bill, Charles, Wolf, Jennifer, Enrique, Zan and Elizabeth, Bill, Aaron, Tom, Rev. Candace, Rev. Guy Kent
Rev. James Brewer-Calvert, Dixon, Marie, Jenny, David, Dwight, Stanley, Chuck, Darlene, Billy, and many more whose names have faded in this writers feeble mind.

It’s the Little Things

2011-02-25T06:01:00.000-08:00

I remembered an old quote from a former Hall of Fame major league baseball pitcher by the name of Satchel Paige; “Never look behind you, cause something might be gaining on you.” Ain’t that the truth?

This year has been full of challenges; very difficult times, full of loss and with more to come … Despite all odds if we are to find peace we cannot and must not look back, but rather continue to move forward.

As I write this blog this evening all across our nation people are caught up in a war of words and ideology. It feels like we are stalled and a fierce fight is going on to push us back to the “good old days”, whatever that was or is.

Folks on both sides of the various debates will tell you they are fighting for the very soul of America. Some have such a heighten passion for their side of the argument they are willing to kill another to make the point. Still others will offer their life as a sacrifice to prove their point.

All across our world these debates are raging and sometimes resulting in historic change and at other times resulting in mayhem and death.

No one person or institution is immune from the cultural earthquakes shaking us to our very foundations of life and faith.

Mainline traditional churches are in crisis mode as they loose more and more members.

Church’s big and small suddenly have found their buildings being foreclosed on. I think I read somewhere that there are 113 churches facing foreclosure in the Atlanta metro area.

The split among churches over sexual orientation, gender identity and their role is society is as great as the split of 1064.

To stave off the impending loses of both people and revenues leaders of some churches have resorted to turning worship time into productions befitting of a “Broadway play” leaving far behind the “gospel” purpose of their existence.

In our LGBTQIA (Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Trans, Queer or Questioning, Inter-sexed and Allies) community as the movement for our acceptance and all the rights and privileges which goes with it moves into it’s 43rd year the divisions and debates are as bad as it is every where else.

We too have people maneuvering for power and control of the movement not caring how many people they have to step on in their climb to the top.

We have our share of those who will cry out that one group or another is too male, too female, is too white, too black, too racist or privileged.

We have too many in our community whose mantra is “thank God I am not like them”

North Avenue in Atlanta is still an invisible fence that too few from one side or the other will not cross to do the work of the community. The areas around this invisible fence are war zones of drugs, prostitution, the homeless and property values.

We have those in our community who are young and new to the movement and think us older folks are too slow or have become apart of the establishment and are starting to push.

Sadly we also have our share of folks who have “made it”, feel safe in who they are and have left the reservation and don’t give a crap about those left behind.

Somewhere in all this arguing, positioning, name-calling and temper tantrums it seems we as a whole have stopped listening to each other. We talk past one another, and rather than acknowledging the person and what they are saying most of our response begin the word “but”.

We have forgotten it is the little things that count. It is the little things we do for and with each other that will ultimately make the difference in all our lives.

Let me tell you the story of two people who are living examples of what I mean. Their names have been changed.

This is the story of Thaddeus and Sophia. Thaddeus is a black mid forties straight alcoholic male and is homeless.

Sophia is a 50 something male to female trans person and very active in the community and has had to fight for acceptance at every turn.

Thaddeus started coming to church services in the park about three and half years ago and I dare say there was not more than a handful of services he attended in which he wasn’t well past the legal limit of alcohol consumption.

Thaddeus originally showed up each week to get something to eat and a bus pass or money for this or that. Eventually as he got to know folks he started coming earlier and staying for the entire service. He knew a lot of the folks who attended were gay but that didn’t bother him as he loudly announced on several occasions, because he knew he was straight.

He did however; have a tough time wrapping his mind around the “whole changing bodies thing”. He was just as pronounced in that little gem as he was about being straight.

Sophia who generally had a low tolerance for people who were critical of the trans community for some odd reason always took Thaddeus as he was, giving him a hug and conversation of one sort or another every week he and she were there.

Over the years Sophia and the rest of us learned of Thaddeus plight, how he ended up homeless, his fear of the “DT’s”, his distrust and real fear of doctors and his very uneasy relationship with APD. He was a marked man and APD would and did stop him often. In fact many times when he wasn’t at church he was in jail on one charge or another, all misdemeanors.

Along this journey with Thaddeus, I noticed Sophia never criticized or ignore him. In fact she was one of the first in the group to “acknowledge” his story, his life and challenges.

As you might imagine this confused the hell out of Thaddeus. At one point he came to me and asked if she was single and I told him no she had a girlfriend. He seemed to be greatly relieved…anyway I digress.

One Sunday he shows up to service with a beat up bicycle and most of us in all honesty were wondering when APD was going to show up and arrest him for having a stolen bike.

During prayer time he asked for prayers to find a way to get the brakes on the bike fixed.

Before I could finish my thought of Thaddeus wrapped around some tree, Sophia said she would fix his brakes.

You have never seen separation anxiety at it’s worst until you have an intoxicated person ask for help to get the only thing they own in the world fixed and it dawns on them you are going to take it away for a while…Oh my God we had some drama that day. Suffice to say we got Thaddeus calmed down and Sophia took the bike to her home.

It was then that one of those “little things” happened. Sophia had planned to take the brakes off a bike she had in storage. This was a brand new 10-speed bike that she had bought sometime back but for various reasons had never used or ridden.

One the way to the storage area it hit her. Why tear apart a perfectly good bike?

2 Sundays later Sophia presented Thaddeus with a brand new ten-speed bike. His face lit up like a kid at Christmas time.

That happened 4 months ago. The same week he got the bike Thaddeus found his way to an AA meeting, within 2 weeks of that he had gotten a medical doctor’s appointment, gotten referred to a therapist and did what he swore he would never do and found a shelter in which he could stay for as long as it takes to get his feet firmly on the ground.

Sophia, in this one little thing convinced a broken man he counted, he was worthy and his life was important.

The story isn’t over; this isn’t a fairy tale ending. Thaddeus has a long way to go for full recovery. There will be challenges and trials, but they will be different now because one person did the little thing that shouted for all to hear; “You count!”

We all would be well served if we took notice here. This is a story of one straight man and one trans women. This is about as polar opposites as it gets. This is a story of one looking for a reason to live and one looking to live in acceptance.

Last Sunday Thaddeus said during prayer time, “I praise God for this church, I would not be alive if not for this church.” That was the theologically correct way to say, Thank you Sophia. I am alive because of you doing this little thing.

You see it is our story too…for it is the little things that really count. It is the little things we do for and with each other that will make the difference in those big things, which occupy the headlines today.

We are in the Red Zone

2011-02-11T06:02:00.000-08:00

We know the LGBTQIA community has made a great deal of progress over the 40 plus years. This progress has come about because for the most part the community as a whole has stepped far out of the closet into the every day world.

There is no place one can go and not find well-adjusted and successful folk. Hell we have even made it into commercials to sell almost every conceivable product and are main characters in the TV and movie world.

“Don’t ask don’t tell” is about to become a thing of the past. Every time one looks up there is another state granting either Marriage or at minimum “Civil Unions”.

The national polls are all indicative we are making great strides of becoming an accepted part of society rather than an abomination.

The more we come out of our closets and are honest about who we are and who we love the more true Rev. Troy Perry’s proclamation of 30 years ago is: “To know us is to love us!”

Children who have been raised by same gender loving couples are growing up proud of their parents and even tell the same crazy stories about the parents that have been told for centuries.

Each day brings more protections for our jobs, our families, our property and the ability to not get the living crap kicked out of us when we are seen in public, at our schools, the bars, sporting events, the grocery store and restaurants. We have come so far as to be able to travel openly and safely.

Our choices for spiritual enrichment are no longer just “Gay Faith” groups. In every major faith there are affirming and progressive congregations who stand proudly for and with us as a whole people of God.

We are in times of national disasters seen as heroes rather than villains. We participate in many sports and excel right next to our straight sisters and brothers.

My God we even run for public office and win.

The President of the United States has appointed more of our community to all levels of jobs through out the federal government than all the other Presidents combined!

Praise is to God for all those in the LGBTQIA community who for the last 40 plus years have been willing to let their light shine brightly and courageously for all to see. Thank God for all those who have live their lives in such a fashion as to teach the world not only are we not those who spoil the soup but rather give spice and taste to it.
Thank God for all those who have despite facing the loss of family, job, property or even the loss of life; have stood strong and said “no, the closet is no place to live.”

Yet, with all this progress, with all this good stuff, we now find ourselves in the “red zone” on the football field of life. The red zone is the last 20 yards a team must travel on the field in order to score a touchdown. It is said by football experts that it is the single hardest ground to make progress toward the “promised land” or the thing we call a touchdown. Why, because the defending team will come together and do everything they can to stop that progress, to stop the other team from scoring and coming away with a victory. Sometimes what they do is within the rules sometimes it’s not.

The only way to get into the end zone is for the team driving to come together as a unit and do everything they can to continue the progress to the goal line. This will sometimes get done within the rules and sometimes not.

My point is that now is not the time to allow our community to become divided, fractured and apathetic towards those who would do us harm. For now the real test comes. Will the diversity of our community be our strength or will we turn on our selves and begin to self-destruct in the same way we see the Tea Party and Republicans doing now.

Let there be no mistake, those who would do us harm are now desperate and will stop at nothing to derail and push back our progress. They will lie, attempt to legislate, ex-communicate, fire from jobs, make up wild stories, or physically assault us so as to raise the level of fear to ungodly heights. Those who seek to do us harm seek to have power and control over our lives and us. Failing that, it is not out of the realm of possibility they will simply eliminate us.

We need not look any further than the county of Cobb.

Georgia GOP Rep. Bobby Franklin has said,

"The Bible says (homosexuality is) a capital offense. You want someone [in the military] with unrepentant criminal behavior? And it's not just that, neither should adulterers, neither should thieves, neither should a lot of things. The church is full of sinners, but we're told in 1st Corinthians it rattled off the homosexual, the adulterer, the thief, the liar, and such were some of you, but you've been washed, you've been justified and so forth. It's not what you were. You're not punishing a thought. But do you want an unrepentant drug dealer in the military? Same thing."

The Georgia Voice writes that "according to his official biography, Franklin 'has been called ‘the conscience of the Republican Caucus’ because he believes that civil government should return to its biblically and constitutionally defined role.'"

(the marietta daily journal via the georgia voice)

Or how about this:

“Carroll County Sheriff’s Office investigators are getting help from the Federal Bureau of Investigation as they attempt to find out who threatened a local man and then followed through on their threat hours later in what appears to be a hate crime.

A rock wrapped with a threatening note containing anti-gay slurs was thrown through the window of a home on Alvin Drive Saturday night. Then, Sunday morning, the house was burned.

Christopher Staples, the 43-year-old victim, is gay.”

Or how about the email I received from a person who had been at our church website:

“Turner:

I do not see how in this world you can call your selves CHRISTIANS, the BIBLE states very clearly that homosexuality is wrong. Try and read the Bible some time, in there around the story about Sodum and Gamora, it is an abomination to my Lord Jesus Christ. And absolutely makes me plain SICK!!!!!

John 3:16 says: "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that WHOSOEVER believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life."

Yes you are correct, ANYONE can call upon the name of the Lord and be saved! (Romans) But what you are severely mistaken on, is that when you are saved that means you repent of your sins. And let me tell you, last time I checked in the bible sexual immorality is a sin.

I'm a Christian, and I know that we all make mistakes, and sin. When I sin, I ask for forgiveness, and am forgiven. But when you are trying to justify homosexuality, that is wrong. When you are saved, you REPENT of your sins, that means to TURN from them. It says it as bold as black and white, there are no gray areas in the bible-homosexuality is wrong, and is a sin!

Yes, Jesus loves everyone, no matter what, but that gives no right to justify sin. God's grace is abounded, but that is not an excuse to sin. Sin is sin is sin.

This web page is a sin to God, encouraging others that homosexuality is okay. Sadly my uncle and aunt are ones who believe the same, and because of this lie, their beliefs are very twisted.

How can you twist what is most very clearly stated that homosexuality is a sin. Just like, murder, lying, malice, hatred. Its [sic] all in black and white.”

This kind of stuff is only going to get more and more focused and painful if we stop what we have done all along which is to allow our diversity to shine through and tackle these attacks in a variety of ways.

Now is not the time to move to the suburbs and pretend everything is OK.

Now is not the time to pit organizations in our community one against the other.

Now is not the time to tell young up and coming leaders in our community to “sit down and shut up cause you don’t speak for us.”

Now is not the time to say, “you can’t speak for me because you are white”.

Now is not the time to say, “you can’t speak for me because you are black”

Now is not the time to say, “you can’t speak for me because you are not trans”.

Now is not the time to throw anyone or group from our community under the bus simply because we are not comfortable with them.

Now is not the time for the faith community to be guarding it’s particular turf or fighting for camera time.

Now is not the time for those who are from the “grass roots” way of doing things and those from the more corporate side of our community to say, “we can’t and we won’t work together”

Now is not the time to get into fights and disagreements about our history, and who has done what to whom and how often.

Now is the time to allow Georgia Equality, The Queer Justice League and a host of other organizations in our community to do what they do best and come at our oppressors from every direction and with a diversity of plans of action.

Now is the time for our faith communities to come together, and be the spiritual leaders our community needs.

Now is the time for the individuals in our community and our allies to get involved, to stand up and be counted, find those places in the community where your ideas, creativity and passion can be most useful. Yes, that includes being willing to spend a little less on partying and giving some of that money to those who are in your opinion doing the work.

Now is the time to revisit an ancient writing with renewed understanding and commitment to its purpose:

“Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.”

1 Corinthians 12:15-26 (New International Version, ©2010)

Now is the time. We are in the “red zone”. Now is the time for our diversity to be our integrity and strength.

“An Unjust Law is No Law at All”

2011-01-28T06:22:00.000-08:00

A little less than a year ago, I wrote a blog concerning the Arizona Immigration law.

So if much of this blog looks familiar, forgive me but what was written this past spring still applies especially in view of what is about to happen in Georgia.

It is my prayer this gets a serious read. My prayer also is for the clergy of our State to step forward and give the moral leadership that is required by our faith, “to do justice, act mercifully and walk humbly with God.”

I find it interesting as a people of the Christian faith we say the sins of the parents (father) should not be visited upon the children, yet there are some who are pushing to make that the law of the state.

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King wrote from his cell in the Birmingham jail,

“I would agree with Saint Augustine that 'An unjust law is no law at all.' . . . A just law is a man-made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law. To put it in the terms of Saint Thomas Aquinas, an unjust law is a human law that is not rooted in eternal and natural law."

