Second Stone #32 - Jan/Feb 1994

Second Stone #32 - Jan/Feb 1994

32

1994

Jan/Feb 1994

QUA SIXTH YEAR JANUARY/FEBRUARY, 1994 . ' ISSUE #3~
Let justice roll down like. waters and righteousness like an evertlowing stream. - Amos 5:24
The Church and Human Sexuality: A Lutheran Perspective
~utheran: sexu:ality
study lha·S little
chance of :changing
church polic.y
Church leaders take steps to calm
conservatives, get off hot seat
. A21-page statemen t .
on sexuality prepared
by a task force ofthe
· Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America has very
littl e chance of sparking
changes in church policy at
the denomination's 1995 assembly
judging by early response
to the document. In
fact1 delegates to next year's
churd1wide assembly may
not even get the chance to act
on . the gay and lesbian-affirming
document , entitled
'The Chur(h and Human
Sexuality: A .Lutheran Per spective."
Silllilar statements
recommending gay-positive
changes in church policy
·have been sounp_ly defeated
in other mainstream denomi- _
nations.
A first draft of the sexuality
statement was released to
churches in October of last
year. It urges church members
to challenge traditional
condemnation of homosexuality,
and argues that supporting
and even moving
toward a practice of bl_essing
committed same- sex unions is
"strongly supported by responsible
biblical interpretation
."
But decisions have been
made by leaders of the .na-
- tion'i; J\irgest} ,utheran group
to put "checks and balances"
in place for the process of
drafting the statement on
human sexuality, according to
the January issue of Tiie
Lutheran. The ELCA took
action_atits council meeting
in Chicago in December to
calm the "tidal wave" of uproar
over the release of the
first draft of the statement.
The study process
was altered by the
council and an 11-
member consulting
panel was appointed
to keep closer tabs
on the 17-meinber
task force that'
prepared . the draft
·. document.
The study proc ess was altered
by the council and an 11-
member consulting panel was
appointed to keep doser tabs
on the 17-member task force
that prepared the draft document.
The Associated Press
SEE COVER STORY, Page 10
Catholic groups blast bishops'
opposition to AIDS ads
CHICAGO - The leaders of three organizations
of Roman Catholics ,have
criticized the . United States Catholic
Conference for its opposition to new
federally sponsored AIDS prevention
ads. The ads were condemned by the
Catholic bishops of the United States
because the ads promote condoms as
a means ·of reducing one's risk of
contracting HIV.
_ _ Leaders of the -Chicago-based
National Coaljtion of American Nuns,
Catholic Advocates for Lesbian and
Gay Rights, and Cl1icago Catholic
Women joined AIDS activists in criticizing
the position of the American
Catholic bishops.
"AIDS is one of the scourges of our -
time. Anything we .can·do to stem or
stop it must be done," said _ Sr.
Margaret Traxler, School Sister of
Notre Dame, of the National Coalition
of American Nuns. 'The bishops
should not have spoken agaiqst these
necessary ads."
'The bishops' opposition to condom
use in the fight against AIDS is irresponsible
and may contribute to the
spread of- HIV," said Brother for .
Christian Community Rick Garica,
SEE BISHOPS, Page .Page 7
UFMcc· Mothe·r Cnurch
damaged in earthquake
LOS ANGELES - The Mother Churd1
of the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan
Community Churches, MCCLos
Angeles, sustained major damage
in the 6.6 earthquake that struck Los
Angeles on January 17. The city of
Cufver City, Calif., where the congregation
is located, has denied entry to
the building until city engineers can
make a determination if any portion
of the building ·can be saved.
The Rev. Elder Nancy L. Wilson,
pastor of the congregation, arrived at
SEE UFMCC, Page 18
Fundamentalists lead opposition
to women's camp
A WOMEN'S RETREAT center being
constructed in rural Mississippi continues
to draw the ire of local funda~
mentalist pastors. Brenda and Wanda
Henson bought a 120-acre farm in
Ovett, population 300, intending to
operate a retreat and women's education
center called Camp Sister Spirit.
-When church pastors discovered the
lesbian aspect of the _ organization,
~protests ensued. The conflict came to'
the boiling point on the Oprah show
in December. The Hensons remain
firm in their conviction, however, and
work on the camp .continues. For
information, or to donate labor or
financial assistance, contact Camp
Sister Spirit, P .O. _Box 12, Ovett, MS
39464, (601)896-3196.
Inside: A religious cloister founded by a young gay
man in 1749 is reborn. Page 13
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YourTurn ............................... ~ ....... ... - .......... ·• ...... ~
Austin, Texas
Don't blame Gays
and Lesbians for
problems of . the
modern family
Dear Second Stone,
_The goal_ of m~st lesbian and gay ·
activists is to solve the social and personal
problems assodated with horri.O"
sexuality. From their own experience,
they see that these · problems · ·
arise primarily because our current
homophobic sodety does not explain
to developing young homosexual
women and men the nature of their
difference and the realities they ·will ·
face in growing to adulthood.
The problems activists want to solve
are the things Chri?lian -fundamentalists
and right wing forces condemn
· homosexuals for: failure of relation°
ships, lack of self-respect, spiritual
disenfranchisement, sexual obsession,
promiscuity, alcohol and drug abuse,
and sexually-tr~s .mitJe.d disease.
Yet, ironically, these anti-gay forces
uals. What can improving the 1.ot of
young gay men and Lesbians possibly
have to do with the problems of
divorce, rape, child abuse, spouse
beating, alcoholism, illegitimacy, unwanted
pregnancy, and even abortion
in the lives of heterosexuals?
. . Jesus. said very little about sexual
,:et.hies.- tte ·_said ;absolutely nothing
: about .homosex u•ality. Jesus did speak
about soda! relations and about eco;
nomic issues. He taught that the
problems of_soctety were resolved by
love and forgiving - not hatred and
blaming . Jesus specifically objected to
strict literal 'interpretation of Biblical
law (this is why He was executed at
the urging .of the conservative religious
leaders of His day).
Jesus told · his followers to love one
another and sell all that they had and
give to the poor (not to the church).
Where are . the Christian funda_
mentalist leaders urging their flock to
disavow materialism and lead lives of
simplicity, dispossession, and generosity?
That is what Christianity is
about, not the .oppression of homosexuals.
block every attempt the lesbian and Sincerely,
gay community makes to solve these Toby Johnson, Ph.D.
very problems. The anti-gay forces
insist that the legitimation of homos .
sexual relationships threatens the · Southfield, Michigan
heteros exual family. In the name of Th k
Jesus, they call for homosexuals to be an. S, ••
forced back into a secret, criminalized Dear Seco!ld Stone,
under cultur<;,. s!'yi~g . t ,kat this . -~!ll: .. : , -: · · , : . . .
help the probl ems that face modem . Every s,ther month, there IS a day
American heterosexuals struggling to that I most look forward to. That day
raise a family in difficult times. sees the arrival of your newsjournal.
The problems that beset the I have enjoyed every issue that has
modem family are far'.moridikely to come ~y Wl\Y, and look forwa~d to
be based in economic issues than in · every issue of 1994. May God nchly
the civil rights struggles of homosex- bless you and your work for God's
eternal nation.
Sincerely,
Eric Bicknell
Lafayette, Co.lorado
... No, thanks
Dear Second Stone,
I am sending this letter to give
constructive feedback. I have seen
Second Stone and decided not to
subscribe because it appeared to be
d ominated by men. Your invitation
[Second Stone's current .subscription
appeal program] confirms that initial
observation. I am a supporter of
lesbian and gay iYJl ri &h ts of
membership in churches and I am a
member of an Open and Affirming
Church.
Your invitation with its advocacy of
''ta:king revolution to the streets" and
its fea.turing of five males to one
female sounds very unappealing. I
also object (somewhat) to your polemic
claim that the "pivotal l!IOment is
here." Where, exactlv? This doesn't
sound very "faithful" to me.
But, GOOD LUCK, <lespite my
reservations . .
Si'ncerely,
Ginger Taylor
Nashville, Teriness,ee
Gay Christian
organization feels
ignored by press
Dear Second Stone,
I could have warned you about the
Dr. Frankenstein from Nashville. I
could have told you about Fred
Phelps, even about Mel Perry. But
• my organization and articles have
been ign_ored by the media, both gay
and straigl'it. It is ironic that a Fred
Phelps caii get national publicity
saying "God hates fags," and . the
voice of an organization of gay
ministers is totally ignored.
I have extencled my hand in :the
spirit of cooperation to you artd you
have ignored my letters across ' 'the
years. We are a voice. We will be
heard .
Thanks,
Rev. LaDon Williams, President
Halo
Longview, Texas
Why struggle
when we have the
victory?
Dear Second Stone,
After reading the article on Robert
Goss and the review of his book, Jesus
Acted Up: A Gay and Lesbian Manifesto,
a few Bible verses came to mind: I
Corinthians 1:29 and 15:50. I wonder
why we must fight for things of the
flesh. Christ has already given us
victory. · Homosexuality and heterosexuality
are both of the flesh. The
religious right and the religious left
are both of the flesh. To be black or
to be white is of the flesh . These
thing s become idolatry if we love
them more than God. They become
idolatry if we push them on people
instead of the true teachings of Christ.
SEE LETTERS, Page 18
.Comment T
• e I t I I I I 9 I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I · 1 I I I I I I I • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • · • • • •
My return to ministry
By Vaughn F. Joyce Beckman an minister martyred by the Nazis,
Guest Comment proclaimed that God is discovered in I left the ministry over five years : • the midst. of )ife. By participating in
. ago. I had to . My spi_rituality lik during : these past five years, I
was being destroyed by the. ·have. gained great spiritual insight .
anti-gay homophobic rhetoric and I am now returning to ministry. I
practice of the church. I felt wounded have to. A great radical revolution is
and failed by those who were sup- taking place irt the church and I want
posed to be my sisters and brothers. , ·· to be part of it. God is being liberatIt
was either pretend or get out. For ed from the litmus test mentality of
the sake of my own faith and integ- the self-proclaimed religiously correct.
nty, I painfully left. Those outside of the stained glassed
The road I have walked down since walls of re,ligious power structures are
that departure has been amazing ." reclaiming 'their spirituality and are
Through issues and activities, becoming · a prophetic voice of God.
through complexities and petsonali- We read in I Corinthians that God is
tie s, through mountains and valleys, in the business of ta:king the "foolish,"
my faith has been rekindled, rede- the least)ik ~ly, the most iUogical, to
fined, and refocused. It was not until preach the gospel. I can feel comfort!
left the sheltered environment of a able with my return to ministry as a
very separatist conservative church gay male because such a call does not
.that .I.truly discovered the Divine. have to seem sensible.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the great- Luther- There is much work to be done for
the Kingdom of God. We must open
doors to those outside. We must
lovingly lead individuals to discover
their spiritual being . We must give
hope to those who have been
wounded by an exclusive church.
We must proclaim and practice the
great Christian principle of loving
others as ourselves. We .must promote
the spirituality of serving. We
must comfort the weak, the sick, the
discouraged, and the lonely. We
must stand for social ju·stice for all
people. We must challenge the
cynical. We must do theologies that
speak the voice of those left out. All
of these things must be done while
proclaiming the great liberating gospel
of Jesus the Christ.
We need to be in the "bridge
building" business as well. In Jo hn
chapter 17, Jesus prays that his follower
s should be one. We must
always reach out to build bonds of
love - even ·with those who are
difficult to love. We must confront
those who have placed the Word of
God within the confines of their
human-created theological systems.
We must encourage the fundamentalists
to stop adding excess baggage to
the gospel. We must demand change
of the mainline churches in their
hypocrisy of proclaiming but not
consistently practicing unconditional
love - especially in regard to Lesbians
and Gays. .
I re-enter the ministry not knowing .
where God will lead me and .to what
specific ministry I may be called .
But, I have faith - faith that the time is
right to join the great camaraderi e of
. clergy that are bravely speaking the
inclusive message of God to this
generation.
Second Stone-J~~/February, 1994 [I]
News Lines ..... ·• ................. ................................................. .
Gay ordinations upheld in Oregon judicial case
i'.THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH (U.S.A.) General Assembly's Permanent
Judicial Commission has ruled that an ordination of gay and lesbian persons
by an Oregon session was "irregular" but that Cascades Presbytery acted
properly in refusing to annul tnem. When Central Church, Eugene, Ore.,
ordained two self-affirmin_g, practicing homose xual members to the office of
deacon on June 16, 1991, tne session of Hope Church, Portland, Ore ., filed a
complaint with the Presbytery of the Cascades, contending that the
ordinations violated Presbyterian Jaw and constituted re bellion against -the
word and will of God. It asked that the ordinations be declared irregular
and that they be annulled. Five commision members issued an "Opniion
Concurring and Dissenting in Part." The group agreed that not only was
annulment not proper , but the ordinations were not irregular. · They argued
that banning ordination of gay and lesbian persons on the grounds of
"definitive guidance," a 1978 General Assembly action, and not the "Book of
Order" is .unconstitutional. -More Light Update
Methodist judicial body backs lesbian clergy
t,ON OCTOBER 30, the Judicial Council of the United Methodist Church
overturned Oregon-Idaho Bishop William Dew's decision that Rev. Jeanne
Knepper is not appointable . This was in spite of the fact that the
Oregon-Idaho Board of Ordained Ministry and Clergy Session had both
adopted a motion that said they "believed" fhat Knepper was a "self-avowed
practicing homosexual.'' The Judicial Council ruled that ''The prohibition of
an appointment m_ust ·be exercised in compliance with the rights of all persons
who are in full membership. In order to do that, the words "status" and
"self-avowed practicing homosexual" must be defined by either the General
Conference or the various Annual Conferences." The Judicial Council also
ruled that, should Bishop Dew decide to appoint Rev. Knepper, "it is without
penalty or prejudice." -Affirmation
Preacher: Gaylord, Michigan, not too gay
t,TOTO TOURS recently set up its first-ever tour specifically for gay and
lesbian parents and their children - a weekend at a Gaylord, Michigan dude
ranch. But when a nearby minister, Jon Harwood heard of the tour ne formed
a group, Citizens of Gaylord for Traditional Family Values, to try to stop the
vacation. Harwood explained, "This is disturbing in the town of Gay1ord.
We certainly don't want people to misunderstana the name of our town."
Harwood's protest fizzled, however, and the parents and their kids had a
good time at the dude ranch. - Stonewall .Union News
Pro-gav priest becomes bishop
oTHE R.W. JAMES JELINEK has been consecrated as bishop of the
Episcopal piocese of Minnesota ; a ~eremony_ delayed b}' critics of nis stance
on the ordination of Gays and Lesbians. Dunng · the celebration Oct. 29 at St.
John's Abbey, Jelinek became the eighth bishop of the Diocese of Minnesota,
consisting-oI 33,000 members in 127 congregations. Conservatives opposed
him because he favors ordaining gay and1es6ian ministers .. "Everyone who is
[gay or lesbian] is a child of God," Jelinek said. "We need to affirm them as
that. I'm trying to focus on uni ty." -Associated Press
Neighbors' efforts to oust MCC continues
t,SOME NEIGHBORS ARE still unhappy with New Life MCC's move to
Matthews, North Carolina. With court action pending, neighbors . continue to
harass the worshippers. For the October 1_7 service , residents of the
community put up a large cardboard sign that read "gay crossing" at the
corner, with balloons reading "life is a bitch and then you die." Cindy Faw,
spokesperson tor the residents, voiced concerns that there would be traffic
and noise that would disturb them, that because facilities had not been put
into place, church members might "relieve theirselves outside" on the property,
and finally thafthe membership was homosexual. She stated "what they do in
their own home is their business, but when they congregate - that's my
business." ''Laws mean nothing to these people, morals means nothing to these
peoele," Faw said. ·
-QNotes
Conservative Christian politician comes out
i.A RECENT POLL shows that · a Norwegian conservative Christian
politician's coming out had a positive effect. Anders Gasland, cha:ir of the ·
Christian People's "Part}', came out on national television last year. Seven out
of 10 people polled said he did the right thing . . The poll showed that half a
million Norwegians are more accepting of homosexuals because of his action.
Right wingers zap P-FLAG phone line · .
oDESPITE PERSISTENT RUMORS that Gays and fundamentalists could
bring down each other's 800 lines by tying up their toll-free numbers, it was
oniy ·rumor - until recently. This past-year, Parents, Families and Friends of
Lesbians and Gays (P-FLAG) became the first casualty of the right wing 's
guemlla war on.gay .groups. Between January and May, P-FLAG received
up to 100 calls a day from numbers in Colorado Springs, Colo., the home of
Focus on the Family as well as other anti-gay groups. Iri June, the group had
to pt.ill its 800 num6er. It currently is raising funds to get it up again.
- Southern Voice
Former Utah Episcopal bishop comes out
MN EPISCOPAL BISHOP who led the Utah diocese and recently retired as ·
dean of the Episcopal Divinity Sch~! has _disclosed that he is gay. Bishoe
Otis Charles wrote a letter to othe_r bishops_Just before the annual meeting of
the House of Bishops i!' Pan_am_a m late Septmeber. "I have promised myself
that I will not remain silent, mY1s1ble, unknown," Charles wrote . "The clioice [D Second Stone-January/February, 1994
for me is not whether or not I am a gay man, but whether O( not I-am honest
about who I am with myself and oth ers. It is a chcic!! to take down t&e:waU of
· silence I have bwlt aro~nd an important and vital part of my life, to.enc! the
separation ~nd 1so_lahon I have imposed upon ·rt,yself all these yea:rs."
