Healing from Prop 8

Yesterday was a busy day for many leaders in the faith community. For those of us who serve congregations with Gay and Lesbian parishioners, it was a day of tending torn hearts, and helping people find their voice. For those in the Yes on 8 campaign, it was celebrating that discrimination could be so easily written into a state constitution to protect heterosexual superiority in California.

My day began with an Interfaith prayer service at St. Francis Lutheran Church in San Francisco, where we were encouraged to be hopeful and peaceful, whatever decision came down from the California Supreme Court. We then marched together, singing songs down to the Supreme Court building. There were already hundreds of people there by then, with signs both pro and con. So, we kept singing, supporting those present whose actual relationships were being decided upon by the court.

I was hopeful that the Supreme Court would invalidate Prop 8, as I believe they should have before the election. But their decision on the narrowest portion of the question of the referendum created three classes of people in California. Heterosexual couples, same-gender loving couples (who were fortunate enough to get married while available), and those same-gender loving couples who would like to marry but now cannot do so. Will these couples really have all the same protections of their rights that the other two classes now enjoy? They will not be able to file joint tax returns in California, though married same-gender loving couples are still not able to file jointly on their federal taxes. One married Lesbian friend mentioned how difficult it is to file taxes when they have to be prepared multiple ways to fill out the forms correctly.

The other item lost in the conversation is the portability of marriage rights. While an increasing number of states recognize the marriages of all from other states, for couples traveling in those that do not means that they go without hospital visitation rights or prepare a half-an inch thick wad of paper documentation to keep with them wherever they go. This is why genuine Marriage Equality will not be fully achieved until this civil right is recognized by the Federal Government.

So in the meantime, as a pastor, I find my role is two pronged. I must be available for my gay and lesbian parishioners during this time of grief and anger, and I must lend my voice and position to calling this country – and my denomination – to accept the full humanity of every citizen and member. This is why I joined the civil disobedience in the streets of San Francisco after the decision was made public. If the church cannot stand up for its own members and families, then how can we call ourselves the followers of Jesus of Nazareth. I am sure that there are those who don't understand why anyone would do this – or what difference this will every make – but at least I can sleep at night knowing where I was on that day. I was listening to the stories, hearing the pain, and walking in solidarity with those that the well-funded Christian Fundamentalists want to strip of their humanity. There is another way to follow in Christ's footsteps, and that is the way of the outcast, the foreigners, and the aliens.

Below is a brief video from the Contra Costa Times, which did an article on the different responses around the county. After this brief time out on the street, our group of 30 or so went into the church and had an opportunity to share about how it felt to hear the news. People who haven't set foot in a Christian church in years decided to join us for the conversation, because we decided to be the church and provide a sanctuary for them.

The Pope and Condoms

The Pope commented on condoms during his recent trip to Africa. But saying that the use of condoms contributes to the spread of HIV AIDS is just plain irresponsible. Perhaps even Jesus is against such unscientific malarky.



Instead of being afraid of sex, perhaps it is time for the church (Protestant and Catholic) to make peace with human sexuality. One way to do so would be for the Pope to recognize that of all the commandments in the scriptures, the only one we have kept is "be fruitful and multiply." In fact, we have been so good at keeping this command, while ignoring the others like caring for the poor, the widows, and orphans, that 33,000 children die each day of hunger and waterborne illnesses. If we were to celebrate how well we have filled the earth, perhaps we could focus our energy on reducing the number of children we have - to spend more time with them. If we recognize that the gift of our sexuality provides an intimacy that is essential to human flourishing, we could reclaim the beauty of our sexuality. Then protecting our sexual partners with the use of a condom would be seen as an act of love and respect, not as a threat to a biblical mandate we have already kept.

What do you think?

Against Gay Marriage? Don't Get One.

Last Sunday we talked about Gay Marriage in our Adult Ed Sunday School class. We recognized that people come at the question from many different angles and social locations, including: the scriptures, linguistic arguments (accepted definitions of the term marriage), a place of fear of otherness, sociological, psychological, anthropological, biological (nature/nurture debate), but mostly we have heard cultural arguments (both religiously cultural and socially cultural).

Now, one of the arguments we didn't hear was this one made by Portia De Rossi, Ellen Degeneres' partner. Have fun with it, it was on Jimmy Kimmel live.

Irony of Gaza

Lately, I have run into multiple interfaith circumstances that have become fraught with tension around the issue of Gaza. Sometimes this is because one party wishes to enforce the language of their understanding of the conflict – usually in defense of the military strikes of their religious or ethnic compatriots. This has been true of Jewish friends who insist that Israel was reacting to previous strikes from Hamas. It is hard for them to hear that I was leaving Tel Aviv the day that Israel broke the cease fire (Nov. 4th). And why does such arguments always focus on Hamas when other groups in Gaza, including Islamic Jihad and others, have been firing rockets into southern Israel.

On the other hand, some Muslim and Christian friends have been responding with their own reactions to the conflict. Some are hypersensitive to any statement about the conflict, including any criticism of Palestinian armed resistance such as the firing of rockets. Others are just as sensitive about who started the Gaza conflict, or insist that the disproportionality of those wounded and killed on both sides proves which side is right.

Both people are indigenous to the region. Both people have been traumatized. And the future hope of a settlement depends just as much on the U.S. becoming an honest broker for peace. Polemical statements against Hamas because they don't recognize the right of Israel to exist never question why Israel has never recognized the right of a Palestinian state to exist. Those who have been there know that the growth of Settlements in the West Bank and the cordoning off and siege of Gaza make a viable Palestinian state impossible. But until a negotiated, just peace is restored both peoples will continue to live in conflict: and until there is genuine hope for a peaceful resolution, perhaps we who have loved ones on every side of the conflict need to learn how to live out support for every victim of the conflict - especially the nonviolent civilians caught in between.

