I came across the following article recently on the struggle in Argentina for recognition of LGBT rights. Living in Mexico this year, it's been inspiring to see how women and men here are standing up for themselves and their communities and claiming their rights. There's still so much to do but each small victory is a step along the way to equality and full dignity for all.
Peace,
Padre Chuck
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Dos gringos en México
This past Friday I had the opportunity to attend a workshop here in Mexico City offered by the well-known U.S. evangelical preacher and author Max Lucado. I was invited by the Bible study group I attend weekly and thought that it might be a good opportunity to go out together as a group and perhaps learn something at the workshop as well. I'm pretty sure Pastor Lucado and I were the only non-Mexicans there and it was quite interesting to witness the enthusiasm of the audience for this tall, English-speaking preacher from Texas.
Researching and learning a little more about Max Lucado in preparing to attend, I was saddened to learn that unfortunately he seems to be a leading, vocal opponent of same-sex marriage in the U.S. As the following article from his website demonstrates, Max Lucado and many other religious leaders like him continue to live in fear of what it might look like to change their views and contemplate life in ways a little different from what they're used to.
Let me be clear. I actually found much of what Max Lucado said in his presentation to be quite helpful. His topic was "living without fear" and he had some great ideas, among them meditating with the image of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemani and taking inspiration from Christ's approach to confronting fear in his own life. Nevertheless, what struck me as highly ironic was that even as Pastor Lucado preached to us about overcoming fear, it was abundantly clear that he still has a great deal of ground to cover in transcending the fear that clearly operates in his approach to those who are different.
Others might offer a different take or explanation, but I think the reality of the situation is actually quite simple. Pastor Lucado, and others like him, are in many cases people of good will who genuinely want to serve God and often do important work of ministry in the church. Their sincerity and desire to serve are admirable, as are many of the ways they're able to reach out to those who have not yet found meaning and purpose in their lives. However, where these figures often get held up is precisely in attempting to defend their work. Rather than trusting in God, I believe these individuals sincerely think that the foundation, success, and perhaps even the very existence of the good they're able to do is predicated on maintaining the validity of their particular reading of Scripture. In other words, in the case of same-sex marriage for example, Max Lucado and others seem to believe that if their own reading of the Genesis creation story, or Soddom and Gomorrah, or Leviticus is not absolutely correct then the entire edifice of their work will collapse and all will be lost.
This, I believe, is the attitude that exists behind the rhetoric around "protecting marriage" and "defending family values." What's unfortunate, however, is that such attitudes actually indulge in the very same tendencies that give in to fear, which Max Lucado himself warned against in his talk. According to Pastor Lucado, fear is when you think the world is out of control. You then respond to that fear either by escaping into destructive behavior or attempting to control the world and your surroundings. However, he made the point that this latter attitude only makes us tyrants and hard to live with and in fact leads to harmful consequences. Pastor Lucado then went on to point out that no fewer than 21 times in the Gospels does Jesus command us not to be afraid, and that we are called to trust in Jesus and remember that God is greater than our fears. Tragically, many Christians and other religious people, including Pastor Lucado, have still have not fully grasped their own message, often precisely with the harmful and destructive consequences for others that Pastor Lucado refers to.
To be fair, if we're honest probably all of us need to hear this news repeatedly throughout our lives. We're never done with the task of overcoming our fears and learning to trust in God. My only wish is that those who claim to speak in God's name would examine their own lives from time to time and recognize their own weaknesses and susceptibility to fear. Perhaps if this happened more often ministers such as Max Lucado, while continuing to do God's work, would also find the courage within to break free from tired conceptions about Scripture and allow God to guide them to new understandings.
In the end, perhaps what all of us fear the most but what is most essential for us to understand is that, like Jesus, overcoming fear and truly living in trust will mean there will some dying to do along the way before we come to the resurrection and the new life and hope and promise that await us on the other side of our fears.
