how much to talk about *that* from the pulpit

Q.
A friend of mine told me that he sometimes debates about how much to talk about lgbt matters from the pulpit, or if it is just better to talk about love and inclusion in general.

Here are some thoughts I have in response to that question:

1.
First, there are times when for the sake of the Gospel and for the love of those whom God has made, it is necessary to take a stand and to speak up. This is especially the case when men, women and children who are made by God and loved by Him are being treated unjustly or as less than human. That doesn't mean that this is always the time or the topic; just that there are times and topics that one must speak about. It does mean that trying to be "neutral" helps the oppressor, not the victim, and in the Bible we regularly see God on the side of the victim.

See related post on this blog.


2.
Secondly, in talking about Jesus and his interaction with others, I think it is easy for those of us who are western Christians to be generally pleased with all of that, but none of it threatens our comfort zone, the status quo today, or the privileged status of the many of us who are privileged. The things that the religious people of Jesus' day hated -- him spending time with Samaritans, women, lepers, prostitutes, and so on. -- are not relevant to us. Samaritans seem like another denomination, lepers are few and far away, etc. Somehow one needs to help people see the connection between Jesus and the marginalized persons of his day, and us and the marginalized persons of our time (the people that typically are despised and hated by the religious today).

3.
Third, especially in congregations where the parishioners are privileged, I would consider: how do I help us as a body, see the greater body that we are part of, and the systemic injustice that is around us which is affecting my brothers and sisters  (even if it is not affecting me in obvious or direct ways), Are we part of the community of creation, or a little religious club?

4.
Fourthly, I would speak up and acknowledge our brothers and sisters. It is critical to break the silence and to stop the violence of dehumanizing and subhumanizing others. No more pretending that some do not exist. No more shaming. No more contributing to shame by refusing to acknowledge men, women and children whom God has made and whom He dearly loves. No more obliging people to hide, lie or "fit in" to be accepted and loved.

I remember being at a somewhat volatile church meeting which was discussing a decision (at a regional denominational level) to allow same-sex blessings. I stood up and in my comments, I referred to our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters in Christ. And at the moment of saying these words, the thought came into my mind: no one has ever said this phrase aloud before in this congregation...

And that's a reason to speak about LGBT people -- not LGBT issues but PEOPLE -- from the pulpit. To acknowledge their existence and humanity.

5.
Fifth, understand that as local congregations, we need our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters in Christ.

I'm going to say that again. The local church that you and I participate in, needs our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters in Christ. Without them, we are incomplete. The body of Christ is all of God's children. We can't pick and choose who is in and who is out. Jesus showed us this by his life of embrace, and by giving his life for all. The eye cannot say to the hand, I don't need you. Similarly, straight followers of Jesus cannot say to followers who are LGBT, we don't need you. And if we are ashamed of them, then we need to treat them with even more honour.

6.
Sixth, people don't know where you stand unless you say. If they themselves are lgbtqi, they won't know if they are welcome. They won't know if they are, to use Jeff Chu's words, "desperately and fiercely wanted". Or if it would be better to just leave now and find a better place to be part of. Those who have lgbtqi friends and relatives won't know if they can bring their friend or loved one to church, or if they can speak with you about their life together. Some will not know and others will assume wrongly, and both of these can be barriers to personal growth and community. This can also result in deadly consequences when someone who might have turned to a friend, family member of pastor for help doesn't because they do not know if they will be embraced or rejected.


R.
What are your thoughts on this? What else should be on this list? I'd love to hear your comments.

rob goetze, may 2015

jesus goes to church

Jesus tries to go to church and, instead, gets directions to the least of these. How perfect is that!

[you'd struggle to sleep at night if ...]

Now read the other side to the story...

does not apply to future situations

[jesus leper]

In the Middle Ages, 

Christians widely believed that 

Jesus was a leper.

From Jesus: Visual Edition by Philip Yancey.

We've come a long way, baby! Being sophisticated and civilized, today we know that Jesus was really the first Adam -- oops, I meant to say, the first American Sniper.

obsessed with nobodies

auto-basileia

Basileia is an ancient Greek word meaning "kingdom".

