For today's reflection I've included a few excerpts from an excellent article by the eminent scripture scholar and author Luke Timothy Johnson. Though Johnson offers many important insights for our consideration, what stood out for me is the point he makes about the role of human experience in helping the church to adapt the truth of the Gospel to the realities and needs of each new generation. Just as eventually it was no longer tenable to defend the institution of slavery by citing the Bible (despite the fact that the Bible clearly favors slavery in a number of passages), so too in our own time we're witnessing the gradual awakening of the community of believers in Christ to the fact that the Bible cannot legitimately be invoked in opposition to loving, committed same-sex partnerships or marriages.
May God's Spirit bless us all and quicken our own spirits in the non-violent fight we continue to wage for equality, justice, and the Good News of the Gospel for all God's beloved children.
Peace,
Padre Chuck
Commonweal Magazine
June 15, 2007 / Volume CXXXIV, Number 12
"Scripture & Experience" (excerpts)
Luke Timothy Johnson
Many of us who stand for the full recognition of gay and lesbian persons within the Christian communion find ourselves in a position similar to that of the early abolitionists-and of the early advocates for women’s full and equal roles in church and society. We are fully aware of the weight of scriptural evidence pointing away from our position, yet place our trust in the power of the living God to reveal as powerfully through personal experience and testimony as through written texts. To justify this trust, we invoke the basic Pauline principle that the Spirit gives life but the letter kills (2 Corinthians 3:6). And if the letter of Scripture cannot find room for the activity of the living God in the transformation of human lives, then trust and obedience must be paid to the living God rather than to the words of Scripture.
For me this is no theoretical or academic position, but rather a passionate conviction. It is one many of us have come to through personal struggle, and for some, real suffering. In my case, I trusted that God was at work in the life of one of my four daughters, who struggled against bigotry to claim her sexual identity as a lesbian. I trusted God was at work in the life she shares with her partner-a long-lasting and fruitful marriage dedicated to the care of others, and one that has borne fruit in a wonderful little girl who is among my and my wife’s dear grandchildren. I also trusted the many stories of students and friends whose life witnessed to a deep faith in God but whose bodies moved sexually in ways different from the way my own did. And finally I began to appreciate the ways in which my own former attitudes and language had helped to create a world where family, friends, and students were treated cruelly.
These are significant recognitions, ones that arise from hard-fought daily experience. It is extraordinarily important, however, that those of us who base our convictions on experience do not make the category of experience a form of cheap grace, as though whatever feels good is morally acceptable. By “experience” we do not mean every idiosyncratic or impulsive expression of human desire. We refer rather to those profound stories of bondage and freedom, longing and love, shared by thousands of persons over many centuries and across many cultures, that help define them as human. The church cannot say “yes” to what the New Testament calls porneia (“sexual immorality”); but the church must say yes to the witness of lives that build the holiness of the church.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
That They Might Be One
Continuing to reflect on what it means to be part of the catholic church - whether in full communion with Rome or not - I'd like to share an insight from the late Pope John Paul II. In his 1995 encyclical Ut unum sint (That They Might Be One), John Paul takes up one of the central themes of his pontificate: ecumenical dialogue and reconciliation. Though firm in his belief in the ministry of the papacy, the late pope expresses some openness to the possibility of re-visioning the structure and nature of the papal office. For example, at one point John Paul invites, "church leaders and their theologians to engage with me in a patient and fraternal dialogue on this subject in which, leaving useless controversies behind, we could listen to one another, keeping before us only the will of Christ for his church" (96).
Though sadly John Paul was never able in his lifetime to grasp what many other women and men of sincere faith and conscience believe is the imperative of the Gospel to set God's lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender daughters and sons free to live fully their human dignity, I believe he did at least sense the need for a new vision of the way power and authority are exercised in the church. Rather than the often monarchical and rigidly hierarchical current model of church leadership in many places, what is needed is space for the church to continue to preach the Good News in each new generation, according to the needs of each time and place.
