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Sexual Justice:
Archive 2003-2004

Current sexual justice reports (for 2007) >>

Items on sexual justice from past years are archived:

bullet 2006 >>
bullet 2005 >>
bullet 2000 through 2002 >>
Must gay rights wait for our 'comfort'?

Ellen Goodman raises that question, as it was raised so often in the years of moving slowly toward the achievement of civil rights (well, sort of) for people of color. She suggests that change is already happening in attitudes toward same-sex partnerships, and small steps - changing laws to protect gay rights in various ways - will help move us ahead.   [12-16-04]

UCC television ad nixed by two networks for its Christmas message of welcome and inclusion     [12-1-04]

According to a press release from the United Church of Christ, "The ad, part of the denomination's new, broad identity campaign set to begin airing nationwide on Dec. 1, states that -- like Jesus -- the United Church of Christ... seeks to welcome all people, regardless of ability, age, race, economic circumstance or sexual orientation."
Presbytery of Baltimore votes 51-35 for a resolution supporting civil marriage for same gender couples        [11-22-04]

Peter K. Nord, Executive Presbyter, has explained this important action in an open letter. 

The Reverend Dr. Janie Adams Spahr charged in disciplinary action    [11-22-04]

Redwoods Presbytery has filed charges against the Rev. Dr. Janie Spahr, in response to an accusation brought by the Reverend James Berkley, of Bellevue WA. Mr. Berkley is the Issues Ministry Director of Presbyterians For Renewal.  

Gay Marriage Amendment defeated    [10-8-04]

The gay marriage amendment has been defeated ... again. The US House has voted decisively to reject a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. Conservative Christians vow to continue fighting; progressives are heartened that a sense of fairness has prevailed.

Charles Henderson, Presbyterian minister and "your guide" for the Christianity section of About.com, provides a page of commentary and links to other reports and resources, including discussions of the issue of fairness in relation to gay marriage, and much more.

More Light Presbyterians announces "Victory 2006" campaign - a strategy for local action and education to encourage fair dialogue on LGBT concerns.   [9-30-04]
Federal Marriage Amendment continues to loom as a threat to equal justice

Equal Partners in Faith urges progressive groups to take action

[Press release from Equal Partners in Faith, dated 9-17-04. Posted here 9-21-04]

The Federal Marriage Amendment, defeated in the Senate in July, is now on the docket for the House of Representatives. This bill seeks to enshrine discrimination into the U.S. Constitution. It will probably get more traction in the House than in the Senate. That is why EPF urges progressive people of faith to contact their representatives in the House and ask them not to support or endorse the Federal Marriage Amendment.

The stakes are very high. Equal Partners in Faith believes in "Equal Justice for Equal Souls" and the FMA eviscerates equality at the highest level of American Law. Please call your Congressperson and tell them that you and your organization strongly opposes passage of the Federal Amendment.

Click here to gain more information on this topic and what you can do.

Sylvia Rhue Director, Equal Partners in Faith

Cutting-edge Lutheran mission under attack for calling a lesbian pastor

[9-16-04]

Central City Lutheran Mission, in San Bernardino, CA, describes itself as "a cutting edge ministry which assumes both delivery of a wide variety of social services and development of a Word and Sacrament ministry." Their simple style focuses on neighborhood leadership in a multilingual ministry, "where the poor and oppressed become subject in a pastoral project for neighborhood transformation and are not simply the objects of the church's charity or social services."

The Mission recently called the Rev. Dr. Jenny Mason as an Associate Pastor. Mason was ordained in 1991, served for ten years in urban ministry in Chile, and has already been serving for some months on the CCLM staff. While the Lutheran Church (ELCA) exercises considerable latitude in matters of ordination and sexuality, this call has been challenged and is now under review by a special committee, and some economic sanctions have already been imposed on the Mission.

You can learn more of the situation in a statement from the CCLM.

Announcement from Covenant Network   [9-6-04]

Covenant Network offers new documentary, Turning Points: Stories of Life and Change in the Church

Turning Points: Stories of Life and Change in the Church is a documentary about Presbyterians struggling with the denomination's current ordination standards. This hour-long, four-part story with a study guide is suitable for use in adult education classes, pre-presbytery workshops, session meetings -- wherever the church gathers for study and discernment of God's call to the church today.

