I'm giving up literalists for Lent

I'm behind on a number of things this year ... haven't gotten my tax stuff together yet, haven't filled out all the paperwork for the CREDO conference I'm going to in May and -- until today -- I hadn't decided what to give up for Lent.

But now I can cross one thing off the list. And it's not the taxes.

I'm giving up literalists for Lent.

Not forever. Just for Lent.

"Not forever" because I think I really AM called to engage in dialogue with those who disagree about the full inclusion of all the baptized in the Body of Christ in the Church and with those who think LGBT Americans should be second class citizens. It's part of my vocation that's both a challenge and an opportunity and I am not going to step away from that part of what I do for good.

But I am going to focus this Lent on those who are coming toward the church -- toward Jesus -- toward the Good News of God's inclusive love. I want to free up the time I spend debating & dialoguing with the "The Bible said it; I believe it; That Settles it" crowd and use it to reach out to the "I think I know enough about being a Christian not to want to be one" crowd.

I want to follow up with the literally dozens of folks who approached me Saturday night after the HRC awards dinner with moving stories, tears in their eyes, business cards in their hands and hope in their voice.

• "I used to be a Catholic ... I miss the church, but ..."


• "I'm not religious anymore but if I was I'd come to your church."


• "What times are your services? You're in Pasadena, right?"


• "You probably don't remember me but my kids were at St. Peter's when you were the chaplain there and I'm here as a straight ally. My son came out a few years ago and when he heard that Chaplain Susan was getting an award he said I had to be sure and come find you and thank you."


• "Do you have any idea how different my life would have been growing up if you had been my priest? Thank you!"


• "Do you have a card? Can I email you?"

So these are the folks who are getting my attention for what's left of the 40 days of Lent. This is the "market share" for the Good News who deserve a chance to hear that there is a place for them ... a church for them ... a God who loves them and a community that will support them in their life and journey of faith. The rest of ya'll can hash it out if you want to about who's right about what the Bible says ... or means ... or intends. In fact, let me file a few of my answers "by title" and let them stand until Easter:

• I really do hear that you believe the Bible condemns homosexuality. I do. And I read the same Bible and come to a different conclusion. Get over it.


• No. No I'm not worried about the Lake of Fire. And yes, actually, I sleep just fine at night.


• At the end of the day, I'm quite convinced how we treated each other in the process of disagreement is going count more toward the "final grade" than who won the argument.


• And speaking of arguments, repeating the same one over and over ... louder and louder ... is the "Ugly Christian" version of the "Ugly American" strategy of just speaking English louder to folks who speak other languages. Doesn't work in Milan and not going to work here.

So onward to Easter. (And our services are at 7:30, 9:00, 11:15 & 1pm every Sunday ... just in case you want to stop by! :)

HRC Equality Awards

Saturday night was "No Excuses" night here in L.A. as local equality activists gathered to support the work of HRC (Human Rights Campaign) at the annual L.A. HRC Dinner.

I was "honored to be honored" by HRC with a Community Equality Award -- along with my great friend Rabbi Denise Eger. [This is us with HRC President Joe Salmonese.]

I'll have more to say about this all later ... but for the moment, here are a few pictures from the evening and the text of my "thanks so much" remarks. There may be miles to go before we rest in the struggle for equality for LGBT Americans but there is no question we are further along that road than we would be without the tireless efforts of HRC. I'm proud to be a small part of that work as a member of the HRC Religion Council and look forward to the work we will do together moving ahead!

Thank you – and what an honor it is to receive this Equality Award from the Human Rights Campaign this evening! It is an honor made even greater by getting to stand here with Rabbi Denise Eger … who has been a friend, a mentor and a sister in the struggle.

I am so delighted that we share not only this moment of celebration of what has been accomplished but a commitment to the work that lies ahead. And before I thank anybody else, I want to thank my fearless, faithful, fabulous wife Louise … who teaches me every day the meaning of both unconditional love and how to stay on message.

I am also so deeply grateful for the unfailing support of my rector, Ed Bacon, my clergy, staff and parish colleagues. Time does not permit a longer list than that, but you must know that I stand here tonight on the shoulders of countless numbers who have worked for decades in the Episcopal Church to plant the fragile seeds of inclusion while tirelessly pulling the stubborn weeds of racism, sexism and homophobia.