Cfiarles, 67, JS the first bishop of a mainstream American dendniinafion to publicly
declare that he is gay. He is the father ·of five grciwn childrel\ and
severa[ grandchildren. Charles served as the spiritu ·a:l lea·der of Utah's
Ep1sc'?pal Diocese from 1971 to 1986 when he bec"ame dear! of the Episcopal
D1v1ruty School m Cambridge , Mass . -Gazette · · ·
"Pro-family" campaign leader arrested
for assaulting former wife . . ·
oTHE LEADER OF a group that wants to_ ban civil rights for Gays and
Lesbians in Washington ~tat" has_b~en ~•med thr~timesand wi's _arrested
in 1991 on an assault charge mvolvu:1g his· second wife . ·Robert Lanmer, Jr,,
42, head,,ofC11lzens Alhance of Washington, said, "No one likes -a failed
marnage . The fourth-<legree charge was ultitl\ately dismissed.
P-FLAG bans affiliations with churches
LILOCAL P-FLAG AFFILIATES are banned from formal affiliation wiih
religious institutions or wit!' helpingJJrofossionals or a:gencies·under ·poljdes
adopted by the board of "d1rectors. The statement un religious connections
specifically affirm_s _the "importance of bdth_oq~anized religion , arid Rersonal
expressions of spmtual beliefs, as well .as indiY1dual.dec1s1oris for freedom
from religi~Il:·" But it estab1ishes a p~licy of "c_ol!'p]ete ir:ideeende~c~.of ciny
P-FLAG affihate,_ contact, group, or c_hapter from otg;tmzational Iles to apy
rehg1ous mstituhon, church , synag9gue, tenip)e, or otner place of worship.
The ban does not extend to informal relatio11ships•with supporti .ve ch1,1rches
that provide "meeting space, announcements, sponsorship by social justice
committees, and similar support" _ . _ _ ·
Black Baptists bash Gays . · . · · · - · -
LIREV. THEbDORE )EMISON, president of the National Baptist Convention,
the nation's largest denomination of black churches, called gay life "sinful " in
an address to the .group at its annual convention, "The Lord wants us· to be
men," Jemison said, "men who stand up for right and righteousI)e~s, (or
righteousness exalts a nation but sin is a reproacn to any people, - Ifwe are
not careful , we'll raise a generation that is. lost.."·. The reverend's remarks
brought delegates to their feet wit_h shouts of "amen". -BLK .
S.F. mayor fires black minister
CISAN FRANCISCO MAYOR Frank Jordan has asked -Rev ; Eugene Lumpkin
to resign from the city's human rights commission for saying thal homosexuals
· should be stoned to death during a television interview. Lumekin, pastor of
the Elienezer .Bartis~. Chu .~,h, J:tas· ,been undei fi_re. {or. -wf:\eks for. saying
homosexuality is, a!' abomination aga,inst God('. Lumpkin has . been replaced
by James Mayo, a director of the Umted Negro College Fund ar\d_a .trustee of
Bethel African American Church. -BLK · ·
University moves to allow discrimination .
oCHRISTIANGROUPS AT Central Michigan _ University may discrin)iriate
agains/ Gays _and Lesbians ·wh1;,n choosing leaders of their organizatio _ns, the
schools president has rul:ed . The First Amenql1)ent, tells us that we, .as a
gov_emmer;t agency, may not prohibit the free exercise of.religion or, an
md1v1dual s right to freely associate with others," said CMlTPresident
Leona_rd . Pl_achta, in._ exe~pting Christian groups .from a campus
anti-d1scrunmation pohcy. Whil e we may not sponsor religion ; we also
cannot interfere with its practice," Plachta said. - _Cruise . · ,
Anti-gay pastor plans to expand television ministry ·
i'.P ASTOR PETE PETERS of the LaPorte Cl,t.irch of Christ in -LaPo,te; Colo.,
continues to expand his nation-wide television ministry: Author of D_eath
Penalty for Homosexuals ls Pf.escribed in t~e B_ible, Peters appears three times
a week via satellite on the Keystone Inspirational N¢twor!c .
Labor group supports gay rights in Maryland · , · , ·
oEFFORTS_TO ENACT a state gay righ _ts bill in Maryland receiv¢d a ]J_ush
forward with the formal endo:sement of the .Mary.land State, ,md . D.C.
AFL-CIO. The AFL--CIO affrhates represent over 400,000, worker'~ in
Maryland . On December _2, 199.3, labor 1eaders from .thoughout Maryla_nd
formally v~ted to rndorse upcoμ,ing legisl~tion \hat woulcf.'!dd ,''se~ual ·
f:~ntation to the hst of protected clas.ses, u_n1er th~ Marylaf\d hurii.:I) r/ghts
Survey: Episcopalians think·$ame-sex ·
relationships are okay . .
t,A _Sf:XUALLY ACTIVE gay or lesbfari _ person c_an :Sfill be a : faithful
Chnshan, •~cording to a sizable qtaJ,ortty :of u:5: Ep1scopahans ~ho
partic1pat~d in a _recen_t._church-sponsored su~vey._ Se_v~nty petc~nt of the
nearly_ 20,000 Ep1scopahans in Ifie· survey ' said faithful 'Cfmshans can be
sexually active Gays and Lesbians, while 75 perc _ent said a faithful Christian
can live with someone:of the opposite sexwitfiout be,ng-inartied , ·
- Religious News Service . - - ; ·. · .. , .
Discrimination-investigation at General Seminary. ·
LITHE CITY OF NEW YORK Commission ·on Human Rights ·has found
"probable cause" that-the General_ Theoloi,ical Seminary discriminated
agamst Prof. Deirdre J. Good m denying housing because she had -a same-sex
partner . An investigation is continuing. · · ·· ·
·News Lines
Jewish leaders call .for recognition and
benefits for gay couples
. t-.A RESOLUTION . CALLING for local, state and federal legislation
extending health care and . survivor benefits to same gend~r partners of
co_vered workers on a par with _heterosexual health and survivor benefits,
was endorsed b.y the Union of American Hebrew Congregations at its
biennial convention. Some 4000 delegates, representing nearfy a thousand
member temples of the Union ot American Hebrew Congregations
overwhelmingly approved the resolution which also calls for lei,;1slation
giving gay and lesbian couples "the means of legally acknowledging su·ch
relationships." - Gazelle
Spain mission may be subject of new trial
t-.THE REV. JANIE SP Al-IR'S mission as an evangelist for the inclusion of
Lesbians and Cays as .Presbyterian clergy may 6e the subiect of another
church trial. A comj>laint has been made to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
Synod of the Pacific by Rev: Michael Haggin of San Anselmo, Calif., against
Pr.esbytery of the _Redwoods for their approval of Rev. Dr. Jane Spahr's
change :of call from executive director to .evangelist/ educator for the Seectrum
Ce_t1ter fpr U,sbians, Gays, and .Bisexuals. Tlie complaint, aimed at silencing
the _ most prominent Presbyterian spokesperson fo~ full inclusion of lesbian,
gay and b1sext;a[ people m the church, came 1ust one week after the
Presbyterian General Assembly called for a three-year dialogue on sexual
otientation . and ordination arid asked the church to "assure a climate for
di~logu~ which is open .and -non-incriminating in. order to .assure that no
testjmony given by any _persoμ will result in jeopardizing the reputation or
standing . of any partner m 1ialogue." - Tlie Empty Closet .
Florida church votes to retain pastor
llAFI'ER SIX WEEKS OF confusion, controversy and conflict, the members of
Kint of Peace Metropolitan Community Church voted 126 to 91 to retain the
Rev.Fred.Williams ·as pastor : The vote_left many still disgruntled, but Rev.
W1lhan1s·and MCC Reg10nal ·Coordmator ·Rev . -Judy Davenport both
· ·promised that grievances would be · heard and changes would be made. The
tiouble 'began in•e~rly September when Williams terminated former Associate
·Pastor Renne Shawver. Parishioners who ·questioned the abrupt action were
concerned about how the decision was made and carried out, and what role
the board of directors played in church administration. After the vote, Rev.
Davenport asked all members to remain with King of Peace, saying, "You
cannot change things· &:om without." -Gazette ·
: Fundamentalists •predict bleak future in planned novel
i'-C0[ORi'.DO 'FOF, FAMILY Values ; tt,e ·org'aniza 'tibn that SJ?Onsored
Amendment 2'm that ·state, has branched out mto the world of Iiterature,
according to Out Front. CFV is planning to publish a futuristic novel called
Colorado 1998, which depicts the state as run by an organization called
Queer Sensitivity .Services, Inc. In the book, a religious fundamentalist's . four
year old daug~ter 'is taken into st~te custody because QSS finds her family to
be homophobic , and the mother 1s forced to watch lesbian pornography as
· rartof a -re-programming .process. CFV director Kevin Tebedo called the.plot
entirely plausible." - Southern Voice
International gay group condemns pedophilia;
fights to keep UN status
MN INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION of over 300 lesbian and gay groups
reacted an_ ,grily to_ recent statements by the United States government tli~t
seemed to'Jink then\ with pedophilia. The organi_zafion also fook the dramatic
step of moving .to expel one of its members( the North Amencan.Man Boy Love
Association in a bid to disassociate itself from the polthcal aims of
NAMBLA. 'This action on the part of the International Lesbian and Ga)'
Association followed indications by the United States Mission to the Unitea
. Nations that it might call for the removal -of ILGA's ·consultative roster status
within the Unite<f Nations .' "ILGA has always taken very strong, very clear
'positions on the rights of children," said Rebe~ca Sevilla, co-clia_ir of ILGA
· and president of Movimiento Homos~xual de Luna, a gay rights group .from
Peru. "Accusing us ·of complicity with child abuse ,s nothing · but political
· · opportunisin by the right wmg." The gr.anting .of consuUative status to ILs;A
attracted ·little attention until a s1riall right wmg publication begart ISsumg
statements attempting to equate the _politic~l aims of NAMBLA ";'ith those of
the ILGA. The U.S. governmen .t responded by issuing a public statement
indicating its intention to try to revoke ILG A's consultative .status. .
The Log Cabin Republicans and Parents, Fam1hes and Friends of Lesbians
. , and .Gays have clenounc\"'1 NAMBLA.as a. pedophile group, and den:ianded the
expulsion of NAMBLAfrom the ILGA., P-FLAG passed a resolution stating
that the group "strongly condemns. the sexua_l exploitation of children by any
indivic!ual, group, or orgal1lZ<!tion, many form and under any arcumstances."
Gay community defends workers fired for being straight
t.FOUR WOMEN DISMISSEB from a New Port Richey, Fla., nightclub
contend they were fired because of their heterosexual orientation. Tlie club's
format was · recently changed from · straight to gay. .A Tampa-based
gay /lesbian rights groμp, Human Rights Taslfforce, l\~s come to the women's
.defense . "We thin!< that firing peopfe because they _ are straight is just as bad
as people ·being •passed by because they are gay," said Todd Simmons, co-chair
of the task force.
. SEE NEWS LINES, Page 15
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S'eoond Stone-January/February, 1994 [[]
Gay/lesbian Christians gather electronically for community
PEOPLE ALL ACROSS the nation are
joining together daily in a unique
way, taking advantage of one of the
many benefits of high technology:
electronic mail, or e-mail.
This network of computer users
consists primarily of lesbian, gay and
bisexual Christians. Participation is
in no way restricted by sexual orientation
or religious affiliation.
Lively discussjons are held on a
wide variety of topics, such as what
it's like to be gay in a mainstream
church, or what it feels like to discuss
being gay with family, friends and
clergy. Individuals are free to
participate to any degree based on
available time and individual needs
for privacy. · ·
The network was started by Dr.
Louie Crew in late 1992. Crew came
up with the idea_ at a time when he
wanted to facilitate frequent discussion
and a sense of community
among Episcopalians who grapple
with the modem issues that challenge
church doctrine. As the church
strives to address issues of human
sexuality, many Christians from all
denominations have joined · in this
·network forum.
Friendships form, opinions are
shared, and lively debates ensue.
What is most noteworthy is that a
LJiS.eJco ndS tone-January/Februar1y9, 'J4
spirit of Christian love and support
binds all together.
Many participants express how
nurturing and safe the forum is, as
compared to other e-mail networks for
Christians. Since the greater Chriss
tian community is often filled with
divisive debate about human sexuality,
and_ often expresses condemnation
toward Lesbians, Gays and
bisexuals, this unique e-mail network
provides for many the only place
where a sense of Christian love and
worship prevails. Although many
network users are part of a parish of
congregational community, some are
not welcomed into those communities.
'This place is a complete blessing for
me," reports one participant who
wishes to remain anonymous .. "I
wouldn't have a connectjon to any
Christian - community at all if it
weren't for this network of mostly gay
Christians. The.love, caring and support
shown here are far superior to
anything I've ';Vitnessed in a church."
While all participants need not be
lesbian, gay or bisexual, nor are they
required to be Christians, all who
participate are generally concerned
about the . importance these issues
have in daily Christian life. Many
participants debate openly, taking all
sides of these issues. Since such
debates are generally held according
to Jesus Christ's directive to love one
another, the environment within this
network of gay and lesbian Christians
and interested friends is loving and
God-centered.
Persons interested in participating in
this form of modem community .may
contact Dr. Louie Crew through the
Internet at
1crew@andromeda.rutgers.edu:
Historicp eace organizationv otes
to affirmG ays,L esbians - ·
THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE of the
Disciples Peace Fellowsh ip of the
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
voted unanimously at its fall meeting
to work for justice on behalf of Lesbians,
gay · men, and bisexuals . The
DPF was formed in October of 1935
around the belief that "war is pagan,
futile and destructive of the spiritual
values for which the Christian faith
stands."
The adopted statement reads,
"Because Disciples Peace Fellowship
continues to believe that the cause of
peace _and justice !s best served by the
mclus10n and affirmation of all people,
and because our understanding
of the gospel includes Christ's call to
acceptance of all people as children of
God, we reaffirm Disciples Peace Fellowship's
status as an Open and
Affirming Ministry of the Christian
Church (Disciples of Christ) and in so
doing advocate the full inch,1sion of
gay, lesbian, and bisexual people in
all manifestations of the church and in
society."
The peace organization has historically
taken strong progressive stands
on resolutions at the denomination'sGeneral
Assembly including the support
of conscientious objectors, criticism
of the U.S. role in Central America,
and opposition to the Strategic
Defense Initiative. As last summer's
assembly, meeting in July in St.
Louis, DPF endorsed the passage of a
resolution calling on congregations to
promote efforts to expand civil rights
for lesbian, gay, and bisexual persons.
The resolution was adopted by
a two-thirds majority.
Beth Topliffe, DPF president,
writing in the group's f)e_wsletter, .
SEEVOTES, Next Page
F ashion
Li .,e ~ les
Travel
Politics
ln~ervie.vs
Enf:erf:ain1nenf:
•• .. .a Gay versiQn al' Esquire or GQ • .,
IISATGENREm
agazinber ingsy out hel atesti n men'sf ashione. xotict raveld estinations.
exclusvie celebrityin terviewsa. dviceo n groomingh.e alth.f itnessa ndm ore.
f'o •ubscr#be call:
:I..-BOD-576-9933
The pren1lere national gay ,nen•• ,nag,,,zlneNew
church curriculum on AIDS prevention aims to save lives
THE FIRST COMPREHENSIVE course in a community where people of all
in AIDS prevention designed for ages can speak the truth in love,-"
church use was released in Decem- Johnson says. "The church has to
ber. "Affirming Persons - Saving move beyond denial and recognize
Lives" is an ambitious 1,000-page cur- that ignorance about AIDS is as
riculum published by the American deadly as the virus itself. This
Missionary Association, a division of curriculum confronts the AIDS crisis
the United Church Board for Home- in a context of core Christian values,
land Ministries. The Homeland self-giving love, healthy self -esteem
Board is the U.S. mission arm of the and respect for others."
1.6 million member United Church of
Christ.
"With this bold step, the United
Church of Christ is acting responsibly
in the midst of the greatest health
emergency in our time,'' said ucc
President Paul H. Sherry . "Every
family in America is potentially
threatened by AIDS. This . is _ a
family~oriented and church-centered
curriculum that · will help parents,
teachers, youth and children become
partners in the education we need to
protect qurselves and those we love ."
DCC-minister William R. Johnson,
who co-authored the curriculum with
educator Cynthia A. Bouman, says
"Affirming Persons - Saving Lives" is
rooted in biblical values and Chris-
Several features set the curriculum
apart from secular models. Sessions
are designed for use in church school
and other settings for Christian
education. Bible study, prayer and
theological reflection are part of the
lesson plans. Parents and teachers
are encouraged to preview the curriculum
together befor e introducing
information to students.