Unless we wake up our state is in danger of passing an un-just law.

The legislation, which has been introduced instead of helping solve the problem, will only create a whole new level of criminals and cause those people of faith who support the law to be more than just a little hypocritical in the practice of the faith.

It is a point of fact that such a law will give policing agency’s far more power than we want them to have.

This law is not written to hand out any kind of justice, or extend any kind of mercy.

Further this law is not written to prevent crime or to allow Georgia law enforcement folks to “serve and protect”. No, this law is written out of fear, bigotry and political opportunism.

Ever since 9-11 our fear of illegal immigrants has reach unprecedented levels of fear. We are now justifying our fear of people and cultures we don’t know or understand by painting with a very wide brush that says if you are not American then you must mean us harm.

Of course lost in this kind of thinking is Tim McVey, the “Uni-bomber”, Eric Rudolph, John Wayne Gacy or Charles Speck, all who were white and as American as they come…but I digress.

This is of concern also because this is the same kind of fear used against LGBTQ people and through various laws attempt to control and crush or kill if need be those who don’t live out their lives from the correct biblical perspective and view of the universe.

We have heard all the arguments why “these” people must be contained, captured, and deported without benefit of legal counsel or trial. Why it is justified to destroy families and even kill those coming across the border with very little provocation.

These arguments have “collateral damage” by making the landscape ripe for “human trafficking and smuggling”. We don’t seem to care about the truckloads of humanity that have died in mass in the desert heat and without water or food because someone was trying to make money.

It is argued first, this is a matter of national security since we don’t know which un-documented simply wants a job and food for their family or instead might be a terrorist sneaking into our country to blow off the very hand which feeds them.

When that argument doesn’t have the desire results the arguments added to the rhetoric is the rise in violent crime, theft, poaching and land destruction (property values). At the same time this is being spewed across the landscape, we hear the cry: “They are taking our jobs”!

Further, because of our ridicules drugs laws we have set ourselves up for more collateral damage with an unwinnable “drug war”, which also becomes part of the collar placed on the necks of all those who are un-documented …well you know, “they are all “drug traders”.

Finally when all else fails the argument is made “these un-documented people are breaking our health care system.” Really? Our “health care system” was pretty screwed up long before out of political expedience this jumped front and center in our “war” on those who are un-documented.

Now let me be clear these concerns are things for which we must be aware of and at some level as with anything there is good with the bad.

However, all these arguments are being made and exploited without benefit of our faith connection being considered as our starting point for our conversation, questions and concerns.

Rev. Richard Nathan is the pastor of Columbus Vineyard Church and makes two excellent points in two different articles:

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, hardly a liberal organization, published an extensive report refuting often-cited myths concerning immigration ("Immigration Myths and the Facts Behind the Fallacies," www.uschamber.com). Despite claims to the contrary, illegal immigrants pay billions of dollars in taxes each year, and do not qualify for or collect public assistance or welfare benefits such as food stamps, Medicaid or Section 8 housing.

Furthermore, enforcement-only policies are no solution. Deporting 12 million illegal immigrants is utterly impracticable. Not only would it cost hundreds of billions of dollars ($206 billion over five years, according to the chamber), it would destroy families and communities across the country.

The way forward is clear. We need to secure our borders, crack down on dishonest employers and require illegal immigrants to register with the government and meet certain requirements, including learning English, working and paying taxes before they earn the chance to become citizens. Such practical reforms would strengthen our economy, serve the interests and honor the ideals of our nation, and provide immigrants with the opportunity to fully join our society.

His second point asks his readers to put on their “biblical spectacles” when confronted with the issue of illegal’s and your “faith response”. I would ask my readers to do the same:

I would hope that Christians would first put on biblical spectacles when approaching the issue of illegal immigration. The biblical Christian would:

1. Begin with the conviction that illegal immigrants are persons made in God’s image and are, therefore, worthy of respect and dignity (Genesis 1:26,28).

2. Appreciate the fact that many of our spiritual ancestors were themselves economic refugees. Thus Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob moved from the Promised Land on several occasions in search of food (Genesis 12:10; 26:1; 41:57; 42:6; 43:1-7). The story of Ruth is the story of an immigrant who continually crossed national borders in search of food. Other spiritual ancestors of ours were pushed out of their homeland because of war or persecution (Joseph, Daniel, Moses, David, and the baby Jesus). So immigration because of economics, war, and asylum seeking is not far from every Christian’s own heritage.

3. Specifically apply the Second Commandment to illegal immigrants: “The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the Lord your God” (Leviticus 19:34).

4. Care for immigrants since they had a central place in the laws and practices of ancient Israel. Israel was commanded to love immigrants because God loves immigrants. “He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigners residing among you, giving them food and clothing. And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt” (Deuteronomy 10:18-19).

5. Be hospitable according to New Testament teaching which literally means to “love the stranger” or the alien (Romans 12:13; Hebrews 13:2; 1 Peter 4:9). Jesus commanded his followers to welcome people who had no social standing, such as the poor, the sick, and the outsider (Luke 14:12-14).

I am fully aware that these considerations will not solve the challenge of those who are undocumented, but it will sure change the discussion from what is now destructive, punitive and life ending to something that more closely resembles “doing justice, acting mercifully and walking humbly with God”.

As Christians we are encouraged to “cast out all fear and replace it with unconditional love”…so then we must ask ourselves how does this pending Georgia legislation promote the love we are suppose to be living, the love we are suppose to be practicing, the love we are suppose to be sharing?

In our political world today the conservative and progressive’s seem to agree on very little but as a people of faith we indeed have some common ground.

Rev. Brain Clark a conservative pastor of Calhoun First United Methodist made an interesting post on his blog, which makes my point.

“Despite the fact that undocumented persons contribute to the State tax base, bolster the agricultural economy, and keep local businesses alive, the real issue before the committee isn’t economic. The real issue is that Arizona-style legislation is both immoral and unscriptural. The legislation is immoral because it threatens to tear families apart, destroy the lives of countless children and youth already living productive lives in our communities, and does nothing to advocate for a fair earned pathway to citizenship. The legislation is unscriptural because it ignores the biblical mandates to love our neighbors, to offer forgiveness, and to treat others the way we desire to be treated. God loves the undocumented persons living among us as much as God loves every natural born citizen and calls us to treat them with love and respect. Leviticus 19:34 says, “The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.” (NRSV)”

The full blog post can be read here: I only hope we heed his call:

http://drbrianeclark.blogspot.com/2011/01/proposed-georgia-immigration.html

So now we as a people of faith cannot hide behind separation of church and state.

We must consider where we stand…how do we love others? Is this love up to the standards set by Christ?

Brothers and Sisters, what is written in the scripture? Just this:

And a certain teacher of the law got up and put him to the test, saying,
Master, what have I to do so that I may have eternal life?
And he said to him, what does the law say, in your reading of it?
And he, answering, said, has love for the Lord your God with all your heart
and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind;
and for your neighbor as for yourself.
And he said, you have given the right answer: do this and you will have life."
--Luke 10:25-28

If we are be a state where justice prevails, mercy is a priority and we have true equality then we must not leave anyone behind; we must not leave any part of our community out.

Slicing and dicing families and turning them into fugitives from the law are not what our faith teaches in these matters.

Come on folks it is not rocket science! There is no justice, there is no safety, and there is no protection until all really means all. This proposed law cuts out a huge chunk of all.

Our Collective Denial

2011-01-13T22:02:00.000-08:00

Our Country is 236 years old. Of those 236 years we have been in a war of one kind or another or some kind of military action for a total of 165 years and still counting. In case you think my count is off here is the history:

War of Independence 1775-1783
Northwest Indian War 1785-1795
Quasi-War 1798-1800
Barbary Wars 1801-1815
War of 1812 1812-1815
1st Seminole War 1817-1818
2nd Seminole War 1835-1842
Mexican-American War 1846-1848
3rd Seminole War 1855-1858
Civil War 1861-1865
Indian Wars 1865-1898
Spanish-American War 1898
Philippine War 1898-1902
Boxer Rebellion 1900-1901
Mexican Revolution 1914-1919
Haiti Occupation 1915-1934
World War 1 1917-1918
World War 2 1941-1945
Korean War 1950-1953
Vietnam War 1964-1973
El Salvador 1980-1992
Beirut 1982-1984
Persian Gulf "Support" 1987-1988
Invasion of Grenada 1983
Invasion of Panama 1989
Persian Gulf War 1991
Somalia 1992-1993
Bosnia 1995
Afghanistan 2002-2011
Iraq 2003-2011

1, 317, 348 Americans have died in these 30 conflicts. I could not find reliable figures for the number of people who were causalities at our hands, but suffice it to say I am sure it is far greater than 1.3 million.

Just since 1976 the United States have executed 3, 260 of its citizens.

Killing people seems to be what we do best. We glorify killing, we put it up in the bright lights of Hollywood, we sprinkle it all through our theology and we justify it as “free speech”. We call a movie with two people “making love” porn and call it immoral. We make movies showing people being blown to bits and we give them academy awards.

So has our political speech become so violent as to have played a part in what happen in Tucson last week? I think if one reads the list the answer is clearly NO. It is who we are as a society.

So there is the truth in black and white for all to see. Say what you will, but we are far better at just eliminating those who disagree with us rather than finding a way to live together in our diversity.

However, that doesn’t mean it isn’t time to take a second look at how we talk, how we think, how we live and how we relate to others.

Mr. Ira Leonard is a professor of history at Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven, Ct. and in an essay entitled; “Are We a Peace-Loving Country or a Violent One?” sums it up rather accurately when he writes:

The reality is that war -- whether on a large or small scale -- and domestic violence have been ever-present features of American life and culture from this country's earliest days almost 400 years ago, though this is not taught in American schools and textbooks. Violence, in varying forms, according to the leading historian of the subject, Richard Maxwell Brown, "has accompanied virtually every stage and aspect of our national experience," and is "part of our unacknowledged (underground) value structure." Indeed, "repeated episodes of violence going far back into our colonial past have imprinted upon our citizens a propensity to violence."

Thus, America demonstrated a national predilection for war and domestic violence long before the 9/11 attacks, but its leaders and intellectuals through most of the last century cultivated the national self-image, a myth, of America as a moral, "peace-loving" nation which the American population seems unquestioningly to have embraced.

Despite the national, peace-loving self-image, American patriotism has usually been expressed in military and even militaristic terms. No less than seven presidents owed their election chiefly to their military careers (George Washington, 1789, Andrew Jackson, 1828, William Henry Harrison, 1840, Zachary Taylor, 1848, Ulysses S. Grant, 1868, Theodore Roosevelt, 1898, and Dwight David Eisenhower, 1952) while others, Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy, for example, capitalized upon their military records to become presidents, and countless others at both federal and state levels made a great deal of their war or military records.”

How sad is that we have become so accustom to violence it only shocks us occasionally.

What is really sad about all this is it does not account for all the murders committed in this country. It does not account for all the people who die way to early because of a lack of medical care, lack of mental health services, safe housing or enough proper food to eat.

It does not account for the countless number of people who are beaten to within an inch of their lives or killed because of the color of their skin, religious beliefs, gender identity, sexual orientation, or any one that does not fit those in power belief system.

My friends read those numbers again, try to wrap your mind around the fact that we live in a world that is far more interested and invested in killing you. We say we honor life but when given the opportunity to do that, we miss the mark not just a little but by a lot.

Critics of President Obama’s speech in Tucson didn’t focus on his words calling for civility, but rather complained of the “pep rally” atmosphere.

One Face Book thread read like this:

I'm confused.... why is this crowd cheering so loudly at the President? At a memorial service??

I can't watch...I'd be furious if someone I loved had been shot. This crowd is completely disrespectful.

I had to turn away....its like a political rally and not a memorial service...

Because he's such a rock star

REALLY WTF IS WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE ???????:(

THEY ARE A BUNCH OF FING MORONS :(

Honestly. And ABC news has the headline "Together We Thrive"... . You can't make this shit up

Nice - how about hiding the heroes that stopped the crazed shooter way back in the crowd while showing closeups of the political faces like Janet Napolitano, Kristin Gillibrand & Nancy Pelosi?

It is just not right. I cannot believe this one... They all should be ashamed of themselves

It's all about the politicians and not the people....just another way to make them look like they care...

I'm just sayin....and so are they apparently!
42 minutes ago · Like

Oh, this was a thread of comments from a friend's posting. Thought it was interesting and kind of funny.
40 minutes ago · Like

and it was odd
22 minutes ago · Like

ummm, am I being politically polite?!
22 minutes ago · Like

I agree with all of those comments. What a bunch of A-holes!!
10 minutes ago · Like

clap clap! HRH clap clap was gettin on my nerves, right into that microphone every 2 mins.!

I wonder how that string fits with the words of the President, I mean were they really listening?

“That’s what I believe, in part because that’s what a child like Christina Taylor Green believed. Imagine: here was a young girl who was just becoming aware of our democracy; just beginning to understand the obligations of citizenship; just starting to glimpse the fact that someday she too might play a part in shaping her nation’s future. She had been elected to her student council; she saw public service as something exciting, something hopeful. She was off to meet her congresswoman, someone she was sure was good and important and might be a role model. She saw all this through the eyes of a child, undimmed by the cynicism or vitriol that we adults all too often just take for granted.

I want us to live up to her expectations. I want our democracy to be as good as she imagined it. All of us – we should do everything we can to make sure this country lives up to our children’s expectations.”

Yes, it is apparent we have gone astray and we have been that way from almost the beginning.

Yet, we have an opportunity here, I wonder will we finally seize the moment? For those of us who call ourselves Christians…will we now be able to recognize violence has only one certitude-death.

Will we now recognize the only other thing that is certain is violence and violent language does not bring peace…it has not worked to this point, is it not time to try something different?

Will we say there has been enough killing? Will we take this opportunity to say enough is enough?

Can we take these words and really give them more than lip service:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 5:3-12 NIV)

My hope and prayer is that we will begin to change our priorities from war and words of war to life and words that give life rather than steal it.

Maybe if we spend our time trying to live out the words from the teaching of Jesus, the words of President Obama may yet come to pass;

“If there are rain puddles in heaven, Christina is jumping in them today. And here on Earth, we place our hands over our hearts, and commit ourselves as Americans to forging a country that is forever worthy of her gentle, happy spirit.”

VACATION

2010-12-31T07:51:00.001-08:00

Taking a break from blogging...will return January 14, 2011. Hope your Holidays were great and may your new year be blessed.

