Second Stone #39 - Mar/Apr 1995

Second Stone #39 - Mar/Apr 1995

39

1995

Mar/Apr 1995

. • •
THE NATIONAL NEWSPAPER FOR GAY/LESBIAN/BISEXUAL CHRISTIANS 2.95
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Paul Delph
HE'S PUTTING HIS FAITH IN
'A GOD THAT CAN DANCE.'
HIS NEW CD CHRONICLES
HIS OWN ODYSSEY
THROUGH AIDS.
Mary Fishe r
THE ONLY TIME THE WORD
'GAY' WAS MENTIONED
. IN AN AFFIRMING WAY
AT THE 1992 REPUBLICAN
CONV ENTION, SHE SPOKE
IT. SHE'S A WOMAN WITH
A MESSAGE.
David Shull &
Peter Ilgenfritz
SELDOM HAS A NEW
JOB STIRRED THAT
M UCH ATTENTION!
NOW EVERYTHING'S
'SUPER' FOR THIS
GA Y COUPLE.
Remembering
Kevin Calegari
AIDS C LAIMS
FORMER DIGNITY /USA
PRESIDENT
Henry Finch
GAY BAPTIST PASTOR
DIDN'T KEEP SECRETS
Calendar· ..... .................. , ............. .
Brothers Together vacation
MARCH 4-11, Brothers Together sponsors its second annual Brothers in Paradise
vacation/retreat for gay men on St. John in the Virgin Islands. This organization
was started in 1991 by a group of friends who felt their gay community
was lacking something personal and spiritual and that it too often left people
feeling alone and unfulfilled . Since then, over 500 men have attended the
group's events. Single cost for this event is $1,299. For information contact
Brothers Together, 115 Newbury St., #304, Boston, MA 02116-2935 or call
1-800-462-9962. . .
Midwest PLGC Conference
MARCH 10-12, Presbyterians for Lesbians and Gay Concerns sponsors its
mid-winter midwest gathering at Stronghold Conference Center near Oregon,
Illinois. For information call Sue Jones, (608)244-4820. ·
Spirituality Retreat for People Living With HIV/AIDS
MARCH 10-12, St. Camillus AIDS Ministry presents "Embracing the Mystery:
HIV/AIDS and the Spiritual Life." This retreat experience has been designed
to help participants to .re-frame their often negative experiences of living with
HIV . For information contact Bro. Stephen Braddock, (414)481-3696.
Clergy, Women and Men Religious and HIV/AIDS
MARCH 24-28, The National Catholic AIDS Network sponsors this conference
for religious personnel on HIV/AIDS at the Kenrick Conference Center in St.
Louis, Missouri. The mission of the network includes a call to assist Catholic
_ leaders and congregations in responding to the impact of HIV/AIDS as well as
to support theological reflection and dialogue relating to the pandemic. For
information contact the National Catholic AIDS Network, P.O. Box 422984, San
Francisco, CA 94142-2984, (707)874-3031, FAX (707)874-1433.
Joie de Vivre MCC Health Fair
APRIL 1, Joie de Vivre MCC in Baton Rouge, La., sponsors a free community
health fair at the Uniting Car:npus Ministry building in Baton Rouge. Rfteen
seminars .and over 25 exhibits are offered. For information call (504)383-0450.
Affirmation National Gathering ..
APRIL 21-23, Affirmation: United Methodists promises a challenging keynote,
workshops, mutual support and sharing, festival worship anl! a Texas-st:;de
banquet alits 20th anniversary gathering to be held in Dallas. For information
contact .Affirmation, P.O. Box 1021, Evanston, IL 60204.
Communication Ministry Convocation
APRIL 27-30, Convocation is a national gathering of Catholic priests, brothers
and nuns. Last year, just over 100 gay and bisexual priests and brothers and
lesbian sisters, and friends, met in . Orlando to explore "The Goodness of
Being Gay." For many participants, it was the first time they had ever been
able to be so open about their sexuality and to experience an empowering
atmosphere of acceptance : The .theme of this year's gathering is "New Expressions
of Being Gay or Lesbian in the Catholic Church : Our Myths and Our
Stories.• Presenters include Patricia O'Donnell and Richard Woods. The convocation
will be held at the Radisson Inn at the Greater Cincinnati-Northern
Kentucky International Airport. For information on this conference write to CMI,
P.O. Box 60125, Chicago, IL 60660-0125. .
National More Light Churches Conf ere nee
APRIL _ 28-30, The 11th Annual More Light Churches Network Conference will
be held in Baltimore, Maryland at Rrst and Franklin Street Presbyterian Church.
For information contact Presbyterians for Lesbian and Gay Concerns, P.O .
Box 38, New Brunswick, NJ 08903-0038. . ..
Retreat for HIV-positive religious and clergy
MAY 8-12, The Marianist Center in Cupertino, California, is the setting for a five
day retreat for religious and clergy who are HIV-positive . For information con·
tact John McGtann, Kairos Support for Caregivers, 114 Douglass, San Francisco,
CA 94114, (415)861-0877.
Spiritfest '95
MAY 26-29, DeGray Lake Resort and State Park in Arkansas is the setting for
this annual spirit-filled gathering. For information contact Linda Harris, 5029
Lemmon Ave., Dallas, TX 75209, (214)528-2811.
Religious life Weekend
JUNE 1-4, The Mercy of God Community sponsors its fourth annual Religious
Life Weekend for those considering religious life. The LaSalette Center for
Christian Living, Attleboro, Mass., is the setting . For information contact the
Mercy of God Community, P.O. Box 41055, Providence, RI 02940-1055. ·
SEE CALENDAR, Page 17
SECOND STONE -
THE NATIONAL ECUMENICAL CHRISTIAN
NEWSJOURNAL FOR LESBIANS , GAYS AND BISEXUALS
Contents
W Calendar
Opportunities for connectedness
across the country
[]}•w•
1
,.-6 ··1 An interview with Mary Fisher
On her mission to educate about AIDS
~ -J
1
1 7~ Remembering Kevin Calegari .. ___ i AIDS claims former Dignity/USA president 1.·fl I 8 Pastors David Shull & Peter llgenfritz
New UCC job is going 'super' for gay couple
I I L _ _ _
!II ]0 l Where can you find angels in America?
Essay by American Baptists Concerned
leader Rick Mixon .
[II] Gay Baptist pastor didn't keep secrets
It wasn't Henry Rnch's style . . . 112 ! A pioneer: Rev. Sarah Flynn I I 7' I Transsexual minister has home
~ in both UMC arid ECC
! ~ I Eve's Daughers: stories of
,
1:--:::-7Videos · .
l .. -~ triumph and resurrection
[HJ In Print
Reviewed in this issue: The Word is Out,
by Chris Glaser and
. Homosexuality in the Church,
edited by Jeffrey Siker
il[fil Music
Paul Delph puts his faith in
a God that can dance
1·:17] ~oteworthy
~-18 I Commentary
i Vatic11n abuses its authority
I t 91 From the edttor
j· 20 I Classifieds
MARCH/APRIL 1995
News ••••••••••••••••••••••••• 8 •••••••••
Mel White arrested,
fasts in prison
REV. MEL-WHITE WAS arrested Feb.
15 at .the Christian Broadcasting Network's
headquarters in Virginia
Beach, Vir., while asking CBN to
condemn hate crimes against gay and
lesbian· Americans.
He was charged with trespassing at
an institution of higher learning, and
arraignment was set for March 28.
White is now fasting in prision while
awaiting CBN founder Pat Robertson's
agreement to take a stand
against the suffering of innocent
Americans who are targeted in hate
crimes. ·
White is Natio nal Minister of Justice
for the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan
Community Churches. Before
coming out as a gay man, White was
a ghost writer for many leaders in the
radical religious right , including
Robertson, for whom he wrote America's
Date with Destiny.
On Feb. JS CBN spokesperson
Gene Kapp accepted a letter from
White to Robertson, which said, "Let
me summ .arize our simple request.
First acknowledge the · growing number
of hate crimes against gay and
lesbian Americans. Second, condemn
those hate crimes and , the people who
incite or commit them." Robertson
has ignored · White's request for a
meeting for 20 months.
Kapp then requested that White
leave with his interdenomination
delegation of a dozen community and
Christian leaders. White replied, "As
an act of civil disobedience in the
'name of Christ I choose to stay."· He
was then arrested, placed in handcuffs
ancl removed from the property
by police. ·
Rev. Troy Perry, founder and
moderator of the Universal Fellow ship
of Metropolitan Community
Churches, expressed strong support
for Rev. White. "It is a shame that
the head of the fifth-largest television
network in America has refused to
condemn violence against Americans
who, only because of their sexual
orientation, are murdered, fired from
their jobs, abandoned by their
families, and deprived of the rights
guaranteed to them by the Constitu tion,"
Perry said.
Supporters continue to return to the
CBN property daily for prayer vigils.
Lutheran bishop gives
nod to gay pastor
A BISHOP OF THE Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America has
decided to let parishioners at St. Paul
Lutheran Church in ·Oakland , Calif.
ke.ep th eir pastor, who is gay. The
congregation, which had defied a
previous order to fire Ross D. Merkel,
learned of the decision Jan. 15.
"We're very glad J1e's staying and
sμpporrhim in whatever he does,"
said Donna Noel, 46, who had been
attending the Oakland parish for 35
years. Noel said the congregation had
lost some people because of the
controversy, but most have stayed.
In February, the Sierra Pacific Synod
of the ELCA defrocked Merkel. A
disciplinary body ruled he was
if1volved in a relationship with another
man. The church allows gay and
lesbian clergy, but only so long as
they are not sexually active.
The synod's most recent ruling
stops Merkel from appointing people
to any vacancies at 18 ·churches in
Alameda and Oakland, but left him
in charge of the Oakland congregati'pn.
: In a letter sent to 220 congregations .
in . northern California and m;irthern
SECOND STONE
Nevada, Bishop Robert Mattheis
wrote that his options were to either
remove the congregation from church
rolls or reverse the defrocking. But
he said he chose neither because he
recognized that "truth is not captive to
any ideological position, but is
discovered as people of faith come
together in prayer and mutual affirmation
to seek the path of faithfulness."
Said Lutherans Concerned Program
. Executive Bob Gibeling, "I say give
him a cheer for good stewardship and
wise administration . He has obviously
worked hard at coming up with a
solution that keeps the ELCA from
getting more .· involved, lets Ross
Merkel stay and doesn't violate any
ELCA rules." According to Gibeling,
there are members of the ELCA who
. are not happy about the move <!nd
will introduce a constitutional amendment
at the churchwide assembly in
Minneapolis this summer to prohibit
such a move in the future.
- Associated Press and staff i·eports
•
EQUAL
RI I E ~
tesD1on and Goy Woiship.
NEW TITLES
Equal Rites
Lesbian and Gay Worship, Ceremonies, and
Celebrations
Kittredge Cherry and
Zalmon Sherwood, editors
Paper $14.99
January
EqUAI Rites is a much-needed collection of worship services,
ceremonies, and celebrations that is attuned to the unigue needs of
sexual minorities. The selections, written primarily by lesbians and
· gay men, include rites of spiritual beginnings, healing, blessings,
holy communion, and pride and empowerment. Also included are
funeral and memorial services, seasonal and holiday rites, and
covenant rites for couples. More than a collection, Equal Rites can also
serve as a reference book for creating unique and meaningful
worship services that address significant aspects of lesbian and gay
spirituality. Contributors include Malcolm Boyd, Chris Glaser, Carter
Heyward, Diann L. Neu, and Troy 0. Perry.