"Affirming Persons - Saving Lives"
was tested by teenagers, teachers and
parents in regional workshops
throughout the country. People
living with HIV and AIDS also
played a critical role in the development
of the curriculum.
tian community. "As a person who has been living
"AIDS education should take place with HIV for a number of years, this
<;3ay/lesbian issues arrive on evangelical
campuses with · a bang
By Religion Watch
EV ANGELICAL CAMPUSES across
the country are experiencing sharp
and - often acrimonious controversy
over the moral issue of homosexuality
as a legitimate Christian lifestyle. At
such leading colleges as Wheaton
(Illinois), Cafvin (Michigan), Gordon
(Massachusetts), and East ern (Pennsylvania),
students, faculty, and
administration are coming face to face
with the claims by some ·students that
their sexual orientation is compatible
with conservative Christianity and
should be recognized, according to a
report in the evangelical Christianity
Today magazine. In a situation closely
paralleling that of many evangehcal
and mainline denominations, the
leadership and faculty of schools are
VOTES, From Page 6
affirmed that "at any time a group of
people finds that [its members] ar c -
not welcome, or even hated, Jesus'
message of peace and understanding
calls us to react · with love and
openness." Topliffe further declared,
"as an organization that stands for
peace and justice within the church
and the world DPF should stand for
the principle that all of our sisters and
brothers, n·o matter what their sexual
orientation, race, ethnicity, sex, or
nationality are children of God and
deserve to participate fully in the life
of the churcl1." ·
The Open and Affirming Ministries
Program was created in 1987 to encourage
local congregations and ot!1er
units of the Christian Church to study
in harmony in the view that the gay
and lesbian lifestyle is not compatible
with traditional moral behavior. But
some faculty claim the issue should
be debated publicly. Others, including
administration, want to close th e
debate as quickly as possible . It is
not known how many students who
are homosexual are remaining silent
during the confrontations. What is
known is that through public forums,
campus newspaper articles, and
classroom discussions , the degree of
ange_r and dissent is escalating. To
date, no evangelical college administration
has acknowledged the right of
gay /lesbian students to claim pe er
approval of their orientation.
- Erling Jorstad
issues around human sexuality and to
publicly declare themselves to be
. -welcoming of persons of all sexual
orientation into the entire mission and
ministry of the · church. Currently 25
congregations, campus ministries,
organizations, and regions of the
denomination are listed.
The Christian Church (Disciples of
Christ) is a moderate to liberal Protestant
denomination w:ith over a million
members . in North ._ America. Its
tenets include a strong ' h~lief in the
discernment of the individua(!_n all
matters of faith and in the essential
unity of the universal church. Head>-,
quarters for the denomination are in
·Indianapolis, Indiana .
curriculum gives me confidence that
my church is doing everything in its
pow er to save lives ," said William ·
Smith , a UCC member in Palm
Springs, Calif. "When I began to hear
about HIV, the church was practically
invisible. It never occurred to me
that churches could be places of
healing, learning and support. That
can change if this .curriculum is
widely used."
BISHOPS, From Page 1
director of Catholic Advocates . "It is
disgusting that some churchmen
would risk people's lives to maintain
dangerous and arcane teachings
about condoms.
Dominican Sister Donna Quinn of
Chicago Catholic Women said, 'The
rate of HIV infection among women is
rapidly increasing. Condoms protect
women's lives. Condoms are a necessity,
not an option. To oppose the use
of condoms is immoral and murderous."
A June, 1992 Gallup poll of
Catholics' attitudes about human sexuality
found that ·s3 percent of U. -S.
Catholics want the U. S. Catholic bishops
to approve the use of condoms to .
- "Affirming Persons - Saving Lives"
can be used by any Christian church.
For information on the curriculum,
call the UCC's AIDS Ministry Office,
(216)736-3271.
The United Church of Christ, with
national offices in Cleveland, is the
1957 union of the Congregational
Christian Churches and the Evangelical
and Reformed Church .
speak on important issues ," said .Br.
Garcia. 'T hankfully, Catholics are
turning a deaf ear to the bishops'
antideluvian and dangerous attitudes
about condoms.
• "Maybe We're •
Talking About a
Different God"
A half-hour documentary on the Rev.
Jane Spahr and her call to the Downtown
Church in Rochester, protested and
brought to trial .
Shows how co11Jusio11 and fear ( "What!
A woman and a lesbian? No way!") ·
ca11 be transformed into understanding
a11d compassio11. ('The11 I mer_Janie!')
VHS Tape & Discussion Guide
SEND $32.35 TO:
prev ent the spread of AIDS. Ninety- Leonardo's Children, Inc.
four percent of Catholics und er 35 26 Newport Bridge Rd.
years of age want the bishops to Warwick.NY 10990
change their positio n. · .,,■.._ ____ (,;.9"".1_4)'-9_8_6--'68_88 ___ __,■=
'The hierarchy 's position further
erodes our church 's credibility to
■ ■
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Second Stone-January/February, .1994 [1-\
l .. ____:
Gay Christians lead fight for benefits at Rujgers . .
FIVE GAY AND LESBIAN Rutgers
employees filed suit in November in
Middlesex Superior Court again ~t
Rutgers University and the State of
New Jersey to obtain the same health
coverage that has been routinely
given to heterosexual employees for
generations. The suit calls for retroactive
-benefits from 1981, when
Rutgers guaranteed to end discrimination
in emrloyment and benefits
on the basis o sexual orientation, and
for compensatory damages.
The plaintiffs include long-time
members of the Rutgers community.
Several have also been leaders in the
lesbian and gay liberation movement,
both locally and nationally. In
.1984 James D. Anderson was named
by the Advocate as one of 400 leading
activists in the gay and lesbian movement
.in the U.S. Since 1980, he has
served as the national communications
secretary for Presbyterians for
Lesbian and . Gay Concerns. At
Rutgers, he chairs the President's
Select Committee for Lesbian and
Gay Concerns, as well as the Committee
to Advance Our Common Purposes,
the university-wide initiative
for helping the entire university community
to celebrate its diversity, its
common purposes, and its multicultural
communities and to do away
with all forms of prejudice, bigotry,
discrimination , and harassment. In
1991, President Francis L. Lawrence
presented him a university Public
Service Award "in recognition for
your more than a decade of work to
educate and encourage your University
and the General Assembly,
Presbyterian Church U.S.A., to accord
to Lesbian and Gay people the same
rights and responsibilities enjoyed by
all other citizens ."
Another plaintiff, Dr. Louie Crew,
has served on the governing boards
of the National Gay and Lesbian Task
Force and the National Council of
Teachers of English . He co-founded
the NCTE's Lesbian and Gay Caucus
and was the founder of Integrity, the
international justice ministry of Jes-
Accommodations, AIDS/HIV rasourcu, bars, boakstoru, vartoua ·buslnusas, hNtth care, legal
urvlca, organlutlons, publlcatloN:, relglou1 groups, 1wttchboard1, therapist ■, travel agents, &
much more, for gay women and men.
All J>"IC8S below INCLUDE FIRST CLASS POSTAGE t> USA, C8nada & Mexico, In sealed, disaeet
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~P:~nf°"' ard caucuses; plblicadais: mall adef ccmpanies, Ille. $12.00; CM111tde N. America $17
NEW YORK/HEW JERSEY. NY & NJ; separate Wc:men's Section; Manhattan bar notes by Jerry FitzpaD'ick.
$5.00; outside N. America $8 (alrmatij ·
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[[] Second Stone-January/February, 1994
bian and gay Anglicans. The Diocese
of Newark elected. him to co-chair its
deputation to General ·convention,
the governing body of the Episcopal
Church. Crew has addressed lesbian
and gay· issues at dozens of venues in
Britain, Canada, China, Costa Rica;
Hong Kong, and the Uiuted States.
Joining the suit as plaintiff is the
Rutgers Council of the American
Association of University Professors,
which represents all faculty members
and teaching assistants at the university.
The American Civil Liberties
Union is providing counsel.
The President's Select Committee
for Lesbian and Gay Concerns of
Rutgers University has urged the
university to .provide the same benefits
to lesbian and gay employees as
are provided to heterosexual employees
since 1988. The university has
begun to provide bereavement leave,
access to athletic facilities, library
borrowing privileges for the "bona
fide sole ·domestic partners" of le_sbian
and gay employees, and it is planning
to open family housing to gay
and lesbian graduate students, b\lt it has
rejectecf effo_rts to extend the
single most i~portant benefit of all -
health insurance and health care· - to
the life partners of lesbian and gay
employees. ·
Lesbian bookstore exhibits · at.
church convention
AT THE 1993 Convention of the Episcopal
Diocese of Los Angeles, the Different
Drummer Bookstore, a gay and
lesbian bookstore, sponsored a booth
in the exhibit hall where the store's
books on coming out, feminism, and
gay theology stood next to chalices,
vestments, and communion wafers.
The presence of the bookstore had
been requested by Integrity/ Southland,
a chapter of the national gay
and lesbian organization within the
Episcopal Church.
"We just could not provide enough
space for books within our exhibit
and after attending for three years
thought we should invite Different
A Symbol of Today's Reality
and Tomorrow's Hope
Wearing this red and pink ribbon pin shows you care
about those who are HIV+ or have Bread Cancer.
AED=AIOS
1 IN 2!'0PEOPLEAAE HIV+ INTHE USA. ATTHECURRENT
RATE, THE STATISTIC Will BE 1 IN 4 BY THE YEAR201n
PINK= BREAST CANCER
1 IN 8 WOMEN (1 IN 3 lESBIANS) \\ILL BE DIAGNOSED
WITH BREAST CAt-1:ER.
FOR ADDITIONAL PINS, CONTACTt
MCC LOUISVILLE
P. 0. BOX 32474 • LOUISVILLE, KY 4D232
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v---- '\\: AJM t i
.. ,,~-. ~ :1' ~-.~,-:·_. ~-j. '1L 71ffl•j. -~ ~~-.~~ , ;,.:.:. • . P!' _ACE \ \ . -~·.---:.~ . .., --~r-·-·\· ~ ... . '
l- . ..
Loretta Staub of Different Drummer:
her bookstore broke a church barrier
in Los Angeles. Photo:· Paul Courry
Drummer to join us,"· sai d Kent
Steinbrenner, a member of Integrity.
Loretta Staub, one of the owners of
Different Drummer in Laguna ·Beach,
said that it was entert_aining to watch
how people approached _the table,
some genuinely interested; some curious
and some furtively approaclling -.
the table, pretending they were
interested in the table next door.
"All in all I was well received and
plan to retum next year," Staub said.
Kent said that the bookstore's presence
was a "valuable educational
experience for the church ."
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Lutherans retreat on bold sexuality draft statement
From Page 1
released a story about the
draft statement on October 20.
In some cities the story ran
under inaccurate headlines ·
and many felt the story itself
was sensationalist in tone.
The toll-free number at ELCA
churchwide offices logged
22,000 calls that Wednesday
in a five hour period . Security
had to be stepped up at the
Lutheran Center on Higgins
Road in Chicago because of
threats of violence. The
viciousness has included
violent, sexist remarks like,
· "We should reinstitute
hanging and have Karen
Bloomquist in a n0,0se ... No
wonder we're in trouble: we
have a woman who is in
charge of studies." (The Rev.
Karen L. Bloomquist is
director of studies for the
ELCA.)
The council left tentative
the tiine line and status of the
document. Originally scheduled
to be adopted by the
church in 1993 and delayed
until 1995, the council now
recomm ends a "possible social
statement" at a "future church
wide assembly." The wording
provides that the future
document may not have the
status of an official ELCA
social statement at such time
as it is presented to the
church.
The article in The Lutheran
recounts the negative response
to the draft statement
by various syriod bishops,
local congregations and
individuals . No mention of
the positive reaction of Lutherans
Concerned or gay or
lesbian Lutherans is reported.
One group of conservative
Lutherans went so far as to
demand an apology from the
clmrch for even considering
the document. The Great
Commission Network
demanded Oct. 28 that the
ELCA disband the committee
that drafted the statement and
"issue a public apology for
this gross infraction of our
faith and confessions." The
.Rev. Walter Sundberg, associate
professor of church
history at Luther Northwestern
Theological Seminary in
St. Paul, said the statement
misuses scripture and seeks to
change basic doctrine. '1t's an
unprecedented effort to unsin
sin," Sundberg said. "You
can't do that and maintain
integrity. What the homosexual
commun_\ty wants is the
unsinning of homosexual
activity - gay blessing and all
of that."
Scriptural interpretation
was an area cited by the council
as an important concern.
The council stated that-it will
recommend for assembly
action "only such a draft of a
social statement on human
sexuality that would stand on
biblical foundations and the
confessional traditions of the
church.'"
Conservative, non-ELCA
Lutheran churches have tried
to distance themselves from
the ELCA's controversial
statement. The Lutheran
religion has three major
branches; the ELCA, the
Missouri Synod and the
smaller Wisconsin Synod.
A December article in Metro
Lutheran by the Mankato,
Minn.-based Evangelical
Lutheran Synod, a member of
the Wisconsin Synod, read:
"Because the two church
bodies which are not affiliated,
have similar names, the
regional leaders of the ELS
want there to be no misunderstanding
on what their
synod still teaches." At its
1992 conventiort, ·ELS issued a
statement that sa.id, "We confess
that scripture condemns
homosexuality and extramarital
relations (fornication
and adultery) as sin."
John Pless, a campus pastor
for the Lutheran Church
Missouri Synod at the University
of Minnesota, said that
the ELCA statement blurs
biblical scriptures relating to
homosexuality .
"We see homosexuality as a
•sin," Pless said. "We see
homosexual people also are in
need of forgiveness. The goal
would be that homosexual
people in receiving the forgiveness
of sins that is in
Jesus Christ, can form a new
life of chastity."
More supportive of the
ELCA's statement are ELCA
churches who are members of
· the Reconciled in ChristJrogram,
publicly op.en an
affirming to Gays and Lesbians
in the congregation.
Pastor Ronald Johnson of
Holy Trinity Lutheran
Church said the statement has
"pretty good" acceptance
within his Minneapolis
congregation. Also part of
the ELCA, St. Paul Reforma-
[.IDSe]co ndStone•January/February1,9 94
tion Lutheran Church in St.
Paul plans 'to i:liscuss the statement
on human sexuality.
Pastor Paul Tideman defended
the task force that drafted
the statement and said the
statement allows for diversity
in the church. ''My hope is ·
that there will be continuing
dialogue in the church about
it. And my fear is that the
statement is going to be
altered, which will make it
more difficult for sexual minority
people;" said Tideman .
Pastor Galen Hora of
Lutheran Campus Ministry
said the current draft statement
better reflects students'
opinions than ever before.
"My hunch is that the document
we're looking at [(oday]
is closer to the realities that
students live as young adults,
including the homosexual
issue."
The Rev. Robert L. Isaksen,
bishop of the ELCA's New
England Synod, wrote to
pastors, "Responsible biblical
interpretation does not seek
simple answers to difficult
problems. In the script.ures
the faithful Christian sees the
work of salvation in every
age, as well as a means to
evaluate human activity in
the present day. The task
force is not trying to concoct
conclusions, but to help the
church with a broad range of
issues. The church cannot be
he! pful by refusing to talk
about difficult questions ." He
added, 'These are μifficult
issues. It is a great strength
of the ELCA that it strives to
deal with them in accordance
with scripture without resorting
to simplistic conclusions."
The Rev. Mark R. Ramseth,
bishop of the Montana Synod,
said in a press release that the
draft "is calling the church to
become a community of guidance,
education, respect, support
and healing iri relation to
human sexuality. It is an
attempt on the part of the
ELCA to enter into conversation
about the dilemmas of
human sexuality which face
Christian persons in this
time.'' ·
Nationally, however, the
reaction from the pews was
immediate and largely negative.
ELCA church head
Bishop Herbert Chilstrom
said he received about 700
letters on both sides of the
issue.
"Most of the negative letters
go directly to the ,issue of
homosexuality. It is very
clear that is the flash point,"
Chilstrom said in a statement.
"I am convinced that those
who look at the full statement
and consider it in its entirety
will discover it to be very·
well balanced and a very
sensible word about human
sexuality," Chilstrom said.
'This culture needs a word
from ·this church about this
subject ... We know, cf course,
. that all those good people of
God are not of one mind on
anything and surely not on
the subject of human sexuality,
so we expect heated
arguments and passionate
discussions. But out of it will
come suggestions and much
good sense. This is a time for
the people of God in this
church to respect differences
of opinion and to w01:k .
toward a consensus that
comes from an open process."
Trust in the task force that
drafted the statement has
been questioned.
The Rev. Charles Miller,
executive director of the . ·
ELCA's Division for Churc;h
in Society, said, "If members
of this cl1urch do not believe
the process is trustworthy,
then progress in developing a
sqciatstat~inen~ on human
sexuality will be greatly
impaired if not ,pelJllanently
poisoned by cynicism, disillusionment
, suspicion and
sense of betrayal now felt by
a significant number of
persons."
But Minneapolis Pastor
Ronald Johnson said suggestions
that the task force
was untrustworthy were
unfounded . "Ithiilk it's the
kind of tack that people take
when they disagree," said
Johnson.
Single copies of 'The Church
and Human Sexuality: A
Lutheran Perspective" are
available by mail by calling
(312)380-2719. Multiple copies
may be ordered from the
ELCA Distribution Service
(50¢ each) by calling
(800)328-4648o, rder code
69-2064 , Response,s to the
draft statement may be sent
to Hum,v1 Sexuality Study,
ELCA-DCS, 8765 W. Higgins
Rd., Chicago, IL 60631. Local
ELCA churches have until
June to respond to the draft.