Each section focuses on a particular story and is surrounded by thoughtful, Reformed theological comment. Groups may choose to view the whole video at once or choose which segments are most useful for their needs. Biblical scholars and theologians including Walter Brueggemann and Beverly Gaventa provide commentary and interpretation.

Turning Points opens with the poignant visit of Susie Smith, now a minister in the United Church of Christ, to her former Presbyterian congregation in South Carolina. Congregation members speak to the camera and to Susie about how their lives were changed by her presence and her departure. The choice between one's son and one's church is the focus of the Calhoun family's story in the second segment. The third story recounts a tragic moment of misunderstanding in the life of a young minister and a daring act of reconciliation twenty years later. The fourth segment considers how a thriving congregation in the Midwest welcomes and includes gay and lesbian members.

This video was designed to be viewed by those who are still trying to discern the role God calls those who are Christian and gay or lesbian to take in Christ's church. Christians of all theological viewpoints are invited to watch and discuss this thought-provoking documentary together.

For more information and an order form, go to

http://www.covenantnetwork.org/TurningPoints/tpweb.pdf

More Light Presbyterians invites friends to join in a "Vigil for Justice," acts of prayer and witness from now until the 2006 General Assembly in Birmingham.

You can read their cover letter, and the full letter of invitation from Martha Juillerat, Barbara Battin, and Kim Smith King, who are organizing this effort on behalf of MLP.   [8-16-04]

A congregation celebrates a fifteen-year relationship between two men   [8-16-04]

John Shuck, pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Billings, MT, recently sent this note:

On August 7th history was made at the First Presbyterian Church in Billings, Montana. In the sanctuary, before a congregation of about 150, two members of our congregation celebrated their 15th anniversary during a commitment ceremony. I am proud of our congregation for going through the dialogue and education process to approve this ceremony and especially to my friends, Mike and Tony, for their courageous witness to live open loving and celebratory lives.

Click here for an article that appeared in the Billings Gazette the same day.

And you can read John Shuck's sermon preached at the commitment ceremony.

Equal Partners in Faith comments on actions in Washington State and Missouri, for and against equality for same sex marriage    [8-9-04]
Sexual orientation no reason to violate rights, WARC delegates told    [8-6-04]

Setri Nyomi, general secretary of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, told delegates to the alliance's general council meeting in Accra, Ghana, that while members have different views of homosexuality, all Christians can agree that it is wrong to violate human rights because of sexual orientation.

Stories from the World Alliance of Reformed Churches about the 24th General Council may be found on the WARC Website.

Washington Office calls attention to another threat to equal rights: the Marriage Protection Act (yep, really!) coming before Congress this week

They also provide a helpful selection of actions by the 2004 General Assembly, relating to the Federal Marriage Amendment, equal rights issues, and more.   [7-21-04]

Religious voices need to be raised against the Federal Marriage Amendment   [7-10-04]

Clergy of all faiths are being urged to sign on to a letter to senators, expressing opposition to the Federal Marriage Amendment, which will likely come up for a vote in the US Senate next week.  Senators are being pressed hard by the religious right, and other voices need to be heard.

This appeal comes from The Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, but is clearly open to all faiths.

Click here for background, the text of the letter, and a sign-on page.

SoulForce also provides background papers, resources, sample letters, and suggestions for action.

Gay marriage - a way of sanctification   [6-19-04]

Eugene Rogers, writing in The Christian Century, argues from within the tradition of the Orthodox Church that marriage "is not primarily for the control of lust or for procreation. It is a discipline whereby we give ourselves to another for the sake of growing in holiness--for, more precisely, the sake of God." And, he argues, if God's creative action is a clear affirmation of diversity [think mosquitoes and giraffes!] then diversity of sexual and familial relationships should also be affirmed and sanctified in marriage.

Eugene F. Rogers Jr. is the author of Sexuality and the Christian Body: Their Way into the Triune God (Blackwell) and Theology and Sexuality: Classic and Contemporary Readings (Blackwell).

