Chaplain of Arizona State Legislature
comes out
The Rev. Charles Coppinger, Chaplain to the Arizona
State Legislature, recently "came out" as a gay man. Here is
his statement, beautifully written and deeply expressive of a profound
awareness of the grace of God and the pain and the joy of human
existence.
Oct. 15, 2000
By The Rev. Charles Coppinger
There is a saying I have always loved: "The will
of God will never call us where the grace of God cannot sustain
us!" I am a Christian; I come from a conservative evangelical
background; I am a minister; I was appointed chaplain to a conservative
legislature; I was appointed by conservative leadership.
And I am gay.
There are some people of faith who will find it
difficult to reconcile those statements. There was a time when, in fact,
I would have. Now I understand that people of faith can hold both their
faith and homosexuality precious simultaneously.
My position as chaplain to the Arizona State
Legislature requires that I be nonpolitical, nonpartisan and
nonsectarian. Therefore, I am not making a political statement or
promoting a political agenda.
Rather, as a person who has journeyed into a deep
awareness of God's inclusive love, I am sharing my story and my
understanding. I do so in the hope and with the prayer that it will help
those who have been told that God hates them to know that not only does
God not hate them, God loves them . . . fully!
I have been aware of feelings of same-sex attraction
since I was very young. Like so many other of God's gay and lesbian
children I had an internal feeling of being "different" from
others. I heard the words as a child. You know the ones I mean: fag,
queer and others. My heart broke inside as I heard my friends use these
words because, deep inside, I knew they were talking about me!
During my young adult life, I did date a young lady.
When we broke off our relationship, I was devastated not only because of
my deep love for her, but also because I had hoped that our relationship
would "cure" me of these feelings. It didn't.
I have, in the last year, spoken to many gay and
lesbian people who entered into relationships, even marriages, hoping
beyond hope that it would cure the problem of same-sex longing and
attraction. It doesn't.
The grace of God accepts us and loves us
unconditionally. In scripture, the eighth chapter of the Book of Romans
is one of many passages that speak to the issue of the love and grace of
God. Toward the end of the chapter, St. Paul asks an important question:
"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?"
He answers: "For I am convinced that neither
death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the
future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in
all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in
Christ Jesus our Lord."
Throughout the Hebrew Scriptures, often referred to as
the Old Testament, the thread of God's love and grace runs clearly,
offering forgiveness and unfailing love to the children of Israel.
In the Christian Scriptures, often referred to as the
New Testament, the thread of God's love runs, offering forgiveness and
unfailing love to all people, both Jew and Gentile.
Understanding the grace of God gave me the theological
foundation and emotional courage to look at myself. "If God accepts
me and loves me unconditionally, how is it that I don't love myself in
the same manner?" I asked.
The answer resounds like thunder in me to this day:
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and
strength; and love your neighbor as yourself!" The love and grace
of God allow me to know that God loves me unconditionally; therefore, I
can love and accept myself on the level God does.
Unconditionally! What liberty!
I sent a letter to the members of the Arizona State
Senate and the House of Representatives, and within hours I was
surrounded by the love, support and friendship of many of our
legislators, even some that I did not expect.
I have prayed for our elected lawmakers every day
since I became their chaplain, and now they were promising to pray for
me and reminding me of God's love. I cannot begin to describe to you the
joy of being a shepherd and having the love of those you serve.
I cannot say that I will be able to remain in the
position of chaplain. I leave that to those who appoint the position,
namely the president of the Senate and the speaker of the House of
Representatives. Although I hope it won't, my honesty and openness about
myself may cost me my position.
However, if I keep my integrity and lose my position,
I have retained that which matters most!
Sometimes the call of God seems difficult, and when it
does, I rely on what I know . . . that God is good, and that is enough!
Throughout history the Bible has been used in
inappropriate ways to "beat up" on people. The Bible was
misused during the Inquisition to put "heretics" to death; the
Bible was misused during the national debate over slavery to keep black
people in chains; the Bible was misused during the Holocaust to justify
the killing of Jews; the Bible was misused in recent years to keep women
silent in church and out of positions of leadership; and the Bible is
being misused today to tell God's gay and lesbian children that they are
an abomination to God.
There more than 2,000 verses in the Bible that deal
with money. There are only six references that deal with homosexuality,
and an objective look at these leads a person to the conclusion that if
the Bible is to be taken literally, every homosexual must be taken to
the edge of the city and killed.
There is another way of reading the Bible: with a
historical and critical approach. Looking at the Bible from a historical
light means that we look at the historical context of a passage. What
was the purpose for the writing? When did it take place? Why was the
passage written? What were the sociological implications? What was the
culture of the time?
Looking at the Bible in this way leads a person to the
conclusion that the Bible nowhere condemns loving, monogamous, committed
relationships of two people of the same sex.
As one who knows that God created me as a gay man, I
cannot express the gratitude in my heart for members of the clergy who
lead the way in speaking a message of God's love, mercy and justice. I
have received the support of a group of clergy called No Longer Silent (www.nolongersilent.org).
These precious ministers have risked much to join together to say:
"The time has come to share an alternative religious perspective on
the issue of homosexuality."
Conservative political and religious rhetoric
condemning homosexuals has monopolized public perceptions of the stance
of religious persons on the issue. We disagree with these views of
condemnation and judgment. We believe that homosexual persons are people
of wholeness and worth, entitled to a complete and full life. We are
convinced that the Jewish and Christian scriptures make clear God's
unconditional love and acceptance of all people.
We believe that homosexual persons are no more sinful
and are of equal character and personal integrity as any other group of
people. We hope for a renewal of meaningful discourse and look forward
to genuine dialogue with all persons regarding this issue.
Finally, my journey, although bumpy, has also been
joyful. In spite of the critics, I know of the love of God. I echo that
message to everyone, as I always have as chaplain to the legislature.
That is the essential message of faith and of
salvation: "God loves you beyond your wildest dreams!"