Compiledfr a,μ: The Lutheran,
Lutherans Concerned/Fort
Worth-AriingtonN ewsletter,
AssociatedP ress,E qual Tfme,
Lutherans Concerned/Chicago
Reconcile
Where does the news
come from?
Second Stone welcomes news from all gay and
lesbian Christian organizations . The following
national organizations do/do not report news to
Second Stone:
AFFIRMATIO(MNO RMONS) NO
AFFIRMATION(METHODISTS) YES
AMERICABNA PTISTCSO NCERNED YES
AXIOS NO
BRETHREN/MENNOCNOITUEN CIL YES
CHRISTIALNE SBIANOSU TT OGETHER NO
COMMOBNO ND NO
COMMUNICATIMOINN ISTR(YC ATHOLIC) YES
CONFERENC.CAET HOLILCE SBIANS YES
DAUGHTEROSFS ARAH YES
DIGNITY/USA NO
ECUMENICCAAL THOLICCH URCH YES
EMERGENCINET ERNATIONAL NO
EVANGELICNAELT WORK YES
EVANGELICACLOSN CERNED YES
FRIEND(SQ UAKERS) NO
GLADfD ISCIPLEOSF C HRIST) YES
HONET Y( SOUTHERBNA PTIST} NO
INTEGRITINY,C YES
LUTHERANCSO NCERNED/NA NO
NATIONAGLA YP ENTACOSTAL YES
NEINW AYSM INISTRY YES
PLGC(P RESBYTERIAN} YES
RECONCILICNOGN GREGATIONS YES
SEVENTDHA YA DK INSHIIPN TL NO
UNITARIAN/UNIVERSALIST NO
UCCC OALITIOUNG C ONCERNS YES
UNITEDU GC HRISTIASNC IENTISTS NO
UFMCC YES
THE
STRANGER
· IS ...
B Y REV. S U SAN B. P. N ORR I S
he hospital was being hospitalish,
I suppose, but I really
can't remember. I recall tan
walls, . and carpet,' and yet
ano er "expert " in training clergy
standing near a VCR in his suit and
Ue, waiting to tell the chaplain interns
some more about this odd business of
being priest's and · pastors. I do recall
that I wanted to go home. I was
busy; I was tired; and I already knew a great deal more about being a good
·chaplain than I was capable of actually
putting into practice . But Sue came
in from her ward, and Joe and Chuck
finished their meeting, and before 1
could escape through the only door
from the chaplaincy service into the
ha!! outside and thus to freedom,
someone ptlt out the lights, turned on
the VCR, and on went the afternoon 's
educational film , ..
In it, poorly produced color which
seems to my memory mostly varied
tan and white, there was another
"expert." This one was asking the
question, "What have . all anthropologists,
sociologists, and students of
culture around the world found to be
the only foundational truth or belief
shared by every known society?"
Properly, at this point, we turned off
the tap e, batte .d the question around,
and returned to our "education ," The
expert then offered . ideas such as ·we
had offered. 'There is a God," "Human
life is sacred," "Love. one another,"
and so on. After reporting that
all of these, although widely shared,
were not the belief in question, he
continued, 'The one foundational belief
commot) to every known society
is this, The · stranger is the enemy."'
The video then continued with ways
to "work" a corporation so as to avoid
the consequences of this ingrained
and unstated belief, and to get what
you want. I can't tell you what that
part said; because I was so struck by
the opening -that I could drum up no
interest in their diagnoses or solutions.
.
'The stranger is the enemy."
I've been thinking about that idea
ever since. It's hard to believe that it
really is an "always, everywhere and
by everyone" and indeed, whether or
not you believe that is not the point
just at the moment. Whether or npt
the sociological proposition is accurate,
the power of that idea is supported
by much of our life experience.
The experience of being the
stranger and therefore the enemy is
nothing new to the lesbian/ gay community.
Anyone wh.o watched
Lawrence Pourier come out in the
cartoon "For better or for worse" will
recognize that his parents' immediate
overreactions and temporary rejection
come from the shock of confronting in
the son they thought they knew so
well, a stranger with a different and
strange culture and friends.
'The stranger is the enemy" is at
the heart of all kinds of rejection, and
thus of the pain and tragedy found in
QUOTABLE
'I might as well say it now, Ithink that gay people are special.
To a friend who also has a gay son, I say, 'Gay people are
more creative, spirited and have a ze~t for_ life. ,·she
disagrees and says that gay people are JUSt like even1one
else: They work, pay taxes and rear children. I agree.
But these qualities come from the f~ther's gen_etic
material, I'm convinced that my son s leather Jacket
with all the political stickers, his earrings and his
backwards red baseball cap come from me, that X
chromosome only a mother can supply,"
- P-FLAG member Laura Siegel, quoted
in the San Francisco Examiner
any newspaper, as well as their inevitable
outcomes: prejudice , fear and
fighting. Aren't Bosnian Muslims
strangers to their Serbian compatriots;
· women, strangers to men; black
culture, strange to white culture; and
Asian culture , strange--to both? Even
here, we strange High-Church folk
genuflect, swing incense and "sing
Mass" to the bewilderm ent of our
equally "strange" evangelical kinfolk
who "read th e, servi_ce,:' are baffled by
incense, and may even sing folk
music in place of el.egant Gregorian
plainsong .
The moral problem, however, is not
strangeness but "enemy-ness." We
humans . fear that God will not pay
attention to u s, protect or nurture us,
with that "strange," "queer" rival
around. We fear that her very existence
is a threat to ours. The problem
is my (our) conviction that another's
"strangeness " is a personal attack
She knew that it
never works to set
up a new community
of "ex-strangers,"
with a new definition
of "enemies," so that
we "outcasts" can
become the new "in
gr0up," and do to
"them" as they have
done to "us:"
upon me, and upon the society which
I have learned how to "work" to get
my food, my clothing, my shelter and
my love and attention.
Unsure of ourselves, we humans
fear people who differ in any important
ways from the pattern we are
holding up and attempting to follow
=~i--k·.t- !~f -Afi~~--~ ·,..--
·, ... ~. ' ') -";.~;"', · .. __ ·-·- V !
'We
, . ~{~~t!!/!~~ ..
On lOObeautiful acres.with
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Innkeepers Judi.th Hall and
Grace Newman invite you lo
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Bethlehem, NH 03574
(603) 869-3978 .
in our own lives. Most of us also
know a familiar variation on 'The
stranger is the enemy," which runs,
'The stanger is someone to be us ed
and then discarded."
This one, as most of us know, is
frequently about sex. Gay sex,
straight sex, any sex at all. It live s in
the lives of those of us whose personal
identity demands that we "make it"
on the gay scene or in the ·swinging
singles scene ... those of us who need
constantly to be reassured that we are
just as young, and charming, and
attractive and sexually desirable as
anyone going. And as we anxiously
worry about what we shall wear, and
eat, and how we shall dress, and
behave, we also pile up as many
conquests as we can put on a string,
and then discard before they discard
us. After all, if you can use ·something
or someone, and then choose to
discard them or it, it or they selfevidently
can't threaten you ... can
they?
I say this attitude is frequently about
sex and that is its most familiar
incarnation, but it is not necessarily
about sex at all. It can be about
workers - factory or farm workers or
spouses, or even students or employees,
or even clients . It is about kee ping
people in the category of "strangers"
or "things" so that we can use
them and discard them and thus
temporarily assuage our anxiety over
whether we will make it in one piece
all the way into tomorrow. Yes, th ere
is a lot of evidence in our lives for the
power of 'The stanger is the enemy."
I trust that we do not believe 'that
horrible lie. For our God has answered
the appalling idea that the
stranger is our enemy.
SEE STRANGER, Page 15
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and Bisexual
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in the U.S. &: Canada
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SecondStone•January/Febl'l)&'y, 1~4 [II]
man'.!s.hired he'lp,, <0r !fhe:man!s m'fant
•!jp~- ~ rui!h:e~ m ~, ·file ibed under :disruss1mi
remainsiihell«iiie (~ lbed~.
Jf ,bom.osexmility was not the subject
Df Pam's cr:mdemnation.. :w.hat-wasl
'The iimeq,riltatioo whim minis fua:t
:file m.an'1s p,uiiia iin 1.oe :U :w,as 'his
g"!}' ilWfi ;rerejy.e5 ;~;pmf fmm Jihe
/ta ·ct tha't Rro.num ;and 'G-reek ig;ay
:S0ldiiers weite :eftffl. assig;R~ :dillirult
m~ESi. !A11, @p,p.esem te matmieii !5@1-
.dier.;,,iitw.as mum '1!asier-fur .lR0man
:a!llturi.ms :t@ m,ing 'libei:r p:aii1im .to
iharren iaruiis.
Anew look at
arsenokoitais '1Jliisw,as ilrhe situati@n iin Capemamn
:Bl' PA'llJL ,R ]JO.HN50.N
. where ~s healed1ile:g;ay lltw.er:0£ ;a ,,
rren'tnn.m illliih1eman. The Guspel,s
~.esame ~ ,l'li}~g :flY man :a_;:
When meliig,U!JU5 ,JJ<!Opit! LC@ruremn
~ l@v~, they lilften'tum. tu
St .. P.au'Ils wmmg_.as ibasis . Bw: P.atrl!s
wiiimg in J 'T:imoihy 1.~1!D .and 1
'Cmmtruans-6~ ·t.as ~ ,little i:o ,do
with mmiogamoui,, ;s;ime.,.,genaer
ilo:ve.1tis~dhofuhomesaual
.uu'! ih.eter~ual, wt is dealt
wilihm l!hese.mdotherv.erses.
'The Gr.eek ((!@~pound .:term
m.semHkditais.ilitera'lly means " 'Ute:male
w1w bas manyibeds: ' Thesw:BRl=sen
means "'male:, tire acljeotiv,e 10means
'?he "' and Jibe .temn.l-oitlzis is aefinea
as .:many bciis :" . "'J1lms tire mtiire .
wnrase means a male ·wilih::muilti-bed
partnets,;apmmisouous:man. Ev.erywttere
·m lhe l;liliie, wlien ·the word
itoiiais iis.usediin tihel)lw;a'!, it-.iietmtes
,promisa:li'.ty- Jiow.eY~, -when tihe
same 'IWiilr.d .ii5 med iin :the smguhr
fuim, JJb.e Bibice gives 1a_1JjlrD¥.a1
m:cause .the iliin,gu];ar a.enotes-mtml!lg-
.amy. ' "- " L'- lE\Vell ine ,gr-eat mian oi ,...,,.~,
~~ ~m mm itrouhle with ins
1.p:luial beds" (Genesis 1'6). ·Go,d amfuuled
-ta bless this pat man ;and
:"'~enhlsh;en~= = ~
~imrles. ·
· JC-.ersely, 1he ·~ 'ik,olt(? iis
!loo : ,n · , .Goo with:approv,,al
{blk-e l
1'airl :refers Eiv.e times 1o-v.m8US
fuuns of !the 7koitt. J 'Timothy 1:lD:
m.sen1D;Jkoiibii&,, ".a male in ffia1!Y hetis'';
hmans :E:B: hliitais, ·.:a per.son m
many .b;eds';; Ji C:@rin:truans ,6:,'9;
air,sm~ , ~:a :m.ile m:m:any l,eas"';
l<<>mans19;m: i<~ ~ woman·m.i,.
ei:'f'';:.and :Hibrew.s "Jlli: mu., ~Jany
iildu'lt Jin mieJb:ed : '
N.obiee. :the fiJJSl 1/hree w..erses
condemn ili.e ::p<!rs0n heran:se Jhe iis
. pmmiswooi, , Jibe hst:lw.o lemns are
9ne1d xcause 'tibe-wmd AS 2n fire
'5lllgular ~mm. Exrept .tm: Romans
'9:il.l,) :.ill 1nese V£l'Se5 .'.OOlild ,refer i0
eu:her]um11;1sema'Jsminit.erosex>Uals.
The !lilite !lDill!liiage iis;a mre Jbed.'Sex..
:a1 wuon. To the .lillmk rofHebrew.>!;,
i".auT-s mlihnnlll! ii5 .seen. The iiiie.al
"'manaage"' is :de:fiined iby tile use nf
,the w,mr,d i/roi,t.e 7in iille :singular amn~
~ :er ..
W fl;,aite).umiijiled,h.ut 1uihcmemong.e1~
!ll1lil rmi'll'llern-s Gnd will j,ulcge. K!Hdhr:ews
13~'4')
"TheTSooknfH~bremam'Ohapter-:13
t .e:alihes trui.t m~e -ts ;a .sexual
unt0n ibetween .an¥ two .arlultts and
thahwih 1miomis "ihoomabJe iin ;all;"
It t:ea:olres that oe¥f!I'f -illmIID,gamous
food /f/kriiti) iisihonorable and Wldefiled
andthal~SCU0USlbeiisf!kriitllis)are
mihe.dthv. {And it .aiB@. '\teadtes ctha:t
~Gad lhas1he lli.i;h't 'to ijud,ge ~
·\WOO ,do .~ :=any ib:eds sum ,as
Daviq, S@h,rrnm.andcAm-aham.)
fu ]Jesus' day the ~le !leaders
believ.ed that !&eX was milym ib.e used
im: :r,;proo.uowm, _, ·they oatlaw;ed
males JS!~ing :iGg€l!heI. Jesus msre~
these temple iaws..indtaqglht:
· In lfhahJiiffet llihae.shlil!Jbe 'tzDDmen in
wne.ib.ei1, itbe ,cme ,'lihrill /be .stileateii 1miH'he
Jtifher Ueft (fbike '17::Mi). ·
hi.Matt. 14 ·wnenjesus was..awaken
male-!51av:e, .:s@II nr :cimwamen.
If tire y~man weretihe !blood ,son,
tihen ire <tl0dld Mt hf a ,sla:vae, il ihe
w,ei,e ..a :real sla= fiten ire w.Gllld nm
"hE ..a ~-- The @niy -Y fOO>
.immumize £bis istmy ·m ;all :furee
gas,pdsis tar~ 1bat :tne qAais
'\Wll0.5hared ;a Imme w.ilihtis mibte
Roman was ~ -• Jesm; pr,ai>led lilns
m,bl:e .Roman .and imalre:d nil, ,
"preriiDwl'' io¥er {bike '7,, .ilfflll ~ and
1Matthew18).
.iMany times m ms short iettet- lto
lfimD'ff!y,, St. !'.awl , 'ellC@~es ail
!Single !Sexu:a'l. "bei:ls ;and mndemns .a'll
:Phn.i:I seXtUal ib.ed,s. l Tim . li~: A
w.wmm nwst ik-eep 'DD.e ,_a1 Jbed; }I
Tim. ,:3:l'.l: .A 1iish@p 'lllus't hep 1one
i!eii; TlI'rim. 3:ll: /A Deacon must ikrep
one lSenral :.bed; il 'fim. '.!:11:: A
.iDearonessmusti<eep-one~ ihed;
1 'Tlim. "1:1!0: /A ,prosli'mte has -many
,i,exnaI i>t?&j; and l 7im. ED: A
_pr@.lriisaw.us.m.ile.ihas ~ beds .
ToeA~P.aiihmikesit dearlhat
itne 'Bingre~ ibed.:n:msl he~
.ana . ._ mte lhas 'lilte•t to degrade
wbatDoohasa'llowm.
thee:e was -wilh him ";a y.aung =an fSame shrtll ,dq,ar,t fr,am flihe fllith_,
w.emng :a linen dolib OV~ his-millled Jowitiimg 'to tmrmy • ., JUW!ln .G:o.i JJms
!bo.dy_"' Morlon Smil!b .;€,wlams miuie ;J;r, ib.e TJIDffl!ea mth ithtmks. :(!I
Gluiist'.s presence Wiitih this ~ T~MI-4}
yo:lith {{See 7JJhe !S,mrd ~el, The ,
DnmH:m-se~,:lll61tJ?:181). . Serular smra,s pmv.e=se=-il:oililiis
~lkliileireferstoapidatil!m: m!fu.e nteanl :.any ipmmismus :mal~, 'iumlc-
13ible, ,ana ~~ 'S0U);OOS, tileikoi.re .!SeW..il Dr helerosexual 5tandiJw
.arm tire i/,;oiUfs :re1emed i'0 the !Sexual ::alone, '1l!i5£1fer.lrtii!uiis diiim>t reveal the
bed m ;semii'l~. Theft! ..me miter ,gender X'iI file :sexual pmmei:. lt w.as
:Greek, t <emrs ••:sen it°. d:,,s~ ~e :necessatJ in 11be 'GTaik ~es ;as
,sl~ bed m '!he :sick_ ib~ . 1'.1Dtite iit .iis :m · mire English t:,o ,;add "'wilih
·mfetred mle!Y.:m:oopuiatiD1l:m Greel< .tem:ales''1,ir "wiihma1es"'to detemiine
as w.ell.asJhe IGlher ~snHhal itihe m:ien:tati@II cl :fm!.illr.,;_ ·a-ikoiitflis.
ida..f:. Thisw.d w.n;_~~tmf:°1ihe ihlfffl11m11"1oitaismighlilav:etiisman_y
bitin ~e :as.'.C0ifu> (sexual :mwi:,-affa'ii1s·wifu t£male-pmstitutes wiv.es
murse}. 'Ilbe'&g'lish w«ds rrJoitusana 'Of ms.mends ;sia:ves l~f ~ ,sex m
illoi!fion .arecmooem faims!0fihe ikoite. . s12all~cS- "
Ev.en -in St . oo"ke Til::7 lli,ye w,;,Ild r
it.&es mt ;a JSeXWrl meaning. Luke ts l,n ancient !GFee.oo, csmntim:es, 'the
:.an.attome.Y, :doctorana G~ hi~er- ~~te sex -f.'1~ nf 1ihe azr.smoim
wil:w !knew ;the precise defumwns /Jr:oztmsw.asdesmbedm..amlext'.!S@llte;
of ~e :and p:aiidii:a. ]n 1\his map'ier., ~ ihe or W. w,as1n0'1 . . .An ~P~
j:esus t.augnt .thab man t,prooabiy ;a :ti:@n l0Jl thefusil 'Ga'l:1; m -:rm.'6saJ<miki
'R'0l'B.an $0ldiel') -w.as iin ;a :sexual bed :realilslll11rtBU1S;m;r,auibii;t115w,mdhmeans
w.ith .;a "\ymith " '~plliiliai). The !Greek •:a male -~ ihas ~ with ..a pr>0mi:stmns
1Jllliiiiailllld pms were lhe m0St moos~. }Eusebws mndemns~
<COD'IIllOn ;terms used iin itbe'breeic .tan- 11,r~ ,n tcH Jo.oftais wik0 .has sex ,W:I1ih
ig~e il:0 .denate you'qg ih@m0sex,ual females. ,A.111~ fillily Cm,i:slians and
Aov.ers. ;p~s alike ,an .ar.s1mo-!koimls (.a male
'There ai:e i br,ee yossib'le iiintei;pre- wJth man~, ib~~) was ,capable m !the
:tations T<~ar.din,g the >meaning of au:lwce role with male ;p:anmers ·er
'i71ai/Ua. The itemn Jin iLulce 11 ,either female partner-s. . _ . .