"Is Gay Rights a Civil Rights Issue? YES."     [6-19-04]

Julian Bond, civil rights leader and board chairman of the NAACP, writing in Ebony Magazine (July 2004), declares that "Gay and lesbians' rights are not 'special rights' in any way. It isn't 'special' to be free from discrimination -- it is an ordinary, universal entitlement of citizenship. The right not to be discriminated against is a commonplace claim we all expect to enjoy under our laws and our founding document, the Constitution."

To those who argue that gay rights are not at all analogous to racial civil rights, Bond replies:

No analogy between movements for rights is exact. African-Americans are the only Americans who were enslaved for more than two centuries, and people of color carry the badge of who we are on our faces. But we are far from the only people suffering from discrimination -- sadly, so do many others. They deserve the law's protections and civil rights, too. Some who object to gay rights see homosexuality as a choice, but science has demonstrated conclusively that sexual disposition is inherent in some, not an option or alternative they've selected. In that regard, it exactly parallels race -- I was born Black and had no choice. I couldn't and wouldn't change it. Like race, our sexuality isn't a preference -- it is immutable, unchangeable, and the Constitution protects us all against prejudices and discrimination based on immutable differences. [emphasis added by your WebWeaver]

A Place Called Justice, From the Heartland to the Horizon   [6-1-04]

MLP staffer Michael Adee reports on National Conference of More Light Presbyterians, That All May Freely Serve, and Shower of Stoles Project, held May 20-23 in Kansas City, Missouri  

You'll find links to some of the sermons preached during the conference, and more.

Martha Juillerat preached on Jonah's reluctant dealings with the people of Nineveh -- from the perspective of those excluded Ninevites.  And she invited her listeners "to stand firmly in our faith, to open ourselves to the power of the Spirit, to believe in the very best that is possible for this church, and to work for justice - work for justice - work for justice - for we can do no less."

"Cloud of Witnesses" seeks more signers of pledge to "[Uphold] our ordination vows as we seek an inclusive church."

Grassroots Movement Grows into a "Cloud of Witnesses"   [5-13-04]

Synod PJC declares that PC(USA) constitution does not prohibit gay marriage

Reverses presbytery in Van Kuiken case   [5-7-04]

On April 30, 2004, the Permanent Judicial Commission of the Synod of the Covenant (Ohio and Michigan) of the Presbyterian Church (USA) ruled that the Constitution does not prohibit same-sex marriages and that "the decision of the Permanent Judicial Commission of the Presbytery of Cincinnati is reversed and the rebuke of Rev. Van Kuiken is removed."

On May 3, Van Kuiken issued a press statement expressing his gratitude for the vindication of his stand, while asserting that he still believes he must resign his ordination in the PC(USA) in order to continue to serve the new congregation, The Gathering, that formed in the wake of presbytery actions against him.

Ray Bagnuolo certified by Hudson River CPM to seek call to ministry    [4-26-04]

The Committee on Preparation for Ministry of the Presbytery of Hudson River has voted to certify that Raymond Bagnuolo, web spinner for That All May Freely Serve, is ready to seek a call to ordained ministry.

Janie Spahr of TAMFS has issued a statement expressing gratitude for this action.

God's widening welcome  [4-26-04]

Presbyterian pastor Thomas Davis explores in a sermon the complexities of human sexuality, and invites his congregation to see the richness of God's creation as encompassing far more than just "male or female," far more even the "GLBT."

"The separation between Christians on these issues of gender difference chiefly comes down to how complicated we think God's creation is. The main conflict isn't so much about how to interpret the Bible; it's much more about what is the nature of nature? Those who have little tolerance for complication and ambiguity keep insisting that all these allegedly unusual but nevertheless natural distinctions are not natural at all."

To those who may prefer the simplicity and clarity of the traditional "biblical" views, Davis chooses not to argue against the "clobber passages" such as Romans 1, but to say that the moral demands represented there should hold no more authority for Christians today than Paul's strictures against women speaking in church, or his demand that citizens should obey their rulers and slaves their masters.