Auto-basileia is related to basileia, but quite different in resulting meaning.

I was recently introduced to the term in "The Church and the kingdom of God" by Drew G.I. Hart, an article which really resonated with me. In particular, I like the term "auto-basileia" and his explanation of it:

Simply put, the kingdom of God is anywhere King Jesus is present in any particular place. The most important thing to remember about the kingdom of God is that it's not the Church (though there is close association between the two) but it is Jesus himself. For this reason Origen famously described Jesus as “autobasileia”. Jesus embodied the reign of God all by himself! That means that wherever Jesus is present, the kingdom of God has come near!

Drew G.I. Hart

As you can tell from Drew's reference to Origen, one of the church fathers, the idea has been around for a long time... and perhaps needs to be re-introduced to our time and place.

So what does the kingdom of God look like? It looks like Jesus:

• we serve others
• we wash their feet
• we embrace those at the margins of society (for Jesus, this included lepers, Samaritans, prostitutes, tax collectors and more) 
• we feed the hungry
• we give the thirsty something to drink
• we invite strangers into our lives and communities
• we clothe the naked
• we care for the sick
• we visit those in prison
• we serve one another
• we wash their feet
• we preach a gospel that really is good news
• we heal the sick
• we clean out the temple (hmm...)
• we give our lives for others

Very upside-down. Very opposite to our earthly kingdoms and aspirations. Hart goes on to discuss what this kingdom-king looks like, and how the least being first and the marginalized being at the center goes hand-in-hand with this king/kingdom Jesus.  Read the article!

Here's Pope Benedict on the subject:

Jesus himself is the Kingdom; the Kingdom is not a thing, it is not a geographical dominion like worldly kingdoms. It is a person; it is he. On this interpretation, the term "Kingdom of God" is itself a veiled Christology. By the way in which he speaks of the Kingdom of God, Jesus leads men to realize the overwhelming fact that in him God himself is present among them, that he is God's presence.

Pope Benedict, in his book Jesus of Nazareth (p. 49)

come, you who are blessed...

Come, you who are blessed by my Father;

take your inheritance,

the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.

For I was hungry and you passed laws against feeding the homeless,

I was thirsty and you gave me a religious tract,

I was a stranger and you fought for the right to discriminate against me,

I needed clothes and you filled your closet with the latest fads,

I was sick and you refused to give your employees health benefits,

I was in prison and you used me for cheap labour.

Matthew 25:34-40, adapted.

[video: we see no enemy]

"We See No Enemy presents five stories told against the backdrop of Israeli-occupied Palestine, creating an anthology of the West Bank. We See No Enemy chronicles the conflict from the perspective of those rarely heard. By weaving these narratives together, We See No Enemy seeks to turn up these inspiring voices to hear their passion and listen to their suffering."

Full video (1 hr 17 min long):

We See No Enemy video from We See No Enemy on Vimeo.

The five stories in the video are as follows, and can be viewed individually by clicking the title. (timing refers to location in full video)

Story 1: Paradise (timing 1-20)
Story of the Al Basma Center, which works with men and women with mental challenges. Half the staff and the clients are Muslim, the other half Christian.

Story 2: Conversion (24-38)
Story of a Palestinian Christian man, who changed his views on how to respond to violence..

Story 3: Hospitality (38 - 49)
The story of the hospitality of a Palestinian man toward others.

Story 4: Trespass (49-59)
The team returns to Palestine, and finds that someone has been into their house. Discussion of what Palestinians face in terms of searches, night raids, evictions, etc.

Story 5: Home (59 - 1:13)
The story of a family forcibly evacuated from their home by police officers, in order to give their house to settlers.

how to tell if an Amish person...

A light-hearted look at how one might be able to tell that an Amish person is gay or lesbian. Inspired by a book cover which features a real photo similar to the drawing in the upper right.

And yes, there are websites for LGBT people who are Amish (example).

peace in palestine

It's strange how ideas and beliefs can slip in almost unnoticed.