Christmas 2010

2010-12-17T06:40:00.000-08:00

I want to share this obvious observation: Even if there were some remote chance I could become pope…they would never let me. The reason is simple and it is not because of my progressive views of Christian theology, or the fact that I am unapologetically gay or even the fact that I do not believe the bible is the inerrant word of God.

Nope is because I believe December 25th is one of the biggest frauds every pulled on humanity.

Those who are pastors know that what I am suggesting is very true. Y’all went to seminary and know saying Jesus was born on December 25th is like saying there is a real living breathing Santa Claus. This fraudulent claim has made our jobs and life during this time of the year a living nightmare of endless days of no sleep and one crisis on top of another.

For the Christmas season, which begins long before the 1st Sunday in Advent, actually right after Halloween we are subjected to 12 weeks of Christmas messages that have little to do with or about our Christian faith. In fact most of the preparations, and so-called traditions have been borrowed or should I say stolen from pagan practices! Although many marketing people cleverly package their presentations pointed in the direction of a cute little baby in cute well manicured and warm manger scene.

People begin making plans for family gatherings and the perfect gift to make the perfect statement of love or impression. This is all destroyed when Johnny announces he is bringing Tom home for Christmas or Susie tells the family she will be spending this holiday with Tammy and her family.

Money, jobs, friends, illness, those dying, families, the homeless, starving children, criminals of all kinds and political games all become the all consuming thing that will happen in that particular year or in a lifetime coming up to December 25th.

Starting with Thanksgiving and through Christmas day every story has a Christmas slant meant to make one feel guilty, or believe it is possible for one day if enough money is spent to be a day of perfect perfection.

Almost every retail business, in America anyway, is geared to this time as making or breaking them for the entire year.

Legislation, which is vital to so many people’s lives, is either held hostage or used as extortion leading to December 25th.

Also, starting with Thanksgiving our food consumption just simple goes off the charts eating far too much of everything and especially the wrong things. Alcohol consumption also goes off the charts but hey you got to drink something with all that food.

The normal every day challenges of life become a crisis of faith because “tis the season”.

People’s social and pageant schedules become so jammed there is no time to take a breath or enjoy a quiet moment of peace and wonderment at God’s creativity in this world in which we live.

We are pushed to acts of kindness because it is the Christmas season, rather than it is the right and just thing to do.

I could go on and on but you get the point. Oh wait I forgot the ultimate fundraiser of those on the “Christian and political right”: “The War on Christmas” is fought for the entire 12 weeks leading to December 25th. Do you say “Happy Holidays” or “Merry Christmas”? Legal fights jam our courts over these phrases or worse where a nativity scene gets set up. Conservative Christian websites fire up the war by warning their readers and members that “Christmas is about to be stolen from them so send us money to protect you!”

Now for those readers who have at this point decided I am some sort of Scrooge or Grinch that stole Christmas be patient and keep reading.

When I was young my Grandfather told me the reason one should not lie is because once you tell a lie, you have to tell another lie to cover the first and another to cover the 2nd and pretty soon you are just having to lie all the time because you have lost track of the truth and you can’t remember what you said and to whom.

We have been told and believe so many lies concerning Christmas that we have almost completely lost why this particular birthday is important, why we celebrate a life which in 33 years (a couple years more or less) had such an impact as to change the very course of human events.

In all the perfection we strive for in the holiday season we forget this birth was anything but neat, clean and glamorous. We forget or by cheesy tradition explain away this child was conceived out of wedlock, borne in abject poverty and grew up in a world that was most certainly as dangerous to human life as it is today. We forget or don’t talk about how the gossips of the day most have had a field day both inside the temple and outside.

We jump past the truth of this story which tells us that no matter how bad things are or get God can raise us up out of the ashes of despair to a place with the Creator.

We forget this is a birth that gave us a moral compass for living a life that would being pleasing to the God who created us because it leads to a life of doing justice, acting mercifully and walking humbly with God.

When we first bought the lie of December 25th, it became easier to buy the other lies. In fact the Christian and political right’s fear of Christmas being stolen while a lie itself was a self-fulfilling prophecy. For you see I don’t think we have to worry about Christmas being stolen…it already has been stolen and replaced with the craziness that we call the Holiday Season.

It is the fact that Jesus of Nazareth was born that we celebrate. The truth of the date is somewhere between April and August depending on whose math you believed. About the only thing certain about the date is it was not the 25th of December. The story of the circumstances of his conception and birth give us real hope that it gets better. Jesus’ life and work gives us a working model and road map for our life. His life is indeed one we can look up to and not be disappointed in what we see. His arrest, faulty conviction and the administration of capital punishment followed by a resurrection give those us who call ourselves followers of The Christ, the assurance that nothing in this world including death of the physical body can keep us from God.

Maybe the date we celebrate the birth in the wider view is not as important as getting back to why we remember this birth like no other birth in history.

So it is with the spirit of being authentic in our celebration I ask us to consider how our “Christmas” celebration this year will measure up to the words attributed to the one we celebrate, we remember, we strive to be like:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.

Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Creator in heaven.

Matthew 5:3-16 (New International Version, ©2010)

It seems to me that December 25th is as good as any day to get back to the authentic reason for giving honor to the birth of the one called Christ.

How About some Common Decency?

2010-12-03T14:00:00.000-08:00

Last week I really found out just how difficult the world has become. How a couple of bad choices can change one’s life forever. How being in the wrong place at the wrong time can make it damn near impossible to get a job or find housing.

We had a young man show up at the church looking for help. For the sake of privacy we will call him Tad. At the time he came to the church I was out on a hospital call and the church secretary was the one who heard his story first.

Now under normal circumstances the secretary would have given Tad some food, maybe a marta pass and let him use the phone to make whatever contacts he needed to make and sent him on his way.

However, today was different and by the time Tad had told his story the secretary really didn’t know what to do. She did know that our church and I in particular work with the really complicated stuff…so she called me to tell me Tad’s story.

The long and short of the story was that Tad had just found out he was HIV positive and when he told his roommates they threw him out. He had spent the night before sleeping in the woods and trying to stay out of the way of the police. By the time he had gotten to the church he was cold and hungry and extremely tired. He also added that this was the first place he had been to where anybody would even listen to his plight.

I gave the secretary a couple of referrals that specialize with HIV positive men. She had given him the number for a local shelter and he was heading that way. I was concerned how this particular shelter would react to him and his story should he decide to tell them. So, I indicated if that fell through to call me on my cell and I would talk to him and try to set up a time to get together and see if we could begin stabilizing the situation.

God’s humor and timing is pretty awesome and when I got back to the office, there was Tad and his emotional state now in addition to being tired, scared, and cold was now angry.

When Tad got in touch with the shelter and they told him to come on down, he had gone back to where he had been living to gather his belongings. Upon arriving he found his bed cloths, coats, underwear and socks and some other personal stuff had been burned. What had not been burned had been piled up in the back yard and bleach poured all over it.

So now it is time to take a deep breath, sit done with a cup of coffee and walk through this. So here is a very brief description of the last year for Tad.
He has been married for 5 years.

He has been in recovery from drug use for 3 years.

About a year or so ago he got laid off from his job, and in an effort to get money for food he passed a bad check (bad choice #1). Got caught and spent time in jail.

While in jail he lost the job he had just gotten when he had to go to court and face the bad check charges.

A few days after getting out jail he is out and about looking for work when Atlanta’s finest stop him on the street and begin to question him. (Wrong place, wrong time)

They question him about drug use, where he lives, check his ID and pat him down. One of the officers walks up the street about 20 yards of so and discovers a bag of crack. So now he is arrested for possession of something which clearly was not his since in his movement had not gotten to where the officer found the bag.

The case goes to court and is dismissed out of hand by the judge who says this should have never happened.

In the meantime he and his wife need to move from one housing unit to the next.
In the process of the move a background check is done on Tad, the drug arrest is discovered. Tad is told he can not live at the complex with his wife because of HUD drug arrest rules. So now, he is homeless.

In an effort to stay out of the police’s way he goes from friend to friend. He finally hooks up with some old college buddies. Some sexual experimentation goes on. The experimentation is anything but safe (Bad choice number 2).

Through the church he and his wife had attended they find a place with some church members he can live until he can get some legal help to be able to move back in with his wife. Yup you guessed it, this where his stuff was burned, bleached and he was told never to come back.

I can not begin to tell folks how many ways this is so wrong, without compassion, without reconciliation, without justice and not a shred of common decency.

Tad has family in the area so we contact them to try to arrange a place to stay. Quote: “I got kids you ain’t bringing no AIDS here!”

In the meantime we have found housing but there will not be an open bed for 5 days. So Tad and I are off to the shelter downtown. By the time we got there no more emergency bedding was available. They had a transitional housing program but that would cost $10.00 a day. Before readers shake heads and roll eyes, please bear in mind the old saying; “If something costs a quarter and you ain’t got a quarter it is too expensive.”

$50.00 for a homeless person? Yea, just chew on that for a while and think about the insurance CEO knocking down 3 or 4 million a year.

A few phone calls are made and a couple of members of the church commit to covering the cost. Wow! Praise God! For a church that has less than $2,000.00 a month to work with, this was an impressive act of compassion. We get him back to his room, ugh, no, not a room but rather a dormitory with 30 other men and come to find out infested with “bed bugs”.

Well, today as I write we are past the crisis. Tad has housing and we are working at getting the proper coping mechanisms back in place. So why write about this?

Simply, Tad’s story could be our story. A couple of bad choices, being in the wrong place at the wrong time and wham we too could be the scourge of society, the one for whom legislatures pass laws to protect the common good. A little common decency, a little compassion a little unconditional love could have prevented this story.

Tad’s story is not singular but rather community. Of the 11,000 homeless in Metro Atlanta one will hear the same type of story again and again. Their plights are justified by those with power in government and the more powerful churches by pointing out their perceived short comings, their perceived sins. They are labeled as drug users, drunks, homosexuals, Gender confused, prostitutes, illegal’s, crazy people, and just plain bad people. A little common decency, a little compassion a little unconditional love could have changed these perceived sins to blessings.

Yet, sad to say we the people contribute to making the homeless criminals because we demand law and order rather than common decency, compassion and not being so judgmental about how people get where they are.

For instance, there are no public restrooms through out the city. So if one urinates outside and gets caught they can be given a ticket for public urination a misdemeanor, or if they cross some imaginary line with law enforcement they can be charged with exposure, a crime that will land them on the sexual offenders list. That is a place in the State of Georgia no wants to be if they want to have a roof over their head.

Maybe somebody could tell me where the common decency is in dropping charges against a homeless person but making them pay a fine. Did it ever dawn on our brilliant officials if they had money to pay the fine, they might not be on the street to begin with? Dear reader, don’t roll your eyes because there are some who are simply one traffic ticket fine from not paying the rent or mortgage.

People often ask me why are things going the way they are, how did we get to this point, how did we become so polarized? Simple, as was said earlier we as a society and a people have lost our common decency. Why? In my not so humble opinion since 9-11 we live in fear. We fear everything and everybody. The list of fears are too many to list here, but it is fear that causes people to make more and more laws, get less and less compassionate and understanding.

So the next time you see someone sleeping under a bridge, walking the street, sleeping in a door way, remember they have a story too and their story all too easily could be our story with a wrong choice, being in the wrong place at the wrong time. So I think my wish for this Christmas, my prayer in this holiday season will be simply this, Dear God fill our land, our homes, our jobs, our churches our families with decency and the strength to do justice, act mercifully and walk humble with You…and so it is.

May We Not Forget

2010-11-18T21:17:00.001-08:00

Saturday is a day of mourning. It is not a day that is on the national calendar. In fact with the exception of a small percentage of people in this country this day of mourning will pass completely unnoticed.

Those who take a moment and remember on this day will find themselves swinging between tears of grief and deep waves of anger not to mention a certain amount of fear of further attacks.

The devastating images of those viciously killed in 2010 for simply trying to be themselves is something we should remember, something that should burn in our souls.

The people we mourn for this day are apart of the community most would just as soon not deal with. Oh we go to watch the drag shows and tell our jokes and we have added a “T” to the GLB_Q but still don’t take seriously enough that folks in the transgender community live in a very dangerous and un-supportive world.

While progress has been made, while things have gotten better, there is still a long ways to go and this community is still too often an after thought.

We still do not take seriously enough these children of God find it extremely difficult to get jobs, get health care or any kind of support and dignity.

In fact in our fair city of Atlanta, the shelters are still not required to accept those who are in transition unless they are willing to accept being forcible moved backwards in that transition.

People in transition walking down the street at the wrong time or in the wrong neighborhood stand a good chance of being stopped by the police and questioned around drugs, prostitution or both.

The fact is most political leaders of the community see the trans community as nothing more then a “political calculation”. In fact far too often these people are something to be added or subtracted from the political equation.

I still see far to often in community meetings the eyes roll or heads shake when the needs of the trans community are brought up.

So even today the message continues to go out loud and clear…it is still open season on those who would dare to transition from one gender to another.

We often forget is it was these folks who started the whole “gay rights” movement we know today when they stood toe to high heal with the New York City police department at Stonewall.

We do not acknowledge nearly enough they have been with us every step of this bloody fight for our rights, our self worth and our very souls.

We only recognize from a distance that each day when they get out of bed and step into the world it may in fact be their last day.

So on this day I implore you to remember the transgender community…to pay attention to the day that has become known as “Transgender Day of Remembrance”

May we who mourn and remember today take some comfort in these words:

"God is King, despite the chaos that may be roaring around us." (Ps 93)

“If one member suffers, the whole body suffers…” (I Cor 12)

“Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? … Nothing in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom 8)

"Be still and know that I am God" Psalm 46:10

"The Lord takes care of me as his sheep; I will not be without any good thing. He makes a resting-place for me in the green fields: he is my guide by the quiet waters. He gives new life to my soul: he is my guide in the ways of righteousness because of his name. Yes, though I go through the valley of deep shade, I will have no fear of evil; for you are with me, your rod and your support are my comfort. You make ready a table for me in front of my haters: you put oil on my head; my cup is overflowing. Truly, blessing and mercy will be with me all the days of my life; and I will have a place in the house of the Lord all my days." Psalm 23

Saturday evening, here and all around the country may we find ourselves moved to pray.

May these prayers be for all of the victims, their family and friends.

May we pray for our government to have the wisdom, the courage and a God like response to this insanity. Let us pray for God's protection and a calming of theirs and our fears.

And may our prayers be accompanied by expressions of our faith – in which we are not conformed to the ways the world and how they will respond to children of God, but to the way the Christ would respond. May we be in our speech and actions the love of God.

