From Barney Frank on Larry King via Fr. Jake as seen on Mad Priest! (Giving new meaning to "those whose lives are closely linked to ours! :)
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
All Saints Church enters Nat'l Health Care Debate
“When we turn our backs to the sick we have turned our backs to God,” says All Saints rector, Ed BaconContinuing its long time commitment to engaging social justice issues, All Saints Church, Pasadena will open its doors to members of the community to participate in “40 Minutes for Health Reform” -- a national call-in and audio webcast on Wednesday, August 19 at 2 p.m. PDT featuring President Obama and faith leaders from across the country.
“Jesus repeatedly told his followers to ‘heal the sick,’ said the Reverend J. Edwin Bacon, rector of All Saints Church. “When we turn our backs to the sick we have turned our backs to God.”
Led by Faith in Public Life, 40 Days for Health Reform is an effort organized by the faith community – including the Episcopal Church, the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, Sojourners, the National Council of Churches in Christ, and Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good -- to make clear to Congress that quality, affordable health care for every American family is a moral priority for millions of people of faith.
“This is a justice issue which President Obama will engage with religious leaders Wednesday. Our nation cannot be healthy until every one of us has health care,” Bacon went on to say. “All Saints Church, Pasadena, has a passionate interest in Health Care Reform because 47 million citizens are without health insurance. I am personally supportive of a public option that will offer an opportunity to all citizens to be covered just as U.S. employees, military personnel, veterans, and Medicare and Medicaid patients are covered by a government program.”
Members of the All Saints Church staff and parish will be available for comment following the webcast.
Click here for further information on “40 Days for Health Reform.”
For more information on the All Saints Church webcast, contact Amanda McCormick at 626.583.2765..
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Meanwhile, in Minnesota ...
Today is a "hiatus from vacation" day as I've got several conference calls and then am going over to All Saints to be part of the Obama Health Care Faith Leaders teleconference event. (More on that in a moment.)
Meanwhile in Minnesota, the Lutheran Church is poised to make decisions about LGBT clergy ... and I thought these two items worth passing on to all y'all.
=====
First: Walking With Integrity has just posted this link to "One Table, Many Blessings" -- an Evangelical Lutheran Church in America witness to the stories of its gay and lesbian pastors. In it, 95 members of the Lutheran clergy — a number that references Martin Luther’s 95 Theses — announce that they are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender. The booklet shares how the ban on openly gay clergy has affected their lives.
Second: Sorting through my "Google News Alerts" this morning, I came across this reflection by documentary filmmaker Dawn Mikkelson on the journey toward inclusion in her own Lutheran Church. It is WELL worth the read ... and has gotten me thinking about an ecumenical Q-Film Festival where we could learn from each other in the films that are giving voice to the Holy Spirit moving across the whole church of God.
"Seeking a God who loves us for who we are"
by Dawn Mikkelson
August 19, 2009
In 2001, I stood in the balcony of a St. Paul Lutheran church as the Rev. Anita C. Hill was ordained in an act of ecclesiastical disobedience. Standing there with my little video camera, with mainstream media on either side, elbowing for a view of the packed church, I fought back tears.
I needed to get this shot for my documentary film, "THIS obedience," directed with Jamie A. Lee. Hill was my pastor, openly lesbian and in a committed relationship, which meant that her ordination would prompt official church sanctions against our congregation.
The rules of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America state that pastors must refrain from "homosexual sexual relationships," while their straight counterparts may enjoy the support and love of a lifelong partnership.
I have made other films, but screenings of this one often lead me to weep publicly during audience Q&As.
Today, more than eight years later, I prepare to set up my camera at the Minneapolis Convention Center, where the ELCA has gathered again to debate the fate of my pastor's call and the future of one of the country's largest Christian denominations.
I watch nervously as groups from both sides of this issue scurry about, preparing for the structured chaos of floor debate, tethered by Robert's Rules.
Lutherans believe that congregations have the final say in decisions about whom to call as pastors, rather than having to defer to the opinions of powerful clergy leadership.
That said, this measured democracy comes at the price of generations of potential members and clergy who silently leave because the denomination sees their lives, or the lives of people they love (family, friends, etc.) as an issue to debate instead of bless.
What's my stake in this? I was raised Conservative Fundamentalist Baptist and had run from organized religion since my early 20s, largely due to the rejection I felt within a faith that erred on the side of rigid doctrine instead of focusing on grace and love. This division was particularly painful for me, as my Christian faith was the lens through which I first viewed the world.