,M.arriii;ge iis i1tonor,ab!e 1in ,al/, =d !the y.efers to 1Jbe mari '.s igay i0v.e, the EI,\glish 1h:ansla'hons 10£ 1 TmuiJthy
J..:l(() reli:ec't the j)fflilIIl!Slli@US-male: ifn
Ni;w 7Pes:tame,,tt -i!n i.ib£ ll.J,m~e wf
T<Oib,y; ' lmen wlho:,sin ,;sexnaHy with
;w;irmre,n 10r 10'liher it!U,z";; the .Stamliiamil
!English !Biible: ')a ipmn:iisam.u:s male'';
the ~.e,w _JI~et'ffllfa1Jn;i1J ;VfmSi.on:,,~v.
em; ,; I[(;in;g fames;and ~ lde@e
fusn~l'l'i!S wiitih mumilciid'' .an:d ihe
AmetiiGlll:'Standan:fVll!llSiml : "abusers
10£ il!hemselves iwifhimm. "'
The New WVmJd !B.i'ble am! :t:he fSO
:ralk,d.Wew .Amenwan 5'tanilar,d 'i\!lmion
pblishers-rduse'.t0-file,sch-elars
- who seiw.ed ;as '.traruilatm;s. 'ThDse
wmik-s 1Shmnd ibe mtjerted tar '.tihis
reason ;a'lane. On the other !hand, tine
RSV '.l!iiitors .ba,v,e )Pl'@mised ito C011rect
iliheirtranslalien iin the :uextiedifum.
Mm-e .and m0re dellics are irem,g~
'lha:t m.sem>;ktiihiis iii0es Mh,eJer
to gay 1C01!:Ples. Many amseiw.afii\7.e
schliihu:s :have ~pea ~ ttmS-etm:
koiuiisijust;as filey 1m¥eWfflldlUSirq;
the lKm:g James :Boo.@mite pas~es
toimd in tile IBimks m ~- :5.udh
im'.lii~s ,as Y'"""f F.a'lwell, JEd\W.illld
Daw.en and .Grq; K"01111ile ,admit that
hse Gre .el< ;and Hllhr.ew ·wm:.ds do
1110tpmve tiha:tga__yn.mples.are~.
Tu . . Amho:ay Campdlo, .Amemra' \s
leading 'lll!ln'SelW.atiwe re1igitM1S au'ther
!5af.Sib:atniinistet'SmustJl10t1Use1these
Greek tem:is -w.nnst ihtmmsexuals.
Ew.en ·.though Dr . Campo't0 lufuewes
tlh:at Jhmnm;e:wal:s ;ane -w.r-<m,g ·he
w:mtes:
J i1o mot i/;/iink il!he £ciipbu~es ,s'houlil ibc
rmlliie tD -~l!llk iin ways 7W'hitih iar.e indt iin
,acnr:,r;d,uiith lhow:iit11.Dll6 iimeriikiI 1to speak
in ,orJle:r iio ,ma'/ce ~ !l111Se. ilt is itoD iB11SJI
for rtltl]f lef rus !l1Ut .10J im.lerμJe £mdtiion to
;use .5aiip.tur.e iin i naiact llD1IJIS. '.(Twiettfy
Hot 'P@la.toes Yilal :CJlnistioans Are
.Afraid"Jfo Toucih,;p.1Dl'5?
Mamn JLuther .mms'lates tile 1temt
,1111seno-,'koitaismt0 ·fh:e Genmm Bible;as
ilmllb1msharuier \Which ·d@esnot adaress
m mnaemn mu'tual ~ ilov.f!IS. The
Geiman ;edition l11111ne ffEl'.USlllem Uuible
~1:IJ1ner.
The <ealilj' Grnisfian iathers lknew
llihat lllT.il!MO- illiliifbiis .meanl pmm'iS<JUJty ..
They WD.e in g-eaer,a'l ..a;gamst all
ikinds<0Iin1m-mpmiiudi¥e sex. 'These
:strict «ireru!s •amriemnedwth.ma:med
am'l ammamed "!seed \W.asrens." :Sum
thedlo.gans.rs ·Oemenlof.Aiexarnma ,
'.SL lemme .and .&1iher .Peter Dantm-
1searmed tile ism,plmes .and .wig .up
m:any !fanciful ~nts ~t.all
"inon-i>re.emers. ' Sut:smt '.01\W .did.any
m li:iem.referit-01 D@lillilmansin:9 w I
Tinmlihy :Jl.:10 to ;adwance <their
ai:gamen.ts .awunsl ,same,sex m- 'pervi:
er.be,d"' 1n•e.t,er.0.~x\Ual .ar:ticv~.
IOl:em~, fur~ J11Ses '113 Greek ;expressmns!t0mnaemn Gay.s\hut:mJt
wme w.d .ihe usemtse11rD-i1"oiillllis. Fw ;a
.thoosand y,mrs 1n0 dwr.mileaderi:used
this Gr.eek it-eim ;against .uiyone wh0
pi;adi:red !SaIDe-iSex love, ilh@ugh IINlSt
df :'lihese dmr.ch talih:ers .!lmew i1Dd
.. sed iihese,words :forofherJ>UIJPoses.
F.irst •aen'tury Cbriismms !knew that
/Qrsen~koitais (a male iinmany lb.eds}·
w,as :capable rof tbe ,active ll'@1e with
<@'f,ner m ·en mrr W@men, lfa1s:ebius
·cond :e.mns a p:mmisarnus male
'SEE ~ENO~Oll'MS,Jf,age 1!8
·- - --= - -- - --- - --- ---:-- ---- --- -- ------ 1121 :SeoondStoneo.ianuacy/Fdniary:1994
<=-~
I uring the 18th century a
young gay man formed a
community of men who saw
in his gentle ways a connectedn
ess with the Holy Spirit. The
influ ence of Christian Renatus Graf
von Zinze,ndorf; who died at the age
of 25, extends to this day to those
living and working at 1Christiansbrunn,
a religious community of
Harmonists located on a 63-acre
cloister in the Mahantongo Valley of
central Pennsylvania . .
The Brothers there lead a selfsufficient
life, building with log s,
haul/ng water from the spring, plowing
with .oxen, raising sheep for wool
and flax for linen . They use traditional
farming techniques, animal
powered machin ery, a11d pre se rv e
rate br eeds of animals and plants.
The Brothers also . emphasize crafts
and education. · '
The· Brotherhood was initially
founded on Decemb er 17, 17-49 in
honor of Christian Renatus, the son of
Moravian Church leader Count
Nicholas von Zinzendorf. The cloister,
whose name means Christian's
Spring in μen :n~J.1, was m;igin<\lly
loca,ted,' riear ,Bf!#tlehel]l, Pen.risyJva- .
nia, the center of the Moravian mfssionaiy
effort, · · ,
Christian died before he was able to
come to America and fulfill his role as
leader of the Single Brothers in this
couitry. Peach trees, his favorite
fruit, had been plant~d so they would
bear· in time for an arrival that never
came. The Brotherhood's spirit died
with Christi,m .and it was disbanded
before 1800. ·
It was reorganiz ed in 1987. The
Brothers ;it New Christiansbrunn are
Hamoni sts, meaning they seek harmony
in all things and to know
the111selv es as the Holy Spirit and
what that means in their lives . Th ey
believe the Holy Spirit is not all
Christian Renatus
Graf von Zinzendorf
Born 1727, died 1752
Gloi~ter f_ounded in 1749 by
··young gay man is reborn ·
conscious, all knowing or even all
good. This mean s that the Holy Spirit
creates beauty yet also ugline ss, joy
but also pain, life as well as death.
The cloister is run without a
hierarchy of priests or minister s. The
Brothers take per sonal responsibility
for their own spiritual development.
They follow the Six Fold Path in
which they come to know them selves
and to follow a life of choice. The
Path is a means, not the end . And
being on the Path does not mean that
they follow it perfectly, but they try.
Their choices are to stress beauty and
joy, to minimi ze destructio11, waste
and hurtful acts. That is why they
live a simple life. It is why they sing
their own hymns and why .their
motto is "to plow is to pray." Music
plays a larg e part in the life at th e
cloister. The Brothers Work very hard
and their days lack the standardized
prayer and services of traditional
religious orders.
The Brothers .consider themselve s
living in the post-Christian age, in
which their rehgious spirit matur es
into adulthood, taking responsiblity
for their acts . They believe they are
truly one with everything they see,
· everything they do, everything they
are: They are the violence, they are
the peace, they are. the love, they are
the hate. All is part of the Holy Spirit
which, in saying "I am," contains all
that is, was and shall ·be. It also
contains the moral question of how
we are to live as the Holy Spirit, the
Brothers say, because what we say
and do does make a difference. We
can perpetuat e the mistakes, the pain
and suffering or we can ·start to make
choices to change them. The Brothers
seek lives in which everything a:t the
cloister is chosen, wanted and
beautiful. They confess they are a
long way from that goal, but that it is
coming true.
The Brothers have extended
invitation to those who cannot Jive in
community but wish to be a part.
Some people become associate members
to share a craft, skill or knowledge
with the Brothers, such as woodworking,
historic gardening or the
ability to read the German script of
their archival manuscripts. Other s
are drawn to the Brothers' care and
nurturing of the . earth. For some,
associate men,bership is an .intermediate
step in considering whether to
become a full time memb e r living at
the cloister . The Brothers are also
planning to begin a handprint ed
newsletter. about life at the cloister
and their self-sufficient farming.
For information on CJ,;istiansbrunn
Kloster contac t Brother Johann es
Zinzendo1f, RD 1, Box 149, Pihnan, .PA
17964.
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Serond Stone•January/February, 1994 ·U3J
The Real War
BY REV. SAMUEL KADER
Not everyone who calls Je.sus
Lord is recognized by Him as
His own. In Matthew 7:21-23
Jesus says "Many will say to
me in that day, 'Lord, Lord have we
not prophesied in thy name? And in
thy name cast out devils, and in thy
name done many wonde1ful work?'
And I will say to them I never knew
you, depart from me you that work
iniquity." Jesus says in this passage
that only those who do the will of
God shall enter into the kingdom.
But in the midst of the homophobic
controversy raging in the church it's
easy for us to draw lines of who is
"in" and who is "out" based on political
agenda. Homophobia is' not the
first issue to polarize the church. Nor
is homophobia th e . real issue . It is
only a symptom of the real issue,
which is spiritual warfare.
While much of the church is
screaming of · the need for family
values, they butcher their Christian
family by casting out gay and lesbian
members into the outer darkness.
They don't realize th~t it is not p_laying
video games with our iablings
and offspring that secures eternal life:
Eternal life is secured by an all out
commitment to Jesus Christ as Lord
which may necessitate leaving
mother, father , brother, sister or
children for the sake of _the kingdom
m order_ to follow Christ. Elevating
the family above Christ is idolatry.
Yet the heat of tJ1is issue keeps cranking
up several degrees each year,
showing the blindness of the church
to the real war engulfing her. .
_When accused of doing His
charitable deeds and miracles by the
power of Beelzebub, the prince of the
d_ev!ls, Jesus revealed a spiritual principle
that currently is at work against
the church. He says in Matthew 12:25
that every kingdom divided against
itself 1s brought to desolation and
every city or house divided against
itself shall not stand. The fact that
division brings defeat is a well
known _rri~ciple to the enemy of
God . H1stoncally, Satan has us ed this
t:idic again and ap;ain to wage war
against the chutch.
We think we're fighting the religious
right , meaning individual
A moving and personal
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It will make you think, . it will make
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sexuality and Christianity at their
best can be
-Telegraph Journal,
St. John, New Brunswick
James Ferry has given a voice to
these voiceless ones and is himself
a visible incarnation of their invisible
presence.
-The Rt. Rev. John S. Spong,
· Bishop of Newark, New Jersey
Order now from Second Stone Press
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□ IN THE COURTS OF THE LORD
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[i4] Second Stone•January/February, 1994
preachers, churches, denominations,
or para churcl1 organizations. According
to Ephesians 6:12 our warfare is
not against human beings, no matter
how much they ·disagree with us .
Our warfare is a spiritual one, and
until we treat 1t on that level we will
continue to treat symptoms but never
cure the disease .
· Because of the polarization these
issues bring about we tend to think of
the kingdom of Go.d as being comprised
of only those who politically
agree with us. But God's viewpoint is
much higher . While Satan brings
division, with the expressed desire to
kill, steal or destroy, God brings
uruty, knowing that love never fails .
Satan handed the church a parcel of
division when the first century Christians
had to wrestle with the question
of Gentile eligibility requirements to
enter the initially predominately
Jewish Body of Christ. The church
wrestles with the same question
While much of the
church is screaming
of the need for family
values, they butcher
their Christian family
by casting out gay
and lesbian members
into the outer
darkness.
today. Some say Gays and Lesbians
are riever qualified . Some say we're
qualified if we leave our same-sex
spouses and become celibate . Some
say only if we are changed into
heterosexuals can we be saved . Division!
A kingdom divided against
· itself can not stand. Matthew 12:26
says if Satan cast out Satan he is
divided against himself . How then
can his kingdom stand?
But the principle applies regardless
of who is working it, and Christians
are deceived into casting out Christians.
Why would Satan be interested
in·_this division? Because in the high
priestly prayer of Jesus in John 17, it .
1s revealed that when Christians
become one in unity, then the world
believes that God did send Jesu s.
Revival occurs. When the · church
walks in unity, it is able to appropriate
her full power and authority
making Satan a footstool under her
feet. Jesus is very serious about the
church. An attack on the church is an
attack against Him personally. The
church is His body, and He doesn't
consider that a metaphor, but a
reality . In Acts 9:4 Jesus confronts .
Saul of Tarsus for his persecution
against Christians. But He doesn't
ask Saul why he is persecuting His
disciples . He doesn't even ask Saul
why he is persecuting His church.
He asks Saul, "Why are you
persecuting me ?" An attack against
believers is an attack against Christ
Jesus Himself. · The converted Paul
later asks the Corinthian church "Is
Christ divided?" It is not appropriate
to be of Paul or Apollos or Cephas or
Falwell or any other · camp. Will we
war against Christ? We must war
against principalities, powers, spiritual
wickedness in high places and the
rulers of darkness of this age - all
demonic forces hell bent on stopping
the Body of Christ from flowing in
love.
How do we wage this battle? Paul
says in I Corinthians 3:3 you are yet
carnal, for there is still among you
envying and strife and divisions. He
also says in II Corinthians 10:4-5 the
weapons of our warfare are not carnal
but mighty through God to the
pulling down of strongholds. What
spiritual'weapons has God given us?
And who can deny that the battle of
homophobia is a stronghold?
First; we have prayer. · The effective,
fervent prayer _of the righteous
accomplishes much . Take seriously a
call to prayer and intercession. Slavery
in America was not abolished
because· Abral1am Lincoln opposed it:
It was abolished because for decades
slaves in America slipped away at
night, illegally and under penalty of
death, to the woods gathering for
brush arbor prayer meetings. God
answers prayers. Persecuted and
imprisoned believers behind the iron
curtain saw the wall fall down as a
result of prayer . As a spiritual community
we must demand of Satan as
Moses did of Pharoah to "let our
people go that they might worship
God!" (Exodus 8:1)
Second, we have the cross.
Ephesians 2:13-15 relates that by the
cross the warfare ceases because
through it God put to death divisions,
walls and laws that separate .
Third, we have the Spirit of God.
The spirit intercedes for us as we pray
in the spirit. The spirit gives us all
access to God and causes us to be
built together (Ephesians 2:18-22).