Ceremo111es and Ce!eb1ct1ofls
K1llredgeOeroyl
Zolman She1wood e<11lors
"It is time and past time for Equal Rites. This remarkable collection of
liturgies demonstrates the spiritual courage, liturgical creativity, and
rich diversity the churches are denying themselves in denying
lesbian and gay Christians a voice. What a gift!" - Marjorie
PIOctor-Smithl'erkins .SC/rool of Thenlog,;
Know My Name
A Gay Liberation. Theology
Richard Cleaver Paper $15.99
April
The place of gay men and women in the community of faith has
become one·of the most divisive debates in the church today. Roman
Catholic writer and activist Richard Cleaver takes a fresh approach to
this issue by examining the struggles of gay men and lesbians in the
church, specifically the Roman Catholic Church, through the lens of
liberation theology. He offers not simply a "gay" reading of scripture,
however, but one that is spiritually challenging.
Coming Out to God
Prayers for Lesbians and Gay Men, Their Families
and Friends ·
Chris Glaser Paper $9.99
Now available
"A wonderful collection of compassionate prayers." - The Other
Side
"Here is a collection of prayers through which bisexual, lesbian and
gay persons, as well as their !o,·ed ones, may voice their questions
and issues to God." - Friends fonri,al
"Chris Glaser, in his exquisite little devotional book Coming Out to
God, gil'es us the tools we need to learn to talk to God on !e,1e!s that
go beyond the mundane ... Co111i11g 011! lo God is a book that e,·ery
person who celebrates spirituality, and e,·ery person who fears
spirituality, needs to meet." - Lambda Book Report
"The intimacy we seek with the di\'ine is made even more possible.by
means of compelling de\'Otional books such as Coming 011! lo God .. " -
Tlte Disciple
mml WESTMINSTER
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SECOND STONE V
News ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••c~ ,
Congress may hold hearings
on "gay agenda" ·
AT A RECENT TOWN meeting in
Kennesaw, Georgia, Speaker of the
House Newt Gingrich confirmed to
Cathy Woolard, Human Rights Campaign
Fund Deputy Director of Public
Policy, that he has indeed promised
radical right leader Lou Sheldon that
he will probably hold hearings on
"the gay agenda" and gay-related
school curricula sometime in August,
once the budget proceeds through
Congress.
The radical right agenda on the
hearings is being pressed by Rev.
Lou Sheldon, who is known for advocating
the confinement of HIV-positive
people . in concentration camps.
He has mobilized boycotts and campaigns
against any positive portrayals
of Lesbians and Gays in the media.
He was also behind legislation that
sought to impose federal control on
schools with programs that address
lesbian and gay concerns,
According to the HRCF, the radical
right may use these hearings to promote
negative images of gay, lesbian
and bisex .ual Americans, and to
advance legislation that will single
out gay youth for discrimination in
public schools, where they already
face intolerance and harassment. The
HRCF encourages all concerned to
write to Gingrich and "encourage him
to advocate for tolerance, not persecution,
and not lo be swayed from that
stance by extremists on the right who
intend to distract Congress from
America's real concerns." The address
is: The Honorable Newt Gingrich,
U.S. House of Representatives,
Washington, DC 20515.
Expanding Alabama MCC
faces bad neighbors
THE METRO POLIT AN Community
Church of Huntsville, Ala. is small,
with an average Sunday attendance
of about 30 . No one paid any attention
during its first seven years as
members met in a rustic lodge and a
downtown office building . But the
church has been subjected to scattered
protests since "it opened its $140,000
worship center behind the public
library about five months ago.
The minister of a nearby congregation
erected a sign stating "Homo- .
sexuality is a sin," and several neighbors
scrawled derisive messages on
posters. · ·
A small group of antagonists
confronted several members recently
following a holy union ceremony.
'They came over here and were
saying things like, 'We'd better go
ahead and sell because our property
values are going to drop,"' said
church member Mancil Self, 37.
Pastor Daniel Whitworth, who put
up the anti-gay sign outside his
Fanning Heights Church of Christ,
said the MCC is guilty of blasphemy
for teaching homosexuality is not a
sin . 'Tam firmly convinced that the
Bible teaches that homosexuality is
wrong. If it's not, then God owes the
.people of Sodom and Gomorrah an
apology," Whitworth said.
The Huntsville church had few
problems until members decided to
put their faith into action by launching
a building program. For years,
Self said, members met in a mountain
lodge. More recently they gathered
weekly in a downtown building
where several rooms had been
converted into a church.
Now that the new building is
finished, things are looking up
despite the protests . One local
company even donated a flag bearing
a cross and a colorful rainbow. "It's
made us feel really good," said Self.
- Associated Press
Lesbian Avengers 'bug' office of
Exodus International
SAN RAFAEL, Calif - A dozen lesbian
activists "bugged" the offices of
Exodus International on Feb. 8 - using
real bugs . Members, of the Lesbian
Avengers released hundreds of live
crickets in the ministry's front office,
chanted slogans condemning Exodus
International, and held up signs
urging God lo send a plague on the
ministry. Bob Davies, executive
director of Exodus International, said,
'This incident is another confirmation
that many Gays . are not interested in
tolerance and diversity." Davies
warned that the incident was "a foretaste
of things to come for all members
of the conservative church. The
Jines lll'e being drawn. Those who
condemn sin will experience increasing
hostility in the days ahead."
Exodus International is a ministry
which teaches that homosexuals can
find freedom from the gay lifestyle.
-EP
MARC H / APR I L 9 9 5
W News W ...................................
Did gay weddings, says new
ELCA bishop
LOS ANGELES - A Lutheran minister
recently installed as bishop of 150
congregations said he performed
three gay weddings despite the
denomination's edict against such
ceremonies. Paul Egertson, 59, said
the same-gender rites he held at a
North Hollywood church "were done
with dignity and reverence, not as
publicity stunts to change peoples'
minds."
Egertson added that ten other
Lutheran pastors and four bishops in
Southern California conduct weddinglike
rites for Gays and Lesbians. But
he acknowledged that the services
violate the official position of the
Chicago-based Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America.
Historic church picks
lesbian pastor
NEWPORT, R.I. - Progressive p·olitics
are a 300-year tradition at the Newport
Congregational Church, home of
one of the first ministers to denounce
slaver.y and a parishioner who signed
the Declaration of Independence. ,
Nonetheless, church leaders hesitated
last year when deciding whether
to hire an openly lesbian pastor.
The question came with the Rev.
Lark d'Helen, a 43-year-old Californian
chosen last fall as the favorite
among 59 candidates to lead the
church. But the church's 57 members
ultimately decided to live up to the
church's stated policy "to be open and
affirming to all people regardless of
~heir sexual orientation," said Carl
Beckman, a member of the selection
committee.
d 'Helen is thought to be the first
openly gay minister in the state.
-Dallas Voice
New Life MCC 'se.lls
troubled property
MATTHEWS, N.C. - Members of New
Life MCC have voted to sell the
building that made them the target of
a neighborhood's anti-gay crusade
over a year and a half ago. ·
At a special congregational meeting
held late last year, it was decided that
the -church's best interest would be
served by selling its facility to the
adjoining property owner for $75,000.
Darst said that the Board of IJirector's
decision to support the sale was a
difficult one to make. Some were
concerned that selling would be akin
to "giving,._in" to the campaign of hate
or that Charlotte's gay community
would misconstrue the move as a
retreat. "We didn't know how people
would take it; we didn't · want to be
_seen as having sold out to the bigots."
Because of the upheaval and hatred
the church had been subjected to,
attendance was in the midst of a dedine
when the purchase offer came
in. Spirits were raised considerably
when the initial bid was revealed to
be $72,000, because the building had
been bought for $55,000. ·
At the special congregational
meeting, members voted to ask for
$74,000. A board representative then
re-negotiated with the proposed purchaser
and was eventually able to
wrangle an even better price of
$75,000. ·
When all the costs for acquiring the
property were tabulated, New Life
had invested approximately $67,000
in its space.
New Life's building fund now
stands at almost $44,000 and Rev.
Darst says that the church will continue
looking for a home of its own.
- Q Notes, David Stout
Latvian church excommunicates Gays
LATVIA'S EV ANGELICAL Lutheran
Church, the nation's largest, has
excommunicated all sexually active
Gays, reports the International Lesbian
and .Gay Association Bulletin.
The governing body ruled: "Persons
who deliberately practice -homosexuality
and have chosen it as their way
of life shall not be allowed to fulfill
any responsibilities during parish
services or within the church hierarchy.
They shall also be separated
SECOND STONE
from the Eucharistic community while
the Evangelical principle 'Repent
your sins and bring forth the fruits of
your repentance' remains unfulfilled."
Gays responded with a protest
outside church headquarters, organized
by the Latvian Association for
Sexual Equality. The demonstration
was well-received by passers-by and
reported on televison.
- Chicago Outlines -
HOMOSEXUAtITYIN THE CHURCH:
Both Sides of the Debate
Homosexuali'1
in the Church
Outstanding authorities on
scripture, tradition, reason,
biology, ethics, and gendered
experience discuss the place
of Gays and Lesbians in the
community of faith. This
Quan.
,,H, ,ys S,~••,• •Ma,
book will provoke discussion
in congregations, study groups,
and ethics and social justice
issues.
Edited by Jeffrey S, Siker. Associate
Professor of New Testament at
Loyola Marymoullt University,
Los Angeles.
Order now from Second Stone Press
□ HOMOSEXUALITY IN THE CHURCH
. Edit!MI by Jeffrey S. Siker, $14.99, paperbk ___ _
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Is the Homosexual
My Neighbor?
Revised and Updated, by
Letha Dawson Scanzoni and
Virginia Ramey Mollenkott,
$11.00, paper
The Word Is Out
The Bible Reclaimed for
Lesbians and Gay Men,
by Chris Glaser,
$12.00, paper
Jesus Acted Up
A Gay and Lesbian
Manifesto, by
Robert Goss
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A Portrait of Gay and
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MARCH/APRIL 1995
Thi, peti>e blood, womm wi<h
a delightful demeanor and
open smile seems like an unlikely
candidate to bring the
reality of HIV- home to millions of
Americans who thought they could
never be touched by the disease - but .
that is exactly what Mary Fisher did.
On August 19, 1992, Mary
addressed the Republican National
Convention, speaking to thousands of
delegates in Houston and millions of
viewers across the country. In her
13-minute speech, Mary eloquently
sounded a wake-up· call which could
not be silenced . "I represent the
AIDS community ... Though I am
female; and contracted this disease in
marrfage, and enjoy the warm support
of my family, I am one with the
lonely gay man sheltering a flickering
candle from the cold wind of his
family's rejection. To all within the
sound of my voice, I appeal: Learn
with me the lesson of history and of
grace, so my children will not be
afraid to say the word AIDS when I
am gone."
The famous · speech was only a
beginning for Mary Fisher. Since
that time she has traveled -across the
country, pleading· for compassion for
people living with HIV and alerting
the untouched to the eminent danger
of the disease: She has also published
a compilation of her speeches, Sleep
Willi tlze Angels: A Motlier Challenges
AIDS (Moyer-Bell, 1994) and started
the Family AIDS Network, a nonprofit
organization based in Washington,
DC which is dedicated to increasing
awareness, comp,ission and resources
with which to fight the HIV/ AIDS
epic!emic in America.
Mary granted this interview when
she was in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
to give a series of speeches, before
she returned home to her two boys,
Max, six, and Zachary, four.
Cheryl Johnston: In your book you
wrote that from April, 1992 to June,
1993 you visited more than 50
communities to increase awareness of
AIDS. Has you pace continued this
past year?
Mary Fisher: The amount I've
traveled has varied with my ability to
fulfill the requests. And this past
year, between my husband passing
away, and moving- from Florida to
the Washington, DC area, I have
definitely needed some personal
time. I'd say I've visited about 50
cities again, which might mean 100 or
150 different speeches. rm giving
four while I'm here in Pittsburgh .
S E C O N D s· T O N · E
A Messenger
An interview with Mary Fisher
BY CHERYL JOHNSTON
CJ: Why do you do it?