As a Christian, I was raised to believe that my relationship with God (which at that point was housed in a Baptist church building) was more important than any relationship I had on this earth with friends, family, lovers or myself.
Yet as I discovered myself to be bisexual, the faith that had been my strength began to tear me apart. It was like God himself was rejecting me.
Beyond the debate over scripture (which has divided biblical scholars on all sides), I have come to believe that God loves me and that my sexuality is a gift. I have also become a member of the Lutheran Church (some find this ironic, but my new church is more liberal than the one I left).
Part of this journey was influenced by making "THIS obedience," which was broadcast across the United States on public television. The film ends with the Lutherans deciding that they needed to "study" homosexuals for a few more years before making any big decisions.
Today the study is done. The ELCA Church Council is recommending a sexuality statement that would allow for ministers to be in public, same-gender, committed relationships without fear of losing their jobs or seeing their congregations removed from the denomination, which has happened to dozens of pastors in recent years. For the first time in years, I have felt hope for organized religion.
So if the Lutherans make this decision, so what? Will it change the world? Maybe not exponentially.
But it will mean that untold numbers of adolescent kids who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or questioning will see that there is a place for them in this world and with God. That the foundation of their life and world view has not rejected them. That the church, sometimes the biggest weapon used against them and their view of themselves, says, "We love you and accept you."
This does not mean that all Christians -- or all Lutherans, for that matter -- need to agree on one biblical interpretation. But it does mean that God is much bigger than all of us and that none of us have all the answers, nor can we claim to know whom God has and has not called to the ministry. All we know for sure is that God loves us for who we are, not in spite of who we are.
It's thoughts like that one that will change the world. And for the little kid in me -- maybe she will heal a bit too.
Meanwhile in Minnesota, the Lutheran Church is poised to make decisions about LGBT clergy ... and I thought these two items worth passing on to all y'all.
=====
First: Walking With Integrity has just posted this link to "One Table, Many Blessings" -- an Evangelical Lutheran Church in America witness to the stories of its gay and lesbian pastors. In it, 95 members of the Lutheran clergy — a number that references Martin Luther’s 95 Theses — announce that they are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender. The booklet shares how the ban on openly gay clergy has affected their lives.
Second: Sorting through my "Google News Alerts" this morning, I came across this reflection by documentary filmmaker Dawn Mikkelson on the journey toward inclusion in her own Lutheran Church. It is WELL worth the read ... and has gotten me thinking about an ecumenical Q-Film Festival where we could learn from each other in the films that are giving voice to the Holy Spirit moving across the whole church of God.
"Seeking a God who loves us for who we are"
by Dawn Mikkelson
August 19, 2009
In 2001, I stood in the balcony of a St. Paul Lutheran church as the Rev. Anita C. Hill was ordained in an act of ecclesiastical disobedience. Standing there with my little video camera, with mainstream media on either side, elbowing for a view of the packed church, I fought back tears.
I needed to get this shot for my documentary film, "THIS obedience," directed with Jamie A. Lee. Hill was my pastor, openly lesbian and in a committed relationship, which meant that her ordination would prompt official church sanctions against our congregation.
The rules of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America state that pastors must refrain from "homosexual sexual relationships," while their straight counterparts may enjoy the support and love of a lifelong partnership.
I have made other films, but screenings of this one often lead me to weep publicly during audience Q&As.
Today, more than eight years later, I prepare to set up my camera at the Minneapolis Convention Center, where the ELCA has gathered again to debate the fate of my pastor's call and the future of one of the country's largest Christian denominations.
I watch nervously as groups from both sides of this issue scurry about, preparing for the structured chaos of floor debate, tethered by Robert's Rules.
Lutherans believe that congregations have the final say in decisions about whom to call as pastors, rather than having to defer to the opinions of powerful clergy leadership.
That said, this measured democracy comes at the price of generations of potential members and clergy who silently leave because the denomination sees their lives, or the lives of people they love (family, friends, etc.) as an issue to debate instead of bless.
What's my stake in this? I was raised Conservative Fundamentalist Baptist and had run from organized religion since my early 20s, largely due to the rejection I felt within a faith that erred on the side of rigid doctrine instead of focusing on grace and love. This division was particularly painful for me, as my Christian faith was the lens through which I first viewed the world.