The spirit leads us into all truth, and
the truth sets us free.
Fourth, we have the word of God.
It is powerful, able to divide and
uncover hidden agendas of the heart.
The word of God will expose our own
shortcomings to show' us what adjustments
we need to make to flow with
God's covering. It will also give us
SEE REAL WAR, Page 20
NEWS LINES
From Pages
Rhode Island church firsto affirm Gays
llAFTER STUDYING THE issue for more than a )'ear , Newport
Congregational Church voted to become the first church in Rhode Island to
publicly declare that Gays and Lesbians are _welcome: Interim e~stor Terry
Fitzgerald said the blessing of same-sex relationships 1s a possibility at some
eoint. At least 115 churches throughout the country have declared themselves
Open and Affirming churches.
Catholic Charities takes over AIDS residence
LIFOLLOWING THE CRUSHING disclosure of financial discrepancies at
San Francisco's Shanti Pfoject last spring, the city has transferred
operational control of the country's largest .residence for AIDS patients to
Catholic Charities, Inc., a division of San Francisco's Catholic Archd10cese.
The move comes amid tension between the city's lesbian/gay community and
the Archdiocese, which repeatedly opposes any positive movement m the
struggle for gay /lesbian rights.
Gays "unacceptable" say Virginia Baptists
,; VIRGINIA SOUTHERN BAPTISTS have approved a statement condemning
homosexuality as "sinful and ~nacceptable for Christians" a~d discouraging
the elevation of Gays and Lesbians to church leadership positi<:>ns. Delegates
disagreed with Rev. Henry Langford, a retired pastor from Richmond, who
said, "We have no business picking on the homosexuals or anybody else. As
Christians we have to question 'What right do I have to try to tell people to
think and live and believe and act as I do'?"'
(RADICAL RIGHT PREACHERS have a penchant for creating short anti-gay
sayings to be used on talk shaws and at demonstration_s . . If !1te f~r right ~an use
these political and religious one li_ners to p~omote their indignities, Lesbians and
Gays must learn to use one liners to proclaim the truth.)
The toxin ...
Fundamentalists do not hate Gays and Lesbians
The · antidote ...
Yes, and the KKK does not hate Blacks!
ADOLPH HITLER CLAilVIED he was not anti-Semitic
while sending six million Jews to the gas chambers.
Jefferson Davis said he did not hate slaves as he defended
the evil slave owners. Cotton Mather denied that he hated
witches as he burned them alive. Joseph Goebbels had no
hate against German homosexuals as he starved a million
of them to death in forced labor camps. ·
If fundamentalists are our friends, who needs enemies?
For a thousand years the organized church .hated most
minorities while claiming to love them. The clmrch
hierarchy twisted the scriptures, reversing the true
interpretation in order to :
•Condemn the sexual victim instead of the abusive
husbands (Matthew 5:32).
•Concjemn the rape victims instead of the abusers
(John8).
•Condemn the slave victims instead of the abusers
(Genesis 9).
•Condemn homosexual victims instead of the
abusers (Genesis 19).
Pastor Robert Billings, Executive Director of the Moral
Majority must have lov-ed homosexuals when he said:
"I k~ow what you and I feel about these queers, these
fairies . . We wish we could get in our cars ;md run them
down while they march (Record, Fall 1980, p . 4).
When religious conservatives claim not to_ hate Gays and
Lesbians it reminds us of the cle~cs that did not hate Joan
of Arc as they burned her a:t the stake.
t' .,; · - Dr. Paul R. Johnson
STRANGER
From Page 11
Once a stranger even to us, God
became one of us in Jesus, who was
crucified because he was different,
queer, crazy and dangerous. Because
he had weird ideas about justice, and
forgiveness and wholeness and goodness,
which we couldn't use, or
manipulate or control, any more than
we could manipulate or control him,
though we tried that.
But God raised him from the grave,
sings the great hymn in .Philippians,
and "highly exalted him, giving him
the name which is above every
name, ·so that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bow, in heaven
and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus
Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the
Father." And in doing so, God
defeated not only death, but strangeness,
and gave us . a new way of liv-
; ing with other people.
For the stranger is not the enemy,
the stranger is the Christ.
"Whenever yo~ do it to anyone o(
these, you have done it to me.'! The
stranger is the Christ. And we also
are "not strangers and aliens, but
fellow citizens with the saints and
members of the household, the family,"
the familias or familiars - of God.
Ours is a family which is called to
break down the dividing wall_ of
hostility; a family in which strangers
become brothers and sisters, and joint
heirs, with Christ, of the promises
and bounty of God. We are called to
say to the stranger - not "Go away
you frighten me," or "How can I use
you?" but "Welcome!" Welcome,
beloved child of God, to the family
for which Christ died .
Catherine of Siena knew that.
Were she alive today we would find
her in an AIDS hospice, o·r a state
cancer-care ward, or off in the back
reaches of Bellevue; anywhere society
cjumps those people who belong to no
one and for whom we can find no
"use.'' We would find her caring for
them as she cared for the lepers and
plague-stricken of her day, as many
of the lesbian/ gay community have
cared for their AIDS-stricken kin, as
families care for those suffering from
tenninal cancer.
But we would also find her running
around in · the institutional church
somewhere, trying to get things ,ight
and to get folks talking again (as
indeed she did with the papacy in
exile), putting back together this family
which our human sin inevitably
sets at odds with itself. For Catherine
knew that in welcoming the stranger
she was welcoming the Christ, as God
had welcomed her, and she also
knew that she could only do this in
unity and communion with . all her
brothers and sisters whom Christ had
also welcomed.
She knew that it never works to set
up a new community of "ex-strangers,"
with a new definition of
"enemies," so that we "outcasts" can
become the new "in group," and do to
"them" as they have done to "us."
Catherine knew that along with
"neither male or female, slave or free,
Jew or Gentile," there was also no
"them" and "us" in God's household.
For anytime we crucify, shun or use
the stranger in our midst, anytime we
make a stranger out of a brother or
sister, we crucify, shun and make a
stranger of the Christ.
Being human, we ·will do this
anyway, of course. I John 1:5-2:2
makes eloquent the forgiveness and
love which await us when we realize
what we have done, and choose to
turn away from our darkness and into
the light of God's love as we have
known and experienced it in Jesus the
Christ.
For Christ is where our other, more
powerful, and true experience of life
begins and ends. It is He in whom
we who were far off were brought
near. His is the power to knock down
the walls of division between us, and
it is the Christ whose resurrection and
risen life among us are pledge and
promise that neither life nor death,
nor even "the stranger is the enemy"
can separate us from the freedom, joy,
love and forgiveness which are our
heritage as brothers and sisters of
Christ and members of the household
of God .
Excerpted from Outlook, the newsletter
of Integrity/New York.
Second Stone will run your 30
word classified ad in our next
3 issues for the price of 1 !
$10.50
Our classifieds worl<f Meet a new customer
-,or your business ... a new friend in a city
you'll be visiting soon ... a new pen pal ... the
possibilities are exciting! Second Stone
classifieds reach readers in eve,y stale and
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months to run and billing address. Ads
must be pre-paid. 20 word minimum. Each
additional word, 35¢.
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Ads billed must be paid prior to publication.
Forhelp call (504)899-4014.
No sexually explicit ads.
We reserve-the right to refuse any ad for any reason.
SecondStone-JanuarylFebruary, 1994 [llj
..................................I..n.P. ..r..i.n...t. ..........................
A Quaker Mystery
Murder Among F_riends
By Diane Coleman
Chuck Fager, author. Kimo Press,
Falls Church, Va. 1993.
Friends ,who mourned the finale
of Chuck Fager's A Friendly
Letter will be delighted to
discover that the quintessential
Quaker investigator is back in
print, this time in fiction. The
December 1 release of Murder Among
Friends heralds a new chapter in
Chuck's ongoing commentary on the
state of the Society. With an intriguing
plot that hatches out of a confrontation
between a-gay Quaker activist
and a "family values" evangelist,
Chuck has entertainingly turned his
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gifts to the genre of murder mystery.
The setting is a Quaker conference
appropriately convening in the pacific
Shenandoah Valley of Virginia .
Weighty Friend Lemuel Penn, an
erstwhile Middle East peace mediator,
has attempted to mend the breach
formed by factionalism among Quakers,
framed in terms of a dualism
between "evangelicals" and "liberals."
In the effort to evade rupture, however,
he has betrayed his faith in the
process of communal discernment.
No real mutual encounter has
occurred; narrator William Leddra, a
straight Quaker "liberal," and his
friend Eddie Smith, leader of the
Lavender Friends Alliance, arrive
together at the conference to discover
that Penn has made nonconsensual
arrangements in order to avoid a
threatened walkout by the evangelicals.
The pair are stunned to discover
that a homophobic televangelist has
been scheduled as the keynote speaker
at the conference, and furthermore,
the LFA's visible display has been
undiplomatically removed . from its
enviably visible assigned location
and tossed into the corner. Eddie
explodes in an unfriendly rage, and
a confrontation with the televangelist
ensues. · The one predictable element.
of the plot unfolds the next day, when
of course the televangelist is found
fatally bludgeoned in his dormitory
room. Eddie is the prime suspect,
and as evidence against him mounts,
In the 1960's, Civil Rights activists confronted racism
head on as they marched in small Southern towns.
In the t990's, let's bring our struggle for human rights
to the Bible Belt, where homophobia flourishes.
JOIN US
in
C~ARLQTTNEO,R .T CHAROLINA
The Queen City
for the
NORTH CAROLINA PRIDE FESTIVITIES
June 3 - 5, 1994
For more information contact:
NC Pride . PO Box 32062 . Charlotte, NC 28232
(ffi_ Sec ond Stone•January/February, 1994
militant nonQuaker gay activists
descend upon the valley in defense of
their brother.
Plot aside, the fact of Chuck's move
to fiction is perhaps the greatest
surprise for the Friendly reader. His
primary purpose of entertaining
seems sufficient in itself, and he
plainly meets the criteria.
His decision to anchor his story in a
gathering of Friends and to hinge his
plot upon unFriendly conflict over
gay presence raises lingering questions
which ove,shadow the most
avid gay or lesbian Quaker murder
mystery fan's interest in light entertainment.
Viewed against the back.
drop of his years of diligent Friendly
reporting and of his respectful acknowledgement
of the contributions
of-gay and lesbian members to the
Society of Friends, what is Chuck now
saying about who \ye are and what
we are about, as a religious society as
a whole and as gay and lesbian
Friends in particular?
Hanging over the plot of thi.s novel
is a seeming absence of divine guidait~
e in the cond,uct of community
aifairs, with both polarized constituencies
affiliated with sleazy political
interestg roups. Yet God is not totally
abs~nt. The appearance of the divine
d0es not occur ill the predictable
r.faces-where Friends or others tend to
look;' rather God shews up in the least
li.kely place, when least expected.
Out of Chuck's st0zy emerge hints of
a neo-orthodox understanding of the
mysterious and unpredictable otherness
of God, the Barthian view of
divine action in terms of a verticle
intersection into the . horizontal pl'i e
of mundane human existence.
One strength of such a faith lies in
its implicit humility, ·prompting a
"live and let live" attitude like that of
Chuck's narrator, one not uncommon
among "liberal" Quakers and certainly
in many ways more congenial
to gay and lesbian presence than the
attitudes fostered by many other
strains of Christian thought. But the
perennial question of how we are to
discern God's plan for our lives hangs
largely unanswered. Amidst hard
dilemmas where disagreements cannot
be mediated through appeal to
the transcendent God's guidance, we
can know no either basis for action
and must either consent to oppression,
or else attempt resistance without
the help of God, which is our only
real source of strength .
In contrast the . liberative task of
Friends, gay and lesbian Friends in
particular, is precisely that of witnessing
to the very nearness, the
immanent guiding presence of God
manifest in loving hum,m relationships,
even, especially, those which
emerge outside the reifying structures
of society proper; certainty about
which • lies of the heart of Quaker
faith; empowerment through which
we are enabled to speak and to act
decisively for justice. ''You have been
told what is good and what the Lord
requires ot you," coun _seled the
prophet (Micah 6:8). But the Quaker
characters in thfs novel haven't heard
, the m.essage :;:.-.IYfay ·. <?'!,KJ ai,thful
· f/Frieqd Fagedeach them; ,an_d one
day write us another story about ourselves,
a prophetic one that is truly
both his and ours.
Murder Among Friends is available
from the FCC Bookstore, 1-800-966-4556
or from Kimo Press, P.O. Box 1361,
Falls Church, VA 22041.
Excerpted from Friends for Lesbian and
Gay Concerns Newsletter
I~ Print, briefly ...
A LegaGl uidefo r
Lesbiaann dG ayC ouples
To address the legal ne.eds of the
over 20 million Gays and Lesbians
now living in the United States,
attorneys Hayden Curry, Denis
Clifford, and Robin Leonard have
written the new 7th edition of this legal
guide.
- $21.95a t bookstoreosr
·FromN oloP ress(8, 00)992-6656
RubyfruiMt ountain:
A Stonewall
·RiotsC ollection
Fans of cartoonist Andrea Natalie will
appreciatteh is seconde ditioni n the
StonewaRll iotsc ollectionK. risK ovick
sayst hat Natalieis "likeG aryL arson
on estrogen."
• From C/eis Press
T In Print . . . . . . . . . . . . . ............... ·• ........................... .............. .
New edition of landmark book
· is The Homosexual My Neighbor:· A Positive Christian View
By Andrea L. T. Peterson
Contributing Writer
Letha Scanzoni and Virginia
Mollenkott, authors. HarperCollins
SF; 1994.
When it was first published
back in the late '70s, ls the
Homosexual My Neighbor? was
one of only a dozen books .
produced by evangelical Christian
enclaves addressing the subject of
homo sex uality and religion . Of that
handful, it was the only one that did
not present the "damned" and
"doomed" theologies so familiar to
Gay s and Lesbians - then and now.
In Print, briefly ...
Contested Closets -
The Politics and
Ethics of Outing
Author Larry Gross presents a
landmark exploration of the ethical
and political implications of . this
controversial practice. 288 pgs, $44.95,
hardcover. ·
- From the University of Minn~sota
Press
· • Directory of-Gay, Lesbian .,
and Bisexual Publications ·
This directory provides helpful information
on 181 gay and lesbian publications
in the United States and
Canada. $17.95, includes postage
and handling.
- From Jim Sorrells, P.O. Box 1946,
Guemeville, CA 95446
Gender Dysphoria
This book is filled with the most
up-to-date information on the clinical
management of gender identity disorders.
It meets the practical needs of
clinical sexologists, psychotherapists,
counselors, social workers, physicians,
sex researchers and other
specialists who evaluate and treat
gender dysphoria. ·.
, From The Haworth Press
Barrack Buddies
and Soldier Lovers
tn an era ot increased public awareness
that gay men_ -and _Lesbians
serve in,.the U. S. militaiy, kr:iowledge
remains scant bt what their social and
sex lives are realty like. This book
chal/enges-c!~U_mptiprys-.alid stereo- '
types ol gay and straight men m the
military through revealing interviews ·
with 16 American. Gls, .,alt in. their
twenties, stationed in·. and around
. Franklur,t, Germany duri~g the 1990s.
-from The Haworth Press
Scanzoni and Mollenkott had subtitled
their book: "Anoth er Christian
View." In fact, theirs might have
been "the only" truly Christian (i.e.
loving) view! While it might not
have been the definitive text, it was
the best comprehensive-overview of
what scripture did - and didn't - say
about homosexuality.
Examining the thoughHo-be
relevant scriptural texts • carefully
looking at each in its literary and
cultural context - and analogizing the
Good Samaritan of. the New Testament
to the homosexual of today, the
authors demonstrated that homose)IU·
ality is .indeed compatiable with
Christianity.
Since the late '70s, dozens of new
books haye · appeared on shelves in
gay and lesbian bookstores and in
mainstream bookstores. As was true
Is The
Homosexual
My
Neighbor,
updated and
revised
back then, a disproportionate number
of them condemn homosexuals and
homosexuality. A good number,
howeve r, share the views of Scanzoni
and Mollenkott. The addition is more
than welcome.
In spite of the gay-positive volumes
which now .accompany ls T7ie Homosexual
My Neighbor on bookstore
shelves; Scanzoni and Mollenkott's is
still '"THE" text that most gay and
lesbian Christians I know recommend
to newly out Christians; to Gays and
. Lesbia.11s who want to return to the
God of their · childhood but cannot
erase years of negative church teachings
and internalized condemn a tion
and homophobia (self-loathing); and
to non-gay friends and family members
seeking to better understand the
· challenges facing Gays and Lesbians
forced to choose between their spirituality
and their sexuality, between
friends and family and lovers.
In spite of the fact that their book
has not lost a bit of its relevance,
Scanzoni and Mollenkott agreed to
revise and update it. The result?
The 1994 edition: ls I11e Homosexual
My Neighbor: A Positive Christian
View.
Of the book, says co-author Letha
Scanzoni, "It's never gone out of print.
It shows there is such a nee d out
there."
'The best of everything is still
there, " she says of the new volume,
but she and Mollenkott reviewed the
book "sentence by sentence, paragraph
by paragraph" providing
"more pertinent illustrations," includ-
. ing a previously undisclos ·ecl statement
about Mollenkott's homosexuality
and Scanzoni's response to that
disclosure, and exploring contemporary
issues like Gays ·in the military
and current anti-gay legislation, and
how religion is being used against
Gays.
