Going to the Source

For today's reflection I'd like to share a compelling video interview with Rodney Powell, a pioneer not only in the LGBT movement but also in the fight for equality for African-Americans in the 1950s and 60s. The video and the following brief biography of Powell are provided by Soulforce, an interdenominational religious organization dedicated to eradicating violence and prejudice through non-violent action:

"Rodney Powell is a gay, African American, who has lived in Hawaii since 1976 with his partner of 30 years. While a medical student at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee during the years 1957-61, as a student protest leader in the African American Civil Rights Movement, Rodney had the privilege and honor to learn and apply the philosophy and strategies of love and nonviolence under the guidance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and other dedicated ministers of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference" (Source: http://www.soulforce.org/article/rodney-powell-video).

As Rodney Powell says, we need to get to the source of much of the prejudice directed against LGBT people - namely, the misuse of scripture and religious belief in the service of intolerance and bigotry. Only as we each stand up in the ways we feel called to and speak the truth in love will this situation begin to change in our communities, our churches and places of worship, and our world.

Peace,
Padre Chuck