As a Christian, I was raised to believe that my relationship with God (which at that point was housed in a Baptist church building) was more important than any relationship I had on this earth with friends, family, lovers or myself.
Yet as I discovered myself to be bisexual, the faith that had been my strength began to tear me apart. It was like God himself was rejecting me.
Beyond the debate over scripture (which has divided biblical scholars on all sides), I have come to believe that God loves me and that my sexuality is a gift. I have also become a member of the Lutheran Church (some find this ironic, but my new church is more liberal than the one I left).
Part of this journey was influenced by making "THIS obedience," which was broadcast across the United States on public television. The film ends with the Lutherans deciding that they needed to "study" homosexuals for a few more years before making any big decisions.
Today the study is done. The ELCA Church Council is recommending a sexuality statement that would allow for ministers to be in public, same-gender, committed relationships without fear of losing their jobs or seeing their congregations removed from the denomination, which has happened to dozens of pastors in recent years. For the first time in years, I have felt hope for organized religion.
So if the Lutherans make this decision, so what? Will it change the world? Maybe not exponentially.
But it will mean that untold numbers of adolescent kids who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or questioning will see that there is a place for them in this world and with God. That the foundation of their life and world view has not rejected them. That the church, sometimes the biggest weapon used against them and their view of themselves, says, "We love you and accept you."
This does not mean that all Christians -- or all Lutherans, for that matter -- need to agree on one biblical interpretation. But it does mean that God is much bigger than all of us and that none of us have all the answers, nor can we claim to know whom God has and has not called to the ministry. All we know for sure is that God loves us for who we are, not in spite of who we are.
It's thoughts like that one that will change the world. And for the little kid in me -- maybe she will heal a bit too.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
On the radio
If you click here you can here a 60 minute segment from this morning's MPR (Minnesota Public Radio) Midmorning featuring Titusonenine's Kendall Harmon, Religion News Service's Kevin Eckstrom ... and me!
Monday, August 17, 2009
Homeward Bound!
Just a quick update from the Nashville Airport where I'm waiting to fly home from a visit with my below-illustrated boys (that would be Jim on the left and Brian on the right ... pictured visiting with "Honest Abe" at the Kentucky Museum in Bowling Green KY.)
Grateful for a good visit ... for fireflies and time to just "hang out" ... AND to be heading home again. Onward and upward! :)
.
Grateful for a good visit ... for fireflies and time to just "hang out" ... AND to be heading home again. Onward and upward! :).
Thursday, August 13, 2009
"Let us hope it does not become widely known"
"Descended from the apes? Dear me, let us hope it is not true," exclaimed the wife of a 19th-century English bishop upon hearing of Darwin's new theory. "But if it is true, let us hope it does not become widely known."
Couldn't resist sharing this quote from a recent USA Today opinion piece on evolution ... pointing out how much a part of the English DNA "if we just don't talk about it, maybe it'll go away" may just to be!
[Posted from the airport in Las Vegas on my way to Bowling Green KY via Nashville to see my boys for the weekend.]
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
On the B033 Bridge to Nowhere & Town Hall Melees
So I got up early (for a vacation day, that is!) to log on to Southwest and do the online check in thing for my flight to Nashville tomorrow morning. Was rewarded with both an "A" boarding pass and the chance to hear Justice Sotomayor from the White House. What a hopeful reminder of who we are at our best -- in contrast to those increasingly absurd "town hall melees."
And as long as I was up, checked out Facebook where my friend Pam had posted this link to this blog post over at the Bilerico Project.
It's called "Cry Me A River:"
=====
I'm not smiling at the misfortune of the fundies. Really, I'm not.
The good folks over at Amplify got a pleading letter from Focus on the Fundraising... er... "Focus on the Family" whining about the hard economic times and what looks to be a 6 Million Dollar budget shortfall:
I'm shedding a tear ...
Maybe if they didn't spend so much money on anti-LGBT ballot initiatives or lining the pockets of their founder and board (I wonder what verse in the Bible that comes from), they wouldn't be in such a pickle. They have thrown multi-millions into every ballot battle across the country- from California's Prop 8 to Florida's Amendment 2.
Forgive me if I do a happy dance at their money woes.
====
And forgive me if I take this opportunity to "bookmark" this one for the next time someone tells me/emails me/refers-me-to-a-blog that blames budget shortfalls in The Episcopal Church on our "liberal agenda."