Let us remember the words of Gwendolyn Ann Smith,

We have lost so many people in our community to the hand of hatred and prejudice, yet we still are not seemingly willing to fight back. Meanwhile, we die at the hands of a lover, of police, of medical practitioners, and even parents, while the news media calls us “freaks” — and worse.

In fact, the media’s reluctance to cover our deaths lies near the heart of this project. It can be all-but-impossible to find honest, reliable media on the death of a transgender person: It either does not exist (which is how one can cover thirty years of cases and still only have as many as I have to present), or it uses names that the deceased did not own, and pronouns that did not fit their reality.”

In the world we live in today there is no “safe way” to be transgender: Some are living very out lives, and some are living fully “stealth” lives. Some are identifying as male, some as female and some as both and neither. Some lived in small towns, and some in major metropolitan areas.

There are things we can do and must do if the killing is to stop. I would encourage our community and friends to:

• Let us educate ourselves about transgender issues.

• Let us be aware of our attitudes concerning people with gender-atypical appearance or behavior.

• Let us make more than a good faith effort to use names and pronouns that are appropriate to the person’s gender presentation and identity.

• Let us not make assumptions about transgender people’s sexual orientation, desire for surgical or hormonal treatment, or other aspects of their identity or transition plans.

• Let us keep the lines of communication open with the transgender person (s) in our lives.

• Let us become more aware of the things which would make life easier and the transition smoother, i.e. markers on drivers licenses, applications and forms.

• Let us not just sit on our lack of knowledge and understanding. Let us seek out support in dealing with our feelings. This is the 21st century and there are plenty of resources for us to get help.

Finally but not least let us turn out in mass this Saturday evening at the State Capital to show the “T” really is apart of LGBTQ and it does not stand-alone. I know it is Saturday night but we were enraged when they raided our bar can we not also comfort our friends in their loss?

Here is the list of those who were taken from this world far too soon in the United States and Mexico.
The entire list can be seen at: http://www.transgenderdor.org/?page_id=1194

1) Mariah Malina Qualls
Location: San Francisco, California
Cause of Death: Blunt force trauma to the head.
Date of Death: December 9, 2009
Mariah was 23 years old
Sources: http://www.ktvu.com/news/22015154/detail.html

2) Estrella (Jose Angel) Venegas
Location: Mexicali, Mexico
Cause of Death: Shot in the chest and the forehead
Date of Death: December 13, 2009
Estrella was 32 years old
Sources: Estrella’s brother.

3) Myra Chanel Ical
Location: Houston, Texas
Cause of Death: Many wounds and defensive bruises.
Date of Death: January 18, 2010
Myra was 51 years old.
Source: http://www.myfoxhouston.com/dpp/news/local/100120-partially-clothed-folo

4) Amanda Gonzalez-Andujar
Location: Queens, New York
Cause of Death: Strangled
Date of Death: March 27, 2010
Amanda was 29 years old.
Source: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2010/04/01/2010-04-01_choked_to_death.html

5) Toni Alston
Location: Charlotte, North Carolina
Cause of Death: shot to death
Date of Death: April 3, 2010
Toni was 44 years old.
Source: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/04/14/1375123/family-asks-for-info-in-mans-killing.html

6) Chanel (Dana A. Larkin)
Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Cause of Death: Shot in the head
Date of Death: May 7, 2010
Chanel was 26 years old.
Source: http://www.edgeboston.com/index.php?ch=news&sc=&sc2=news&sc3=&id=105882

7) Sandy Woulard
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Cause of Death: Shot in the chest
Date of Death June 21, 2010
Sandy was 28 years old.
Source: Chicago Sun Times (The victim was identified as Credale Woulard)
http://www.edgelosangeles.com/index.php?ch=news&sc=&sc2=news&sc3=&id=107516

8) Antonio Jones III
Location: Southampton, NY
Cause of Death: Punched repeatedly and grabbed by the neck
Date of Death: August 1, 2010
Roy was 16 Months old.
Note: 20 year old Pedro Jones told police he had struck the infant several times with a closed fist. Jones said he was “trying to make him act like a boy instead of a little girl.”
Source: http://tiny.cc/rw69f

9) Gypsy
Location: Houston, Texas
Cause of Death: shot to death
Date of Death: September 6, 2010
Source: Cristan Williams via the Houston Police Department

10) Victoria Carmen White
Location Maplewood, New Jersey
Cause of Death shot
Date of Death September 12, 2010
Victoria was 28 years old.
Source: http://www.baristanet.com/2010/09/maplewood-murder-victim-transgender-female/

http://www.news12.com/articleDetail.jsp?articleId=261210&position=1&news_type=n

May God have mercy…

2010-11-04T23:29:00.000-07:00

I have got to say there is nothing worse than finding one’s self on the wrong end of a gospel story. A few days ago, when the news of Bishop Jim Swilley the founding pastor of “The CHURCH IN THE NOW” got out that he had come out, I was not particularly kind.

One my Face book page I made the following comment: “is thinking Rev. Swilley is NO gay hero. He finally comes out after he has fathered 4 kids, was in a sham of a marriage...and how many young folks took his hypocritical teachings to heart and ended their life? I am sorry there are those of us who have stood in the line of fire for a long time and took the hits while he was...Thank you Rev. for getting a conscience, lets see what you do now that you are out.”

Then as I am preparing to write this blog I re-read the story of the “Prodigal Son”. One can find the complete story at Luke 15:11-32 (The Message). Needless to say I found myself on the wrong end of this Gospel story.

For as many times as I have told this story over the years and how it is a wonderful affirming story for the LGBTQ community, I found myself convicted tonight by the end of the story.

"All this time his older son was out in the field. When the day's work was done he came in. As he approached the house, he heard the music and dancing. Calling over one of the houseboys, he asked what was going on. He told him, 'your brother came home. Your father has ordered a feast—barbecued beef! —Because he has him home safe and sound.'

"The older brother stalked off in an angry sulk and refused to join in. His father came out and tried to talk to him, but he wouldn't listen. The son said, 'Look how many years I've stayed here serving you, never giving you one moment of grief, but have you ever thrown a party for me and my friends? Then this son of yours who has thrown away your money on whores shows up and you go all out with a feast!'

“His father said, 'Son, you don't understand. You're with me all the time, and everything that is mine is yours—but this is a wonderful time, and we had to celebrate. This brother of yours was dead, and he's alive! He was lost, and he's found!'"

I found myself standing in the place of the older son. For a guy who has been preaching an inclusive gospel for 25 years this is an embarrassing and humbling place to find one’s self.

Of course when one reads this story from Jesus, it is easy to see and understand the Father’s response. However, the more difficult part of this story is we never get the interaction between the older son and the younger. Did they ever work things out?

When the party was over did the older and younger brother reconcile? Did the younger brother ever know the older one was unhappy and why?

Did the older brother ever stop and listen to the younger brother’s story and how he came to do what he did and make the choices he made?

I have never met the Bishop and only know of the Church he founded by driving by it on I-20 several times and thinking each time…there is another one of “those” places.

It was a mega church; an evangelical church and we all know how they feel about the LGBTQ community right?

So of course I sat and listen to the Bishop’s coming out sermon to his congregation tonight from beginning to end.

I then found his blog and read what he had to say. In his latest writing, “Making it Plain”
he said:

“I at least have not had to work through any credibility issues, or do any damage control concerning my message. I have never one time in nearly 39 years of preaching said a derogatory or condemning word about people with same-sex attraction. An in-depth search can be made through my books, or through decades-worth of tapes, CDs, DVDs, or manuscripts of my sermons, and there will be no evidence of the preaching of condemnation found.”

Further just before that he said:

“I think it's important to point out that my main message is and always has been one of love, grace, and tolerance. Church In The Now has been a multicultural/multi ethnic/ecumenical community since its inception, and, as such, has established a long-standing reputation as being a bridge builder among belief systems and people groups. It is neither a white church, nor a black church - it is a church for all people - so it will not become, now or ever, a "gay" church. CITN is inclusive because we believe that the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, demands that we be...and that Gospel is simply the Good News that GOD IS LOVE, demonstrated through the Christ, revealed in the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus said that the lifestyle demands made by the Gospel are summed up in two basic and proactive commandments: (1) Love God (2) Love people. That's all. Church In The Now will always be a place that embraces the truth of the real Gospel, and the simplicity that is in Christ.”

I had done what I have so long preached against…I made lots of judgments and offered my friends and family a knee jerk reaction.

I like the older brother in the story felt like all the attention the Bishop was getting for coming out at 52 when I was out at 13 was a little much. One can read my previous blog to get the full story on that.

I felt like as an openly gay pastor and progressive person of faith I had taken the heat, buried our people, held the hand of the oppressed, fought the fight, stood on the front lines and taken the bullets of hate, ridicule and disrespect. In fact I could think of many of us pastor’s who have for long time been barley able to make ends meet because we took the opportunity to be out, proud and free.

Of course so has the Bishop:

“Concerning any negative things written about me online, which are mostly done by conservative Christian or Evangelical groups or watchdog organizations, I can only say that it comes with the territory, and I'm used to it. I have no desire to defend myself, or to argue the Scriptures with those who would not be open to anything I would have to say. Integrity can't be proven, it must be discerned.

I've been discussed on blogs and websites for years because of my inclusive theology, and because of the spotlight being on my family for some time because of my uncle, Bishop Earl Paulk, who died nearly two years ago. Usually, any negative article about me begins by making the connection with him, and, even though I don't understand why that connection is germane to my story, I guess it makes it more interesting to some.

In the last few days I've been called both a hero and heretic. I don't believe that I am either. At the end of the day, all that really matters to me is what God thinks and says about me, and that is between Him and me.”

So why write this? Why admit to the community I was a jerk in the way I responded to the story, that I was childish and immature?

First, because words have power and as we have seen with the bullying issue words can have a devastating impact both in the short term and the long term. My open and public words were no better than any bully. For this I am deeply embarrassed and sorry…May God have mercy on me.

Second, two words, being authentic! At Gentle Spirit Christian Church it has been taught for years that we “walk the talk”. So not to admit publicly I was wrong after public words of judgment would hypocritical at minimum and anti-gospel at the worst.

Finally but not least, each one of us travel this life and for the most part do the best we can with the cards that are given to us. The Bishop is right on the mark when he says there are only two things that really matter: (1) Love God (2) Love people.

I know tonight, my face book words did neither of those things…God have mercy on me a sinner.

Bishop Swilley, welcome home and may God bless, protect and encourage you in the days ahead.

“You Are God’s Child and You Are Not A Mistake!”

2010-10-21T22:59:00.000-07:00

When I was a 13, during the month of January 1968 I wrote a paper for my 8th grade English class on why Dr. Martin Luther King was my hero. No big deal one would think except I was a white kid in an all white school. As any one who reads my blog with any regularity will tell you my grammar is awful and so it was no surprise I got an A for content but a D for grammar. With that paper my life became complicated. I was now known as a n***** lover. There was no end to the jokes and nasty notes left at my locker or in my schoolbooks.

It should also be noted at about the same time I had gone through a sudden growth spurt. So by the time the school year had ended I was 5’9” and 120 pounds. I was kind of geeky looking to say the least.

At the same time I was apart of a family who included a father who had a very strict definition of what it was to be a “man” and a mother who insisted on me having “school clothes” and “play clothes”. The problem with this you might ask? Nothing except when I went to school I was dressed in a freshly ironed shirt, a pair of dress pants and polished shoes, and a Princeton haircut. Dressed this way amongst kids in blue jeans, tennis shoes and long hair I stood out as not being particularly “manly”.

For the record it should also noted at the age of 9 I had figured out that I was not same as everyone else when it came to issues of sexuality. I had more than a passing interest in men. I couldn't understand why I felt about men the same way other guys were feeling about girls.

My grandparents at this time had a foster child who was 14 and would later become their adopted son, my step uncle.

Starting at the age of 10 while visiting my grandparents I would sleep in my step uncles room. I woke up one night and caught him masturbating. Long story short I figured out in that time I was a homosexual. This probably would not have been a bad thing except for my step uncle taking advantage of my curiosity and literally raping me until I was 13 and he left for the army.

At one point he took me to a place no young person should ever have to go physically. The whole time he did this to me, he told me I was nothing but a fagot and if I ever told anyone I would be thrown out of the family for being a queer. I threw out bloody underwear that summer out fear of being found out.

There was no one to tell and no place to go for support or to get help.

The only positive thing to come out of this experience was that I learned I would never make a person do something sexual for which they did not want to do.

So fast forward back to the end of 8th grade school year. A friend of mine showed up to my house one day with some of his father’s naked girl magazines and a jar of Vaseline. We experimented that day. Compared to what I had already been through this was great and I had my first official crush. That is until he told his friends. The bullies came out in mass numbers. Much like vultures circling that prey which is about to die.

Now, I was a marked kid…called a homo, fagot, pushed into lockers and cornered in the locker room. I was followed home with kids calling me names. Eggs were thrown at our house.

We would get phone calls at our house asking for me because they wanted a blowjob. This went on the entire 4 years of high school almost daily.

So my days in high school were spent in complete torment and fear that in the end no matter what I wanted to do or did I was a loser. I was a n***** lover and a fag.

Those days of high school were hard for me. There was no place to go for support or understanding of what I was feeling, who I was or any kind of acceptance. To many I was just at minimum weird and at worst a pervert. I later found out that my struggles and experiences caused untold grief for my family and especially my sister.

Ironic isn’t it, my sister was bullied because of her brother. While most sisters get to look up to their older brothers, mine probably spent most of her high school days wishing I never existed.

Those times made it difficult for my friends too. For the mention of my name brought laughter and jokes. I have often wished there could have been a different way, a better way.

So why am I sharing this tonight? Because tonight when I signed into facebook I saw yet another story of a young man whom saw no other way and has taken his life out of this world.

“Terrel Williams, a 17-year-old native of Beverly Hills, CA, took his life on October 13, just hours after being attacked by five other high school students, and pushed and thrown into a brick wall at Clover Park High School in Lakewood, WA.

Terrel’s mother, Cheryl Williams, found her son in their Lakewood home — he had hanged himself in his bedroom closet. Terrel left a suicide note:

“I’m sorry to my immediate loved ones, but I feel suicide is the only way out. I felt coming out, and being happy with Daric, was the best thing I could’ve ever done. But I didn’t think it would lead to my death at an early age.

“Today, was the record worst day of my life, some kids at school stole some of my stuff that I got from people I really cared about, and that really pushed me over the top, next to being shoved into a wall, and my ribs being broken.”

Tonight, my heart is yet again broken by society’s inability to support the diversity of creation, to see the beauty of that diversity and to understand our real strength comes in that diversity.