Peace and blessings,
Padre Chuck
Researching and learning a little more about Max Lucado in preparing to attend, I was saddened to learn that unfortunately he seems to be a leading, vocal opponent of same-sex marriage in the U.S. As the following article from his website demonstrates, Max Lucado and many other religious leaders like him continue to live in fear of what it might look like to change their views and contemplate life in ways a little different from what they're used to.
Let me be clear. I actually found much of what Max Lucado said in his presentation to be quite helpful. His topic was "living without fear" and he had some great ideas, among them meditating with the image of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemani and taking inspiration from Christ's approach to confronting fear in his own life. Nevertheless, what struck me as highly ironic was that even as Pastor Lucado preached to us about overcoming fear, it was abundantly clear that he still has a great deal of ground to cover in transcending the fear that clearly operates in his approach to those who are different.
Others might offer a different take or explanation, but I think the reality of the situation is actually quite simple. Pastor Lucado, and others like him, are in many cases people of good will who genuinely want to serve God and often do important work of ministry in the church. Their sincerity and desire to serve are admirable, as are many of the ways they're able to reach out to those who have not yet found meaning and purpose in their lives. However, where these figures often get held up is precisely in attempting to defend their work. Rather than trusting in God, I believe these individuals sincerely think that the foundation, success, and perhaps even the very existence of the good they're able to do is predicated on maintaining the validity of their particular reading of Scripture. In other words, in the case of same-sex marriage for example, Max Lucado and others seem to believe that if their own reading of the Genesis creation story, or Soddom and Gomorrah, or Leviticus is not absolutely correct then the entire edifice of their work will collapse and all will be lost.
This, I believe, is the attitude that exists behind the rhetoric around "protecting marriage" and "defending family values." What's unfortunate, however, is that such attitudes actually indulge in the very same tendencies that give in to fear, which Max Lucado himself warned against in his talk. According to Pastor Lucado, fear is when you think the world is out of control. You then respond to that fear either by escaping into destructive behavior or attempting to control the world and your surroundings. However, he made the point that this latter attitude only makes us tyrants and hard to live with and in fact leads to harmful consequences. Pastor Lucado then went on to point out that no fewer than 21 times in the Gospels does Jesus command us not to be afraid, and that we are called to trust in Jesus and remember that God is greater than our fears. Tragically, many Christians and other religious people, including Pastor Lucado, have still have not fully grasped their own message, often precisely with the harmful and destructive consequences for others that Pastor Lucado refers to.
To be fair, if we're honest probably all of us need to hear this news repeatedly throughout our lives. We're never done with the task of overcoming our fears and learning to trust in God. My only wish is that those who claim to speak in God's name would examine their own lives from time to time and recognize their own weaknesses and susceptibility to fear. Perhaps if this happened more often ministers such as Max Lucado, while continuing to do God's work, would also find the courage within to break free from tired conceptions about Scripture and allow God to guide them to new understandings.
In the end, perhaps what all of us fear the most but what is most essential for us to understand is that, like Jesus, overcoming fear and truly living in trust will mean there will some dying to do along the way before we come to the resurrection and the new life and hope and promise that await us on the other side of our fears.
Peace and blessings,
Padre Chuck
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Another Compelling Testimony
This additional video testimony from a family in Maine demonstrates the importance to real people and real families of preserving marriage equality where it's already legal and continuing to fight for it elsewhere.
Peace,
Padre Chuck
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Keeping Equality in Maine
Unfortunately I haven't had as much time to blog lately as I would like but I did want to include this video from the organization, Protect Maine Equality, which is working to defeat Proposition 1 in Maine. As in California last year, forces of fear and ignorance are once again trying to take away hard-won rights in our community. However, hopefully the people of Maine will do the right thing and preserve marriage equality in their state.
This particular testimonial, from a parent, testifies to the power of love within families. I'm convinced that the more stories such as these are told the more hearts and minds will be changed and freedom and equality for LGBT people will continue to move forward.
Peace,
Padre Chuck
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