God is not finished with the Episcopal Church yet, but a sign of how much has been accomplished is the presence this evening of Bishop Mary Glasspool – who is not … in spite of any rumors you may have heard … the second gay bishop in the Episcopal Church. She is actually the second one to tell the truth about being gay and still get elected – and I hope you will join me in thanking her for both her honesty and her courage!

“Set audacious goals and celebrate incremental victories” was the advice I heard years ago from an activist priest and tonight we are doing both. We are celebrating the victories of hate crime legislation passed and DADT repealed – even as we work toward the audacious goals of marriage equality, an inclusive ENDA and Just Immigration Reform … as we claim the promise that the arc of history DOES bend toward justice … that there’s no * after the “all” in liberty and justice for all that says “*unless you’re gay or lesbian/bisexual or transgender.”

The partnership between the Human Rights Campaign and faith leaders committed to LGBT justice is – dare I say it … (and if I can’t then who can?) … A MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN. Because what the Human Rights Campaign figured out is that the best antidote to the venom of the Religious Right is a mobilized, messaged Religious Left.

And the work and witness of the HRC Religion Council – begun by Harry Knox and continuing under the inspired leadership of Dr. Sharon Groves – has not only mobilized and messaged us … your generous financial support has given us a bigger microphone for our message. And our message is this:

• God doesn’t discriminate against LGBT people and our government shouldn’t either.
• Freedom of religion includes freedom from religion and nobody has the right to write their theology into our Constitution.
• And when we preach about Protecting Family Values we preach about Values that Protect ALL Families.

I believe what Jesus taught me: that the truth will set you free.

And I believe what Janis taught me: that freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose.

So tonight I believe we have nothing to lose as we recommit ourselves to the audacious goal of becoming a nation where liberty and justice for all truly means ALL – as we reconfirm the truth we hold self-evident that all people ARE created equal.

Your continued support of the Human Rights Campaign will help us all achieve that goal as partners in the work of bending that arc of history toward LGBT justice once and for all. Thank you again so very much! God bless! Shanti. Salaam. Shalom.

It was a fair question:

The other day I posted a piece I called "For the 'But the Bible Says Bunch" ... comments and links to the CNN blog by American Baptist biblical scholar Jennifer Wright Knust presenting an inclusive biblical apologetic for LGBT inclusion. (If you missed it, you can catch up here.)

It was this comment that posed the "fair question" I'm wriging about today:

Did you read Robert Gagnon's response?

Robert Gagnon is a conservative biblical scholar who wrote a response to Knust entitled "The Bible really does condemn homosexuality." My quick answer to "did you read it" was "Of course."

And ... on reflection ... I decided that fair question deserved a longer answer ... the one I posted on the CNN blog as a comment. Which was:

Gagnon falls into the rhetorical trap frequently deployed by those who presume to have the power to set the context for the dialogue with his "serious" question:

"... does the Left read significant works that disagree with pro-gay interpretations of Scripture and choose to simply ignore them?"

He leaves out a critical third option: We read your works and disagree with their conclusions. Not because we don't understand your brilliant exegesis. Not because we are so blinded by our "pro-gay" agenda that we fail to see the "Absolute Truth" of your arguments.

We've read them. Marked them, inwardly digested them ... and disagreed with them.

And if you'd like to have THAT conversation, you know where to find us.

And around and around it goes!

Mazel tov Morristown!

From my email inbox the morning: the good news for Church of the Redeemer and good news for the whole church in the call of the fearless, fabulous, faithful Cynthia Black as rector! Mazel tovs for everybody!


Church of the Redeemer Morristown calls new rector

Morristown, NJ – March 9, 2011 – Church of the Redeemer (Episcopal) in Morristown has called the Rev. Cynthia Black, D.D. to serve as the sixteenth rector of the parish. The Rev. Black succeeds the Rev. Phillip Dana Wilson who served as the rector from 1987 - 2009. She will assume her role as rector at Redeemer in June 2011.

Church of the Redeemer Morristown is a parish recognized for its strong social justice message and community involvement in Morristown and beyond. Check out our website http://www.redeemermorristown.org and click on the box 'Our New Rector' to describe our search process and the Rev. Cynthia Black.