How did I get through it? I really don’t know. I do not see myself as particularly strong or smart.

I do know what it is to feel totally alone, unsupported and mocked. Funny even today I can still feel that way.

Maybe I got through this and lived to tell about because when I was at my lowest there was a United Methodist Pastor by the name of Rev. George Groh, who when he heard I was in trouble and seriously in the process of putting a bullet into my head dropped what he was doing and came to me. 20 miles he drove at 7 in the morning.

He came to me and in the midst of my hurt, anger and isolation held me in his arms and cried with me and in the end assured me I was God’s child and I was no mistake. As he held me, he listens to all my shortcomings and confessions. He cried as he listens to my entire story of the rape. He is angry with me as I tell him of the days of high school. He holds me tighter as I cried about being a failure to God and my family and again through his tears assured me I was God’s child and I was no mistake.

Then he pulls out his little pocket bible and reads to me the 22nd Psalm, the whole Psalm not just the part we hear read on Good Friday in church:

“1-2 God, God...my God! Why did you dump me
miles from nowhere?
Doubled up with pain, I call to God
all the day long. No answer. Nothing.
I keep at it all night, tossing and turning.

3-5 And you! Are you indifferent, above it all,
leaning back on the cushions of Israel's praise?
We know you were there for our parents:
they cried for your help and you gave it;
they trusted and lived a good life.

6-8 And here I am, a nothing—an earthworm,
something to step on, to squash.
Everyone pokes fun at me;
they make faces at me, they shake their heads:
"Let's see how God handles this one;
since God likes him so much, let him help him!"

9-11 And to think you were midwife at my birth,
setting me at my mother's breasts!
When I left the womb you cradled me;
since the moment of birth you've been my God.
Then you moved far away
and trouble moved in next door.
I need a neighbor.

12-13 Herds of bulls come at me,
the raging bulls stampede,
Horns lowered, nostrils flaring,
like a herd of buffalo on the move.

14-15 I'm a bucket kicked over and spilled,
every joint in my body has been pulled apart.
My heart is a blob
of melted wax in my gut.
I'm dry as a bone,
my tongue black and swollen.
They have laid me out for burial
in the dirt.

16-18 Now packs of wild dogs come at me;
thugs gang up on me.
They pin me down hand and foot,
and lock me in a cage—a bag
Of bones in a cage, stared at
by every passerby.
They take my wallet and the shirt off my back,
and then throw dice for my clothes.

19-21 You, God—don't put off my rescue!
Hurry and help me!
Don't let them cut my throat;
don't let those mongrels devour me.
If you don't show up soon,
I'm done for—gored by the bulls,
meat for the lions.

22-24 Here's the story I'll tell my friends when they come to worship,
and punctuate it with Hallelujahs:
Shout Hallelujah, you God-worshipers;
give glory, you sons of Jacob;
adore him, you daughters of Israel.
He has never let you down,
never looked the other way
when you were being kicked around.
He has never wandered off to do his own thing;
he has been right there, listening.

25-26 Here in this great gathering for worship
I have discovered this praise-life.
And I'll do what I promised right here
in front of the God-worshipers.
Down-and-outers sit at God's table
and eat their fill.
Everyone on the hunt for God
is here, praising him.
"Live it up, from head to toe.
Don't ever quit!"

27-28 From the four corners of the earth
people are coming to their senses,
are running back to God.
Long-lost families
are falling on their faces before him.
God has taken charge;
from now on he has the last word.

29 All the power-mongers are before him
—worshiping!
All the poor and powerless, too
—worshiping!
Along with those who never got it together
—worshiping!

30-31 Our children and their children
will get in on this
As the word is passed along
from parent to child.
Babies not yet conceived
will hear the good news—
that God does what he says.

So, this is why I write tonight. To stand witness for our young people and say to them you can get through this. To say to them you are not alone and the bullies are just that bullies, they pick on you because they can’t be honest and content with themselves.

I write this in the hope a message will go out loudly and clearly from other pastors and spiritual leaders who will walk the path of the Reverend George Groh, and hold these kids and look them in the eye and say to them; “You are God’s child and you are not a mistake!”

I write this because despite how it might feel right now, “tomorrow will be better”, I know because I have been there.

We’re Here!

2010-10-08T09:29:00.001-07:00

For those who have watched the “Godfather” trilogy starring Al Pacino among many stars as Michael Corleone as the head of a powerful crime family will recognize the intensity of my quote to start this blog.

Michael throughout the movies is portrayed as the good son, who is attempting to take the family business and turn it from a dynasty of crime to one of legitimacy. Almost at every turn there is some action by other crime families, which keep him from reaching his goal. This idea carries all the way to the third movie where we find Michael in a fit of frustration say:

"Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.”

For the last several years I have said and thought “Gay Pride” had really lost it’s punch. It was no longer a large political, social and spiritual gathering bringing together hundred’s of thousands of queer folk to stand in solidarity for a common cause.

In fact over the last several years it seemed to me “Pride” had become simply a major street party and a vendor’s dream come true. When the decision was made in Atlanta to move “Pride” from June and the rest of the country to October well I thought if it is going to be a party at least the weather is better!

Then much like in the “Godfather” movies in step the religious and political right. Just when the community seems to making incredible progress on the road to equality the heat from the right gets turned way up.

We begin to see headlines and tragedy from several parts of the country:

· Minneapolis Archbishop Withholds Communion from Gay Activists
· Last month Catholic churches in Minnesota mailed about 400,000 anti-gay DVDs to Catholics in the state as part of a push to amend the Minnesota constitution so as to legally bar gay and lesbian families from accessing marriage rights.
· Bishop Eddie Long is sued by four young men and the media (main-stream) turns the story into something that reads like what the “right” has said for years: “homosexuals are predators after your children”
· A staffer from a US Senator’s office thinks it is ok to publicly say: “All fags must die”
· 60 plus people are thrown to the floor in a gay bar in Atlanta in a raid style we have not seen since the 1960’s.
· Early this year some TV want to be star makes headlines which say, “Joe Rogan Explains Why Gay Slurs Aren’t Anti-Gay”
· The US Congress says it is ok to be LGBTQ and die for your country, you just can’t say you are LGBTQ.
· A young man in Savannah Georgia is beaten senseless by two marines because one of the marines thought the young man winked at him. Of course the charges are reduced to misdemeanor offenses.
· A gay pastor and his partner are assaulted as they have a picnic together in a park.
· A judge thought it was perfectly all right to tell a male to female trans person in a letter for the record, “You have explained to me you consider yourself a trans-gendered person, that you are taking hormones and that you have breasts. However, until you are no longer considered legally to be a male or until you provide competent medical evidence that not dressing as a women presents serious risk to your health, you must not dress as a women for **** court.”

Then we have this little summary from the Out at Emory list serve at Emory University:

· Eleven-year-old Tyler Wilson of Findlay, Ohio, whose arm was broken by two boys because he joined the cheering team on August 31st;
· Fifteen-year-old Billy (William) Lucas of Greensburg, Indiana, who was found dead on September 9th in a barn at his grandmother's home after taking his own life. Friend and classmate Nick Hughes said that he was tormented for years because of accusations of being gay;
· Tyler Clementi, an 18-year-old Rutgers University student, who took his own life on September 22nd after his roommate secretly filmed him during a "sexual encounter" with another male in his dorm room and posted it live on the Internet.
· Thirteen-year-old Asher Brown who killed himself September 23rd after enduring what his mother and stepfather say was constant harassment from four other students in Houston, Texas.
· A University of Wisconsin at Whitewater student assaulted on September 26th after she was called "faggot" for wearing a "Legalize Gay" t-shirt.
· Thirteen-year-old Seth Walsh of Bakersfield, California who died September 28th after nine days on life support after he attempted suicide. He was continuously bullied for being gay;
· Raymond Chase, a 19-year-old openly gay student at Johnson & Wales University commit suicide on September 29th;
· Chris Armstrong, the openly gay Student Government Association President at the University of Michigan attacked by the Assistant Attorney General of Michigan, Andrew Shirvell. Shirvell created a blog about Armstrong, calling him "Satan's representative on the student assembly" because of his work to create gender-neutral student housing.

Let us not forget our sisters and brothers in the Transgender community continue to be slaughter as well:

· Grief and Outrage Over Transgender Murder in Puerto Rico
· Paulina Ibarra was found dead on the floor of her apartment at 939 N. Mariposa Ave. around 8 p.m. Aug. 28, and police are looking for 24-year-old Jesus Catalan.
· Neighborhood Safety Issues Raised After Transgender Murder
· Mariah Malina Qualls Location: San Francisco, California Cause of Death: Blunt force trauma to the head.
· Myra Chanel Ical Location: Houston, Texas Cause of Death: Many wounds and defensive bruises.
· Amanda Gonzalez-Andujar Location: Queens, New York Cause of Death: Strangled
· Toni Alston Location: Charlotte, North Carolina Cause of Death: shot to death
· Chanel (Dana A. Larkin) Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin Cause of Death: Shot in the head
· Sandy Woulard Location: Chicago, Illinois Cause of Death: Shot in the chest
· Roy Antonio Jones III Location: Southampton, NY Cause of Death: Punched repeatedly and grabbed by the neck
· Victoria Carmen White Location Newark, New Jersey Cause of Death shot

All of this continues to happen because the religious and political right has decided the LGBTQ community is the equine-fecal matter of the earth and spend vast sums of money and hysterical propaganda to prove it. The religious right laments we are the abomination of God and continue to use all of its resources to wage war against us.

So it goes anything that is done to the LGBTQ community is fair game, justice only matters if you are not LGBTQ. Equal rights are for anyone except those who are LGBTQ. Common decency and respect for one’s neighbor is for everyone except those of the LGBTQ community.

We are discussed by the political powers as if we are not in the room and it is costing our community dearly. We are paying with our lives, our health and well being. (I have news for those who do that-we will be in the room this weekend.)

There are those who say we need to be more patient, polite and less confrontational. Really? Have they read these lists? If this were their little kingdom being intruded upon in this manner, they would declare war on somebody.

About a year ago I wrote a blog where I signed on with Bishop Sponge and a manifesto which I said I agreed with: and that needs to be said again. For the sake of space here is the URL:

http://reverendbitchsir.blogspot.com/2009/12/time-has-come.html

So yes, the religious and political right has succeeded in making this year Pride is extremely important maybe more so than in it’s previous 39 years and leaving me saying: “"Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.”

So yes “Gay Pride Atlanta” is more than a street party, it is more than merchant’s selling their stuff. It is more than the Politian’s showing up to get our votes. It is more than photo ops for star wanna be’s, it is more than folks dressed in everything from barely legal to wildly entertaining. It is more than the special entertainers, more than a “marriage ceremony”, more than the dyke parade or the march on Sunday.

For it is all of these things together for which 300,000 LGBTQ’s and their allies will come to Atlanta. Pride this year and every year is about not letting the religious and political right control and direct the national conversation. It is saying in very clear terms: as we gather this weekend, “you have tried to legislate us out of existence, you have viciously beat us, you have denied us basic human rights, you have fired us, you have denied us housing, you have denied us our children, you have stood in the way of hospital visits, you have even killed us…but “We're still here. We're still queer. So please get used to it.” Therefore today I say to those who seek to do us harm if they have a problem with our sexual orientation, gender identity or theology, God bless you and may they get over themselves soon. Let the party begin!

Homophobia, An Efficient Killer

2010-09-24T10:07:00.000-07:00

I guess it has been about 2 years since the Rev. Al Sharpton stood in the pulpit of Tabernacle Baptist church and gave this little gem concerning black clergy and the church:

“They preach homophobia from their pulpits Sunday morning and cruise the parks at night!”

I also remember after that service was over; this statement was stuck in my head.

Talking with some of my colleges and friends in the black community, I was informed not only was that statement true but also in fact there were any number of black clergy in the city of Atlanta who were an exact fit. “In fact Pastor Paul, there are some pretty big and powerful preachers in the black church for whom Rev. Sharpton hit the nail on the head.”
I was dumbfounded.

I am sometimes naïve when it comes to the real world. I know a lot of politicians who would sell their own mother if it meant them getting elected and then lie about the sale, but pastors are and should different right?

Apparently I am still somewhat of a sexiest. Sure there might be the whole hetro adultery thing going on. So why would these very conservative preachers really take the risk of doing what they so virulently preach against in such a small talkative community?

Do they not understand if you beat us up long enough eventually we will expose you for who you really are?

Further, why would this small talkative community simply turn and take on the persona of “don’t ask, don’t tell”?

I have come to believe it is because homophobia is alive and well and more dangerous than ever.

“Homophobia”, is the unreasoning fear of or antipathy toward homosexuals and homosexuality.

Which is why, there is nothing worse than to be a homosexual or to practice homosexual behavior and the community seems to hold a different standard for black preachers as compared to white preachers.

One might survive if they use drugs, one might survive if they misuse church funds and they might even survive if they are caught playing with the deacon’s wife. One survives these transgressions because “we all sin and fall short of the glory of God!”

Remember the good Rev. Stanley of Peachtree Baptist? All was forgiven and forgotten. Bless his heart. Those who are part of the United Methodist Church know if a preacher is caught playing around in the congregation come annual conference time the preacher is simply moved to another church. There is a long list of black preachers who are divorced or were divorced during their time in the pulpit and have survived rather nicely.

Yet, to cross the homosexual line and express homosexual behavior is the sin of all sins. This sin is the worst thing a person can do. One’s career, calling and respect in the community will be lost if they dare cross this line and get caught.

There is nothing which will get the news Medias attention faster than a black male preacher who is caught having sex with another man. They jump on it with all the alleged details and leading statements of how horrific this person is. In very short order it becomes the subject of national news with powerful people weighing in with their knowledgeable (really lack of facts) opinions and attitudes.

Of course if the accused person is anti-gay and is rather famous for attacking the LGBTQ community, then this just adds fuel to an already hotly burning fire.

Bishop Eddie Long an ardent opponent of the LGBTQ community, even to the extent of having an “ex-gay” kind of ministry as a part of his mega church and who lead a huge march against gay marriage, has been accused not by one but three young men of stepping over the line into the sin or sins.

Now, I have to say for the sake of being honest, I have never been particularly impressed by the Bishop. Having Bentley’s parked in one’s drive way, owning one’s own private jet, etc has never struck me as the ministry of the gospel, but rather a ministry prosperity and over indulgence. The church claims 25,000 members! Damn, that is 9,000 more people than the town I grew up in.

If we do the math this also means conservatively speaking there are probably 1200 plus LGBTQ people associated with this ministry.