Scanzoni and Mollenkott have
taken advantage of their own experiences
dealing with homosexuality ·
including their dialogue via letters
through which Mollenkott shared her
fear of Scanzoni's rejection of her once
she disclosed her lesbianism and
Scanzoni's assurance that her "going
white" upon hearing Mollenkott's
words was the result of shock • not
rejection .
The two very candidly share with
ead1 other - and with readers · the
details of their struggle - Mollenkott's
to come out to Scanzoni and
Scanzoni's to reconcile what she intellectually
knew about homosexuality,
what she had always heard preached
about it, and what she knew about
the Chri s tian friend she loved and
admired.
They have also taken full
advantage of and incorporated the
findings and gay-positive theological
reflections generated over the last 15
years or so by scholars like John
Boswell. Thus internal reference s are
contemporary, end notes are very
detailed, and their bibliography is
considerably more extensive.
The extensive overhaul that
Scanzoni and Mollenkott have given
Is The Homosexual My Neiglibor cannot
be understated. The additions to it
... Scanzoni and
Mollenkott's is still
'THE" text that most
gay and lesbian
Christians I know
recommend to newly
out Christians; to
Gays and Lesbians
who want to return
to the God of their
childhood but cannot
erase years of
negative church
teachings and
internalized
condemnation and
homophobia ...
have made it considerably more
relevant to the particular spiritual,
social, and political challenges facing
the gay community today, but what
they have done, primarily, is secure
the place of the book as 'THE" one
significant resource for Gays and
straights alike - providing a bigger
and better fool-proof "answer to the
religious right."
Second Stone-January/February, 1994 [ill
~Calendar ..................... • .................................................. .
Lutheran AIDS Ne work
FEBRUARY 3-5, The 1994 co erence
of Lutheran AIDS Network, ~eaturing
John Fortunato, will be held lt the
Miramar Hotel and St. Paul's!
Lutheran Church m Santa M ruca,
Calif. For information on the
conference, themed "Hope l Healing: The Church in the S cond
Decade of AIDS, contact Mich el
Posiu:, 1165 Seville Dr.; Padf J' a, CA
94044, (415)359-2710.
National Black Ga I and
Lesbian Conferen<fe
FEBRUARY 17-21,National a d
LETTERS, From Page 3
The only people who have o fight
and give blood in death are the
people who have NOT been [ ashed
in the blood of Christ.
As Christians, we are c lied to
express- the fruit of the spirit.
(Galations 5:22-26) We sha I know
true Christians by thei fruit.
(Matthew 7:16)
I am thankful to Robert Goss for
wanting the best for all people.
Christ wanted the same thing and He
gave His life to bring it about. There-
UFM CC, From Page 1
the church the morning of th~ earthquake
to find that the dome < ver the
sanctuary had collapsed and trashed
onto Washington Boulevard, taking
part of the front wall of the l uilding
with it.
This is the second time in the 25-
year history of MCC-Los Ange es that
the congregation has lost a b :iilding.
In January, 1973 the proper y then
owned by the congregation w, s totally
lost in a fire of suspicious origin .
ARSENOKOITAIS,
From Page 12
(arseno-koitais) who engages in sex
with many females.
If th e government made a law
which would not allow cons~ative
religious fundamentalists to marry
each other, conservatives co d reasonably
argue that the sta e was
actually encouraging prom )scuity
among religious fundamentalists . By
prohibiting marriage to any \ group
such as Gays, the elderly andT· riests,
the church and the state beco e part
of the reason for promiscuity . -
Military authorities piomote
promiscuity by discouragin · marriage
of Marines. Some pla talion
owners would not allow thei slaves
to marry, yet d egraded th~m for
being promiscuous . Homoph 9bes do
the same to Gays and Lesbian . The
4th century Christians we e not
allowed to marry under Rom law.
f 18: Second Stone-JanuaryiFeb , 1994
l' ___ ,
international participants -from as far
away as South Africa will meet at the
Meadowlands Hilton in Secaucus,
New Jersey, for this seventh annual
gathering themed "Black Gays and
Lesbians: From Silence to Celebration
... Beyond the 28 D;,ys." For
information contact the sp,onsor, the
Black Gay and Lesbian Leadership
Forum, 1219 So. La _Brea Ave., Los
Angeles, CA 90019, (213)964-7820.
Annual TEN Weekend
FEBRUARY 24-27, The Evangelical
Network sponsors its annual
conference at Casa de Cristo
Evang elical Church in Phoeniz, Ariz .
fore, there is no need for Goss .to
fight.
I recommend the reading of books
by Joel S. Goldsmith. This author has
brought me a deeper understanding
of Christ's teaching .
In Christ,
Paul Ennis
Write to Second Stcme.__All"lefters must
be original and signed by the writer.
Clearly indicate if your name is to be.
withheld, We reserve the right to edit.
Box 8340, New Orleans, LA 70182 or
FAX to (504)891-7555.
The congregation purchased another
property in downtown Loi, AI1geles,
which housed the congregation until
1986 when they purchased the present
building in Culver City.
Rev. Troy Perry, moderator of the
UFMCC, stated in a letter to the
entire denomination, "This •is the
congregation that gave birth to all of
us who are a part of the Universal
Fellowship." Perry asked that all
churches in the UFMCC contribute to
rebuild the home of the historical
congregation.
A s a result even Augustine had to
enter a sexual relationship which was
illegal.
_ Not only does the homophobic
church encourage gay promiscuity
but they also destroy many peoples'
lives by demanding that Gays marry
opposite-sex partners. These clerics
inflict years of pain on the gay
partner, his or her _spouse and their
children. Even Christianty Today
refers to such "cur es" as religious
"quackery," ·
Other pastors are almost as hurtful
when they demand that Gays must
be celibate for the rest of their lives .
The Bible says that this is impossible
in most cases (Matthew 19:12; I
Corinthians 7:9). The church is the
only army that shoots its own
wounded .
The theme .is "Arise, shine, for your
light has come." For information
contact TEN, PO Box 32441, Phoenix ,
AZ 85064.
Institute of the Son
FEBRUARY 28-MARCH 4, The
Phoenix Eva_ngelical Bible Instjtute
. sponors this week long course in
theology facilitat ed by Greg Davis, to
be held in conjunction with the
annual TEN weekend in Phoenix.
For information contact PHEBI, 1035
E. Turney, Phoenix, AZ. 85014,
(602)265-2831.
Presbyterian Church
Coming Out Day
MARCH 6, "For All The Saints" is the
theme of this day, set aside for coming
out in/to/for/with the Presbyterian
Church as a lesbian, gay, or
bisexual ·Christian or as one who
supports the full membership of all
persons regardless of.sexual
.orientation. For information contact
. Rev . Lindsay Louise Biddle, 3538
22nd Ave . So., Minneapolis , MN
55407, (612)724-5429.
Black Church
National Day of Prayer
MARCH 6, The Second Annual Black
Church National Day _of Prayer f9r
the Healing of .AIDS, i,oordinated by
The Balm In Gilead, Inc . This ·
campaign for a spiritual commitment
to fight AIDS calls on the over 500,000
black churches in the United States to
set aside this day of prayer. For
information call (212)281-4887.
PLGC Midwinter
Midwest Conference
MARCH 11-13, Presbyterians for
Lesbian/Gay Concerns is planning its
midwinter conference and retreat in
the Des Moines area. For information
contact Eastern Iowa PLGC, P.O . Box
3202, Iowa City, IA 52244.
LGCM
Annual Conference
APRIL 15-17, London's Lesbian and
Gay Christian Movement sponsors its
annual conference . St . Alban's
· Centre, Baldwin's Gardens, London,
is the setting . Keynote speaker is
Prof. William Countryman, professor
of New Testament, The Church
Divinity School of the Pacific and
author of Dirt, Greed, and Sex: Sexual
Ethics in the New Testament and Their
Implicationsfor Today. For information
contact LGCM, Oxford House,
Derbyshire St., London, UK E2 6HG .
Conference of Lesbian,
Gaymale, Bise xual
and Transgender
Seminarians
APRIL 22-24, "Finding Our Voices" is
the theme for this fourth annual
conference to -be held at United ,
Theological Seminary .oft he Twin
Cities, NeW"Brighton, Minn': Dr.
Christine M. Smith, UTS professor
. and author of Weaving _the Sermon:
Preaching in a Feminist Perspective and
Preaching as Weeping, Confession, and
Resistance; Radical Responses to Radical
Evil, is the keynote speaker. The
conference is ·a time of prayer, play,
and the construction of grassrcots gay
theology. For information write to
L/ G /BIT Caucus, Uruted Theological
Seminary, 3000 5th St. NW, New ·
Brighton, MN 55112
More Light Churches
Conference
MAY 7-8, The annual More Light
.(Presbyterian) Churches Conference,
themed "From Dialogu e to Ministry :
A Positive and Practical Approach to
This Historical Moment," will be held
in Minneapolis. For information, cail
. St. Luke Presbyterian Church, · ·
(612)474-7378 or Dick Hasbany,
(503)757-8243. .
ConnECtian '94
JULY 1-4, Evangelicals Concerned
Western Region sponsors its annual
gathering to be held this year at
Char.man College in Orange County,
Cali . For information write to
ECWR; P .O. Box 47501 Denver, .CO
802Q4.
Lutherans Concerned
National Gathering
JULY 14-17, The National Assembly
of Lutherans Concerned/North
America will be held on the campus
of the University of North Carolina in
Charlotte. For information .contact
LCNA, P.O. Box 10461, Chicago, IL
60610-0461.
1994 GLAD Event
AUGUST 12-15, The Gay, Lesbian
and Affirming Disciples Alliance will
meet at Mercy Center, Burlingame,
Calif., for its annual gathering.
Facilitators are Cynthia WintonHenry
and Phil Porter. ·For information
on this Christian Church
(Disciples of Christ) event contact
GLAD, P.O. Box 19223, Indianapolis,
IN 46219-0223, (206)324-6231. -
LGCM Retreat
NOVEMBER 11-12; England 's
Lesbian and Gay Christian
Movement sponsors a retreat led by
Helen Loder, SSM and -Rev. Malcolm
Johnson . Th.is is a unique weekend
opportunity of meditative reflection in
an affirming community; during
which there -will be talks, discus s ions,
some silence and lots of relaxation.
The Royal . Foundation of St.
· Katherine in London is the setting .
For information contact LGCM,
Oxford House, Derbyshire St.,
London, E2 6HG, UK.
IICCpasmr•head!II,
stal! dnnli cauitcil;
~ - ~ HO.Atlm <llll' lifle
fifawaiii C<inl'IKill of; Onm:lies; . gaveffuall
.~vali Od t 2':!Lw tlie s.el'erli<>n
of G'e:w.. fcirc. Bwlil1r<!KL as: mliemnr
etLe-mti.\!er ~ - 'IIns;. mads; the
mt ~ime .t:Irat-m: sta.fec lrl!ltmru 0f
~clres; &adl@sm.m~:w gay
~ -dual m swdirai ~ , andltftec .
fll!sJ!:, time . an-MCC deiigw. J.'Ias; m?:l'.di
sw.:&: atll 0Le. Bulfm.cl<. iS:~tm -ef
Ee &n.rei;me;. Q · Ke: M0nai MCC inr
ffinwlul'm. - Kewi,ngjm, Tqu.dir
~ · · AIDSdines
wiffi· . . 'Clinfalr .
Mllru . 5,'IfElblF R-lEli&Si;, aH 0penli}.?
g,a.y d~ wiitli. AliD$, , was r
amongai cwzm~le.ufe!si w;Jw
midi:~ witm R'resid\mli 'Cfinto:n;
amli Vi're Fl!esu.fentt' A1I ~11e. as; t!reo
· F.tesidemt ~aired fmr Wo~d AIDS
ITaw- Rev,. Ff~ ,, the . onLy ii.wifed!
~ wlia is. HFW0 £W5ili'le,. is; Frefdi
Efuecio:ir. 0£ MOS l'ffims.tl)r fw the
l!Imv.e!!SiJlj E'ellawsmp <lfMelimJ!mlimm
Comnumity; Cmml'ies.;.. "W e'.i:et tiiml',,
andi' w;e/~om;;. ~anci: werne:ed!
.~ ;• Ii'i'e~ fullm til'recg,:oupc. "~ ~
pel!SOn Eirinj,; 'lffll :i MIDS;, I[ fia.ve
.feamte:dt til\:ati: Jlffl'l). fe:el, fllilpefessr wlieni
j01Il fm &efptess:.. An@ when :'.fmll
&eginmdism.vertfra.t tlrere are tlm:tg;,;
. :lfCillil!, caJli J dm t0r f1ellei yams.elf " }'OUl
begin t l1& eneaw Iiepe-- S"c;i' 'a'<i:lii@flf
~ Ew~ Ami tirerelsrS01 mwd'l
;mtj:<m tfrat. Jf0lll ~ faire-,, Mir.; Plres.i'm>
nti;,.amf tl'raii: w0.ul'<f &i,ve 115£n:ti!pe:;"
Pieters; said. ll&ad y, ar~ ·ofi: tne ·
' memn~a.f lilE\lCCm clmlf of
A1[1£. . .
fmua"~ .Cblm
'lead!rdis .
~ : R'.OBB/F ' M •• D~WmDSON!,,
Mo:d'.en~.oir ~ tme treJJ1eral! /¥ss.emiii1'y
of; tlire ; ff~ fi~emm Ch.um.cl'r
dmingj 1i98llL~ dieaofi ai..Lmre,; mair- ·
mW' disomir0111 N'evemhexrZ!'n t't'J.8'.
~ waSc an aim.vis ti: m tltess,l!mggle ·t.,,
enclri;ariai! s.~n; .Iimmiplir0ma ,.
fmmeiess.n:essc,,, tftec nu:cl'eair am1!ISi 1'3€e
andl tl'te.frljJils&esi0t ~penalS)llSfem.
life rei'm!d! in~ 1!99-3\-as; pasf0.1t
of Wes.L ll"ad::<Chmrmr mt M.mhattan r
amll: nadt sel!Yed!. ellJ!ller asr vai,timr o£
5wna Wie.w Cl'm,;mrmt&elil'lt@iw.
Cbmdt pdspy .amf
leslllian radomtmair
~EDIJID isrtl'te.l!laE!!e.ofame.w
FMismti0n ·.Em0:a&ra.smn:g. at- 'E.0!l'5 fur
centiral\: Sam · llla:rnud.nm. Cati£. 'fil'le:
. sta.mmi fs;a:pi::ej~ <1lflS't.. Aemed"s; Pat:,-·
isb u6· t1'le Sanumi E'p ar
~o.v;emmig; Catholi'«· ·.
a111 :IJ!l<ilSW~of~mmt amlJ: SUJFJi!
O:it.foirtfre g~ ,, [esmani amt nisexnall
<:on:um:mifi¥. Aftl!tffll!g,D a@:0SSJ the
llOWJ.tlljf .lil'leJ!ee is, a fa0Sil o£i p1!0g,irammmg
- ~ ir.uilio stati0Jll6 1 £i;m-the
g,a.y andi fe:s.triam wmmunitJ,!'. I'i:ide
Radfui~ :lifieoanlw ~~tltMl
sWiio111d n UR ~ SlaMes,mwine!lI
and_ ~ed . · &w· and.~~
dnedecl al:the ff and! . . cmnnn:
milyr.. Att0Idmg fo Faffier Pam
Hiemn<, ~of'Si:. Aehe:d:'sr I:!'~
'1T1en reed: bi!£' .the religm:u.sr v-0i<!e · of
t&e:ga.y amf fesbm m:-ii: ta &e:
l'waird lm&emme.uirsest d11e-bir U'II!'
wm~mt :and · sticient: . . , · ali'
··ttie~usramfpoti~
Ream:ilingC~
li'mfpamaddammediulclies
ilHE GIM!SS: JUJ©'ESi mo,v.emem.
wel'(toming :lesman,. ~ -and: biseJwali
pe~- . iin'fu , the< Umfedt_ Mcil'w<&t
Chmdil ~ea! sigpmcranlll,y m:
~ T."em mm.e, ~l'te: came
Re.ir~CongregafillD&d'tm:mg.
tf2~ Frningmg-thldotai:to 711
Tn!i5r mm,,emem spilled o.'Ye!C mim ·
~tir~ilSffm.'ee!:~
mirm;tnes , ~ tnemselives, ·•rel!.~
0ll£il,mgc.'.~ .
Bernna1nbunlaial
AWAl!ICfflilf E JOYCE:~ is
tu fie, gnfained a; ~ (1Jf' Hie
Clmstian Climm~ff . 'liesof.CCJ'ms&)
om~ 'l!T af.~C!m:stian
ChwmmSanJ:~Gmf. Hedmmis..
a; graduate oflib.etfy'lU'.nii~ amt
lliiemy Baptist. 11l'Iealmgfuall'~
in [.y,m:nllnug, Va.. He !ms: liieeni a
<D'mis.tian edimamir fmr- vea.s , m
Haptist dmrches:;. has: fauglit high
S€00.0.l! andl middle S£lmoli, am:1i is:
pi::esemty at sdwoli: pri~ Boot.~
mamis~in tl!e .Sao J0Se'-d'rapter
of &e Ga.y,. Lesbian;, and ~ Iliscipfe&
Alliame: {GI.AD}. and: ti&e·
Santw □imir Cmmty · Cmmm ot , ·
ICTnm:lies.; J,askcFm""'on Ga.y;,t L:.esbian"
issue&.