MF: My mission is to go around the
country and raise awareness, to create
bridges bet~een communities within
a city, whether it be the medical community
or the political community,
corporate community or the AIDS
community . It's to broaclen the base
of this epidemic to includ_e those who
have not been_personally touched.
CJ: You've said in many of your
speeches that you're a messenger -
not a victim of AIDS. How can others
living with HIV, many of whom have
recently been diagnosed, keep themselves
from being victims?
MF: That's a good question, because I
believe very strongly that a good
spiritual base can help one from
becoming a victim . Being a mes-
0
senger is not for everyone and I
understand that. I encouragi people
to speak out if they feel comfortable.
But one of the reasons I travel around
the country is to try to help communities
become compassionate enough to
open their arms to make it safe for
people to talk.
I believe that people who are newly
diagnosed need to .give themselves a
break .. They need to ask for help, get
support. And I don't think that the
support, in the beginning, always
comes from the places where it has
come in the past. I think that the
people who love us very much go
through their own process of grief
about this disease so sometimes they
can't give us the support we want.
We need to ask for and seek that
support outside of our normal circle
until our loved ones can catch up in
the process. And so, instead of feeling
abandoned, we c an turn to others
in the AIDS community who are
willing to be ·there when .others need
them. Being with people like that,
with giving hearts who want to help,
is a good place to be in the beginning
because those people understand.
They have been there before, they
may be facing it themselves.
After we ask for help, we can find
the support that will take us to the
next level. I think we have to come
to acceptance somewhere down the
line to gain the ability lo cope with
this disease. For me, I have my
children. They give me streng .th . I
go on and they .are my day-to-day
reminders that life is regular and life
is normal. I also find that doing what
I do keeps me very active and feeling
productive.
I don't know if I can tell others how
not to be a victim . To me, victims are
· helpless . I'm not helpless. I'm not
hopeless. And so, I am able to take
care of myself and my children. That
takes me out of the vidiin category.
CJ:· Are you ever able · to leave the
reality of HIV behind you?
MF: If I can think of the bigger
picture, I don't dwell on_H1V. Again,
my boys help me with that. They ·
don't understand HIV. What's important
to them is what movie to watch,
what they want to eat. It's very
important- for me to be where they
are and that keeps me grounded in
today. .
CJ: Some people in the AIDS community
<1:riticized you 'when you
spoke at the Republican convention.
They said that the Federal government
had not done enough for the
AIDS cause and that you were gi_ving
the Bush administration an endorsement
by giving the speech. What was
your response? . ·
MF: I think the AIDS community
reacted one way before I spoke and
one way after I spoke, which is fine. I
never thought of the speech as a
political issue but President Bush
wanted m~ to speak at the Convention.
Give me an audience of that
many millions of people to talk about
this disease and I don't care where it
is. I try to speak to the people who
don't think that AIDS is their
problem, who don't understand the
necessity of r_esponding.
CJ: Do you feel that any administra-
SEE MESSENGER, Page 17
MARCH/APRIL 1995
Kevin J. Calegari
Former president of ·Dignity/'
USA dies of AIDS-related
complications
Kevin J. Calegari, 36, a former
, president of Dignity /USA,
the nation's largest group of
gay, lesbian, and bisexual
Roman Catholics, died in San Francisco
of AIDS-related complications on
February 12. Calegari lived in San
Francisco with Tom Kaun, his partner
of 11 years . .
Calegari, who served · as president
of Dignity from 1991 to 1993; was the
subject of extensive press coverage in
1992 when he traveled to Rome and
nailed a Vatican document on homosexuality
to the door of the Vatican
office that issued the document. The .
event was widely covered in the
mainstream press and in gay publications
in the United States, as well as
in the Italian press. Calegari also participated
in a 1993 White House meeting
.with senior aides to President .
Clinton, along with the leaders of
other progressive Catholic organizations.
•
Under Calegari's leadership,
Dignity increased its level of interaction
with the other major Catholic
reform organizations in the United
States and abroad. During Calegari's
term of office, Dignity joined the
Leadership Conference for Catholic
Laity, and became a founding member
of the Catholic Organizations for
Renewal .
. In November of 1994," Calegari,
along with current Dignity/ USA
president Marianne Duddy, accepted
the leadership award of Call to
Action, the largest and most broadbased
Catholic reform group in the
United States.
At the time pf his death, Calegari
was pursuing a Ph.D . in theology at
the Graduate Theological Union in
Berkeley, California. A native of San
Francisco, he was educated at Catholic
schools and graduated from Stanford
University in 1980 with a bachelor's
degree in classics. He was a Coro
Foundation fellow in public affairs,
pursuing graduate studies at · Claremont
Graduate . School. As a boy, he
sang in . the San Francisco Boys
Chorus, and later served as a member
of its board of directors. He was a
director as well of the Dolores Street
Community Services Center in San
Francisco. ·
Calegari worked professionally as a
development officer, serving as the
associate director for development at
the Univ ers ity of San Francisco, as
well as executive director of the Community
Counseling Service Center in
San Francisco and Honolulu.
Prior to assuming office as president
of Dignity, Calegari wrote, "I share
.the concern of Yves Congar, who
noted 'the inconsistency between
what was expected of . the Church
(namely, the gospel) and what was
concretely · to be fo4nd when one
examfoed the same Church.' I hope
that whatever gifts I have might be
applied to articulating resolutions, or
at least, positive means of sustaining
the tensions, between the various
parts of the Body of Christ. I hope to
look at the ways the Church has
defined itself, its membership and
leadership, and the means it has used
to identify and encounter God's
revelation in the world. I hope to be
"No longer frightened or ashamed, I
am learning to confide in God's love
and the love of my fellow wrestlers.
And after the match is over, I look forward
to walking humbly with n1y God,
even if it is with a limp."
"Under Kevin's leadership, Dignity
took on a more active role in the
international Church, a role we are
continuing to develop," said Dignity/
USA president Marianne Duddy .
"His willingness to take a public
prophetic stance against Vatican discrimination
towards ga)!' people was a
real turning point in our movement.
As a person, he was totally engaged
in life, a passionate and compassionate
individual, someone who
intuitively understood the connections
among various issues. We will miss
him deeply."
SECOND STONE
of service to the Church by demonstrating
from its experience creative
models both of confrontation and
dialogue, as the Church contends
with both the 'already' and the 'not
yet' of its character.''
In a recent issue of the National
Catholic Reporter, Calegari wrote, "My
spirituality as a gay man, a Christian
and a person living with AIDS for the
last seven years has been marked by
both conflict and intimacy, filled with
passion and ambivalence, anger and
inexpressible joy and, above all,
driven by a desire for abundant life ... -
Kevin Calegari, president of Dignity/USA from 1991 to 1993, returns an antigay
document issued by the Vatican by nailing it to the door of a Vatican
office in a 1992 protest.
"I have wrestled with God, with
God's ostensible representatives, with
sisters and brothers - often in sweaty,
straining, forceful embrace that calls
me and those with whom I contend to
new identities and new relationships ·.
The fight becomes an act of love .
This kind of spirituality is not clean
and neat, obviously ...
"It's a sad commentary on the state ·
of our Church when the courage and
willingness to go to the floor on the
issues that count, to speak the truth
when it hurts, is. cause for oppression
and contempt (see the [Vatican]
Congregation for the Doctrine of the .
Faith's two -recent documents on
homosexuality, 1986 and 1992.) What
continues to amaze me is that God's .
powerful grace is so palpable precisely
where the hierarchy denies it can
be. I call it 'the sacrament of irony.'
"In all those times of wrestling with
the tough issues, with church leaders,
with each other, with dis .ease, I have
been pinned down and squeezed,
touched, massaged, embraced, cuddled
and, yes, pleasured by a challenging
and ever-loving God. I have
been transformed and reconciled. No
longer frightened or ashamed, I am
learning to confide -in God's love and
the love of my fellow wrestlers. And
after the match is over, I look forward
to walking humbly with my God,
even if it is with a limp.''
Kevin is survived by his partner,
Tom Kaun; his parents, George and
Lorayne Calegari of San Anselmo,
California; his sister, Joan Harrington;
her husband, Tim, and two nieces
and a nephew, all 'of Sonoma, California;
and by Janet Cerni, dear
friend and confidant, of San Francisco,
as well as many aunts, uncles, and
cousins in the San Francisco Bay area
and Tom's parents, brother, and
sisters.
h th., epirit of 5t. Fraici5 im 5t.
Clare, wdre ~ m:tge liuildera
aid ~ maker6 to journey with
ua ii the footet.eps of Jee;ua Ovist.
~
.;l!f) We are an ecumenical,
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0!l!o. community of baptized men
~ and women from various
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Associate or enter the
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Ask to receive our
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nationwide. ·
For more information,
please write to:
MERCY OF Goo COMMUNITY
Att: Vocation Director
P. 0. !}ox 41055
Providence RI 02940-1055
MARCH/APR.IL 1995
After the media frenzy
New call going 'super'
for gay couple
BY JIM BAILEY
D avid Shull, 35, and Peter
Ilgenfritz, 32, were sur,
prised with the media attention
the gay couple received
when they were called last
summer to share an associate pastor
position at University Congregational
United Church of Christ, a 1,200-
member Open and Affirming congregation
in Seattle, Washington, Now
that the dust has settled, Shull says
that everything is going "super ."
Shull and Ilgenfritz found the job that
they had longed for after two years of
searching and more than 100 rejection
letters.
'This is an extraordinary church
and people have been open and
welcoming," says Shull. 'There is a
real sense that people are interested
in getting to know us. It is a very nice
time, with lots of excitement and enthusiasm."
The new member classes are
getting bigger, according to Shull,
and there is a larger number of gay
and lesbian people coming to church.
The church has also called a new
senior past9r, Do\1ald MacKenzie,, Jr.,
who is supportive of the gay couple's
call.
The response from others in the
church community to the gay couple's
hiring has been overwhemlingly positive,
although one church in a rural
part of Washington did remove itself
from the United Church of Christ
because of the call and other issues.
Out from the darkness
Paul Sherry, the top official of the
United Church of Christ, wrote a
letter of support prior to the congregational
vote on the call and Rev. Bill
Johnson, the first openly gay pastor
ordained in the United Church of
Christ, was very active in support of
the call.
The publicity surrounding the
hi ring of Shull and Ilgenfritz reached
deeply .into many dark closets around
the country, and they have been contacted
by phone by many ministers
who must keep their sexual orienta tion
a closely guarded secret. "Closeted
gay clergy who are isolated
where they are have felt heartened
by our experience," says Shull. "It is
heartbreaking to see the number of
people who are isolated and who feel
called to parish ministry. It's good to
be in a position where they can
contact us . We tell closeted clergy
they are not alone and that it's important
that they take care of themselves
and not be put . in situations where
they have to deny who they are."
Shull says that he and Ilgenfritz
have grown in this experience ,and
that they enjoy working together.
'There was the strain on our relationship
that would come from any major
. transition," he says. "We looked to
each other to satisfy all of our needs
which had been met by our friends
back in Chicago. "
The-couple works ·much ·more than
their half-time job calls for, says Shull,
David Shull, left, and Peter II gen fritz, associate pastors of Unhrersity Congre0
gational United Church of Christ in Seattle.
not complaining. They are also involved
in the local chapter of the
United Church Coalition for Lesbian/
Gay ·concerns and plan to be
involved as the Washington/Norths
em Idaho conference of the UCC
deals with a bill before the Washington
State Legislature that would ban
gay and lesbian foster and adoptive
parents.
UCC job ended long search for Shull, llgenfritz
David Shull and Peter
Ilgenfritz met at Yale Divinity
School, graduated in
1987, but remained closeted
throughout their schooling and for a
time thereafter. As a Presbyterian,
Shull knew he could not be ordained
if he was open about his sexuality.