Although, of course, there is always need for caution and prudence as we move forward, there is likewise the imperative that comes to us from Christ himself to make the Gospel - the good news of salvation - heard again in our day (Matthew 28:19). Tragically, refusal on the part of many church leaders to set LGBT people free is just one example of how the command to preach the Good News has, in our own time, found itself frustrated and hampered precisely by the church structures that exist to promote the Gospel. Without doubt, new visions are needed in order that Christ's command to share God's love with all might come alive again in our time. For this reason, it is vitally important that the larger church - the community of disciples of Christ among the various denominations and traditions within Christianity - take up John Paul's challenge to enter into respectful dialogue and conversation and look for ways together to communicate the Good News again in our own time.
One further implication of what John Paul said deserves some attention. It appears quite clear that the pope was right to call the broader church community to dialogue over new ways to envision leadership and authority in the church. However, in the meantime, until and unless the pope, Roman Catholic bishops, bishops in other denominations, and other church leaders truly undertake what John Paul suggested, progress will be difficult if not impossible to make. This conversation and the necessary changes that will flow from it will not be easy, but at the same time they are vitally important if the message of God's love we have received from Christ himself is to continue to reach human hearts in our own day.
A further corollary of the pope's ideas relates to Christians who find themselves in church communities that do not reflect what they sincerely in conscience know to be the truth of God's love for all. Precisely because the type of church John Paul calls us to is not yet present, individuals and communities are under no obligation to stay formally within communities that discriminate against or oppress them. In other words, if John Paul's call for openness to new models of church authority was both sincere on his part and commendable from an evaluative standpoint, both of which seem clearly to be true, then it follows logically that until the new models of church authority the pope envisions emerge no one is under any binding obligation to submit to ecclesiastical authorities that would attempt to tell them their sexual attractions and the noble longings for transcendence, care for others, and sharing with God in the nurturing and promoting of life that go with them - an essential part of their being - are disordered, shameful, sinful, unnatural, or wrong. This kind of church authority, the kind that unmindfully restates doctrine without sincere consideration of the witness and experience of the prayer, scholarship, and human experience of the community - this authority is precisely the kind that must be brought into conformity once more with the demands of the Gospel, lest the Good News of God's love for all be lost amid the scandal of a church manifestly motivated more by fear than by faith, hope, or love.
For that reason, whether Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, Episcopalian, or of whatever other denomination - believers have no obligation whatsoever to obey unjust church laws or rules that only thwart the potential witness of the Gospel. Rather, as women and men charged with the imperative - in fact the moral obligation - to share the Good News, it is our sacred duty to stand up for what is right and to refuse to obey orders that can, have, and continue to frustrate the spread of the Good News.
In each of our individual lives this may look different - some of us may remain in a denomination that officially preaches discrimination because we believe God is calling us to help effect healing from within. Others may discern in conscience that we are called to worship outside the community in which we were raised in the hopes of promoting true unity through witness to the priority of the Gospel. Whatever the case may be in each of our lives, what unties us all is in fact essentially what John Paul stated in his encyclical - the knowledge that we are all called to unity in Christ and that it is God who will guide us to our goal.
May God's Spirit bless the church abundantly with gifts of courage, grace, fortitude, determination, and hope as we venture forward, confident of God's love for us and unflagging in our expectation of the gift of true unity, based in the authentic charity that roots out all fear, which God alone can give.
Peace,
Padre Chuck
Though sadly John Paul was never able in his lifetime to grasp what many other women and men of sincere faith and conscience believe is the imperative of the Gospel to set God's lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender daughters and sons free to live fully their human dignity, I believe he did at least sense the need for a new vision of the way power and authority are exercised in the church. Rather than the often monarchical and rigidly hierarchical current model of church leadership in many places, what is needed is space for the church to continue to preach the Good News in each new generation, according to the needs of each time and place.