Tampa.dlumh celeiJlaies:
liiidilatiwdl!pas(a'.
Ml~..100 PEOl'llffille.d ' the San& · ~m MC<C'Tampa:tms; em falll'fmr
fhecommairom rife of Ra'/ .. ML Kam1t
Il~ tfie .dmnfi's semQI!'. l!ashnr.
Eiu:<Dlln' nasr pas_hu1e&the, chw:m fmr
six: Y,em& -Gll!ZdteJ
fle.wadeadlimSlP'easliug
M Glit'.mlP OF ltKmrF' 7tl p.eopfe
met..ral'ecfust.yewr fox: l!!egj:m~ ........_._.,.. _ _
tfum 0f anew Clms.tian du:m:m£0r1!fie ........-r _...,.....
fes.bianr a11d .. g,a¥,< ~ i'm stt. cefel.imlisanriesaJ
Fettasilw:g;, ·mai.. ac<t:midling; ta filiNiliEGJm:'l' /!NEW YORK . isr 1\8
P~Ci:mdei!Io, a m:emeti " o£ tine. ye.us, aid! a:m:i'tfiec group €clelintedi
g,:auip's;; steering:: ro.mmiittee;, the- the amnve~lllJr vmh . a ~e, fi,,r.
clnmilii . will 6e- arllfed . CJ'mfst: the fmmg:tfre~ '.Rew. Sir Ji"'am Reeves.;.
Qinml!l5i'0.ne>. ''Flus; diurcht cre.vem~ . Anglicrm €!&sewer t o the: United!.
out' ef~wasrreca~ asrarneed t\Fatwns;, witl r Ms. Iiman SJreffietd
m the< cmmnunity ta< ha.v.e .a, .clime& ptterudmtg..
that' isr s.pmma11y based am!:'. Bil6F aa
empf:iasisozroimea,m ;' ' sh e sai'd. EJC-lai!sl
~ UnilyF'elclwstiipCfluldt
MCC~s . ·
a1dlile.dillel1Clmlled
AMC:C WASHENGYOIN/ p !IC ~ ftasc
re:11eiived lill:l!meEcm5 ° il011.0l!Sl- for th.er
ill!~of . itsmew ~ GJi!
le!:ed'.tas.lryear. 'TI = airmitert diiili an
excrellemc jmr of'.listening to woo we
ai.~ amlt U5mgf archiferlme, tt¥ reffed
that ~"· sai<i Re:w., <wmdalle .. Skwtis .
asse:<riafe pas .t01r. '"ITw &ui,f~ espe-ciaily
tirecs~ ;, ceallyr1r~cts 0UE'
e~laSISI- cm 0Jilemress;. and. mmestJr
and ,l'igl'm:" MCJCJiliIC andJl01r ik ~
clti.~ , Ms. s:~ Realig;, ~ n'mee
mwa:!!ds;- siii;r(re) Septmmer. tffi:e
Homnr Awam. in tine Necw Cmsmrefumt~
caf~ frrnn:tlle &ifet!~
mth: lfMWD · QW Retigfuu;. A£lt and
Pac&ilemmei; .bhe.M\?JlilLAiwam inrthe
.«ii:d ilitectm.e. caire~l'Jl' Jli;om Ure:
· Awani:. Jmig,iramr ~ th!-. Wiasmngmar
<Chapem-o£ the Amem:an Instifate n,E
.&d'iifeci:s;; amltne.Fmt Awam m:.tJ'ie.
Al::cmte£fm:e Gati.e:g_m;F' from the
Aw.mis;, Pi:.0gramt of tl'!eo Was11iing)'IDn
~ 0t .'th e- Ameri= fms.lmltie:ot
rudiilleds .. TJ!ie ch:wm ·hail'~w;as;
afs.lill featmed: in th:e: Qctofierissu:e 0f
A'1ie/meeffumal! Rieor,di:. 'lilie.amcll!'. tiiW
"J[m~ oft f.o.ve,;' lliegms, · wiith! a,•
desm~i<m 0£. UFMO::s , ministl!y in;
til\:el'esman ami_g,a,y roll'ml1ll1ity.·
~ JLI(;HJ[ l!JilNltn ~w;sfup
Cl'imm,, tr:ier lll4ilVemer1t <mgaraffimn~
ing d'mnhes; w,jlh . congi;~o:ns; .in
Las,. Angeles~ N:e:w Ymli. Giy> and:
Ilemm, ha&· e~ its <mneadw
with a. new d'rapter-i:w Waslmtg!~
l'l.C . Re:w .. lfamey,c Clireeks· was r iD's.
taile<ilas the first pastor o li"the-ne.w
mmis&y. Fcmmietf b,y· Bislwp;: Omli.
Bean of ED&. Angeles in L~ tfre
l'.lnny Eillli,,w;smp CTmn:bi m0.vement :
seek£ to, .mfum the, digmliy 0:£ }1'.E!DPl'e
of-croln in tfre [es&i.m;. gil¥' r bisexual
ami: - tiiransgen:~~ cl\ ' ~rmmm.ifie5l
~are~ lielii -m kchapel\
of tlielli•~Onmm at
Zimcand::G Slsc,. lillMIL- BlK
kw dumbuifdng
dedM. illed1 intWi'cmCa
.iWI.CHII'.A. I'IUtISE Mffli WT81Smp
Ca!teE: ~ .i f.Sfsecmvi.amivtts.
my with tfie dmmatiew _0f a; ne.w
buifdi'n&;I€!Cllfed'al2al9'E 1Llnrzolnin
~ Kin,sas,-
Plaqiamfdlumll ~
as cammunilJ'anter
li.Ol'm 000H: MCc;. B'@yds.JRuwfe
, ~and,. finishetfcci~
at' a, new mmrm lmirl;liimg that wilE
serve as; tlire gay /Iesbialm commw:ufy
cente,r f0l'"11£1Feit Montg .omay Cbun ,-
fy . Pasi'm.ed:fi¥ Rev.. K'e!'I'.~ the
dmmi l'tat!.,52 ~ami acc,mr..
¢i'med Uteir&uilamg:~ . in five,
yeam.
lrnf diJlllfi!dfln:hurch
M -~GFR ~ y; .mnafed
fo fiiICCOmaia;, llk&., tiw@ tots; _.
jffllDJlff fltecchmch "s; properly. ll..asl
. f'ulF tlie!ccongt:eg,alian cefebllated' their
£mt anniv~ in lilieir , ,present: .
cbmcb ~ Then;, in the firm
daJfs-of August . a, compi'efe strange,,
wail:et:l intn the church amt as.Iced.
R'ev. ·Mallhe.w ffuwam ii the d'tmm
w-1d aECl!pi: t&e ~ · ofrtfefwo.
va£anf.IotS' . - Keepi,,:g. im Yc,cuili,
Pcnalagemay,dcile
&THE PARSON>AGE;. an E'pi5€0pai
minisuy, fo Sim ~s; g;iy aid
resmarn caRIIIIUJmY', nta¥' €flilSe'aE:c.:ordmg
: t a<. an -ti' fmm the
o.ga.iiizaiimkfi!mmon.dmeclms;. wm
claim '"senl!Jll&.ffdigue' and- .need fi>ir.
fresarttuops,.- A~ Wil5I swd-W:
ed m lil~ to d'etemtine- the:
fate,,oj_Tfre,Y.usanage .
Callfiifpapn:
MJR. f~ T: ~ amlt Ur.:
Waifei!c!L Wiffiams;haveramwom.:ed a:
.:ailli fur fi'llFIS! fm!Ri corrsilli'ereel foir
their f~mmg-b00k 0 .Comnatrmg
Honmplwlliw :nui£ H'der11serismz: Affiium,·
ii,;g: lllig,rifyi amt. Ilive f siityt Tl'Te, hook
as.s.embles l'eadin-gc sdro:l.us;, i;wacli:tmners,,
amtartivists ' t11 assist pe~
m acvametty oidiiferent :pm"'
fessi01Tai/ fiei'ds, and. the- fes.mant'
ga.y b&is.exuai. oommlmillj, to d'e.v.~
and impfemem: edmaoonall. pelilKaf.
media. mr S0lli:al strat.egresu mcli ma;-.
feria:l's_ tfiati_· ha!_· .ve J?fflVefl! erfedive in
€001&ating.l'wmop~amhllimung;
dm!Sity .c Fm: infmmatfo.111· contact
Pi!0L James r 1". Serurs, ITept. of Edu,..
canilll'illil E.ead.eJ!sliliip and • P'aiiries.i,
Wani1aw llD,, Uruicersily oi · S'@alh
~ Gll:uml!nai, SC Nltl81, FAX
(~-3M& Th,adlme-.£m;propasals,
js, Mmft; 1'5, I9IJ4..
Qilmr,paet,y
&~t. ~ isrlremg:accef1led
fu. the W'es.tem P'tJellry' /'isSEJCia,liforns.
I99'4c t1€1etry bC!!Bk enntJ'ed
Poeuy.c 5nt Ameri·= Hema:ge:: FN
mfEJmtati01Twnfefu tne,~at
P.O. Box,: 49145, Colm.ll!hocSJmn&5'0 aJ
~9il.45 : .
Si:oondlS~Jamiaeyf.Fdimmy; 19'J<II. llti
........................... .....C...l..a ssifieds ~ ............................. ..... .
"WONDERFUL DIVERSITY," "Heartily
recommended," "Philosophically intriguing,
11 11Excellent. 11 Why . do reviewers
highly esteem . CHRlSTIAN*NEW AGE
QUARTERLY? Great articles and lively
columns make this bridge of ,dialogue
between Christians and New Agers as
entertaining as it is substantive. Subscribe
for only $12.50/yr. Or sample us for $3.50.
CHRISTIAN*NEW AGE QUARTERLY, P.O.
Box 276, Clifton, NJ 07011-0276. TF
A GAY DIARY 1975-1982 by Donald
Vining is the latest in the series of intimate,
personal diaries of which critics have said,
"Unquestionably the richest histori-cal document
of gay male life in the United States"
"The fairly detailed look at the day :to-day
development of a· 'long,term' gay couple·
relationship is only one valuable aspect .of
this intriguing chronicle. 11
· ·
0 Humo~. narrative
sense, interest in the foibles .of others.
Deep honesty." · 474 pages. paperback
$11.95 I1erd.cover $16.95. Also available A
GAY DIARY 1946-1954 $9.95 and $14.95,
19_54-1967 paperback ·only, $9.95, 1967-
1975, $11.95 and $16.95. _The PepyS-Press,
1270 Fifth Avenue, . New York, NY 10029
6194 .
_Employment
A SMALL NON-DENOMINATIONAL community
church in beautiful .East Texas is is
need of a pastor to lead its congregation. The
church's prj_mary mi))istry is to people .of
alternate life styles. The candidate must be of
high moral character ; professionally trained,and
ordained. For further information please
send letter or inquiry to ·saint _ Gabriel
Community Church; 13904 CR 19.3; Tyler,
TX 75703 or call_ (903)581-6923. 2/94.
EXPERIENCED CHRISTIAN Bimale seeks
job as Church Sexton, Gardener; Janitor or
Maintenance -Ma11._at church, camp, or Other
institution. Would prefer Northwestern U.S. · ·
and Canada. Contact ·Joe Nolan, 1750 Hwy
126-Box 163,' Florence, OR 97439. 4/94
JFrie 'nds/Relationship•s .'
EV ANGELICAL CHRISTIAN GWM, 41,
seeks friends to share faith and fun; perhaps ,
relationship. Please write so _we can begin our
friendship. Thanks! P.O. Box 68005,
Rochester. NY 14618. 2/94.
CHRISTIAN GWM, 42, would like to
correspond ("pen pal," as it were) with
Christian gay and lesbian contemporaries (40
lo 55). James R Bates, 28E. 16 St., #301,
ln<lianaohlis, IN 46202 2/94
LONELY PRESBYTERIAN - M/W/Bi/M, 55
yrs., 5'5", 170 lbs .• Gardener-maintenance
experienced seeks male and female bisexuals
for pen pals and more.· I'm sensitive, virile
and crossdresser. Please relieve my boredom.
Joe N., 1750 Hwy 126-Box 163, ·Florence,
OR 97439. 4/94
ACTIVE CATHOLIC (Orthodox, Anglican.
or Roman Catholic) male wanted. · Serious
but jovial and sensual_ and ·masculine! ... in
the Southwest or San- Diego. Weight in
proportion to. height. Music and animal
lover. Around my age range: 53 .. No smoke
or dope, moderate drink! Frank J3., P.O. Box
62, Blue Springs, MO 64013 6194
GWM SEEKING NEW PARTNER 37,
hunesl, loving "healthy, wealthy, and wise,"
and recently lost my partner of 11 years to
AIDS. . I'm 5'9", blonde /blue, mustache ,
financially /emotionally secure, educated,
and a Christian minister and an electrical 120Se)co ndS tone•January/February1, 994
(_< _,
------------------7
Classified Order Form Please place my ad in these I
issues: [ J Jan/Feb [ J Mar/Apr \
[ J May/Jun [ J Jul/Aug 1 FOR ONLY Name__________ [)Sept/Oct [)Nov/Dec I
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your classified ad will [ J Books, & Publications . i
reach readers from AD COPY_________ [ J Business Opportunities I
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1 Business or personal... --------------------- [] Mail Order ~
----------- [ J Merchandise I
I try a Classifieda d in _ . words X _351 = $ [ J Organizations I 1 our next edition! ------ [ ] Pro"ess,·onal Servi·ces 1
1 ·, 20 word minimum. All classifieds "
1 Mail To: must qe pre-paid. Deadline one month [ J Real Estate I I Second Stone prior to cover date. We wimlla il you a [ l Retreats :
1 Box 8340 copy of the edition(s) in .which your ad [ ]Roommates 1 l New Orleans, LA 70182 appears [ ]Travel I
I · . I -------- ------------------------ ~------------- -------- - -
engineer. I own a big house -on the RusSian
River, but travel nationally. You are probably
25-45, GWM, tall, masculine, drug-free,
a "leather/levi. 11 11cowboy," construction
worker or blue-collar type looking for love
and adventure. Send letter and pi.cture to
Mark Shirilau, P.O. Box 32, Villa Grande,
CA 95486 6194
General Interest . ·•
. . .
NEW YORK CITY GAY Spirit-filled Christian
group no,v forming for support, fellowship,
Bible study, and worship. Ultimate
goal is to start new Christ-centered .church.
Call Kevin at (718)267-0773 6/94
Mail Order .. ·
CREM"ATION URNS: - Introducing the
Lambda-Pride f.lrn. Celebrate Life with an
um that_ reflects personality and style . . Call
for free _brochure. Lifestyle Urns
1-800-685-URNS. 8/95.
Organizations
THE LOVING BROTHERHOOD has served
the spiritual gay community since 1977. We
do care! TLB, P.O. Box 556ST, Sussex, NJ
07461. 2194.
. BE A RELIGIOUS BROTHER /SISTER
while remaini~g. at home and choosing your
own ministry. Join Our Christian, ecumenical,
inclusive network. Write- to ·Mercy _of
God Community, Dept. SS, P.O. Box 6502 .
Providenc e, RI 02940 4/94
' \/.ideas · .
"MAYBE WE'RE TALKING About a
Different God" A half-hour video documentary
on Rev. Jane Spahr, and her call to
the Downtown Church in Rochester : protested
and brought to trial. Shows how
confusion and fear can be transformed into
understanding and compassion. · VHS tape
and discussion guide. Send $32.35 to
Leonardo's Children. Inc., 26 . Newport
Bridge Rd., Warwick, NY 10990.
See the dassified ad
SPECIAL OFFER
in this issue!
REAL WAR,
From Page 14
details about how to fight this battle ,
The word a)so is Jesus, and as our
great high priest He makes intercession
for us. Stay in the.word. Those
who meditate on it day and night
prosper. ·
Fifth, we havefasting . Some kinds
.of oppressors only leave by prayer
and fasting. The -fast that delights
God is not one to stop those "reprobate
minded heathens," but one
whose purpose is to set the captives
free. (Isaiah 58:6-8)
Sixth, we have Jove. The love of
God is shed abroad in our hearts by
the Holy Spirit The love of God casts
out all fear. The love of God never
fails. Determine to walk in love.
Owe no one anything but to love one
another. In love the law is fulfilled,
Finally, let's set our heart to walk in
unity with the body, agreeing on the
'essentials. If our hand of friendship is
extended, we're not judged or at fault
if it is rejected. Paul said that some of
the Corinthians were sick, and some
died prematurely because they had a
wrong attitude toward the body. Be
not overcome with evil, but overcome
evil with good, Confound Satan's
plans by making God's plans active
in your life. We have the name of
Jesus, and that name is above any
other name Used against us. Let's
appropriate the things God gives us
and see what victories lie ahead. God
bless the body.
· Rev. Samuel Kader is tlte Senior Pastor
and. co-founder of Community Gospel
Church in Dayton, Ohio. He is the
founder of Reconciliation MCC in Grand
Rapids, Michigan , and pastored other
MCC churcltes in Dayton, Ohio and
_MelbourneA, ustralia.
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