Ilgenfritz, a member of the UCC,
could become ordained but knew his
chances of finding a call would be
narrowed if he came out. Both found
churches - 300 miles apart. Ilgeruritz
•Served a United Church of Christ parish
in Ithaca, N.Y., and Shull served a
Pres_l:,yterian church . in Katlanning,
Penn. Soon the distance and the
strain of the closet became too oppressive.
The couple moved to Chicago,
where Shull enrolled in the University
of Chicago social work program
and Ilgenfritz became founding
executive director of Better Existence
with HIV. Parish ministry, however,
SECOND STONE
continued to draw them. Soon they
Were applying for positions throughout
the United States and in Canada,
as a gay couple interested in sharing
a pastoral position. ·
Their search led · them to Seattle,
where the search committee, chaired
by Julie Davis, had found the couple
to be the best qualified applicants
among the 50 applications that the 12-
member panel reviewed.
After nearly a week of meeting
hundreds of parishioners and answering
a myriad of questions about their
philosophy of the church, their calling
to the ministry, and , of course, their
homosexuality, Ilgenfritz and Shull
presented their candidating sermon to
a standing-room-only crowd of 800
worshippers on June 12.
In the sermon, Ilgenfritz reminded
the congregation that fear need not be
the final word when a group faces
change. Shull completed the sermon,
saying that the word should be -
"trust." He recalled how St. John of
the Cross, a 16th century Spanish
monk, was preparing for a journey
and asked a man at the gate for a
hght to show him the path. The man
replied, "Go out into the darkness
and put your hand into the hand of
God . That shall be a better light, and
safer than a known way."
Although there was strong support
for the couple, the vote was not a foregone
conclusion. Some members
objected to filling the associate pastor
position while the church's senior
pastorate was empty . Others clearly
stated their opposition lo hiring
homosexuals.
After preaching Ilgenfritz and Shull
headed to a friend's home three
blocks away, "biting our nails" the
whole time, while the congregation
debated their fate. "We did not know
when we walked out of the church
what the vote was going to be," said
Shull. But an hour and a half later,
the word came. The couple had been
hired.
Mary Dougherty, a member of the
congregation and coordinator of the
Washington-North Idaho Chapter of
United Church Coalition for Lesbian/
Gay Concerns, was present ·at the
vote and described the afternoon .
"Six hundred and twenty three
people were present - usually less
than 200 would come for a meeting.
The fears were aired and the praise
was heaped. I was so scared."
To assuage some parishioners' fears
of losing members, and their contributions,
a married man in his 40s
with children walked up to the
associate pastor and handed her a
check for $10,000. At one point
during the ·open mike discussion, an
unassuming 73-year 0old woman
walked up to the front of the sanctuary,
looked out over the congrega-
SEE GAY PASTORS, Next Page
MARCH/ AP81L l 9 9 5
GAY PASTORS, FromPage8
tion, and proceeded to come out as a
lesbian .
David Bivins voted against hiring
the couple. "I'm not a born-again
Christian," Bivins said , "but from
what I've been brought up to believe,
the Bible says it's wrong." Charlotte
Taylor also voted against.the two.
0'The change is too radical," she said.
But Ilgenfritz and Shull had support
in high places. Paul Sherry, president
of church headquarters in
Cleveland, sent a letter pronouncing
the couple "outstanding candidates."
Ministers of 18 Seattle-area' UCCs sent
letters reminding the church of its
"heritage of leadership in ·opening
new doors."
Minister Emeritus Dale Turner also
urged the church to hire the two.
'The eyes of not only Christians, but
of society as a whole are waiting to
see what we will do. I feel that the
integrity of our church is at stake."
UnivNsity Congregational Church
member Shirley Morrision agreed.
She said she had not been active in
recent years because she didn't feel
the church took strong enough stands.
But she said Ilgenfritz and Shull are
just what the church needs. "I think
they're the most outstanding human
beings I've met for some time," she
said. ·
"Almost two hours later we got the
tally," said · Dougherty. "'-'Over 75
percent affirming their call. Peter
and David came lo-spej1k, so excited,
so gracious, so eager to help those 24
percent who couldn't vote yes.- The
Coalition folks got together to hug
and err, and tell how hard it had
been ... .
When Ilgenfritz and Shull walked
back to the sanctuary that afteroon,
the congregation was standing, applauding
their .new ministers. · But for
two ordained pastors who chose to
leave . their parishes rather than
remain in the closet, many people felt
it was the members of the church who
deserved the standing ·ovation.
"It was the most incredible
experience I'd ever had in my life,"
Shull said. And Ilgenfritz: "It was an
utterly holy moment."
To Rev. Bob Fitzgerald, assistant
minister of University UCC, the pair
"rose to the top' 1 out of the 50 applicants
from across the country. "From
the beginning, Peter and Dave in
their profile; in their letters and in
conversations with people here were
openly gay,' '. said Fitzgerald . "All
· issues were on the table from the
very beginning."
Although the congregation voted
several years ago; by more than 80
percent, to become an Open and
Affirming Church, hiring an openly
gay couple to be their associate pas.
tors was a different step altogether.
"Welcoming Gays and . Lesbians in
the pews is one thing, asking them to
preach from the pulpit is quite
another," Ilgenfritz said.
"For a prominent chureh in a large
city in the country to say we will ...
stand up and say that Christianity
embraces homosexuality as part of
God's plan is amazing," Shull said . .
"And we will not only say that on
paper, but give a foundation to that
by calling [openly gay) clergy."
Shull and Ilgenfritz admitted !hat
they were . overwhelmed at the call
becoming a reality. They had ·prepared
themselves for the real possibility
that it may very well not
happen in their lifetime. But the rage
and pain of all the letters of rejection
are behind th,em, and all the Reople
who told ·them they'd never get a
church have been proven wrong .
"Certainly 24 percent . of the church
didn't think it was a good idea,''
Ilgenftitz said. "But there was such
energy ... this is the kind of church we
want to belong to." ·
On July 23, just before their move
to Seattle, Shull , and Ilgenfritz were
united in holy union at St. Paul's
United Church of Christ on Chicago's
North Side by the Rev . Randy
Deckwerth, associate minister.
Compiled from Waves, Seattle Times,
Bay Area Reporter, Windy City
Times, and tire Seattle Post4ntelligence~
.
QUOTABLE
"Homosexuals will go before us
to tlie kingdom of God."
-Dismissed Catholic bishop Jacques Gaillot, .
-in a 1989 interview in Gai Pied
SECOND STONE -
'Ecumenica{ Catfio{ic Cfiurcfi
welcomes men and women,
married, single, gay or straight
to the priesthood or religious life.
Nicene Creed theology,
Vatican II liturgy,
apostolic succession,
socially liberal.
Growing national church
represented in 17 states
also needs lay leaders
and donations to
spread Christ's inclusive message.
For more infonnation, contact
Fr. Denis Martel
3824 Eastview Drive
Harvey, LA 70058
(504)341-1880 (voice)
(504)341-2208 (fax)
CAUGHT IN THE CROSSFIRE:
Helping Christians
Debate Homosexuality
Few .other issues divide the
Christian community more
sharply than homosexuality.
In this hew volume, writers
with divergent points of view
deal with questions at the .
center of the debate between
pro-gay and anti-gay believers.
Edited by Sally B. Geis, director, Iliff
Institute, Lay a11d Clergy Educatio11; The
Iliff School of Theology, De11ver, and ·
Do11ald E. Messer , presideltl;-'Phe -Ilijf-'- ~
School of Theology.
Order now from Second Stone Press
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MARCH / AP R I.L 1 9 9 5
. \
,,
I
I .went into a bookstore the other
day in search of a copy of the
play, "Angels in America" and
was surprised to find a number
of new books on angels. I did not
expect angels to be such a popular
subject. Such an interest might be indicative
of a loss of spiritual connection
in our times. There might actually
be people among us hungry for
spiritual food and eager for angelic
visitations.
In Genesis 19:1-11, the city of
Sodom received such a visit. If the
people of Sodom had known what
these angels were up to, I wonder if .
they would have behaved differently.
This section of scripture is really only
part of the story. To begin with,
Yahweh appears to Abraham at 75
years of age, calling him to leave his
happy home to journey to a distant,
unknown land with the promise that
"I will make of you a great nation,
and , will bless you, and make your
name great, so that you will be a
blessing" (Gen 12:2). Abraham, in an
amazing act of faithfulness, answers
God's call. With his wife, Sarah and
his nephew, Lot, and their families
and belongings, they jourJtey off in
search of a promised land. .
Yahweh proves equally faithful and
they find this promised land. After a
while, though, we find Abraham and
Lot wrangling over the · tand for it ·
"could not support both of them living
together, for their possessions
were so great ... " (Gen 13:6). The
herds of livestock were too large and
there was strife among the herders.
They decided to split up . . Abraham,
being a generous person, gave Lot
first choice. After looking around,
Lot, being just slightly greedy, "saw
that the plain of the Jordan was well
watered everywhere" (Genl3:10), and
scurried off to pitch his tent near
Sodom in the middle of the plain.
Some time goes by and Abraham is
sitting in front of his tent in the heat
of the day when three strangers happen
along. · Abral1am does what any
decent person would do. He · offers
them his hospitality. The strangers
turn out to be Yahweh and two
angels on their way to Sodom. The
people of Sodom had a reputation for
wickedness and word had gotten
back to Yahweh that they were, in
fact, "great sinners against [Yahweh]"
(Gen. 13:13). If this is so, Yahweh has
some unpleasant consequences in
store for them - like total destruction
of the city, and its wicked neighbor,
Gomorrah, as well. Yahweh, acting
SECOND STONE
Where
can you find
ANGELSin
AMERICA?
BY RICK MIXON
perhaps too generously, lets Abraham
in on his mission, and before
Yahweh knows what has hit him,
Abraham has drawn him into
lengthy negotiations over the salvation
of the cities. Eventually, Yahweh
and Abraham agree, if ten righteous
folk can be found in the city, it will
be spared (Gen 18:16-33).
In .the mean time the two angels,
weary of the wrangling, decide to
journey on ' to survey the scene at
Sodom. Now in spite of his greedy
streak, Lot's a decent fellow, and
when the strangers appear in Sodom,
he also offers hospitality. (It is important
to remember that hospitality ·
meant life in theseJ'arts in this time.
Both the desert an · its people could
be deadly hostile to strangers). The
folk of Sodom, the men anyway,
prove equal to their reputation. Before
you know it, they are at Lot's
door demanding 'he tum the strangers
over to them. Lot refuses, and
offers his virgin daughters . instead,
demonstrating the cruel difference in
the value of men and women in this
time and. place. It seems that what
the men have in mind is phallic aggression.
Their intent is not as much
sexual as it is macho. · That is, their
intent · is to establish themselves as
masters of the strangers through rape .
Kenneth Dover, in his book Greek
Homosexuality, reminds us that ''human
societies at many times and in
many regions have subjected strangers,
newcomers and , trespassers to
homosexual anal Violation as a way of
reminding them of their subordinate
status ." Only these strangers were in
no way subordinate to the men of
Sodolll, They were messengers from
Yahweh, angels in the midst of the
city, and their message was not good
news . God was going to destroy the
city, not because the men and boys
were all gay, but because of their
inl10spitality, their arrogant pride in
which they were unwilling to share
their wealth with the needy, their
threat of violence to angelic visitors.
One commentator notes that "the
'outcry' against Sodom [which has
brought Yahweh onto the scene] is
expre&sed [in the text] by a technical
legal term ... signifying 'the cry for
help which one who suffers great
injustice screams.' This is the ·outcry
against violence ... voiced by the
prophet Jeremiah on behalf of the
poor (Jeremiah 22:13-17) and on his
own behalf in the oppression he
experiences by taking up the cause of
the oppressed (Jeremiah 20:8): This
recurrent prophetic outcry against
violent injustice done by the rich to
the poor is based not only · in remembrance
of Israel's own bondage/ deliv.
erance (Exodus 3) but also in its role
as alien and wanderer (Deuteronomy
26:5)."