Lisa Larges put on "hold" once again for ordination   [4-9-04]

Lisa Larges, the regional partnership coordinator for TAMFS national, has been turned down in her request to be certified ready for ministry. The only reason was that she was open and frank about her covenantal relationship with her same-sex partner. The vote was 15-5 on the Committee on Preparation for Ministry of the Presbytery of San Francisco.

The Human Rights Campaign is calling for action to oppose the Federal Marriage Amendment   [4-7-04]
More Light Presbyterians and PFLAG San Jose announce joint release of video series
[4-5-04]

More Light Presbyterians and PFLAG San Jose have just released a video series, "Project Hearts & Minds," which includes DVDs, tapes, and facilitators' guides allow easy discussion of LGBT concerns in churches, schools, community groups.

Workshop explores homosexuality in Christian faith     [3-29-04]

Public Conversations Project offers workshops to train facilitators for constructive conversations on sexual orientation and the Christian faith. Lisa Larges, Regional Partnership Coordinator of That All May Freely Serve, recommends this group's work "in creating deep, challenging, and constructive conversations in the midst of conflict."

A Tennessee court has ruled that gay parents cannot be subjected to discrimination in their parental rights.   [3-29-04]
First-ever Welcoming Presbyterians' National Conference is coming soon  -- May 20-23, in Kansas City
[posted here 3-23-04]

Michael J. Adee, National Field Organizer for More Light Presbyterians, has sent a reminder of the fast-approaching conference, with the theme "From the Heartland to the Horizon." This first-ever Welcoming Presbyterians' National Conference is sponsored by More Light Presbyterians, That All May Freely Serve, and The Shower of Stoles Project.

The host church is Central Presbyterian Church, Kansas City, MO.

The deadline for discounted registration is April 1, and with 50-some days until the start of the Conference, there is still plenty of time for you to register, make your travel plans, get a group together and be with us in Kansas City.

The official start of the Conference will be with evening worship on Thursday evening, May 20, with dinner for all preceding worship. And registration and pre-conference cultural field trip options are available earlier in the afternoon that day. The conference will be completed with worship on Sunday morning, May 23 and Sunday lunch boxes are available upon request with your registration.

Scholarships are available for youth, young adults, college and seminary students - contact me about those at MichaelAdee@aol.com or (505) 820-7082.

To register online - you can go to www.mlp.org

If you need help with registration - contact Nancy Young, Registrar, at sisters3reg@yahoo.com or (267) 221-6713.

Don't miss this rainbow family reunion, National Conference and 30th Anniversary Party for More Light Presbyterians!

The Road to Gay Marriage   [3-9-04]

The New York Times, in an editorial on Sunday, March 7, offered a calm, reasoned look at the emerging changes in our nation's dealing with same-sex relationships through civil unions and marriage.

Gay marriage - a sampler of background and opinion   [2-27-04]

There's plenty of discussion on the subject of same-sex marriage these days, from the President and just about everyone else.

Here are some helpful resources that may provide material for your own thinking, and for discussions with others.

Vanderbilt conference offers a critical examination of "reparative therapy"

Gene TeSelle, Witherspoon Issues Analyst, reports on a conference held at Vanderbilt University on February 7, 2004, in which a variety of scholars took a serious and critical look at the claims of "reparative" or "restorative" therapies to change the orientations of people who are gay or lesbian.   [2-14-04]

Van Kuiken case to be heard in Ohio   [2-2-04]

The Rev. Steve Van Kuiken will go to trial this week (Feb. 5 and 6) before the Permanent Judicial Commission of the Synod of the Covenant in Maumee, OH, just south of Toledo. Van Kuiken has brought an action against the Presbytery of Cincinnati seeking to retain his ordination following the presbytery’s action last June.

Click here for background reports.

Grace?  Yes, but ... sexuality must be seen in relation to sin.  Another comment on Ottati's "why we shouldn't wait."   [1-30-04]

Over a month ago we received a thoughtful note from ruling elder Eric Muñiz, putting forth some basic arguments against the views of Prof. Douglas Ottati in his theological reflections on "why we shouldn't wait."