Although, of course, there is always need for caution and prudence as we move forward, there is likewise the imperative that comes to us from Christ himself to make the Gospel - the good news of salvation - heard again in our day (Matthew 28:19). Tragically, refusal on the part of many church leaders to set LGBT people free is just one example of how the command to preach the Good News has, in our own time, found itself frustrated and hampered precisely by the church structures that exist to promote the Gospel. Without doubt, new visions are needed in order that Christ's command to share God's love with all might come alive again in our time. For this reason, it is vitally important that the larger church - the community of disciples of Christ among the various denominations and traditions within Christianity - take up John Paul's challenge to enter into respectful dialogue and conversation and look for ways together to communicate the Good News again in our own time.
One further implication of what John Paul said deserves some attention. It appears quite clear that the pope was right to call the broader church community to dialogue over new ways to envision leadership and authority in the church. However, in the meantime, until and unless the pope, Roman Catholic bishops, bishops in other denominations, and other church leaders truly undertake what John Paul suggested, progress will be difficult if not impossible to make. This conversation and the necessary changes that will flow from it will not be easy, but at the same time they are vitally important if the message of God's love we have received from Christ himself is to continue to reach human hearts in our own day.
A further corollary of the pope's ideas relates to Christians who find themselves in church communities that do not reflect what they sincerely in conscience know to be the truth of God's love for all. Precisely because the type of church John Paul calls us to is not yet present, individuals and communities are under no obligation to stay formally within communities that discriminate against or oppress them. In other words, if John Paul's call for openness to new models of church authority was both sincere on his part and commendable from an evaluative standpoint, both of which seem clearly to be true, then it follows logically that until the new models of church authority the pope envisions emerge no one is under any binding obligation to submit to ecclesiastical authorities that would attempt to tell them their sexual attractions and the noble longings for transcendence, care for others, and sharing with God in the nurturing and promoting of life that go with them - an essential part of their being - are disordered, shameful, sinful, unnatural, or wrong. This kind of church authority, the kind that unmindfully restates doctrine without sincere consideration of the witness and experience of the prayer, scholarship, and human experience of the community - this authority is precisely the kind that must be brought into conformity once more with the demands of the Gospel, lest the Good News of God's love for all be lost amid the scandal of a church manifestly motivated more by fear than by faith, hope, or love.
For that reason, whether Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, Episcopalian, or of whatever other denomination - believers have no obligation whatsoever to obey unjust church laws or rules that only thwart the potential witness of the Gospel. Rather, as women and men charged with the imperative - in fact the moral obligation - to share the Good News, it is our sacred duty to stand up for what is right and to refuse to obey orders that can, have, and continue to frustrate the spread of the Good News.
In each of our individual lives this may look different - some of us may remain in a denomination that officially preaches discrimination because we believe God is calling us to help effect healing from within. Others may discern in conscience that we are called to worship outside the community in which we were raised in the hopes of promoting true unity through witness to the priority of the Gospel. Whatever the case may be in each of our lives, what unties us all is in fact essentially what John Paul stated in his encyclical - the knowledge that we are all called to unity in Christ and that it is God who will guide us to our goal.
May God's Spirit bless the church abundantly with gifts of courage, grace, fortitude, determination, and hope as we venture forward, confident of God's love for us and unflagging in our expectation of the gift of true unity, based in the authentic charity that roots out all fear, which God alone can give.
Peace,
Padre Chuck
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Where Can I Go?
This testimony testifies to the experience of many Christians - whether Catholic, Lutheran, Episcopalian or from many other denominations. What's common to many of these stories is the tragic sense of rejection many feel in the church - the very place that should be a spiritual home and oasis for all, most especially those who are marginalized in our society. May the hopes that Pastor Susan expresses here be realized soon as more and more people awaken to the beautiful truth of God's love for all of us, whatever our sexual orientation, gender identity, nationality, or background.
Peace,
Padre Chuck
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Fighting for Families
Here is another example of a loving family adversely affected by the lack of marriage equality in California and the United States in general. I continue to pray that tolerance, understanding, and open-mindedness will prevail over fear and prejudice in all of our lives and that the powerful witness of love lived out in stories such as this might continue to touch and change hearts and minds.
Peace,
Padre Chuck
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Why Marriage Matters
Here's another excellent example of why separate but equal is just as problematic and untenable for the LGBT community as it was during the civil rights era a generation ago. As this loving couple's testimony demonstrates, being married really does make a difference - sometimes one of life and death. God grant us all the wisdom to overcome our prejudices and fears and help liberate those who are oppressed by situations like these in our society.