This commentator, Geo.rge
Edwards, in his book Gay/Lesbian Liberation:
A Biblical Perspective, goes on
to argue: 'The reader must put aside
pious heterosexual anathemas on
private, voluntary, same-sex acts by
homosexually predisposed adults.
The key [to the Sodom story] is the
violent, aggressive abuse of power
that had already brought on the city
the outcry of 'foul play' (hamas) long
before the advent of the divine emissaries
in Genesis 19." Another commentator,
Old Testament scholar
Darrell Lance, in an article in American
Baptist Quarterly, entitled 'The
Bible and Homosexuality," writes of
the prophet Ezekiel's perspectiv.e on
Sod9m (Ezekiel 16:48-50: 'The prophet
sees between the people of his own
time and the men of Sodom as pride,
gluttony, conspicuous economic consumption,
and failure to aid the poor
and the needy."
Sodom was a city in deep trouble
because it had lost its spiritual connection
to the God of all creation
They had wandered so far from the
reality of their religious need that
they were unable to recognize God's
_angels when they were standing in
the midst of the city. Somehow they
had come to think that they ruled the
world; that theirwealth entitled them
to act like God, deciding who would
be in and who would be humiliated,
who would live and who would die,
without bringing any judgement on
their own heads. They were wrong .
Whether God destroyed the city or
they destroyed it themselves in their
wickedness, Sodom was laid waste.
There are consequences for violating
the -laws of love.
And what of us living ·in· our
contemporary worlds in 1995. Author
and filmmaker Michael Tolkin, who
wrote 'The Player" and directed 'The
New Age," speaking of Los Angeles
says, "I see people grabbing for something
to hofd on to. But the spiritual
life of the city is so empty, and offers
so little, that the help people look for
is often as thin as the fortune cookie
paper on which the answer to their
problems is written." And Vaclav
Havel, playwright <).nd president of
the new Czech Republic, said in a
speech at Stanford that if democracy is
to survive the clash of .cultures that
has replaced the Cold War as a major
threat to peace, it will have to
rediscover its own "spiritual dimension.'
'
Where are there angels in our
midst? Do they visit any more
bringing messages of ·doom and
destruction, of peace and good will, of
teve and. justice? Are they all around
and are we just toci blind to see, like
the hapless men of Sodom who had
become so sure of their ability to run
the world that they had lost their
spiritual connections? Have we become
so alienated from our own
spiritual center that we have been left
to our own destruction?
In his Pulitzer . prize winning play,
"Angels in America," Tony Kushner
offers powerful images of spiritual
connection. The central character of
the two . plays which comprise the
work is Prior Walter, . a gay man
living with AIDS. The obvious angel
in the plays descends on wires and
proceeds to pontificate obscurely. It
tells Prior that he is to be a prophet.
But once it has .lured him to heaven,
it is revealed that God has run off to
San Francisco, that the world is in
chaos, and somehow Prior is to be
involved in working with the angels
to restore order. The hitch is that this
order sounds very much like stasis
and smells very much like death .
Prior bravely refuses the prophetic
role and insists on being allowed to
live. There is something infinitely
precious in saying yes to life with all
its messiness.
In an ironic, and perhaps unintentional
twist of the drama, the character
who comes .closest to being an
angel, at least in terms of doing the
SEE ANGELS, Page 13
MARCH/APRIL 1995
Tl
'
Henry Finch
Baptist pastor
kept n O seer et S :::~,;•.t~!;~::!,.The ntiaSle, Finch's coming out and his death, he
kept -in contact with his many friends
in the Baptist clturches. "Henry was
outgoing," Patrick says. "He never
met a stranger. All of his friends,
including his straight Baptist friends,
were always supportive.''
B_Y JIM BAILEY
W ien Henry Finch passed
away at age 58 on June 26,
1994, he could have taken
• - - some secrets with him : - He
could ha:ve been silent about being a
gay . pastor in a denomination that
preaches vehemently against homosexuality
. He could have hidden that
he had AIDS from _ people he knew
who still believed that AIDS was a
punishment from God. But dishonesty
wasn't something "that Finch
could. tolerate.
'. -Finch· was once th!! pastor--0f First
Baptist Church of Charleston, Soufh
Carolina, the oldest Southern ·Baptist
church in Charleston. He studied to
be a pastor at Southeastern Baptist
Theological Seminary in Wake Forest,
North Carolina. He received his first
call in 1962 from Salisbury First
Baptist Church and from there went
on to pastor Baptist diurches in oiher
areas of:· North · Carolina; Asheville,
Hartsville, and Rock Hill, . where
Finclt pastored from 1974 to 1982 at
the _ l,500smember Oakland Baptist
Churclt. · . ·-
"Henry always had
a strong faith .... . At
times, that's about
all he had left."
Finch married his wife, Judy, in
1965. The two had met .during his
time at Salisbury Baptist Church.
Their son Tommy was born in 1966. ·
Finch was a respected pastor on the
fast track in the Southern Baptist Convention.
But he was hiding the secret
that he .was gay. The dishonesty took
a physcial toll. Finch even began
having stomach problems. In 1985,
while pastoring the First Bapti,st
Church in Chadeston, _he gathered up
the courage to tell the deacons that he
was a gay man.
'1n everything · else, I was out front,
in the open," Finch said in an Associated
Press interview shortly before he
died. "But here's one piece of my life
that wasn't at all. That'll kill you. You
SECOND STONE
can -deny something that is a basic
part of you only so long."
Although telling the truth was a
relief - for Finch, his career in the
Southern Baptist Convention was
crushed . He resigned his pastorship
al the Charleston church and entered
into a psychiatric hospital for a11
extended period of time. Finch was
well liked by his congregation and,
although shocked, most church
members reacted with understanding
and they continued to support him
through his ordeal.
Members of one of his former
congregations were not so supportive.
When news of finch's coming out
reached Oakland Baptist Church in
Rock Hill, some ·members talked
about removing his name from the
Henry T. Fincl1 Jr. Family Life Building.
, H.enry kept hts faith in God through
these times, according to his companion
for the last .three years of his life,
Patrick ·Smith, 24, who still lives in
Charlotte. "Henry always had a
strong faith," says Patrick. "At times,
that's about all he had left."
Finch found that he still had friends
in the Baptist Church. Upon release
from the hospital, - Finch moved to
Charlotte, where his friends Bettie
Bibrell and Gene Owens helped him
get a job. Owens was the pastor of a
very liberal church, Myers _ Park
Baptist Church, where Finch eventually
taught an adult Sunday School
ch1ss. Although Owens offered Finch
a deaconship at the churclt, he did not
accept it, perhaps an indication that
Finch never fully reconciled his
sexuality with his spirituality. Owens
said he didn't care if Finch was gay
and he, along with Bibrell, . helped
him get a job at the Randolph Clinic
in Charlotte, where Finch counseled
alcoholics and drug addicts . Finch
also became a · leader in the fight
· against AIDS.
Henry met. Ratrick at a· theatre in
Atlanta after a perfot.mance of "Phantom
of the Opera.' '. Patrick was just ·
coming out at the _. ·lime and had,
himself, experienced - a confusing
ordeal during his late teens. "We hit
it off and were together from then
on," says Patrick. _
By the time he met Henry, Patrick
had lost all respect for religion and
the church. He was raised in the
Church of God and lived with his
church pastor during his last three
· For his own reasons Henry was
reluctant to tell Patrick when they
first met that he was a pastor. Finally
he told Patrick he had something he
needed to tell him . Patrick laughs as
- he recalls Henry's revelation that he
was a pastor . "For some reason, that
doesn:t surprise me," Patrick told
Henry .
Patrick later went back to visit his
old Church of God pastor to let him
know that he had reached a place of
reconciliation in his life. Instead of
being able to share Patrick's peace,.
the deeply closeted pastor could not
get beyond his fright · that Patrick
would tell others what had happened
between them.
In Marclt; 1993; Finch found o'ut for
sure what he had long suspected . He
was HIV-positive. "We had assumed
that he was positive ever since we
were together," Patrick says. "It
scared me. I loved Henry more than _
life itself. It was very difficult." Finch
continued to work at the clinic until
December, 1993.
Puring the nine years between
Finclt's wife, however, would have
nothing to do with him after his coming
out. She was very bitter, according
to Patrick, and the two were
unable to maintain any relationship
at all. It was much the same with
Finch's son. But in January of last
year, Finch got a call from Tommy,
then 27, after nine years of not
hearing from him. Tommy visited
Finclt in the hospital shorty before he
died, when they hugged for the first
time .since Tommy was 17.
"Henry helped me get my life back
on track," Patrick says. 'This first
year without him has -been a lonely
time for me. To be · 24 and to have
been through this has been very
difficult. I miss him alot."
Patrick and Tommy sat on the front
row during Finch's funeral service.
Tommy's mother did not attend .
- Some informaticm from Associated Press
Recent finding by top biblical scholars
offer a radical new view on
the Bible and homosexuality.
I
WhatU1•~1e the l.J LlJ
Really Says
About
B.otrtosexuality
.. I< p\10 - . 1 • 1-1e\m1n1a , · oan1e ,-..
Daniel A Helminiak, Ph.D.,
respect.ed theologian and
Roman Catholic priest,
explains in a clear fashion
fascinating new insights.
" ... will help any reasonably open and
attentive reader see that the Bible says
something quite different on this subject
from what is often claimed:"
-L. William Countryman,
Author of Dirt, Greed and Sex
" .. .the most thoughtful, lucid and accessible
summary I know of cunent biblical
scholarship relating to homosexual
issues ... eminently uSeful... u
-James B. Nelson,
Author and Theology Professor
Quan.
□
WHAT THE BIBLE REALLY SA VS
ABOUT HOMOSEXUALITY
By Daniel A. Helminiak, $9.95, paperbk
Postage/Handling $3 first book, $1 each additional ____ _
TOTAL AMOUNT ENCLOSED -----
NAME ______________________ _
ADDRESS _____________________ _
CITY/STATE/ZIP __________________ _
ORDER FROM: SECOND STONE PRESS, P.O. BOX 8340, NEW ORLEANS, LA 70182
MARCH/ APRIL 1 9 9 5,
,,
•
Transsexual Methodist
minister finds second
home in Ecumenical
Catholic Church
BY THE REV. SARAH J. FLYNN, 0. S. L.
Althoug h wanting to remain
loyal to my United Methodist
heritage I have felt an in.
creasing need to be in ministry
to sexual minority people . I
doubted how effectively this could be
done as a United .Methodist pastor
representing a church with a homophobic
policy. Increasingly, I have
become aware of the need for a
church that is unapologetically supportive
of ·gay /lesbian people and
proactive -in supporting ~hem in the
face of social pressures, political exploitation
am;\ religious prejudice.
The Ecumenical Catholic Church
represents this alternative to me;
conserving essentials of the Christian
tradition while rightly discerning the
.dignity and worth of women and
gay flesbian/bisexual/ t:r:anssex~al/
transgendered people as equal partners
in the Gosp~l.of Christ.
''You are a pioneer" is how United
Methodist Bishop William Boyd
Grove characterized my decision to
apply for a dual affiliation with the
ECC. The remark referred to more
than this application, but. was appropriate
to the situation since as a UMC
pastor I was applying to be received
as a priest of the Ecumenical Catholic
Church. If approved, I would be both
Protestant pastor and Catholic priest.
I was an unusual Methodist pastor
long before applying to the ECC. In
1978 I completed therapy for a lifelong
pi;oblem of transsexualism.
Having served for a period of 12
years as a United Methodist pastor, I
left parish work after my surgery and
began a care er in higher education .