In the rush of the holiday season, we lost track of his note.  He recently sent a very gentle question about where his comments had gone.  Well, the lost is found, and we offer his thoughts now ... at last ... with our apologies for the delay.  

Click here for the first wave of comments on Ottati's essay, and then visit the second wave.

Nashville will hear two perspectives on homosexuality and "change ministries"   [1-20-04]

Focus and the Family will be holding a "Love Won Out conference" in Nashville, TN, on February 7th. The same day there will be a conference at Vanderbilt University will sponsor at conference under the theme ''Psychology, Religion and Homosexuality: Critical Responses to Reparative Therapy.''

The Nashville Tennessean reports on the competing events.

You can also check the Vanderbilt announcement, and a report in Out and About Nashville.

Cincinnati commission proposes "provisional status" for Mt. Auburn church, and calls for moratorium on legal challenges related to inclusiveness.   [1-8-04]

Click here for a summary of the case as it stood in June, 2003.

If you have comments or information to add,
please send us a note!

The Administrative Commission that was appointed by the Presbytery of Cincinnati in May, 2002, will report to the Presbytery at its meeting on Saturday, January 10, on its recommendations for responding to the actions of Mt. Auburn Presbyterian Church that have been alleged as defying the Constitution of the Presbyterian Church, specifically in relation to the ordination of GLBT people and the blessing of same-sex unions.

Perhaps the most creative element of their recommendations has led them to propose an overture to the 215th General Assembly that would be needed to make it possible. This would establish the category of a "provisional status" for a congregation such as Mt. Auburn, which it describes as "an intentional, consistent, and conscientious objector to certain responsibilities in the Constitution of the Presbyterian Church." It would require a two-thirds vote of the presbytery to place the congregation in this status.

Under this provisional status, the presbytery would hold conversations with the congregation to explain the reasons for the action, and to hear comments from the members. During the two-year period, the congregation "would lose voting privileges, but would continue to have voice in presbytery matters."

The commission also recommends that the Presbytery "establish and facilitate a Presbytery-wide "Year of Exchange" during which delegations from congregations within our Presbytery would visit one another, share their varying points of view, arrange pulpit exchanges, and form collaborative prayer groups and mission projects."

The final recommendation would "establish a three-year moratorium whereby member churches of the Presbytery voluntarily comply to refrain from legal or procedural challenges to one another in issues related to inclusiveness, with reference to the Book of Order Section G-6.0106b."

The full text of the Commission report, and the proposed overture are available on the Presbytery website, in PDF format. Click here, and scroll down to the bottom of the page for the links to each of them.

NOTE:  The presbytery has not yet taken action on the recommendations from the Administrative Commission.  It is planned that the report will be presented to Presbytery on Saturday, January 10th.  How the Presbytery will respond is of course an open matter.

Michigan Gov. Granholm bans anti-gay discrimination in state employment   [1-5-04]

Michigan has become the tenth state to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation in state employment, by an Executive Directive issued by Governor Jennifer Granholm. Executive Directive 2003-24 bans discrimination based on sexual orientation for nearly 55,000 state employees in Michigan's Executive Branch of Government, which represents 95% of all state employees.

Let's talk about ...

"GAY MARRIAGE" (more precisely, "GLBT MARRIAGE") OR "CIVIL UNIONS"    [12-29-03]

It appears that our Issues Analyst, Gene TeSelle, has never met an issue he didn't at least like to think about. He offers some thoughts on the current discussion of gay marriage with the hope they will generate some good conversation, and perhaps ideas for actions to be suggested at the 2004 General Assembly.

Polling by conservative group still reflects strong support for same-sex marriage   [12-29-03]

"America's Poll on Homosexual Marriage," posted and reported by the American Family Association, continues to grow in its number of responses, with almost 60% favoring the legalization of same-sex marriage, and another 8% supporting civil unions.

All this is being reported by one of the leading organizations working to defend the "traditional family."