Anyway, I digress. As I mention a few blogs ago the “victims” are already being blasted by the Bishop’s supporters. They are being called everything in the book and I would imagine before it is all say and done they will be painted as the predators of a powerful preacher. As I said before, this simply is the roots of homophobia rising to the surface…cause; well you know all gays are criminals.

Reports on the story have not said if the three young men themselves are gay or not. Before people write me and say this is not important…yes it is. Why?

It would change the dynamics of the story from abuse of power to the possibility of a really messed up love triangle. There may be abuse of power but it would be a whole different animal at that point. A full day before the story broke, I got a heads up from a friend, “BTW, stay tune, a very prominent local Bishop is about to be outed by his secret lover in a lawsuit.”

Now, please if the way this story has been covered doesn’t prove how evil, how nasty, how un-repented, how vile and how dangereous homophobia is then we are asleep.

It is true the Bishop set himself for a huge fall and made himself a target of people just dying to prove he is the ultimate hypocrite.

Yet, the real problem here, the reason this story is so devastating is because of the homophobia that is intertwined all through it. This Bishop made a huge mark for himself with a ministry designed to destroy my (our) community. As a friend Craig Washington wrote in a column for “the Root”:

“Whether or not Long actually committed the acts of which he was recently accused, this much is true: He is assuredly guilty of engendering fear and hatred of LGBT people among thousands. He has convinced countless numbers of gays that they are sinners whose salvation rests on becoming "reconditioned" into heterosexuality. Such toxic teachings reinforce the stigma that compromises HIV-prevention efforts as well as our mental and physical health.”

If, the accusations are correct, there is a price to pay for such devastating hypocrisy. If, the facts turn out to be something else how will we deal with that?

While it is easy to be critical of how people live their lives, if this turns out to be factual, will anyone ask or see how homophobia drove the Bishop to this moment. How, even knowing he had a gift to preach, he had to hide who he really was to pursue his career and calling?

Will it ever be discuss in the black congregations their complicity in this drama, because the worst thing their preacher could do was be a homo? How the black church lives out “don’t ask and don’t tell” to the destruction of its young men every day.

If it turns out these accusations are really about something else, will my community stand and say to Bishop Long, “Hey we are really sorry we jumped the gun, cause you know you are such a jerk when it comes to our issues…well we just wanted you to fall hard…sorry”.

Regardless of the outcome of this story, will we spend some time seeing how the devastating tentacles of homophobia wrapped themselves around the Bishop, the Bishop’s family, his friends, our community and as the outrage was expressed choked our any thought of compassion, understanding and love?

My friends this is a sad and heart breaking story, because it is really not about Bishop Long. The author of this story no matter how the facts turn out, no matter the drama unfolds is about homophobia. It is a killer, it kills those who practice it and it kills those who internalize it. It sometimes kills those who fight it.

I think that may be why Elder Tony Jones a very good friend of mine had this to say on his facebook status page: “I reflect on Bishop Eddie Long and this recent matter, I am reminded of this one thing. Regardless to the outcome, unconditional love is still appropriate and necessary.”
My prayer is we all take heed; we all take a deep breath and take the Elder’s words to heart. For if we do, there is an opportunity here to begin to dismantle the destruction of homophobia and begin to heal.

The Day Fear Paid A Visit and Stayed

2010-09-09T22:23:00.000-07:00

On September 11, 2001 at 8:50am my phone rang and it was our church deacon asking if I had seen the news. My day was just starting and I had not got through my first cup of coffee, let alone turned on the TV.

He went on to say a jet airliner had crashed into the World Trade Center. “Oh my God, did a pilot have a heart attack, did something go wrong with the plane?” I was shocked and told the deacon I would call him back.

I turned on the news to see a picture of the World Trade Center and thick black smoke coming out of the side of the building. I don’t really remember what the reporter was saying when suddenly a large jet crossed the screen and slammed in the 2nd WTC tower.

I was stunned, I couldn’t take my eyes off the screen and in another 30 seconds or so my mind started asking questions…what happen? How many people were on those planes? Who was on those planes? How many people are in those buildings? My God they are all dead…damn…what is happening? How the f*** does something like this happen…

My mind began to focus on the reporter and it seemed he had as many questions as I did. They were beginning to get reports of another crash, this time at the Pentagon…then there was talk of a 4th plane that also crashed in an open field somewhere in Pennsylvania.

Then suddenly right in front of me the first tower collapsed, not long after that the 2nd one came down and in that moment deep in my soul I saw the United States of America change and it was a change brought on by fear.

The story of that day and what happen was staggering.

“Early on the morning of September 11, 2001, nineteen hijackers took control of four commercial airliners en route to San Francisco and Los Angeles from Boston, Newark, and Washington, D.C. (Washington Dulles International Airport).[2] At 8:46 a.m., American Airlines Flight 11 was crashed into the World Trade Center's North Tower, followed by United Airlines Flight 175 which hit the South Tower at 9:03 a.m.[7][8]

Another group of hijackers flew American Airlines Flight 77 into the Pentagon at 9:37 a.m.[9] A fourth flight, United Airlines Flight 93 crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania at 10:03 a.m, after the passengers on board engaged in a fight with the hijackers. Its ultimate target was thought to be either the Capitol (the meeting place of the United States Congress) or the White House.[10][11]

In a September 2002 interview conducted by documentary-maker Yosri Fouda, an al Jazeera journalist, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and Ramzi Binalshibh stated that the fourth hijacked plane was heading for the United States Capitol, not for the White House. They further stated that Al-Qaeda initially planned to fly hijacked jets into nuclear installations rather than the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, but it was decided not to attack nuclear power plants "for the moment" because of fears it could "get out of control".[12]

During the hijacking of the airplanes, the hijackers used weapons to stab and kill aircraft pilots, flight attendants and passengers. Reports from phone callers from the planes indicated that knives were used by the hijackers to stab attendants and in at least one case, a passenger, during two of the hijackings.[13][14] Some passengers were able to make phone calls using the cabin airphone service and mobile phones,[15][16] and provide details, including that several hijackers were aboard each plane, that mace or other form of noxious chemical spray, such as tear gas or pepper spray was used, and that some people aboard had been stabbed”

The statistics from that day are even worse.

The initial numbers are indelible: 8:46 a.m. and 9:02 a.m. Time the burning towers stood: 56 minutes and 102 minutes. Time they took to fall: 12 seconds. From there, they ripple out.

Total number killed in attacks (official figure as of 9/5/02): 2,819

Number of firefighters and paramedics killed: 343

Number of NYPD officers: 23

Number of Port Authority police officers: 37

Number of WTC companies that lost people: 60

Number of employees who died in Tower One: 1,402

Number of employees who died in Tower Two: 614

Number of employees lost at Cantor Fitzgerald: 658

Number of U.S. troops killed in Operation Enduring Freedom: 22

Number of nations whose citizens were killed in attacks: 115

Ratio of men to women who died: 3:1

Age of the greatest number who died: between 35 and 39

Bodies found "intact": 289

Body parts found: 19,858

Number of families who got no remains: 1,717

Estimated units of blood donated to the New York Blood Center: 36,000

Total units of donated blood actually used: 258

Number of people who lost a spouse or partner in the attacks: 1,609

Estimated number of children who lost a parent: 3,051

Percentage of Americans who knew someone hurt or killed in the attacks: 20

FDNY retirements, January–July 2001: 274

FDNY retirements, January–July 2002: 661

Number of firefighters on leave for respiratory problems by January 2002: 300

Number of funerals attended by Rudy Giuliani in 2001: 200

Number of FDNY vehicles destroyed: 98

Tons of debris removed from site: 1,506,124

Day’s fires continued to burn after the attack: 99

Jobs lost in New York owing to the attacks: 146,100

Days the New York Stock Exchange was closed: 6

Estimated number of New Yorkers suffering from post-traumatic-stress disorder as a result of 9/11: 422,000

It took the United States of America 26 days to respond with our full weight and power.

Through November of 2009 according to Stephen M.Walt on a website called, “Foreign Policy” 148,000 Muslims have been killed by US bombing runs and the military in 2 different Muslim countries.

Ironically, all these folks have been killed and we still do not have the one who was the mastermind of the fear in which we live today. Also, we still get his or his minions’ little taped messages to keep the fires of fear going.

In fact those in this country those who make their living as purveyors of fear have simply become more organized and more powerful. Can you say “Tea-Party”?

The religious and political right wing zealots of the world are so “fearful” of anyone that doesn’t fit their definition morality and faith and their fight is so fierce, they will throw any manner of fecal (fear) matter at the fan and it just blows out all over the place and some of it sticks. Those sticking points of fear today are homosexuals, immigrants, Muslims, Blacks, Iranians’ and anyone who doesn’t believe President Obama is a socialist who is secretly a Muslim born outside the USA.

I have come to recognize that this fear and concern is deeply rooted in the way we were and are taught to view God. So in essence, the only way to get past those fears is to change the way we view God.

I have recently been re-reading a book written by Bruce Bawer, called Stealing Jesus: How Fundamentalism Betrays Christianity. From this book I have come to understand the real source of the fears played on by the zealots of our day.

The source of this fear is the difference between an attitude of love and an attitude of law. On page 5 of this book Mr. Bauer states:

"Simply stated, conservative Christianity focuses primarily on law, doctrine, and authority; liberal Christianity focuses on love, spiritual experience and the priesthood of all believers. If conservative Christians emphasize the Great Commission--the resurrected Christ's injunction, at the end of the Gospel according to Matthew, 'go to all the nations and make them my disciples'--liberal Christians place more emphasis on the Great Commandment, which in Luke's Gospel reads as follows; 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.'"

What these few words essentially say is that we have a choice as to whether we understand and live with a God as a strict authoritarian who demands that all come to God in a specific way or we will be punished or we understand and live with a God as a loving Creator who desires that all would come to God and would treat each other accordingly.

All one has to do is read the story or the “prodigal son” to make the obvious choice.

Yet what get’s focused on is a point of view that is based on the law and the self-proclaimed authority figures who have decided they speak on behalf of God. “The whole world will go to hell in a hand basket if the homosexuals, immigrants, Muslims, Blacks, Iranians’ and anyone who doesn’t believe President Obama is a socialist who is secretly a Muslim and born outside the USA are allowed to pursue a life in which “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

So, yes there is a choice to be made.

Otherwise, why did Jesus spend almost his entire earthly ministry bringing the outcasts, those outside the law back to the fold?

Why did Jesus, when asked to state what the greatest commandment was, say to Love God and to love your Neighbor?

He never said in order to be okay with God and not go to hell you must obey the law of the day, rather he spent all of his time telling folks to love God and giving them example after example of how they could show and live that love.

The women caught in adultery released, the raising of Lazarus, the blind person healed, the Roman Centurion’s slave healed, the women with the issue of blood healed.

Jesus' words:

"Be not be judges of others, and you will not be judged. For as you have been judging, so you will be judged, and with your measure will it be measured to you. And why do you take note of the grain of dust in your brother's eye, but take no note of the bit of wood which is in your eye?"
--Matthew 7: 1-3

"Then Jesus said to the people and to his disciples: The scribes and the Pharisees have the authority of Moses; All things, then, which they give you orders to do, these do and keep: but do not take their works as your example, for they say and do not. They make hard laws and put great weights on men's backs; but they themselves will not put a finger to them...
Matthew 23:1-4

"But a curse is on you, scribes and Pharisees, false ones! Because you are shutting the kingdom of heaven against men: for you do not go in yourselves, and those who are going in, you keep back. A curse is on you, scribes and Pharisees, false ones! For you go about land and sea to get one disciple and, having him, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves. A curse is on you, blind guides, who say, whoever takes an oath by the Temple, it is nothing; but whoever takes an oath by the gold of the Temple, he is responsible. You foolish ones and blind: which is greater, the gold, or the Temple which makes the gold holy?"
--Matthew 23: 13-17

Yes, we can choose to live in fear by the law and the authority of those around us or we can choose to live by the teachings of Jesus and his examples.

We can belong to the church of the religious leaders and know it alls and continuing killing people of other faiths at an alarming rate or we can follow the type of faith that Jesus spent his ministry building and ultimately died for.

A faith that was to include all those whom the religious leaders of the day said was not part of God.

In the end the religious and political right gets and maintains its power from fear.

Fear is the exact opposite of everything Jesus taught. If we are to really be the beautiful creation that God intended then we must begin to listen to, believe and live the word’s of Jesus when he said to the disciples and to each of us today; “fear not, it is I!”

Saturday will be September 11, 2010-the 9th observance of the day “fear” found a home in our country. Maybe after we spend some time remembering those who died a horrific death and all the carnage that has come about since we might take some time to consider these quotes and with God’s help we can be a people who honor, uphold and celebrate the diversity which makes us strong rather than live in and with a fear which will ultimately destroy us all.

"Obama is not a brown-skinned anti-war socialist who gives away free health-care. You're thinking of Jesus." - John Fugelsang

.."cares about the welfare of the people, their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil rights, and their civil liberties-someone who believes we can break through the stalemate and suspicions that grip us in our policies abroad, if that is what they mean by a “Liberal,” then I’m proud to say I’m a “Liberal.” ~ John F. Kennedy, 1960

"Nothing pains some people more than having to think." Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

"I am made in the image of God, but not necessarily your image of God."

"How many people have to be in hell before you'll feel safe in your salvation?" Alan Jones

"Oh, I don't reject your Christ. I love your Christ. It's just that so many of you Christians are so unlike your Christ."--Mahatma Ghandi

"Courage is fear that has said its prayers." -Karl Barth-

"Know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy." President Barack H. Obama January 20, 2009

"When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced. Live your life so that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice" Cherokee Expression

Hysteria and Paranoia

2010-08-27T00:29:00.000-07:00

By the time readers are done reading this particular blog I may lose a few friends, maybe a few church members and a few colleagues will finally have proof that “I have just finally gone over the cliff.”

Those who are promoting the hysteria and paranoia around the building of a mosque near “ground zero” in New York City are in the truest sense of the word “idiots”. I am using this word in the modern sense of it’s understanding: “describing an extreme folly or stupidity, and its symptoms (foolish or stupid utterance or deed).

Yes, for a pastor this is VERY strong language, however this controversy is an embarrassment to me as a follower of Christ, an embarrassment as a reasonable educated person and an embarrassment as an American.

First and foremost the term “the Ground Zero Mosque” is misleading and a lie. This proposed building is a full four city blocks from where the World Trade Center stood.

In most cities such as Chicago and New York where the geography is grid like, there are about 8 blocks to a mile. 4 blocks would be almost a half a mile from where the World Trade Center stood. This is hardly “ground zero”.