To my amazement and relief Bishop
Ralph Ward, my bishop at the time,
arranged to re-issue my ordination
papers, and, while unable Jo assign
me to a parish, in time placed me in a
special appointment category so thafI
remained a United Methodist Elder in
good standing. Then, eight years
ago, through an unexpected series of
events, I began to serve as a part time
pastor of a small United Methodist
church in Connecticut. I became,
therefore, the first United Methodist
transsexual clergyperson to serve a
parish, and possibly the first in any
denomination to do so, (but I am not
the only such person now; there is at
least one other transsexual minister
under parish appointment.)
SECOND STONE
I have felt a great sense of gratitude
to the bishops and district superintendents
(especially to the Rev. Frank
Kaiser) who "went out on a limb" to
continue my status as an ordained
minister in the UMC and appoint me
to the small part time parish that I am
still serving.
During the intervening years the
issue of homosexuality has surfaced in
the United Methodist Church as it has
in several mainline denominations .
The hysterical reaction that followed
resulted in a prohibition against the
ordination or appointment of "self
avowed practicing homosexuals." In
spite of determined efforts to ·change
the legislation at three successive
UMC General Conferences the antigay
statement stands as they church's
official policy. Although transsexuals
were ··overlooked by-the legislation
there is little doubt that if a bishop
·were so minded being a transsexual
could be used to terminate one .as
being unfit for ministry. That is why
I am proud of the bishops and district
superintendents who were willing to
trust me enough to let me continue to
serve in spite of the prevailing
climate of homophobia in th e UMC.
By serving I felt that I was establishing
a track record that by being
!,exually different I was not emotionally
unstable or professionally incompetent.
I have reason to believe that the
point has been satisfactorily made
during · these years .
This ·past year has been a time of
re-examination of my life and priorities.
In the process I made the
decision to be more of an advocate for
gay /lesbian/ bisexual/ transgendered
people. I have initiated a support
group for students on the campus
where I work as a registrar. Together
we held the first National Coming
Out Day celebration o_n October 11,
1994 and I "came out" publically at
work and at the small parish where I
have been serving. At the same time
I had been discussing the ECC with
several friends from Dignity . They
encouraged me to apply.
Some may wonder how a United
Methodist could agree theologically
with Catholicism. The theological
gap between the UMC and the ECC
is not nearly so great as might be
imagined . The Methodist tradition
has its roots in the teachings of John
and Charles · Wesley, both of whom
were "high church" evangelicals in
the Church of England. John
Wesley's theology was a synthesis of
Protestant and classical Catholic teachings.
Some United Methodists still
value that "high church" tradition in
liturgy, and many more are in
agreement with Wesley's ProtestantCatholi(
synthesis of the main
doctrines of the church.
Likewise, the ECC is not a reprint
of the Roman Catholic Church, minus
its repressive teachings on human
sexuality. Not only is the ECC more
liberal on social issues, but the definition
of "Catholic" is much . broader
than "Roman" Catholicism . As the
name "Ecumenical" implies, the ECC
accepts the "catholicity" of Anglicans,
. Lutherans, and now, United .Methodists,
as well as Orthodox and independent
Catholic national churches not
subject to Roman obedience.
Having served for a
period of 12 years
as a United Methodist
pastor, I left parish
work after my
surgery and began .
a career in higher
education. To my
am<,1Zement and
relief Bishop
Ralph Ward ...
arranged to re-issue
my ordination
papers ...
A third and final reason why I find
little difficulty in this dual affiliation
is that for many years I have been .a
member of the Order of Saint Luke, a
largely United Methodist religious
order dedicated to liturgical scholarship,
education and practice. This
Rev. Sarah J. Flynn
Order has been involved with the
liturgical renewal movement that has
influenced all the mainline denominations
since Vatican II. Since this
movement has been based on
common liturgical scholarship concerning
the lituriges used in the early
centuries of the church and how these
were subsequently elaborated, there
has . been a convergence regarding
basic liturgical principles, . which
gives · the rtewer rites a su_rprising
degree of similarity, something \\'hich
lay people are only now discovering.
The distance, therefore, between a
United Methodist Servke of the Word
and Table and an Ecumenical Catholic
celebration of the .Eucharist is not
far, and with sufficient educational
background, it is possible to make the
journey with a tl1inimum of theolog1"
cal hear\burn or liturgical blunders.
The several aspects . of my hE!ritage,
namely its liberal leadership, its
Wesleyan "Catholic "' tradition, its renewed
liturgical life .and spirituality
explains my continued loyalty to this
tradition, in spite of the official policy
regarding homosexual people, whicl1
is judgmental, patronizing and hypocritical,
and the result of widespread
fear and ignorance concerning human
sexuality in the churches .
The ECC is committed to the ministry
of reconciliation, bringing all people,
including straight and gay into
one holy communion with the Risen
Christ. · In conversations with Bishop
Mark Shirilau, the primate of the
ECC, I became convinced that this
church could be the community of
faith I was looking · for that wo uld
provide the kind of proactive ministry
I believe to be needed. If only a
way could be found whereby I might
be able to serve within it without
dishonoring t_he tradition from
whence I have come .
It is to Bishop Shirilau's credit that
he found such a way in receiving me
SEE SECOND HOME, Page 20
MARCH/APR!~ 1995
Videos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .... .. " ....... .. ..... .. ... ... . ...... .. .. ..... .
Eve's Daughter s
T rium ph for w o men of co urage
By Jim Bailey
Editor
A nne Macksoud and John
Ankele have directed and
produced "Eve's Daughters,"
a half-hour documentary
pro filing five lesbian women
who have struggled with the church's
traditional condemnation of homosexuality.
Their stories are of triumph
and resurrection and coming to a
realization that they do not have to be
victims. The video features moving
art and poetry born of the struggle.
This is the same production company
that did such an excellent job two
years ago with "Maybe We're Talking
About A Different God," the video
about Rev. Janie Spahr 's battle with
the Presbyterian Church.
"Eve's Daughters" is in some ways
both a continuation of and conclusion
to the Spahr video . Again we s ee the
struggle to come in from exile and
''Eve's Daughters" features-the paintings
and sculptures of. artist Nancy
Chinn, including this sculpture entitled
"Lot's Wife," inspired by the
story in Genesis.
SECOND STONE
take a rightful place at the table. But
"Eve's Daughters" takes us a bit
further as we are able to expe rience
the resolution and triumph that these
women have found in their lives and
experiences .
In warning us to 'bewar e of Eve,
the temptress in any woman, even in
a wif e and a mother" th e church
fathers declar ed all women to be
descendants of the original "unsealer
of that forbidden tree," and th erefore
guilty. They are "the devil's gateway,
... destroyers of the image of
God in man. On account of them, the
Son of God had to die ." To be a
woman and a homosexual is, in the
official church view, nothing less than
"an intrinsic moral evil." These
daughters of Eve are the subjects of
this documentary .
Coni Staff, hoping to r egain the
love of parents who no longer believe
that she will be joining them in
heav en, recalls her bargaining with
God. She remembe.rs asking, "God, I
want to hear from you whether I'm
alright the way I am or whether !'in
not." "I was raised to be honest," says
Staff . " If anything, I was raised to be
honest in my family. And I was ..
And look what's happened . This isn't
at all what I hoped it would be."
Although she prays that God Will
give her her family back, to this day
her family feels that homosexuality is
a sin and goes against God.
Katherine · Poethig recalls the split
. existence of herself as a person who
had fallen in love with .a woman and
a person who was deeply involved in
-her Pentecostal religious community.
"I felt that I was constantly pleading
with God," says Poethig. "In that
experience of becoming a Pentecostal
I gave everything over for the pursuit
of God in the world and then I fell in
love with a woman and I kept thinking,
'Am I off track?"' When Poethig
finally came out to her religious commun
ity she was asked to leave the
church.
Lisa Larges' whole life was a path of
preparation for the Christian ministry
but, like Staff and Poethig, she was
unwilling to live what she thought
would be a dishonest life in the closet.
Homophobia in the Presbyterian
Church cut off her path toward ordination.
The message from church
leaders was that there was no room
for unrepentant homosexuals in the
family of God . Even the pastor of her
parent s ' home church spoke against
her ordination . Larges' church says
there will be no ordination until she
repents of homosexuality but she tells
her church there will be no ordinat ion
until her church repent s of its
homophobia .
Penaliti es like these inflict tremendous
injury and yet the women we
meet in Eve's Daughters have moved
beyond the damage into freedom and
affirmation.
Nancy Chinn knows that not
everyone is as lucky as herself. "I am
blessed by a wonderful, wonderful
relationship in which I can grow and
change and grow old and grow
spiritually ," says Chinn. "It's a real
gift." Although Chinn was married to
a man and had children, she says she
never felt c!)nnected. When Nancy
came out after 25 years of faithfully
serving as a pastor's wife, "it was like
coming hom e, it was where I should
and gay men ... then I won't think
much ... of me," deliv ers Rue.
In spit e of the institu tional abus e,
these women have gained self-knowledge
and strength . In spite of the
anguish of love withh eld, they have
learned compassion. They return t o
us as refugees from spiritual exile,
refusing to be victims any longer and
witnessing, through art and poetry
and service, to the freedom that arises
from the fusion of body and soul.
They call the church not only "to
repent of its homophobia," but also
"to celebrate the deep spiritual gifts"
they have because they are Lesbians.
Clips of .Nancy Ch1 nn:s paintings
"I am blessed by a wonderful, wonderful
relationship in which I can grow
and change and grow old and grow
spiritually," says Chinn. When she
came out after 25 years of faithfully
serving as a pastor's wife,
"it was like coming home, it- \.Vas
where I should have been all my life."
have been all of my life." Chinn is an
amazingly talented artist who says
she doesn't have the words to name
what's inside her .- But her ·joy· and
pain take form in her striking paintings
and sculpture, which sometime
depict the abuse and undervaluing of
women.
Victoria Rue, after leaving the
convent, "knew in that moment of
kissing another woman that things
suddenly fell into place." Rue is an
actress and adds a dramatic poetry
reading to the video. "If no one thinks
much of Lesbians and gay men ...
then, I won 't think much of Lesbians
ANGELS,
From Page 10
right thing, is a flamboyant African
American drag queen named Belize.
For all his outrageousness, Belize is
the tender nurs e, faithful friend, truth
teller and angel of mercy . In choosing
life and tendering mercy, Kushn er 1
shows us that there are indeed angels
in America, if we know where and
how to look, if we have not lost our
spiritual connections.
But the wh ere and th e how of our
looking may take u s beyond the
safety of · our supposedly sacred
places . We may find that angels are
lo dging with the aliens in our midst,
that Jesus is dining with tax collectors
and prostitut es, th,at God is urgently
and sculpture brings a pleasing and
calming, yet motivating, quality to
those few minutes of the video. Musician
and composer · Lois Anderson
adds a delightful soundtrack.
Ultimately the womens' stories of
exile, triumph and resurrection pro,
vide the viewer with the realization
that the power to not be a victim is
within reach of every lesbian woman
and gay man.
Eve's Daughters is available for $32.25
from Leonardo's Children, 26 Newport
Bridge Rd., Warwick, NY 10990, (914)
986-6888.
seeking the health of the city, that the
Holy Spirit blows where it wills and
we have simply gott en ourselves out
of Her currents. We cannot risk the
sins of Sodom - pride, wealth, -inhospitality
, inju s tice, power, abu se -
without risking the destruction inherent
in losing our spiritual center,
our .rela tionship to the God who has
mad e us, the Chri st who has
redeem ed us, and the ·Spirit wh o
empowers us.
Essayist, author · and journalist
Richard Rodriquez, in his addres s to
the opening convocation of th e
SEE ANGELS, Page 19
MARCH/APRIL 1995
In Print •••••••••••••••• 0 •••••••••••••• . ........................ .. .......... .