The details, as of Monday, December 29:

I oppose legalization of homosexual marriage and "civil unions" 32.52%
(218,475 votes)
I favor legalization of homosexual marriage 59.37%
(398,849 votes)
I favor a "civil union" with the full benefits of marriage except for the name 8.11%
(54,504 votes)

To be sure, a recent poll by the New York Times and CBS News finds that 55% of Americans
favor a Constitutional amendment banning homosexual marriage.

This is archived on the NYTimes website (so it'll cost you a bit to see the full article).

It is also posted in full (and free) by "The Daily Camera."

It is probably more accurate statistically than the AFA poll, but given the anti-gay values reflected in that organization, the results are surprising and interesting.

If you haven't voted, you can do so by going to http://www.afa.net/petitions/marriagepoll.asp

A surprising poll on marriage    [12-20-03]

Just yesterday we announced a "poll on homosexual marriage" being taken by the American Family Association, which "represents and stands for traditional family values."

We encouraged anyone who wanted to add a bit of diversity to the poll to register their own opinions on the AFA website.

As of mid-day on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2003, they report these results:

I oppose legalization of homosexual marriage and "civil unions"
38.78%
      (164946 votes)

I favor legalization of homosexual marriage
52.88%
     (224886 votes)

I favor a "civil union" with the full benefits of marriage except for the name
8.34%
      (35466 votes)

You can check their latest reports, and add your own vote, at http://www.afa.net/petitions/marriagepoll.asp

You may also want to look at the statement of purpose of the American Family Association.

What's the true meaning of marriage?  Gordon Shull, reflecting on the diverse realities of his own family, suggests that marriage is defined not by labels but by "attitudes and deeds that sustain the relationship. Love. Faithfulness. Respect. Thoughtfulness. Wherever we find these in a couple, we find marriage defended - no matter the gender, and no matter what we call it."   [12-20-03]
"Changing Families" report goes through more changes   [12-18-03]

The latest draft of a much-contested policy paper on families has a new name, a new theological backbone, and a new emphasis on what it calls the "marital-biological" relationship between a man and a woman as the ideal foundation for the Christian family.  Its key assertion is that it is "preferable, on the whole," for children to be raised by a mother and a father who are married to each other and live in the same home.  It also repeats the key assertion of the original, controversial version, that "God works through all kinds of families" -- but takes pains to point out that some kinds are better than others.

Why we shouldn't wait
[12-5-03]

Dr. Douglas Ottati writes a regular column of "Theological Musings" for Witherspoon's Network News. In his new column, in the current issue, he considers the reasons why "we shouldn't wait to ordain called and qualified gays and lesbians to all offices of the church, and to endorse same sex unions and / or gay marriages between persons committed to a loving relationship of mutual help and care."

Ottati is Professor of Theology at Union Seminary/PSCE in Richmond, VA

After the Massachusetts decision:

Some affirm "gay marriage" as a very good and sensible thing 
[11-26-03]

In the wake of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court decision that a ban on gay marriage is unconstitutional, there have been cries of alarm from those who feel that the whole institution of marriage is threatened. And so some kind of "defense of marriage" act or amendment is called for to rescue us all.

But there are other views.  Conservative David Brooks argues that marriage is a good thing for those who make that commitment, and there's no reason to exclude some couples from its benefits (to them and to society).  Andrew Korfhage explores the details of the Massachusetts decision and sees it as part of a wider trend.

Civil Rights and same sex couples   [11-21-03]

The Presbyterian Washington Office has provided very helpful background information from Presbyterian statements on civil rights and same-sex couples.

On Episcopalians and the sanctity of marriage  [11-21-03]

This little tidbit has been floating around for some time, but someone just sent it to your WebWeaver again, and he wants to be sure you haven't missed it.

"The actions taken by the New Hampshire Episcopalians are an affront to Christians everywhere. I am just thankful that the church's founder, Henry VIII, and his wife Catherine of Aragon, his wife Anne Boleyn, his wife Jane Seymour, his wife Anne of Cleves, his wife Katherine Howard, and his wife Catherine Parr are no longer here to suffer through this assault on our traditional Christian marriage. "

-Source Unknown

Thanks to Dugan Frederick