An excerpt from the prayers at a Sunday morning church service:

We especially today pray for the Middle East, for the people of Israel and the Gaza Strip that a permanent ceasefire may be accomplished, that the people of Gaza will accept the existence of Israel as the rest of the Arab world has, so that Hamas will stop firing rockets into Israel forcing the Israelis to retaliate with their much stronger military. We pray to you, Lord, for all the innocent people killed or wounded on both sides and for the great despair of all people everywhere in refugee camps.

At communion I am told:

The blood of Christ shed for you.

And I wonder, was it also shed for the Palestinians?

At the end of the service we hear:

Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.

And I wonder, what kind of peace and at what cost?

[city of god: faith in the streets, by sara miles]

city of god: faith in the streets is another fascinating book by sara miles. The book is about her experiences around Ash Wednesday, the people in her neighbourhood and church, and taking the ashes to the people in the streets.

A very good read. Not many sections which are highly quotable, other than this one where Sara quotes someone else:

As the Orthodox theologian Demetrios Constantelos points out, in a commentary upending many assumptions about evangelism: "It is the Spirit which moves where it wills, whose presence and operation is everywhere and all-encompassing. The Spirit of God may not be where one would like to see it and it may be where one refuses to see it.  Thus it is impossible to define the boundaries of God's people."

(p. 138)

Here's the official description from Amazon:

Paradise is a garden...but heaven is a city.
From the acclaimed author of Take This Bread and Jesus Freak comes a powerful new account of venturing beyond the borders of religion into the unpredictable territory of faith.

On Ash Wednesday, 2012, Sara Miles and her friends left their church buildings and carried ashes to the buzzing city streets: the crowded dollar stores, beauty shops, hospital waiting rooms, street corners and fast-food joints of her neighborhood. They marked the foreheads of neighbors and strangers, sharing blessings with waitresses and drunks, believers and doubters alike.

CITY OF GOD narrates the events of the day in vivid detail, exploring the profound implications of touching strangers with a reminder of common mortality. As the story unfolds, Sara Miles also reflects on life in her city over the last two decades, where the people of God suffer and rejoice, building community amid the grit and beauty of this urban landscape.

CITY OF GOD is a beautifully written personal narrative, rich in complex, real-life characters, and full of the "wild, funny, joyful, raucous, reverent" moments of struggle and faith that have made Miles one of the most enthralling Christian writers of our time.

jesus senyonjo

That priest is the retired Rev. Disani Christopher Senyonjo, a former Anglican Bishop in Uganda.

His "makeshift church in the Ugandan capital of Kampala has attracted many gays who are familiar with his sympathetic views in a country where anti-gay religious fervor has encouraged public anger and violence against homosexuals."

The AP reported,
"They said I should condemn the homosexuals," he said, referring to Anglican leaders in Uganda. "I can't do that, because I was called to serve all people, including the marginalized. But they say I am inhibited until I recant. I am still a member of the Anglican church."

(source)

The religious leaders in Jesus' day wanted Him to reject sinners, avoid lepers, ignore Samaritans, denounce women caught in adultery, and more... yet He stood with the least of these. Why is this so difficult to do for those who claim to follow Jesus?

How will you trigger the Jesus sensors today?


Background info:
In December 2013, the Uganda government passed the Uganda Anti-Homosexuality Bill, which criminalizes same-sex relations and provides for penalties including life imprisonment. This bill was supported by many religious leaders in Uganda and some in other parts of the world.

[shared meals as the message of jesus]

By simply sitting at table with those widely regarded as morally contemptible, Jesus earned the scorn of the Pharisees and other strict observers of Jewish custom. By sharing meals with those considered by the religiously righteous to be outcasts and sinners, Jesus challenged "the central ordering principle of the Jewish social world." As Geza Vermes puts it, Jesus "took his stand among the pariahs of the world, those despised by the respectable. Sinners were his table-companions and the ostracized tax collectors and prostitutes were his friends." The meals Jesus shared with the outcasts were not, therefore, simply the occasion for the delivery of his message. They were the message. They served as "prophetic signs" meant to manifest the meaning of Jesus' ministry. They involved what Borg speaks of as a "radical relativizing of cultural distinctions."