The book of gay days
By Edouard Fontenot
Contributing Writer
The Word is Out: The Bible Reclaimed
for Lesbians and Gay Men;
Chris Glaser, author. HarperSanFrancisco,
1994. F or many people, one of the
most frustrating dev elopments
within the gay and
lesbian community at the
end of the mille,mium is the fragmentation
of what has been a more or
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SECOND STONE
less united fronti This diversification
of voices came first from Lesbians
who did not hear their perspective
articulated by organizations controlled
by men, African Americans
too spoke up to witness to a different
gay and lesbian perspective. Ethnic,
linguistic, religious and, most recently,
political differences have dismayed
many who rally gay men and
Lesbians to unity in the primary
cause of liberation. The irony is that
the very success of the gay and
lesbian movement in establishing a
political and social bulkhead in the
larger culture has facilitated this
diversification. These small but significant
inroads have made room for
the airing of differences when issues
seem significant enough. Previously
unthinkable variations of gay and
lesbian identity - gay and lesbian
Catholics, Republicans, Wall Street
bankers, farmers, union shop stewards,
anti-abortion activists - are no
longer unusual.
This trend is _reflected in gay and
.lesbian literature, perhaps most interestingly
in works on gay and lesbian
religious experience. The continuing,
.even increasing, . phenomenon of
books about Gays, Lesbians and
religion perplexes many, and is itself
reflective of both the fragmentation of
gay and lesbian identities as primarily
political and the establishment of
gay and lesbian voices in virtually
every part of society. While gay and
lesbian people - though perhaps not
elites - have always been a church,
synagogue, temple and mosque- .
going people, indeed leaders in the
sacred sphere, the theme of books on
religion sympathetic to gay and lesbian
people over the last half century,
had been legitimization. Works like
John J. McNeil's The Church and the
Homosexual, Letha Scanzoni"s and
Virginia Mollenkott's Is the Homosexual
My Neighbor and William
Countryman's Dirt, Greed and Sex
have spoken primarily about theological
justification. Scholars John Bos-
WHAT
you need to know.
WHEN
you .need to know it.
ACTION
you can take .
Second Stone's
RESPONSEF AX.Letter
COMING THIS JUNE.
FAX or e-mail us for information . .
(504)$91-7555 / secstone@aol.com.
well, Randy Connor, Will Roscoe and
Bernadette Brooten have unearthed or
reconstructed the historical account of
gay and lesbian reople in religions.
This foundationa work has prepared
the ground for the normalization of
gay and lesbian religious experience
increasingly reflected in new types of
gay and lesbian religious literature.
Author and religious activist Chris
Glaser"s-latest book, 77ze Word is Out,
is an excellent example of the normalization/
fragmentation trend. The
Word is Out represents one of the
most pervasive forms of gener-ic
religious literature, -a sure sign that a
religion, sect or movement is around
to stay, the prayerbook . And yet
both th e prayerbook and those to
whom it is directed might appear
anomalous to many both inside and
out of religion. Staddling heretofore
exclusive categories, Glaser ' s book
presumes a gay and lesbian (and
bisexual and transgendered) Christian-
identified readership with a continuing
connection, . even if peripheral,
to the large r Christian tradition.
The Word is Out assumes I.he legitimacy
of the gay and lesbian religious
experience, focusing on the spiritual
nurturance of gay and lesbian people,
rather than justification of their
existence.
Glaser's task is to . provide a
"devotional book that helps God's
Word to emerge from the closets of
the Bible's ancient stories and theological
language ." His motivation is
the Bible's. inaccessibility to his own
partner . He refracts the Bible though
a gay lens, drawing upon his spiritual
journeying as a springboard, in a
process akin to midrash, the "applied
exegesis" through which traditional
Judaism, presupposing the divinely
revealed truth contained in scripture,
nevertheless struggles to mine the
Torah through study, reflection and
rearticulation.
Glaser outlines a conventional
theological basis for his work. He
understands The Word, Logos, of his.
title as the self-communicating divine
presence, God's creative activity and
the essence of the Christian good
news. The Word which Glaser wants
to get Out transcends the mere verbal
communication, even that of Jesus,
contained in biblical accounts. Word
is communicated, sometimes obscurely,
through the biblical narrative
which Glaser understands as a vehicle
for encounter with God, thus
avoiding the idolatry of the fundamentalist/
literalist exegetical error.
His perspective is as theologically
orthodox as his call for the observance
of the tithe.
As a devotional manual, The Word
is Out reflects the biblical themes of
lamentation, liberation and cornmunity.
Glaser has structured his prayerbook
al ong the lines of the Christian
liturgical calendar, though he begins
with the solar year on January 1,
rather than the Christian year on
December 1. While this may simply
be an effort to minimize confusion for
the liturgically inexperienced; it has
the regrettable result of hacking off
the preparatory season of Advent, or
what Glaser calls Nativity, appending
it to the end of the year and disrupting
the traditional narrative flow
embodied in the liturgical year.
Tile Word is Out begins with
· Epiphanytide where Glaser explores
the themes of revelation and manifestation,
drawing especially upon the
imagery of coming out. . The coming
out act is likened to the divine
manifestation in creation, recounted
in Genesis and recapitulated in the
Psalms, and in the incarnation.
Glaser draws the biblical account and
the spiritual joys and pains of the gay
and lesbian experience close together,
. making parallel gay and lesbian
coming out into a fullness of identity
and the restoration · of the corporeal
fullness anticipated at the Parousia.
The-likening of coming out to resurrection
is ;m incredibly powerful
image for gay and lesbian people
who often experience homosexual
identity as a vehicle for sin and
SEE GAY DAYS, Page 19
In Print, briefly ...
Same-Gender Covenants
Pullen Baptist Church has published
the church's task force report on ''Celebration
of Same-Gender Covenants."
-From Pullen Baptist Church, 1801
Hillsborough St., Raleigh, NC 27605, $7.
And the Flag Was
Still There
In this new book author Lois Shawver
substantiates a heretofore unexamined
rationale-the "etiquette of disregard" •
for lifting the ban against Gays in the
military.
·From Harrington Park Press
Rattling Those Dry Bones
A new anthology on women and
religion. June Steffenson Hagen has
brought together 22 women of faith to
share their personal views and experi· ·
ences of what holds them in the church.
Included are Madeleine L'Engle,
Susan Cole, Elisabeth MlotmannWendel,
Virginia Ramey Mollenkptt,
Rosemary Haughton and Nancy'
Hardesty. ·
-From Luramedia, 1·800-367-5872,
$16.95. .
MARCH APRIL l 9 9 5
In Print .................. . ............................................. ~ .... . \
Homosexuality in the Church
Book explores both sides of the enduring debate
By Allen Smalling
Contributing Writer
A hundred years ago, Oscar
Wilde called homosexuality
"the love that dare not speak
its name." More recently,
some have remarked that it just won't
shut up. Among the plethora of
gay-themed books in the past several
years are quite a few that deal with
pure theology, practical theology,
congregational studies and anthologies.
With such a glut of books on
the market, Homosexuality in the
Church: Both Sides of the Debate may
go under-appreciated. That would be
a pity.
Homosexuality in the Church is
tailored for a specific audience: middle-
of-the-road Christians, all "main-
... . ,. ,. ... ,. ,. ,. ,. ,. . ... ,. ,. ... ,. .................. ,. ,. ... ,. ................ ,. ....... ,. ... '
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,- A A . A A . A ... A A A A A ,
~~ ~ ~~ ~~~ ~~~~~~ ~~~ ~~~~ ~~:
JI~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~=
~Il~lII~li~IIIl=
line" if we include Roman Catholics
in that designation. The book's 13
· essays break •into six chapters or
"reflections" on scripture, tradition,
moral reasoning, scientific reasoning,
experience and decision -making. In
other words, the old Charles Wesley
quadrilateral has been freshened up a
bit by breaking "reason" into philosophical
and empirical components;
the final section on decision-making
offers a kind of "where do we go
now?" summation . As the b.ook's title
suggests, most chapters are set up in
point-counterpoint fashion of two
essays apiece; t he exception being the
chapter on experience, with one very
con and two highly pro entries. .
The most innovative of all the
articles is Chandler Burr's cover piece
from the March 1993 At lantic Monthly,
"Homosexuality and Biology," here
reprinted in its entirety. Although
not specifically written for church people,
the article offers compelling, if
SECOND STONE
not fully convincing , arguments that
homosexuality is more likely to be
biologically determined than socially
constructed and certainly is not
"chosen" as a lifestyle. (This is important
precisely because so many rightwing
arguments hinge on a view of
homosexuality as a perverse and
wrong-headed "choice.")
Probably the most thoughtful essay
of the lot is Lisa Sowell Cahill's
"Homosexuality: A Case Study in
Moral Argument," in which Cahill, a
Catholic theologian, analyzes the
acceptability of open homosexual ity
in the church in terms of scripture,
tradition, descriptive experience and
normative experience. (These days,
one need not be a Methodist to find
the quadrilateral an irresistible frame-
A A ,_ ,. ,_ A ,. A ,. A A ,_ , ,.,,.,.,_,.,_AAAAA ...
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A ,. A .. A A A A A A , ......... ,. ...... ,. ,. ,. ... ,. .. ,. ,. ,. ...... ,. ... ,. ,. , ...... ,. ,. ,. ,. ...... ,. ,. ,. ,. ... ,. ,. .......... ,. , ... ,. ... ,. ......... ,. ...... .............................. , ,. ,. ,. ... ,. ,. ........ ... .. ... ... ... ... ... ,. ... .,. ,. , ,. ............ ,. ......... ,. ,. .. ,. ,. ,. ,. ... ,. ... , ,. ,. ...... ,. ...... ,;. ... " .. ..... ,. ...... ,. ,. ... , ... ,. ..................... .. ....................... , ,. ..................... ,. .. ............... ,. ,. ... , ,. ,. ............ ,. ...... ,. ........... ,. .. ,. ... ,. ,
. :: : : : :: :: : : : :: : : : : 1 ................. ·1 ,. ......... ,. ,. ...... ,. ......... ,. ..... ,. ,. .. ,. .. ,. ,. ,. ......... ... ... ... ... ,. ...... ,. ,. ,. ..... -,. ,. ,. ,. ,. ,. " ,. ... ,. ,. ........ ,. .. : ,. ...... ,. ............ .. ,. ... ,. .......... ...... ,. ; ... ,. ... ,. ,. ......... ,. ...... ,. ... ,
work.) Cahill concludes that there
aren't any firm and fast conclusions;
she finds the church's need to be
inclusive and nurturing somewhat
counterweighted by the normative
dominance of heterosexuality.
Not that the book as a whole lad..s
firm opinions. 'The Love That Dare
Not Pray Its Name" is a short piece by
Presbyterian Chris Glaser . about the
considerable institutional resistance
Gays and Lesbians face . Glas.er's
piece will enlighten the unenlightened
as to why gay ordination is such
a hot-bottom issue: at this time, only
Unitarians, the United Church of
Christ, the Reform wing of Judaism
and the predominantly gay Metropolitan
Community Church will ordain
open Gays and Lesbians. Unfor-·
lunately, the slangy, almost rabblerousing
style of Glaser's article, which
appears to have come straight from a
West Coast magazine, is far from his
best work. ·
Of the roughly half of all articles
that come down against gay and
lesbian ordination (or, much the same
thing, that insist on treating openly
gay or "unrepentant" homosexuals as
sinners), most depend on Pauline
writings or the natural-law argument.
The latter theory, a staple in church
discussions of this type since the late
Middle Ages, argues that God made
male and female for procreative
reasons; thus, same-sex unions, being
sterile, are not "natural."
For sheer rhetorical sleaze, however,
our vote goes to the book's first
article, Richard Hays' "Awaiting the
Redemption of Our Bodies." Whether
homosexuality is a chosen or a given
is irrelevant to Hays: "(I]t cannot be
maintained that a homosexual orientation
is morally neutral because it is
involuntary ."