Remember that cigar that is sometimes "just a cigar"???? Sometimes a sucky economy is just a sucky economy -- but never underestimate the determination of the misinformation mavens to refuse to allow actual facts to influence their already made up minds. And I'm thinking this morning that there's a parallel between the acting out we've seen in the Town Hall Melees and some of the behavior we've been living with in the Anglican Communion over these last few years.
Every night the news is full of reports on those who show up at meetings designed to discuss solutions to health care in America prepared to shout down solutions with slogans that perpetuate both polarization and misinformation. ("Socialized Medicine" and "Killing Your Grandma" come to mind.)
Substitute the full inclusion of the LGBT baptized in the Body of Christ and you get a similar methodology ("Abandoning the Faith Once Received" and "Undermining the Sanctity of Marriage" come to mind.)
The sad truth is none of these folks want solutions -- to the issues that challenge us as Americans OR as Anglicans. They want to shout down "the opposition" to keep compromise from happening or coalitions from forming.
It took The Episcopal Church awhile to figure that one out -- but what I'm wondering this morning is if B033 won't be looked at in retrospect as "the bridge to nowhere" that finally called the question on continuing to tolerate intolerance. And what I'm hoping this morning is that maybe -- just maybe -- these Town Hall Meetings/Melees will prove the same.
Because I really believe we are better, brighter, stronger and more capable of solving problems as a nation than our recent history has demonstrated. And -- as Justice Sotomayor said from the White House today -- if a Puerto Rican girl from the Bronx can grow up to be a Supreme Court Justice then maybe there's nothing we can't do!
And I'm thinking that includes making health care available to all who need it in this country AND making God's love tangible to all who seek it in this church!
.
And as long as I was up, checked out Facebook where my friend Pam had posted this link to this blog post over at the Bilerico Project.
It's called "Cry Me A River:"
=====
I'm not smiling at the misfortune of the fundies. Really, I'm not.The good folks over at Amplify got a pleading letter from Focus on the Fundraising... er... "Focus on the Family" whining about the hard economic times and what looks to be a 6 Million Dollar budget shortfall:
"Right now we're facing a serious budget shortfall that threatens our ability to reach out to parents, families and married couples who count on our help. Income is down nearly $6 million from what we expected and planned for this year."
I'm shedding a tear ...
Maybe if they didn't spend so much money on anti-LGBT ballot initiatives or lining the pockets of their founder and board (I wonder what verse in the Bible that comes from), they wouldn't be in such a pickle. They have thrown multi-millions into every ballot battle across the country- from California's Prop 8 to Florida's Amendment 2.
Forgive me if I do a happy dance at their money woes.
====
And forgive me if I take this opportunity to "bookmark" this one for the next time someone tells me/emails me/refers-me-to-a-blog that blames budget shortfalls in The Episcopal Church on our "liberal agenda."
Remember that cigar that is sometimes "just a cigar"???? Sometimes a sucky economy is just a sucky economy -- but never underestimate the determination of the misinformation mavens to refuse to allow actual facts to influence their already made up minds. And I'm thinking this morning that there's a parallel between the acting out we've seen in the Town Hall Melees and some of the behavior we've been living with in the Anglican Communion over these last few years.
Every night the news is full of reports on those who show up at meetings designed to discuss solutions to health care in America prepared to shout down solutions with slogans that perpetuate both polarization and misinformation. ("Socialized Medicine" and "Killing Your Grandma" come to mind.)
Substitute the full inclusion of the LGBT baptized in the Body of Christ and you get a similar methodology ("Abandoning the Faith Once Received" and "Undermining the Sanctity of Marriage" come to mind.)
The sad truth is none of these folks want solutions -- to the issues that challenge us as Americans OR as Anglicans. They want to shout down "the opposition" to keep compromise from happening or coalitions from forming.
It took The Episcopal Church awhile to figure that one out -- but what I'm wondering this morning is if B033 won't be looked at in retrospect as "the bridge to nowhere" that finally called the question on continuing to tolerate intolerance. And what I'm hoping this morning is that maybe -- just maybe -- these Town Hall Meetings/Melees will prove the same.
Because I really believe we are better, brighter, stronger and more capable of solving problems as a nation than our recent history has demonstrated. And -- as Justice Sotomayor said from the White House today -- if a Puerto Rican girl from the Bronx can grow up to be a Supreme Court Justice then maybe there's nothing we can't do!
And I'm thinking that includes making health care available to all who need it in this country AND making God's love tangible to all who seek it in this church!
.
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