Peace,
Padre Chuck
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Outside the Walls
Today I'd like to reflect on a metaphor that’s come to mind lately. I’ll explain in more detail below, but it relates to the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, one of the four major basilicas of Rome and a sacred site from the earliest years of Christianity.
As I've suggested previously, there is more than one way to be "catholic" within "the church." Many people associate both of those terms with the Roman Catholic Church, and not without reason since the Roman church has a reasonable claim on participating in the living tradition of the community of believers in Christ and the orthodox faith that's been passed down to us from our ancestors in the faith.
Nevertheless, there are other ways of thinking about being "catholic" that don't necessarily always require full communion with Rome as it currently understands itself. As has been the case since the beginning of Christianity, there have been times when followers of Christ have needed to stand up to Peter and his successors and call them to fidelity to the Gospel. For example, St. Paul himself shares his experience of doing just that in his letter to the Galatians. Here, Paul actually challenges Peter "to his face" and calls him to desist from the cowardice he had demonstrated in refusing to break bread with uncircumcised fellow believers. Paul rightly reprimands Peter and calls him to proclaim once more the freedom and inclusiveness of the Gospel message.
Any number of other historical examples could be cited, but in our own time we have come to a moment collectively as a church when it is time once more to challenge Peter’s obstinacy. The current pope, Benedict XVI, both in his papacy and previously in his work as head of the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, has proved intractable in his refusal even to enter into the conversation that is needed around recognizing the full dignity of women and men who do not fit into rigid metaphors of heterosexual normativity. As a result, the church's children continue to suffer discrimination and oppression within both the church and cultures and societies that see in the Vatican's silence or outright negativity toward LGBT people a convenient pretext for perpetuating situations, institutions, and attitudes of intolerance and violence against those who are different.
For that reason, those of us who have the capacity to see the reality of this situation are called to pray and to work together for justice. We may stay officially in the Roman Catholic Church and discern ways to work for change from within. Or, we may determine through prayer and appropriate consideration that we are called to remain catholic and yet remove ourselves to a degree from the harmful pronouncements made against us by some church authorities. In doing so, those who choose this path do not necessarily betray the essential faith of the ancient church but in fact may be part of building it back up again. Only time will tell in the end, but all each of can do is discern through prayer and consultation with trusted friends in the faith, and ultimately our own consciences, what we’re called to do in our lifetime.
It’s now, then, that I come to the metaphor proposed at the beginning of this reflection. Thinking spatially about some of these points, perhaps one way to understand what we’re doing as catholic people of faith trying to stand up for LGBT dignity in the church is something akin to the geographical layout of the four major basilicas of Rome (St. Peter’s, St. John Lateran, St. Mary Major, and St. Paul Outside the Walls). The major basilicas are some of the most important churches in the world – sacred places of remembrance and tradition, most of them located within the walls of the ancient city of Rome. However, there is one of these major basilicas, St. Paul Outside the Walls, which lies just outside the walls. Symbolically for me this church feels like my home now – a place to preserve my faith and yet also inhabit a space “outside the walls” of a church authority manifestly bent on my spiritual diminishment; a place to stand in solidarity with the women and men, from St. Paul, the Basilica’s patron and namesake, down to our own present time, who continue to feel compelled in conscience to work for change in the church - to make it a dignified home for the children of God once more.
In that spirit I’d like to share a link to the Vatican’s website, with its own history of this Basilica. As the site points out, Pope Benedict himself has declared the Basilica a place of prayer for ecumenical healing and unity and in that same spirit I too pray that all of us may work for authentic unity in the church, standing up for what is right, praying for guidance, and remaining humble and open to God’s Spirit as together we heed Christ’s command to love one another as he has loved us.
Peace,
Padre Chuck
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
A Gospel Moment
This testimony speaks to the powerful potential we each possess to serve as instruments of healing and blessing for those who have been hurt or marginalized in our communities. As this story demonstrates, the healing we share is not our own but comes from the God who has loved us into being and wants to help us find peace, hope, and joy in our lives.