According to Gary Leupp who is a Professor of History, and Adjunct Professor of Comparative Religion, at Tufts University this whole ridicules controversy got it’s start from a person by the name of Pamela Geller.

Pamela Geller, who maintains a blog called Atlas Shrugs. She has written a book about Barack Obama in which she alleges his real father was Malcolm X. She leads an apparently tiny wacko group called Stop the Islamization of America. Seeing the opportunity to have her moment in the sun (and she is soon interviewed by FOX News and CNN), she lashes out at Cordoba House. She declares on her blog, "this is not about religious liberty. No one has suggested abridging the First Amendment to stop the mosque, and to oppose the Ground Zero mosque is not to oppose the First Amendment. There are hundreds of mosques in New York, thousands in America. This is not a religious issue. This is an issue of national dignity and respect for those who were murdered at that site in the name of Islam." She begins to organize a protest at the Park Place site.

Soon New York Post columnist Andrea Peyser references Geller's group, falsely describing it as a "human rights group." This brings the movement against the "Ground Zero mosque" out of the blogosphere and into the mainstream press. She sensationalizes the issue, falsely reporting that the center is to open on Sept. 11, 2011. A "controversy" erupts.

I would encourage readers to click on Gary Leupp’s name above to read the full article, as it is an excellent time line of something, which should not be an issue.

The time line continues and shows after the media gets a hold of Geller and gives her 15 seconds of fame, the half-term governor of Alaska, Sara Palin and then Georgia’s own adulterer former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich weigh in:

July 16 Sarah Palin weighs in. Addressing not Muslims specifically but "Peaceful New Yorkers," Sarah Palin twittered: " pls refudiate [sic] the Ground Zero mosque plan if you believe catastrophic pain caused @ Twin Towers site is too raw, too real." She adds two days later (after ammending "refudiate" to "refute"), "Ground Zero mosque is UNNECESSARY provocation; it stabs hearts. . ." Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich expresses outrage in multiple statements over the next month: "There should be no mosque near Ground Zero in New York so long as there are no churches or synagogues in Saudi Arabia." "It's not about religion," he insists, "and is clearly an aggressive act that is offensive." He says the center will be a symbol of Muslim "triumphalism," and that building the mosque near the site of the 9/11 attacks "would be like putting a Nazi sign next to the Holocaust Museum."

He writes, "'Cordoba House' is a deliberately insulting term. It refers to Cordoba, Spain-the capital of Muslim conquerors, who symbolized their victory over the Christian Spaniards by transforming a church there into the world's third-largest mosque complex... every Islamist in the world recognizes Cordoba as a symbol of Islamic conquest." In response to this absurd allegation the center organizers change the name to "Park51."

(Gingrich who postures as an historian and scholar might have noted the Visigothic church was purchased by the conquering emir after 718 and that the Arabs during their rule in Spain pursued a policy of far greater religious tolerance than the Christians had before them. They allowed churches and synagogues to operate freely. When the Christians regained power, they expelled all Jews and Muslims, or forced them to convert, and conducted the Spanish Inquisition.)

Come on Mr. Gingrich, you know full well Saudi Arabia an Islamic country. You only go to that country if you are on invited. So if you plan on going, you do as you are requested in the home of the host.

If you go to the Vatican, you cannot practice another faith in Vatican City, it’s their laws. It is the same as in Saudi Arabia. I know it sounds harsh, but if you choose to go there you are allowed to practice your faith in the privacy of your own living quarters while there, I am not naive enough to say you cannot pray to your own source while here. However, there is just no open propagation.

Further it is well known fact that in the United States of America unlike many countries in the world “religious freedom” is held sacred and considered a constitutional right.

Both Palin and Gingrich in their quest for political power and capitalizing on people’s fear conveniently forget some of the biggest groups to come into the United States were those seeking relief from religious persecution.

Further, all these folks from the “right” forget the history of Christians has its moments of incredible terrorism based on fear and arrogance as well.

Remember the Salem Witch Trials?

From June through September of 1692, nineteen men and women, all having been convicted of witchcraft, were carted to Gallows Hill, a barren slope near Salem Village, for hanging. Another man of over eighty years was pressed to death under heavy stones for refusing to submit to a trial on witchcraft charges. Hundreds of others faced accusations of witchcraft. Dozens languished in jail for months without trials. Then, almost as soon as it had begun, the hysteria that swept through Puritan Massachusetts ended.

Let’s look at one trial transcript to get a feel for what hysteria and paranoia produce:

The first accused witch to be brought to trial was Bridget Bishop. Almost sixty years old, owner of a tavern where patrons could drink cider ale and play shuffleboard (even on the Sabbath), critical of her neighbors, and reluctant to pay her bills, Bishop was a likely candidate for an accusation of witchcraft. The fact that Thomas Newton, special prosecutor, selected Bishop for his first prosecution suggests that he believed the stronger case could be made against her than any of the other suspect witches. At Bishop's trial on June 2, 1692, a field hand testified that he saw Bishop's image stealing eggs and then saw her transform herself into a cat. Deliverance Hobbs, by then probably insane, and Mary Warren, both confessed witches, testified that Bishop was one of them. A villager named Samuel Grey told the court that Bishop visited his bed at night and tormented him. A jury of matrons assigned to examine Bishop's body reported that they found an "excrescence of flesh." Several of the afflicted girls testified that Bishop's specter afflicted them. Numerous other villagers described why they thought Bishop was responsible for various bits of bad luck that had befallen them. There was even testimony that while being transported under guard past the Salem meeting house, she looked at the building and caused a part of it to fall to the ground. Bishop's jury returned a verdict of guilty. One of the judges, Nathaniel Saltonstall, aghast at the conduct of the trial, resigned from the court. Chief Justice Stoughton signed Bishop's death warrant, and on June 10, 1692, Bishop was carted to Gallows Hill and hanged.

It was this kind of hysteria and paranoia that was cause for Japanese who where American citizens to be rounded up after Pearl Harbor and placed in camps.

It is this kind of hysteria and paranoia which has police officers in Arizona and Gwinnett County asking brown skin people for their papers.

It is this kind of hysteria and paranoia that does not allow LGBTQI people to serve in the military.

It is this kind of hysteria and paranoia that denies the LGBTQI community marriage.

Let us not forget the American Indians had no idea they were savages until the Christians arrived on their land.

Let us not forget Tim McVey and Eric Rudolph were driven by their Christian roots to commit acts of terrorism.

Let us not forget Adolph Hitler considered himself a Catholic until the day he died. In 1941 he told Gerhard Engel, one of his generals: "I am now as before a Catholic and will always remain so." In fact, Hitler was never excommunicated from the Catholic Church, and Mein Kampf was not placed on the Church's Index of Forbidden Books.

Let us not forget the newest whacko pastor at the "Dove World Outreach Center" in Gainesville, Florida -- a "New Testament church, based on the Bible" -- to promote an "International Burn a Quran Day" this September 11.

Gee, I wonder what kind of press would be gotten if we held a bible burning day every time some Christian committed an act of violence?

Let us not just gloss over the insanely racist blog of Mark Williams who is quoted by Professor Leupp:

"The monument would consist of a Mosque for the worship of the terrorists' monkey-god (repeat: 'the terrorists' monkey-god." if you feel that fits a description of Allah then that is your own deep-seated emotional baggage not mine, talk to the terrorists who use Allah as their excuse and the Muslims who apologize for and rationalize them) and a 'cultural center' to propagandize for the extermination of all things not approved by their cult. It is a project of American Society for Muslim Advancement and the Cordoba Initiative, essentially the same group of apologists (but under 2 different names) for terrorists and the animals who use it as a terrorist ideology. They cloak their evil with new age gibberish that suggests Islam is just misunderstood."

My point here is not to deride the Christian faith, but to simply say we have not held the entire religion accountable because of whackos in the faith.

Richard W. Bulliet, Professor of History Middle East Institute Columbia University probably sums it up best when he says, “Jim Jones, David Koresh and Meir Kahane do not typify Christianity and Judaism in the eyes of the civilized West, but those same eyes are prone to see Osama bin Laden and Mullah Muhammad Omar as typifying Islam,"

I wonder why that is? Maybe because we as Christians know even less about Islam then we do of Judaism. For instance do most people know Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable and that the purpose of life is to worship God.[5] They regard their religion as the completed and universal version of a primordial, monotheistic faith revealed at many times and places before, including, notably, to the prophets Abraham, Moses and Jesus.

How about this verse found in the Quran: "Those who believe (in the Quran), and those who follow the Jewish (scriptures), and the Christians...and (all) who believe in God and the last day and work righteousness, shall have their reward with their Lord; on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve." The Qur'an, 2:62

9-11 was the idea and mission of one man and a handful of his followers; let us spend our energy, resources and efforts to bring these people to justice. To continue this ridiculous controversy is to forget what made this country a world leader, what despite its many flaws made it the best place in the world to live.

Judaism, Islam and Christianity at their core, are related and deeply connected, we share the same God. In this country “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

I dare say if we continue this path of hysteria and paranoia then these truths we hold as self-evident will be a thing of the past and we will have become that which feared.

"Oh, Rubbish, You have No Power Here"

2010-08-12T23:33:00.000-07:00

As I sit here writing this blog, I cannot help but feel the intense emotion of pride for our LGBTQ community. Sometimes we mess up and get ourselves over reactive to situations brought to our community. Yet, not this time...this time we did it correctly. This time we allowed our enemies to put their sizable feet right into their mouths.

As every one knows “The National Organization for Marriage” (NOM) found their way to our little part of the world. To say the rally they held was a complete and utter failure is to understate how bad it really was for them.

As has been reported by various sources they were lucky if the number of attendees reached 20 (this is minus reporters, speakers, entertainers, and the Capital police).

Meanwhile across Washington Street, 300 plus of the LGBTQ community and straight allies showed up to give witness to the fact we are diverse, wise and a gentle people.

I say diverse because in that crowd were straight, gay, queer, trans, black, white, Latino, Asian as well as many other ethnic groups.

I say diverse because there were punks, Goths, suburbanites, college students, employed, unemployed, people of faith, people of no faith and there was even a gnome.

I say wise and gentle because when it was first announce NOM was headed this way, leaders in the LGBTQ community got together and discussed, argued, and struggled with how to respond to these bullies.

This process was a beautiful example of how creative the LGBTQ community can be when we decide to act as opposed to re-act.

A two-step approach was decided upon. First, hold our own rally to state our case, to tell our stories and to give support to the community as a whole.

Second, join with the clergy of different faiths to stand in silence and to be a witness to the lies and hatred brought forth by the likes of NOM and other power and control freaks. To give witness to the fact that when a community has truth and love on their side there is not a need to shout down or threaten.

So often the radical right speak as if the LGBTQ community and its allies are not in the room. They tell stories to the media that are sensational and full of the language of fear. Not this particular Saturday in August.

No this Saturday in August while the President of NOM was talking about being attacked, shouted down and otherwise belittle, he had to look across the street and whine to our face. For you see there we stood quietly yet firmly in place giving him his opportunity to be “chicken little”.

In a contrast which was there for the world to see he came off as angry, bitter and at a loss for a good reason why our community should be denied the 1300 plus rights and privileges he gets to enjoy because he’s white, straight and married.

Things only got worse for them when they brought Alveda King, the niece of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. to the stage. She actually said,

“It is statistically proven that the strongest institution that guarantees procreation and continuity of the generations is marriage between one man and one woman. I don’t know about you, but I’m not ready to be extinct and none of us wants to be. We don’t want genocide, we don’t want to destroy the sacred institution of marriage.”

By contrast, there we stood witness to the fact we have been here as long as straight people and never in all of that time has the LGBTQ attempted a systematic killing of a racial or cultural group. Nor is the world’s population in danger of extinction because of LGBTQ people. However, a case could be made that NOM and organizations like them would be perfectly happy if the LGBTQ community were the victims of genocide or made to be extinct.

Yes, our community did the right thing on this Saturday. We stood strong, committed and unified in the belief we belong in the room, we have a place in this world that is creative, beautiful and with a moral value. Yes, we are here to stay!

The only thing missing from this particular Saturday was the ability to relive a line or two from the “Wizard of Oz” re-written for especially for NOM, which I am happy to say now:

“NOM: You stay out of this or we'll fix you as well.

LGBTQ Community: Oh rubbish. You have no power here. Be gone before somebody drops a house on you.”

Smoke and Mirrors

2010-07-30T00:59:00.000-07:00

Rev. Eugene H. Peterson, who is a “Professor Emeritus” of Spiritual Theology at Regent College in Vancouver B.C. is the author of one of newer translations of the Bible called “The Message”, the Bible in contemporary language. In his introduction to the Old Testament book of Amos he writes:

“More people are exploited and abused in the cause of religion then in any other way. Sex, money and power all take a back seat to religion as a source of evil. Religion is the most dangerous energy source known to humankind. The moment a person (or government or religion or organization) is convinced that god, is either ordering or sanctioning a cause or project, anything goes. The history worldwide of religion fueled hate, killing, and oppression is staggering.”

As most of my readers know, our fair city of Atlanta is about to get a visit from The National Organization for Marriage (NOM). Dr. Peterson could have very easily been talking about them.

After reading and following on the web the rallies these folks are holding, it is really hard for me as a pastor not to speak out, hell shout out. The rallies are nothing more then “shock and awe” events designed to perpetuate the fear of the big bad homosexual agenda is about to destroy life in America, as we know it.

The GA Voice reported NOM’s theme by quoting from a press release,

“We’re excited to get on the road and meet people face-to-face, sharing with them the importance of marriage and how critical the future of marriage is to our country,” said Brian Brown, NOM’s president, in a recent press release. “Marriage will be a key national issue once the California Prop 8 battle gets to the Supreme Court. We need Americans to rally behind marriage as the union of one man and one woman and tell the Courts and state legislatures that marriage matters.”

Are you kidding me? This is the theme for a national event?

I really don’t want to take up more written space on why this is a ridiculous smoke and mirrors kind of statement. I spent sufficient space pointing that out in my last blog.

However, this statement and what this group represents are about something far more sinister, evil and dangerous. You see they want you to believe they are representative of “true” Christianity. However, this “truth” is based on a “fear” of God.

If one does any channel surfing with the TV it will not be long before a TV preacher in “full preaching mode” will be seen declaring that for those who choose to go against God will pay the price of God’s harsh judgment. God will punish those who live in a homosexual life style and God will destroy and bring destruction to the society, which does not “fear” the Lord and eradicate this horrible sin against God.

It is the preacher’s use of the word “fear” that always gets my attention.