Since September 2010, the Rev. Lisa Green has served the Church of the Redeemer as interim rector. Green has made encouraging progress in reaching out to Morristown area churches to engage other denominational leaders in dialogue, and some joint collaborative worship ventures, particularly with Bethel A.M.E. Church, Morristown. She will continue as our interim rector through May 2011.

Joanna Dewey, church warden responsible for transitional management, comments: "We have been fortunate to be the beneficiaries of the Rev. Lisa Green's calm presence, loving pastoral care, and leadership initiatives, including her outreach to several local nonprofit agencies and local church leaders. We have been blessed by her as she effectively sets the stage for continued church growth and vision under the future leadership of the Rev. Cynthia Black. This is an exciting time in the history of Church of the Redeemer, and we look forward with anticipation to the months ahead."


For questions, contact
Joanna Dewey, Warden
Church of the Redeemer
36 South Street, Morristown, NJ 07960
Phone: 973-539-0703
http://www.redeemermorristown.org/

Wisconsin Republicans Give Up Integrity For Lent

While the rest of us were getting ashes on our foreheads and making lists of what to give up for Lent, the Wisconsin state Senate on Wednesday night passed (with no debate) a new, stripped-down "budget repair bill" -- which now excludes all the fiscal elements of the original budget repair bill, and simply includes the original's provisions to roll back collective bargaining rights.

Sen. Mark Miller (D) summed it up with this: "In thirty minutes, 18 State Senators undid fifty years of civil rights in Wisconsin."

From the CNN report:

Phil Neuenfeldt, president of the state AFL-CIO, said Wednesday night's maneuver "shows that Scott Walker and the Republicans have been lying throughout this entire process."

"None of the provisions that attacked workers' rights had anything to do with the budget," Neuenfeldt said. "Losing badly in the court of public opinion and failing to break the Democratic senators' principled stand, Scott Walker and the GOP have eviscerated both the letter and the spirit of the law and our democratic process to ram through their payback to their deep-pocketed friends."

The vote in the Senate was 18-1, with Republican state Sen. Dale Schultz -- who earlier had floated a compromise that neither side bought into -- the lone opponent. Outside, state Rep. Peter Barca argued that Republican leaders violated state open meetings laws by calling the chamber into session without proper notice -- a move he called "a naked abuse of power."

"The gig is now up. The fraud on the people of Wisconsin is now very clear. They are now going to pass a bill to take away people's rights," Barca, a Democrat, said.

And Sen. Mark Miller, the Democratic Senate leader, said Republicans "conspired to take government away from the people."

My, my, my!

"Why Bother?" -- A Sermon for Ash Wednesday

"We follow Jesus not in HOPE that he’s our ticket into heaven but in RESPONSE to the promise he incarnates that nothing – even death – can separate us from the love of God."

ASH WEDNESDAY: Why Bother?
March 9, 2011

It is Ash Wednesday once more – the entry point for yet another 40-day Lenten journey toward Easter. And today we hear again the words as familiar as their outward-and-visible signs etched on our foreheads: “Remember you are dust and to dust you shall return.”

On this Ash Wednesday, as the liturgical season shifts from Epiphany to Lent, we are called to make a shift, too. Our focus shifts, as it does every year at this time, from stories about the outward manifestations of God's presence among us to a more interior place as we journey with Jesus on the road we know leads to Golgotha – to the cross – and ultimately, to the resurrection.

And so, on this Ash Wednesday, here is my annual advice for the journey ahead: Do not give up epiphanies for Lent!

It’s another commercial for “the Land of And” … Let us not become so inwardly focused that we forget to notice – to give thanks for – to respond to – those encounters we can and will have with the holy in the next 40 days. Let us not become so focused on our own “journey with Jesus” that we forget that as long as there are still strangers at the gate, walking humbly with our God is not enough: let us not forget that we are also called to do justice.