Padre Chuck
Monday, June 8, 2009
Indwelling Spirit
For today's blog entry I'd actually like to make a recommendation of another blog. Earlier this year I had the good fortune to meet Pastor Dan Hooper and his husband Carl and have enjoyed getting to know them and learn from them as I continue to follow my own call to ministry. Pastor Dan is a Lutheran pastor in the Los Angeles area and blogs on a variety of topics. Especially lately he's been interested in thinking about what it means to be catholic in the broader church community - a topic I've also been reflecting on and hope to continue to think about in this space.
Here is Pastor Dan's blog:
http://indwellingspirit.org
I thank Pastor Dan for his willingness to allow me to share his blog with my readers and I look forward to continuing to collaborate together in ministry and reflection.
Peace,
Padre Chuck
Here is Pastor Dan's blog:
http://indwellingspirit.org
I thank Pastor Dan for his willingness to allow me to share his blog with my readers and I look forward to continuing to collaborate together in ministry and reflection.
Peace,
Padre Chuck
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
What's At Stake
For today's reflection I'd like to share an excerpt from a recent editorial by Troy May, the editor of one of our local LGBT publications, On Magazine, here in the Bay Area. Although there's much that can be said about the ideas he shares, what stands out for me is the story he relates of what it's like for many LGBT people as we mature. Often we don't have clear role models and therefore both act out in unhealthy ways and feel that we need to hide who we are for fear of the misguided prejudices of society and some religious institutions.
Thankfully this situation is beginning gradually to change in our time. Marriage equality is a reality now in a number of countries and U.S. states and some churches and religious groups are starting to recognize the full dignity of LGBT people. However, whether we have this recognition and support or not, I think the crucial point both for ourselves and for the larger community (whether supportive or not) is that we will not back down. Whether or not we're recognized and receive justice we will continue to fight for equality. With or without the permission and blessing of religious groups or society we will build healthy, fulfilling lives that give back to the community and lend purpose and meaning to our own journeys.
This may sound a bit harsh but the reality is that even the gains we've made so far would never have happened unless those who've gone before us had had the courage to come out of the closet and stand up for what's right - often at the cost of their reputations, their standing in their families and religious traditions, and even their lives.
The price of staying in the closet and continuing to pretend is just too high - both for ourselves and others - in the toll it takes on our bodies, minds, and spirits. Now, for many of us (myself included) there are times when it's still prudent not to be fully "out," but insofar as we feel called to and our consciences direct us, it strikes me that the more willing we are to come out the more good we'll be able to accomplish both for ourselves and others. The more we affirm and celebrate who we really are the more others will have greater and greater difficulty denying that we're here, we're not going anywhere and we're ready to claim our birthright as beloved children of the God who has loved us into being.
Peace,
Padre Chuck
From Troy May (Editor, On Magazine)
May, 2009
www.onbayarea.com
Gay men are often jaded as they
grow older because of bad experiences
as young teenagers dealing with same-gender
attraction in a world filled with
homophobia. I can’t speak for women, but
for guys, many of us would sneak around
as teenagers, messing around with other
boys and never speaking a word about our
experiences.
Everything about our sexuality was
hush-hush, depriving us of experiencing
love and sex in an open environment like
most heterosexual teenagers. Instead, we
were scared to death to tell a soul that we
not only had an attraction for the same
gender but that we actually had acted on it.
Even our sex partners didn’t want to discuss
it, creating a feeling of loneliness which,
in my opinion, is one of the worse human
emotions.
During these key developmental years
our sexual dysfunction sets in, lasting into
adult life until we seek help to stop reliving
old patterns of sneaking around looking
for sex, feeling shame about our gayness,
and creating lives that lack emotional
attachment to one another.
There are so many of my gay brothers
that I want to hug, hold, and look in the
eye. Then I’d tell them they can have a
more fulfilling sexual and intimate life with
another person. But to do so they’ll need
to break away from dysfunctional patterns
and remember that today we have choices
we never had before to live open, safe, and
loving lives as gay men and women.