Fred Phelps out of Topeka, Kansas has a whole ministry and picketing based on this rubbish.

Jimmy Swaggart built a religious empire based on this crap and his message of fear was so deep as to feel it was OK to say he would kill us and then lie to God about it. Think I am kidding…check it out: http://www.spike.com/video/jimmy-swaggart-would/2650343

Let us not forget Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson are always proclaiming God’s wrath because we somehow misbehaved. Everything from hurricanes to terrorist attacks. These people have gotten filthy rich off people’s “fear” of God.

These fools who are coming to Atlanta are no different.

Make no mistake these people don’t give a damn about 2 people being in love and living a full life, they are simply interested in proclaiming a sadistic God who creates humanity gives it a brain to think, reason and a free will only to kill them off when it uses it’s brain, thinks and exercises a free will.

In other words if we are fearful of punishment from God then we will behave. My friends this is really bad and dangerous theology. It makes a mockery of the Cross-and the teaching of Jesus as a whole.

In fact Jesus made a comment or two on this kind of theology,

"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.
"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are.

Now we should recognize fear is a natural and normal event for human beings, it is part of the creation.

Sigmund Freud had written at some point that we experience fear when we enter a field and see a large animal charging us; hence our well-being is in real danger.

Anxiety, is what we experience when we enter a field and we think that a large fierce animal may, perhaps be somewhere in the field and might; just might attack us.

Natural fear is a positive thing, while anxiety is negative and many times harmful to our thinking and physical well-being.

Positive fear is part of our instincts as human beings. If we are at risk for some reason, fear is indeed an emotion that will cause us to take action to protect ourselves. This is usually based on fact or real experience.

However, it strikes me this “fear the Lord” and the enforcement of morality being preached by NOM and other religious groups is more about “negative anxiety” rather then genuine concern or fear of something factual or experiential.

“Negative anxiety” about what may happen after we die or even while we are alive is nothing more then a means by which evil people use to gain power and control of others.

Further this thinking gives those who are snobs, bigots and “power and control” freaks the ability to ignore the words of Jesus at every turn. It gives them an excuse to total ignore Jesus’ words in Matthew 25:31-40.

People who are anxious have a tendency to comply with “rules for living” when faced with what “might” happen. In fact they even send more money to the folks who are making pronouncements about “what may happen”.

Need proof, watch the 700 Club for about 15 minutes. Better yet read Don Wildmon’s “American Family Association” newsletter, this dude has always got his hand out for money over what might happen.

Think about the fact NOM has raised 2.9 million based on their fear message.

Fear is the great motivator of war and killing…take a look at Iraq. We are giving away constitutional right after right because we have been convinced to fear somebody or anybody from the Middle East.

Better yet look what fear has accomplished in the state of Arizona.

These same people who bring the message of fear concerning the LGBTQ community also have other fear messages.

This same “fear message” says women must submit to men.

This same “fear message” says one must be pro life and than willingly support the snuffing out the life of another human being by lethal injection.

This is nothing more then late term abortion, but then what do I know.

This same “fear message” says women do not have a place in the pulpit.

This same “fear message” says if their “cash-cow” pastor gets a divorce it is OK to change the rules so the cash keeps coming in.

This same “fear message” makes law that sweep the homeless off the streets and into jail.

We in the LGBTQ community must stop deceiving ourselves. This is not about “gay marriage”. This is about causing sufficient fear so as to control our soul, control the very essence of who we are as God’s people.

Therefore when NOM arrives we must greet them with a different message…

We must speak the truth of God's love for all people. We must speak this truth as a whole creation of God, rather then some freaky “love that dare not speak its name”.

We must make this claim with the full knowledge that we are uniquely and wonderfully made in the image of God.

We must celebrate our gifts because we are gay, lesbian, bi or transgendered and God has something for us to do, something to give back to this world. We must be intentional in pointing out our contributions to our community.

We must claim our history, our heroes. We must act rather the re-act. We must point out that some of the best; the brightest and most articulate people of the world have come from the LGBTQ community.

We must point out that in blighted urban areas, it is our talented and creative community who rebuilds and puts life back into those areas.

We must point out we are the military, teachers, police and fire personal. We are athletes, writers, actors, preachers, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, brothers, and sisters. We must point out we are woven tightly into the fabric of life.

We must remind them they have been trying to kill us off for centuries and we are still here stronger and more blessed then ever.

We must talk about how in the midst of our young dying that we have taught the world how to die with dignity and to live life to the fullest.

We must confront and refute the blatant lies and fear mongering of these religious bigots. Now is not the time to sit quietly in the comfort of our homes while the LGBTQ people of the world continue to die, get beat to the point of death or drown out who they are in alcohol and drugs.

Finally we must take to heart why NOM’s message of fear will ultimately fail as this wonderful story illustrates…

“There was a person visiting their minister and during the course of the conversation said to the pastor, “I am afraid to die, I have no idea what is there on the other side of life or what will meet me when I get there. Pastor, can you help me with this and tell me what to expect.” The minister look at his friend sadly and said, “No, I cannot tell you what it will be like after you die or how it will be.” The person was astounded, as they knew this pastor was a good solid praying Christian. So the person replied. “How can this be? How can you not know? You are a Christian and you can’t tell me what happens after one dies?” Just then there was a scratching at the office door and the doctor opened the door and in bounded his beloved dog. The dog was just all over the minister so happy to see its master. It was in this moment the minister looked at the patient and said, “You see how my dog just bounded into this room having no idea what was on the other side of the door, not fearing what was on the other side but only knowing that his master was here. I suspect that is the way it will be for us going to the other side of life with only one solid piece of knowledge…Our Master is there and waits to receive us.”

So when NOM arrives I will be there to shout loudly and clearly, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39 New International Version)

Look Up in the Sky…it’s a Bird…no a plane…no it’s…

2010-07-16T01:08:00.001-07:00

The “National Organization for Marriage”: Protecting Marriage and the Faith Communities that Sustain It.

They will be in Atlanta in early August to attempt through slick lies and fear mongering convince the people of Georgia by allowing our community to get married it will be the end of the world and the precious institution will be ruined.

According to their website the concern is:

“For over a decade, the institution of marriage, the very bedrock on which civilized society rests, has been under attack by radical activists who want to redefine its very meaning. Now, for the first time since its passage, the federal Defense of Marriage Act, (DOMA) is being directly threatened. And probably more threateningly, a federal lawsuit in California is challenging the validity of Proposition 8- a measure passed by voters defining marriage between one man and one woman- on core Constitutional grounds. All observers believe this case is headed for the Supreme Court, where 5 justices could create a “constitutional right for homosexual marriage,” which will put into question what marriage means for every American across the nation.

It is time for the people to stand up and make it clear that they will not let marriage be redefined. Now, more than ever, is the time to rally behind marriage and let our voices be heard. The National Organization for Marriage is launching the month-long, nationwide Summer for Marriage Tour 2010: One Man One Woman. The tour will criss-cross the east coast, mid-west and southern states to hold a series of 20 rallies to encourage supporters to stand up for marriage. Many of the states we are visiting are the key battlegrounds in this critical debate.”

In 2008 these folks raised $2,967, 495. So let there be no doubt these folks are playing hardball and intend to destroy the sanctity of our relationships along the way.

The reason for concern here is because NOM is not just your run of the mill homophobic group. They are taking a new direction by saying our community is taking from them what is not rightfully ours. With a slick marketing campaign they are attempting to throw us out of a room we have been in all along.

The brilliance of their approach is not so much in what they say but rather what they do not acknowledge, either by omission or a distortion of the truth.

On their website one of the talking points is as follows:

“Extensive and repeated polling agrees that the single most effective message is:

"Gays and Lesbians have a right to live as they choose,
they don’t have the right to redefine marriage for all of us."

This allows people to express support for tolerance while opposing gay marriage. Some modify it to “People have a right to live as they choose, they don’t have the right to redefine marriage for all of us.”

Language to avoid at all costs: "Ban same-sex marriage." Our base loves this wording. So do supporters of SSM. They know it causes us to lose about ten percentage points in polls. Don’t use it. Say we’re against “redefining marriage” or in favor or “marriage as the union of husband and wife” NEVER “banning same-sex marriage.”

It strikes me this approach is a little like up North where I am from it was the “Civil War” or the “War between the States”. Yet here in the south this same history is described as “The War of Northern Aggression”. Let us be real here, marriage has been redefining itself for centuries.

So let us clarify some things here. Maybe the definition of the word would be helpful. According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary marriage is defined as follows:

mar·riage
Pronunciation: \ˈmer-ij, ˈma-rij\
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English mariage, from Anglo-French, from marier to marry
Date: 14th century

1 a (1): the state of being united to a person of the opposite sex as husband or wife in a consensual and contractual relationship recognized by law (2): the state of being united to a person of the same sex in a relationship like that of a traditional marriage b: the mutual relation of married persons: wedlock c: the institution whereby individuals are joined in a marriage
2: an act of marrying or the rite by which the married status is effected; especially: the wedding ceremony and attendant festivities or formalities
3: an intimate or close union

Wow, would you look at that the LGBTQ community made it into Webster’s. Folks, that is not we trying to redefine…that is scholarship’s recognition of what is.

NOM says, “The very bedrock on which civilized society rests, has been under attack by radical activists who want to redefine its very meaning.”

What poppycock. There has been no real clear marriage tradition or understanding of just what exactly marriage is for centuries. One man and one woman? Please, in Old Testament times the more wives a man had the better. Marriages prior to the 20th century had more to do with property rights, business agreements, and certain families being brought together to consolidate political power.

I said earlier they were trying to throw us out of a room we are already in. According to “Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia”

“Various types of same-sex marriages have existed,[40] ranging from informal, unsanctioned relationships to highly ritualized unions.[41]

While it is a relatively new practice that same-sex couples are being granted the same form of legal marital recognition as commonly used by mixed-sex couples, recent publicity and debate over the past decade gives an impression that civil marriage for lesbian and gay couples is novel and untested. There is a long history of recorded same-sex unions around the world.[42] It is believed that same-sex unions were celebrated in Ancient Greece and Rome,[42] some regions of China, such as Fujian, and at certain times in ancient European history.[43] A law in the Theodosian Code (C. Th. 9.7.3) issued in 342 CE prohibited same-sex marriage in ancient Rome, but the exact intent of the law and its relation to social practice is unclear, as only a few examples of same-sex marriage in that culture exist.[44]”

The States or the Government didn’t really have anything to do with marriage
until the 1800’s and moving forward to now. Since, the feds have gotten involved there has been an ever steady set of rights and privileges which go along with this thing called marriage.

Today Kathy Belge, from About.com Guide writes:

“According to Lambda Legal Defense, more than 1,400 legal rights are conferred upon heterosexual married couples in the United States. By not being allowed to marry, gays and lesbians are denied these rights. Here are some of the legal rights that married couples have and gays and lesbians are denied:
Joint parental rights of children
Joint adoption
Status as "next-of-kin" for hospital visits and medical decisions
Right to make a decision about the disposal of loved ones remains
Immigration and residency for partners from other countries
Crime victim’s recovery benefits
Domestic violence protection orders
Judicial protections and immunity
Automatic inheritance in the absence of a will
Public safety officer’s death benefits
Spousal veterans benefits
Social Security
Medicare
Joint filing of tax returns
Wrongful death benefits for surviving partner and children
Bereavement or sick leave to care for partner or children
Child support
Joint Insurance Plans
Tax credits including: Child tax credit, Hope and lifetime learning credits
Deferred Compensation for pension and IRAs
Estate and gift tax benefits
Welfare and public assistance
Joint housing for elderly
Credit protection
Medical care for survivors and dependents of certain veterans

These are just a few of the 1400 state and federal benefits that gays and lesbians are denied by not being able to marry. Most of these benefits cannot be privately arranged or contracted for within the legal system.

NOM also argues, “Religious groups like Catholic Charities or the Salvation Army may lose their tax exemptions, or be denied the use of parks and other public facilities, unless they endorse gay marriage." It is also pointed out by this group that church’s will be forced to do weddings they disapprove of.

Again, this is a flat lie…Church’s have never been forced to marry a couple which did not meet the requirements of a particular church.

I should also note there are several denominations including Unitarian Universalist, Metropolitan Community Church, Quaker, United Church of Canada, United Church of Christ, Reform Jewish congregations, several independent-progressive churches and some Anglican dioceses which now recognize what has become known as “Gay-Marriage”.

So, the debate concerning "gay marriage" continues to new heights of passion and meanness. There is now this national organization helping stir the pot.

NOM says they are concerned about faith communities. Frankly, NOM is just using that as a tool. I suspect the basic reason for this is as with most right wing conservatives is centered on power and control issues.

Those who have defined marriage as the exclusive right of heterosexuals want to continue to control the rules. It is a "Members (who meet the standard) Only Club".

Marriage in today's sense is less about two people who love each other deeply and commit to living in a way that will enhance that love.

I find it just a tad ironic our people have always had to choose to be together for the most part because they love each other deeply and now simply desire the Government to recognize that.

After 28 years of “marriage” to my partner I can safely say we made this far not because of any encouragement or support society gave us. We made this far because our love for one another is as wide as any ocean and as high as any mountain.

So I wonder from a faith and spiritual stand point what God is more concerned with, love and commitment or power and control?

We live in a world where marriage vows are usually not worth the paper they are written on. 50% of all first marriages will end in divorce and 60% of all 2nd and third marriages will end before “death do us part”.

If Marriage is a social union or legal contract between individuals that creates kinship or from the church point of view a covenant between two people and God then we are talking about the total investment of those involved.

I wonder if God is more concerned about broken promises or covenants that call on people to go deeper in their relationship than simple vows.

Finally, I wonder from a spiritual perspective if a God who by biblical definition is both male and female is really concerned about the gender identity of a couple who are willing to live in covenant with each other.

After all, when Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was, in other words which commandment should be the basis of who and what we are, his reply was, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." This is the first and greatest commandment and the second is like it: "Love your neighbor as yourself: All the law and prophets hang on these two commandments."

If these commandments are where it begins and ends -- I believe our God is far more interested in covenants of love regardless of gender identification rather than alleged traditional marriage, which NOM is trying to save, and nowhere in any of their talking points do they address these two commandments for which all the law and prophets hang.

So how about NOM? Maybe take some of that 2.9 million you raised in 2008 and use it to give a drink to the thirsty, or feed the hungry, or cloth the naked or visit the sick and imprisoned. Maybe while you are in town you could provide some beds for the 11,000 homeless in Metro Atlanta. Or better yet how about taking your time, energy and resources and save the building for the “Task-Force for the Homeless”.