Called to do justice. During Lent? Really???? Yes. Really. And it’s not something Ed Bacon came up during a glory attack or an idea that’s exclusive to All Saints Church. It’s a call that was issued by Isaiah and incarnated by Jesus. It’s as old as the prophets and as urgent as this morning’s news … it’s a call to fast for justice:

Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of injustice,
to undo the thongs of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke?
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover them,
and not to hide yourself from your own kin?
Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,
and your healing shall spring up quickly

.

The fast Isaiah calls us to isn’t about giving up Twitter or Starbucks or Girl Scout cookies for Lent … it’s about getting ANYTHING out of the way that gets in the way of our being aligned with God’s love, justice and compassion ... as we journey into these 40 days of Lent and beyond. It’s why we bother – not just with this service and these ashes this season of Lent. It’s why we bother to follow Jesus.

Let’s face it … you could all be doing something else with this hour at noontime … Eating lunch. Picking up dry cleaning. Going to the gym. Playing Farmville on Facebook. But you’re here. In this church. In this moment. Remembering that you are dust and to dust you shall return. Why bother?

It’s a bit like a question I got on my blog this week in response to Sunday’s sermon:

So if we're all going to heaven anyway, what's the point of going to Mass or even bothering to have a relationship with Christ and following any commandments at all? Why bother?

It’s a classic question and one I’ve had on my heart getting ready for today. What is the answer we give to those who wonder why we’re here … who wonder why we bother. Lots of people don’t. Bother. With Lent. There’ll be a lot more people here on Easter Sunday than there are today. And there are even more who have dismissed the “whole Christian thing” because it was reduced for them to “follow these rules and you’ll get into heaven” – and condemns to “the Lake of Fire” anybody who doesn’t. Follow the rules. The way you do.

Why bother? Here’s my short answer:

We bother because we gather here today not to try to earn God’s love by following rules but to give thanks for God’s love that transcends all boundaries. We bother because we follow Jesus not in HOPE that he’s our ticket into heaven but in RESPONSE to the promise he incarnates that nothing – even death – can separate us from the love of God. And freed from that fear of death we are free to live life abundantly … and to risk journeying into the wildernesses that cry out for the love, justice and compassion that God calls us to live out in the world.

We bother because there are many “wildernesses” into which we are called this Lent 201l: If we are to be a people who have bread to share with the hungry we must challenge those who would balance our budgets on the backs of the least of these.

We bother because we serve the God whose fast is “to let the oppressed go free” – and so we continue to speak out about protecting family values that value ALL families.

We bother because in order to choose the fast Isaiah offers us this Lent we must continue to undo the thongs of the yokes of racism AND sexism that continue to keep this country and this church from being all that God would have them be.

We bother because living up to our baptismal covenant calls us to advocate for just immigration policies that will truly respect the dignity of every human being.

We bother because today we choose again to follow the one who calls us to journey with Him into those wildernesses -- bearing the Good News of a God who loved us enough to become one of us in order to show us how to love one another.

It is Ash Wednesday once more – the entry point for yet another 40-day Lenten journey toward Easter. And now IS the acceptable time. May we be given the grace to choose the fast our God calls us to choose … trusting that the One who calls us into this wilderness will be with us and bless us on the journey.

For the "But the Bible Says" Bunch:

It is disturbing to hear some Christian leaders today claim that they have no choice but to regard homosexuality as a sin. They do have a choice and should be held accountable for the ones they are making.

This one's been up on the CNN religion blog for awhile ... a month, anyway ... but I just saw it today because Kendall Harmon linked it up from Titusonenine. (Thanks, Kendall.) ANYWAY ... I thought it was a great, concise summary of what the Bible actually says -- and doesn't say -- about sexuality. And it was written by a Baptist. Woman. Bibical Scholar.

Check it out:

The Bible's surprisingly mixed message on sexuality
by Jennifer Wright Knust

We often hears that Christians have no choice but to regard homosexuality as a sin - that Scripture simply demands it. As a Bible scholar and pastor myself, I say that Scripture does no such thing.

"I love gay people, but the Bible forces me to condemn them" is a poor excuse that attempts to avoid accountability by wrapping a very particular and narrow interpretation of a few biblical passages in a cloak of divinely inspired respectability.

Truth is, Scripture can be interpreted in any number of ways. And biblical writers held a much more complicated view of human sexuality than contemporary debates have acknowledged.

Read the rest here.