Violence Unveiled: Humanity at the Crossroads, Gil Bailie, p. 213

This is the Jesus I want to follow.


Violence Unveiled is a fascinating book about myth, gospel, culture, mimetic theory and much more. I will be rereading it, and perhaps quoting more from it later. From a writing perspective, what I especially appreciate about it is that when Bailie refers to other literature, philosophers, and so on - which he does often, he provides quotes and context so that a reader like me is not at a loss.

[hold on to the center]

Miroslav Volf, speaking about I Peter, says it sums up "the New Testament teaching about how a marginalized group of Christians ought to be situated in the world"

Here's an excerpt from the part where he talks about the sectarian character of the church:

Often people think in terms of sect, or church, of someone who's really close to the power or to the margins of the power.

...

What I found interesting in 1 Peter is how it cuts across -- how it completely muddles these distinctions. I think it muddles these around the central commitment to Jesus Christ.

And so it's not that I orient myself over and against the social groups by drawing boundaries, but rather, I am oriented around the center and boundaries fall as they might, as they will.
And the difference ends up being much softer then, as I don't have to shore up the boundaries to be distinct; I can hold on to the center and it guarantees sufficiently my distinctness.

Wouldn't that make a big difference? Wouldn't that help us move away from the dominant view of the church and Christians as being against rather than being for something?

View the entire 8 minute video: Honor Everyone, which includes discussion of differences, being on the margins, honoring everyone, and clashes between religions and between the sacreds, etc.

See also Adam Ericksen's article about being secure in oneself rather than one's identity being found in hostility toward the other.

[we are all insiders]

From an advertising perspective, I like the MEC's "We are all outsiders" ad campaign. It's kinda catchy in the way it twists the idea of "outsider" to mean someone who likes being outdoors.

MEC is playing on the reality that many in our world are really on the outside, on the margins. Are they hoping that giving being an outsider a positive spin will get them more sales? Or have they not thought beyond the double entendre?

The kingdom of God gives another spin to it all: everyone is an insider. Everyone is loved by God, Jesus spends a lot of time hanging out with outsiders, and the first shall be last.

[republic of outsiders, by alissa quart]

"Republic of Outsiders is about the growing number of Americans who disrupt the status quo: outsiders who seek to redefine a wide variety of fields, from film and mental health to diplomacy and music, from how we see gender to what we eat. They include professional and amateur filmmakers crowd-sourcing their work, transgender and autistic activists, and Occupy Wall Street’s “alternative bankers.” These people create and package new identities in a practice cultural critic Alissa Quart dubs “identity innovation”: they push the boundaries of who they can be and what they can do, even turning the forces of co-optation to their benefit.

In a brilliant and far-reaching account, Quart introduces us to individuals who have created new structures to keep themselves sane, fulfilled, and, on occasion, paid. This deeply reported book shows how and why these groups now gather, organize, and create new communities and economies. Without a middleman, freed of established media, and highly mobile, unusual ideas and cultures are able to spread more quickly and find audiences and allies. Republic of Outsiders is a critical examination of those for whom being rebellious, marginal, or amateur is a source of strength rather than weakness."  (source)

I learned a lot from this book. Not life-changing stuff, but about the people who live in this world, some of whom have ideas that have never crossed my mind and who make choices for their lives that I didn't know people were making. I also learned new terms which are not yet in common usage. Take, for example, "counterpublics:"

[Michael] Warner's term can be used to describe both the neurodiverse and many of the other renegades in this book who frequently turn to writing as a tool for expression and resistance. He sees these groups as creating their own fictions to counter the supreme fiction of the majority group, which is never the true monolith so may imagine it to be. According to his theory, what we usually call the public sphere is based on exclusion, and excluded groups are assigned lesser status. "Counterpublics" attempt to correct this, Warner says. The notion of a "public" is a social fiction, the "normal," and it becomes the frame for our lives. Counterpublics, such as the Mad Priders and all the others in this book, carve out separate spaces through writing in particular, through a strong message that people in the broader public may not have heard before and that could potentially change and shape minds.