To love someone else we have to start
with working on ourselves, stop blaming
others, take an honest inventory of our
own hang-ups that are keeping us from
respectful relationships, get a good mental
health therapist, and start the hard work.
This process will dredge up old feelings
you’ve spent a lifetime ignoring. But, if you
stay the course and do the work, once you
reach the other side of what can be a nasty
trip over a putrid lake, you’ll be a much
happier person.
Thankfully this situation is beginning gradually to change in our time. Marriage equality is a reality now in a number of countries and U.S. states and some churches and religious groups are starting to recognize the full dignity of LGBT people. However, whether we have this recognition and support or not, I think the crucial point both for ourselves and for the larger community (whether supportive or not) is that we will not back down. Whether or not we're recognized and receive justice we will continue to fight for equality. With or without the permission and blessing of religious groups or society we will build healthy, fulfilling lives that give back to the community and lend purpose and meaning to our own journeys.
This may sound a bit harsh but the reality is that even the gains we've made so far would never have happened unless those who've gone before us had had the courage to come out of the closet and stand up for what's right - often at the cost of their reputations, their standing in their families and religious traditions, and even their lives.
The price of staying in the closet and continuing to pretend is just too high - both for ourselves and others - in the toll it takes on our bodies, minds, and spirits. Now, for many of us (myself included) there are times when it's still prudent not to be fully "out," but insofar as we feel called to and our consciences direct us, it strikes me that the more willing we are to come out the more good we'll be able to accomplish both for ourselves and others. The more we affirm and celebrate who we really are the more others will have greater and greater difficulty denying that we're here, we're not going anywhere and we're ready to claim our birthright as beloved children of the God who has loved us into being.
Peace,
Padre Chuck
From Troy May (Editor, On Magazine)
May, 2009
www.onbayarea.com
Gay men are often jaded as they
grow older because of bad experiences
as young teenagers dealing with same-gender
attraction in a world filled with
homophobia. I can’t speak for women, but
for guys, many of us would sneak around
as teenagers, messing around with other
boys and never speaking a word about our
experiences.
Everything about our sexuality was
hush-hush, depriving us of experiencing
love and sex in an open environment like
most heterosexual teenagers. Instead, we
were scared to death to tell a soul that we
not only had an attraction for the same
gender but that we actually had acted on it.
Even our sex partners didn’t want to discuss
it, creating a feeling of loneliness which,
in my opinion, is one of the worse human
emotions.
During these key developmental years
our sexual dysfunction sets in, lasting into
adult life until we seek help to stop reliving
old patterns of sneaking around looking
for sex, feeling shame about our gayness,
and creating lives that lack emotional
attachment to one another.
There are so many of my gay brothers
that I want to hug, hold, and look in the
eye. Then I’d tell them they can have a
more fulfilling sexual and intimate life with
another person. But to do so they’ll need
to break away from dysfunctional patterns
and remember that today we have choices
we never had before to live open, safe, and
loving lives as gay men and women.
To love someone else we have to start
with working on ourselves, stop blaming
others, take an honest inventory of our
own hang-ups that are keeping us from
respectful relationships, get a good mental
health therapist, and start the hard work.
This process will dredge up old feelings
you’ve spent a lifetime ignoring. But, if you
stay the course and do the work, once you
reach the other side of what can be a nasty
trip over a putrid lake, you’ll be a much
happier person.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Passing On Our Faith
In addition to my own continuing reflections on the church, I'd also like to introduce a series of video testimonies that touch on the sort of church or community of faith we wish to leave to our daughters and sons in the faith.
The context for many of the videos I'll be sharing is an upcoming vote later this summer by the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America), one of the most prominent voices for peace and social justice within the broader Christian church but one that till now has yet to fully recognize the dignity of the LGBT community.
As this testimony by Jeremy Posadas demonstrates, what many of us are longing for is a church that those who follow us in the faith deserve - one in which young people can grow up and be affirmed as they are and thereby empowered to share live fully the Christian life.
Blessings,
Padre Chuck
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