Here is a video from a Jewish friend in Israel called "Closed Zone":

Happy Evolution Week!

This week we celebrate the scientific discoveries of Charles Darwin. While we have learned much since his time, Darwin's insights into the universe have provided a paradigm shift not only about human origins, but also about the ongoing process of discovering the meaning of human life.

As you watched The Simpsons clip above, did you find anything close to your view of evolution? For you, is evolution consistent with being a Christian? If so, how have you come to terms with such a reconciliation? Sure, there are those who would say that the two are irreconcilable - among them are some atheists and most biblical literalists. Isn't it interesting that in the last 200 years that most people have begun reading the Bible through scientific lenses – and either write it off completely or attempt to defend it against all attacks. But that raises an important question: Did the pre-modern writers of the Bible really set out to make a scientific explanation for the beginning of the world? I don't believe so. What if those writers were more interested in battling against the Babylonian creation myth with an adapted Hebrew creation myth (Gen. 1-2:1a). Or what if those earlier writers desired to explain the human predicament - why do we die and why we do bad things – with a story that shows all the evidence of being told for generations over campfires (Gen. 2:2b-3).

So what happens when we take such stories as historical fact? First we have a lot of explaining to do, because the biblical narrative doesn't provide a historically verifiable timetable. The universe is much older than described in the pages of the Bible, and since Copernicus we have known that the world is not flat with a dome or firmament as a sky as suggested in Gen. 1. And it is difficult to locate a garden of eden when only three of the four rivers are known. The language of the Hebrew text suggests a metaphorical reading, rather than a literal reading as well.

So the real questions is what do the stories mean? For the Priestly writer of Gen. 1, the high Hebrew poetry emphasizes the 7th day - the Sabbath – with a series of "chiasmus" or parallelisms, if I can call them that. Day one corresponds with day four - light to sun, and darkness to the moon. Day two corresponds with day five – separation of air and water with the filling of both with birds and fish. Day three corresponds with day six – separation of land and water and the creation of plants (before the sun by the way - not consistent with evolution) – and then the filling of of the land with animals and the apex of creation being humanity, which are created for the seventh day, the Sabbath. If you have ever read the Gilgamesh Epic, then you know that this story is a polemic against the Babylonian creation myth that said that humans were created to be the slaves of the gods - not the apex of the animal kingdom, with consciousness to boot.

The Jawhist - King David's scribe who put that ancient fireside tale of Gen. 2-3 into writing – uses many word plays as he tells his tale. In this story, creation happens the other way, with humanity created before the animals. The human being – adam – literally an earthling – is formed from the earth – adamah. The earthling is then divided into a man and woman after the animals don't provided a needed helpmate. They are placed in a place of spontaneous production of food, but when they pretend to be gods themselves by eating of the tree they are expelled from God's presence to a life of labor and pain. We aren't told that they couldn't die, but it is inferred with their expulsion. In some forms of Jewish mysticism and Gnostic Christian thought, returning to that unity enjoyed by the first earthling is the point of human existence. But unfortunately, most Western Christians read this tale through the eyes of the 4th century Bishop of Hippo St. Augustine, who invented the theology of "original sin" – which is foreign to both Eastern Christian and Jewish thought.

So, what if we were to think of the universe – and our place within it – in terms of evolution? Life is a process. We see our own lives in terms of an evolutionary process of learning and growing and adapting. If the universe has been evolving over the last 13 billion years to be able to provide a habitat where human consciousness can thrive, then it may take us a while more to see and quantify jumps in human abilities during our lifetimes. Most of human evolution in the last 10,000 years has been technological, but over the last 100 years we are becoming much more visually oriented than orally oriented. Our scientific prowess continues to offer us better health care technologies and more sophisticated ways to kill each other. Perhaps the issues that the earliest writers were really writing about need fresh attention.

Sabbath keeping is a lost art in a 24-7 culture. Do we need to learn how to rest and enjoy the fruits of our labor? What would our lives be like if we consciously took more time to spend with family and enjoy God. For the last 1,000 years in the west, human weakness has been discussed in terms of guilt and innocence rather than honor and shame. What if we looked at human weakness in terms of our genetic and tribal histories. Perhaps our natural tendencies toward war, greed, and violence could be understood in the context of human nature, encouraging us to focus our energies on providing the basic needs to every human being to prevent such activity. Sexual orientations and gender identities could be understood as a part of the diversity of the human family rather than an illness or lifestyle. Maybe such an approach would take away what most divides us. Could that be why religious fundamentalists want to preserve their anachronistic interpretations of sacred texts and human nature?

Generation We

Generation WE: The Movement Begins... from Generation We on Vimeo.

You can see more about this movement at http://gen-we.org/

I am interested in hearing responses from older Americans when they see this video. While the video has some political implications, it also has some religious implications. How will the church have to change to begin to speak the language of Gen We?

Spiritual Consumerism

Have you ever wondered why your life isn't as full as those happy people that go to church on television? Would you like to find the one book that will help you become completely cheerful and fulfilled? Would you like to receive the latest spiritual gift such as “barking in the Lord” or “holy laughter” without an expensive trip to Toronto? Are you looking for the secret biblical prayer that will give you both prosperity and a full head of hair? Would you like to receive the impartation of the Holy Spirit without the hassle of a flight to Pensacola? Do you need the latest spiritual tool to feel complete? Well now it is as close as your nearest Christian Bookstore!

You need, the "Porpoise Driven Life!"



Thanks Maggie.