(p. 21)

While it was an interesting read, I probably won't read it again -- so I'm glad I got it from the public library.

[pure scum by mike sares]

"An exhilarating faith life is a tricky business. But ask anyone who's sought after it--from the founders and members of Scum of the Earth Church in Denver to the apostle Paul, from whose letters the church took its name--and they'll tell you it's worth it. In Pure Scum Mike Sares, pastor of Scum of the Earth, takes us along a faith journey, telling the story of how a pretty normal, middle-aged guy met and became friends with Reese Roper and other members of the band, Five Iron Frenzy, and got hoodwinked by FIF and the Holy Spirit into pastoring of a vibrant church full of artists and skater punks. For anyone--pastor, church leader or plain old Christian--who wants to share the amazing grace of God with the "left-out" and "the right-brained," Mike's story will show you what this kind of exhilaration looks like, and more importantly, what it costs. It's a tricky business, but it's worth every step and misstep."        (source).

From the reviews I had read, I expected this book to be amazing. It was certainly interesting, but unlike jesus freak and  fall to grace it did not pull me onward. Instead, I had to push through it. Maybe the writing style just didn't work as well for me. However, I include it here in any case because it is about a church that embraced others in ways which are far too rare, and that made it worth reading.

russian lgbt = my neighbour

When Jesus was crucified, the Roman authorities put up a sign which read, "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews". The religious authorities protested, wanting the sign to say that this was Jesus' claim, as they did not follow him nor take him as their king. (John 19:19-20).

Today, the sign could well say something like "Jesus, Lover of Russian Queers" or "Jesus, Lover of Ugandan Homosexuals."

Outrageous and offensive? Probably, but not anymore than "King of the Jews" was.

And maybe such a sign wouldn't happen, as those who use words like queer and homosexual tend to be in favour of Jesus, and would not write both on the same sign.

But if it did appear, this version of the sign would be protested by some of today's religious people for a different reason. While they would agree that Jesus is their king, they don't follow Him. At least not to the margins, the outcast, the dispossessed, the oppressed. And there would be disagreement as to whether Jesus even loves LGBT people of any sort, let alone Russian or Ugandan LGBT people.

Ironic and sad, isn't it? Has Jesus' love not really conquered hate after all? Or perhaps those of us who follow Jesus need to follow Him in standing with men and women at the margins, standing up for those who are oppressed and downtrodden, no matter how great or small the divide between us seems ....

Who is my neighbour? My answer is clear:

the homeless are not human

If you haven't heard about the Medial Prefrontal Cortex (mPFC for short), here's a quick explanation followed by the disturbing results of an experiment:

According to Psychology Today, the mPFC "activates when people do things that involve perceiving and relating to other people, such as recognizing and distinguishing between faces and empathizing." This means that it activates for your mother and your partner, but it does not activate when you see the sandwich your mother made for you or the sweater your partner gave you (no matter how tasty the sandwich or lovely the sweater).

In their experiment, researchers Lasana Harris and Susan Fiske showed pictures of specific groups of people and measured the response of the mPFC. Here's what they found:

Images of all other groups besides the homeless activated the mPFC. This suggests that the homeless are not recognized as human relative to other groups. They actually are perceived, at least in this area of the brain, more like objects, such as tables.

(source)

The cartoon above is suggesting that Jesus' mPFC was malfunctioning, as he saw the hungry, the thirsty, the homeless, as people. Of course, it wasn't malfunctioning -- he was correctly functioning in seeing everyone whom God has made. So the questions I have are:

• If the study was done among the religious in Jesus' day, would it have had similar results?
• If this study had includes homeless persons among the subjects, would their mPFC activate when shown images of homeless people? (I'd assume "yes," but there could be other variables involved).
• Some non-homeless people do see homeless people as people. Why is this different for them?
• Can we use our mPFC as an excuse for ignoring some people?

Some words from Jesus:
 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’" Matthew 25:37-40 NIV


Read more about mPFC studies.