Editor Jeffery Siker gives himself the
concluding essay, "Homosexual Christians,
the Bible and Gentile Inclusion:
Confessions of a Repenting Hetero ..
sexist." Siker, a Presbyterian who
teaches at Loyola Marymount University,
sums up the arguments that
have been running through Homosexuality
in the C}mrc/1 and comes
down on the side of inclusion. Specif.
ically he draws on the metaphor of
inclusion that look place in the first
century, when the church absorbed
the uncircumcised Gentiles as well as
Jews. "Heterosexuality may be the
dominant form of sexuality," writes
Siker, "but it does not follow that it is
the only form ·of appropriate sexu ality."
While not perfect, HCll!tosexuality in
the Church is better than most of its
kind . It belongs on every pastor's
shelf, in contemporary ethics classes,
and would form the centerpiece of an
interesting congregational study.
When people ask, "Why are Christian
churches so obsessed with homosexuality?"
. this book gives some
answers .
Allen Smalling is a writer and reviewer
based·in Chicago. Excerpted with permission
from the Dallas Voice .
Recommended Reading For Everyone ...
l~BN 0-9644123-0-6
PASTOR, I AM GAY
by The Reverend H. Howard Bess
· An extraordinary book. PASTOR, I AM GAY .. . is a
prophetic witness to the . church. It is compelling in
its intensity, compassionate in its identifications, and
courageous in its call to sharing humanity without
dualifications . A reader will not be able to put it
own. James B. Ashbrook, Professor Emeritus and
Senior Scholar in Religion and Personality
Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary
Northwestern Unive rsity
PASTOR, I AM GAY is a superb entry into the difficult and pa inful
subject of homosexuality that faces us in the church and society today.
Both pastor and lay person will find this book readable and informative
as we seek more insight into the lives of homosexual friends inside and
outside the church. Donald Pars~ns . Bishop, Alaska Synod
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
PASTOR, I AM GAY offers wise counsel on the forms and directions our
caring needs to take .. .is_ a pastoral look at our gay brothers and lesbian
sisters, the most despised and rejected of God's children .
Peggy Campolo, Wife , Mother
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MARCH APR I L l 9 9 5
w Sounds w
Paul Delph
Putting his faith in 'A God That Can Dance'
ByA.J. Kelly
Contributing Writer
Paul Delph's new . release
chronicles a musician's odys. ·
sey through the AIDS epidemic
from a very personal
perspective. Paul Delph has AIDS.
Delph has worked with major artists
like Roberta Flack and Bernie Taupin
as session musician, co-writer, producer,
and programmer for well over a
decade: He brings that expertise to
this solo CD in a way that's unique,
heartfelt, and important. There's not a
dud among any of the 14 tracks.
Delph has assembled a superb backup
group, and the production is slick,
modern, and engaging. But what
drives the collection is Delph's laser
beam focus on a struggle to survive.
The result is a missive for anyone
who happens to be alive in the latter
part of this century. .
The first track, "Mad at God,"
oegins with Delph's voice in a monklike
drone chanting about the failure
of organized religio n ·to answer
fundamental questions of life and
death. It drops into a solid, wellcrafted
rocker, in which he sings: 'Tm
mad at God / I'm just figuring out /
Time is slipping away ... slipping
away." And: "When I get up to that
big door / And face the awesome
light / I'm gonna ask more than a few
questions / About what's wrong and
right."
Delph follows with '.The Good Days
Are Better (But The Bad Days AreWorse),"
a terse, boom-shacka-lacka
groove that offers some guidance
through the mine-field.
Next is "Mamma Don't Cry." I cried
anyway. This poignant ballad is one
of the kindest gifts a child could give
a parent: "I need a little smile / When
my name flies past / To heal the hurt
/ And Jet the good times last /
. Marnma don't cry· / Sing to the stars /
As the last light dies / Your son is
rising inside."
Delph addresses the next generation
of AIDS victims in "Stumbling in
the Dark." One of the strongest dance
cuts on the CD, it juxtaposes an
upbeat, dance club feel with a stark
warning: ''You can play all night, but
are you running with the fear? / Out
in the killing fields / You better
Now available from Second Stone!
The Word Is Out
365 DAILY MEDITATIONS FOR LESBIANS AND GAY MEN
Author Chris Glaser fearlessly
liberates the Bible from those
who would hold it hostage t.o
an anti-gay agenda. In this
inspiring collection of 365 ,
daily meditations, the Bible's
good news 11comes out" to
meet all of us with love,
justice, meaning, and hope.
Chris Glaser is the author
of Uncommon Calling and
Coming Out to God. He is
a graduate of Yale Divinity
School.
The Word Is Out,
$12, paperback.
Order now from Second Stone Press
Quan. TiUe ·
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Postage/Handling $3.00 first book, $1.00 ea. additional -----
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ORDER FROM: SEOOND STONE PRESS, P.O. BOX 6340, NEW ORLEANS, LA 70182
SECOND STONE •
watch your step / ·Because you're
stumbling in the dark."
'Tm Gonna Save My Dreams Until
Tomorrow" is a ska-styled dance cut
with an optimistic message: 'Tm g<;>nna
save my dreams until tomorrow /
Sooner or later this world is gonna be
so inclined / They're gonna give up
on the pain and the sorrow that
plague us / And get into what keeps
us all alive." The arrangement is
joyful, fun, and unaffected - an example
of the emotional range that Delph
is capable of.You'll want to dance.
• I
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Innkeepers Judith Hall and
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The CD ends with two otherworldly
sound collages that segway together
in a . dignified, haunting good-bye .
"Breath of Life" begins with a gospel
r.rea ·cher intoning the message,
'Breathe in the breath of life - and let
it out. Whatever you came here with
today, Jet go, and let God." Over this,
Delph layers harps and strings, then
weaves in his trembling falsetto ,. He
dreams in stream-of-consciousness
hope, Iove, sadness, and the bittersweet
irony of making peace with
creat.ion as his own life wanes. He
also offers a hand to everyone else on
the same path as he whispers, "If yol!
need help, just call." 'The Dance at
the End of Time" follows. Here,
Delph reads a poem by friend, lover,'
and fellow musician Jimmie Spheeris
• whose life was cut short in an auto
accident in 1984. "We move with such
grace / To a love of som~ kind / Gel
drunk and ·embrace / In the dance al
the end of time ... "
From anger and denial to
acceptance (or maybe a detached,
calm resignation) Delph invites you
along on his personal saga. It's a
brave piece of work - a wonderful gift
to his family and his species. This CD
is a must for every collection. "A God
That Can Dance" is available from
Magic Records, 303 Klotter Street,
Cincinnati, Ohio 45219 by sending
check or money order for $15.00.
MARCH/ APRIL 199 5
MESSENGER,
From Page6
lion - Republican or Democrat - has
made an impact in the fight against
AIDS?
MF: I agree with many that the
response from the Federal government
was slow under the previous
administration. It's still slow. It's no
different now than it was under Bush.
Yes, we have a little bit more inoney
every year. I think that what .we
haven't been able to achieve yet is to ·
get leadership in the country -
Federally, statewide and locally - to
say, ''This is a priority. This is an
epidemic." That's what I want to hear.
CJ: What do you perceive to be the
greatest need in the HIV community
right now?
MF: Taking care of each other. That's
one of the reasons that at Family
CALENDAR,
From Page 2
AIDS Network we're so intent on
recognizing the caregivers. The
epidemic isn't over yet and it doesn't
look like it's going to be over soon. I
very strongly feel that we have to
keep our heads above water, stay
hopeful and we have to encourage
more people to come into the
caregiving side of this epidemic. We
need them.
Outside of the HIV community, the
greatest need is education . That's our
only -cure right now.
CJ: You're also well recognized as an
artist. Has HIV made an impact in
your work?
MF: My work has always changed
over the years because I'm changing
and growing. I hope it continues to
do that. I don't come from a place of
Golden Threads 9th celebration
JUNE 23-25, Lesbian women from all over the United States and from many
foreign countries will meet at the Provincetown Inn in Provincetown, Mass.
Golden Threads is a worldwide social network of lesbian women over 50 and
their friends. For information contact Christine Burton, Golden Threads , P.O.
Box 60475, Northampton, MA 01060-0475.
15th National Gathering of the UCCUGC
JUNE 26-29, The United Church Coalition for Lesbian/Gay Concerns meets in
Berkeley on the campus of the University of California. "Hurtling Toward The
Millenium: Political Upheaval, Gay Power , and Our Dreams for the Church" is
thlj.,.theme. _Jhe. .meeting ,: precedes . the United . Church ~of Christ General
Synod. F\>r infon:nation call (614)593-7301 or write to UCCUGC , 18 N.
College -St., Athens, OH 45701 .
CMI Retreat
JUNE 27-30, Communication Ministry sponsors a retreat for Catholic lesbian
nuns and gay priests .and brothers. The Serra Retreat House, Malibu, Calif.,
is the setting. For information contact CMI, P.O. Box 60125, Chicago, IL
00600-0125.
American Baptists Concerned National Retreat
JUNE 24-27, The annual retreat of ABC will be held at Thornfield Retreat
Center in Syracuse, New York. Cost is $175. For information contact ABC, 872
Erie St., Oakland, CA 94610-2268, (510)465-8652.
Gay and Lesbian Parents Coalition Conference
JUNE 30-JUL Y 3, Gay and lesbian parenting groups from Southern California
will host the 16th Annual Gay and Lesbian Parents Coalition International Conference
at the University of California at Los Angeles. Part of the conference
will fQ.CUS on issues of relevance to those who are currently parents, those who
function in a parenting role, or those who wish to become parents. Two other
sub-conferences will examine topics of importance to the children of lesbian or
gay parents. Conference fees include all meals and three nights lodging at
, UCLA's Sunset Village. For information write to GLPCI '95, 7985 Santa
Monica Blvd., Box 109-346, West Hollywood, CA 90046 or call (213)654-0307,
FAX (310)652-7584.
Convocation of Beconciling Congregations
JULY 13-16, '"Bound·tor the Promised Land" is the theme for the fourth national
gathering of Recdnciling Congregations, to be held in Minneapolis. A youth
and student rally anij a special gathering of the Reconciling Pastors' Action Network
is planned :; Individual fee is $165, $85 for children and youth. For information
contact the Reconciling Congregations Program, 3801 N. Keeler Ave . ,
Chicago, IL 60641,,(312)736-5526.
The UFMCC General Conference
JULY 23-30, the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Communtty Churches will
gather at the Westin. Peachtree Plaza Hotel in Atlanta for its 17th conference.
"All Things Are Possible" is.the theme for this conference which offers a discounted
rate 61 $180 for non-delegates. A special gathering will be held at the
Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Non-Violent Social Change . For information,
contact UFMCC GCXVII, 5300 Santa Monica Blvd., #304, Los Angeles, CA
90029, (213)464-5100.
SECOND ST-ONE
' ·~ ·-
HIV. I think the only change, the
only shift, in my life, is more of a
sense of urgency than I already had .
I want to do more, maybe take more
risks in my art.
CJ: You are asymptomatic. Do you
take an active role in your health to
stay healthy?
MF: I can 't say that it's one of the
things I do best for myself, so I'm
certainly not a rnle model in that
area. But I don't smoke and I don't
drink. I take my mother's advice and
take extra vitamin C. I think sleep is
important, but with having two small
children and traveling a lot, I don't
always get enough.
Relieving stress is important and I
have found regular meditation to be
helpful for me. It allows me to be
centered so that I can do what I do.
My art is also a form of meditation for
me. My art is a soul-opening, creative
place for me. It connects me
with an energy that is very strong
and I don't know where it comes
from .
Anytime we can spend laughing,
enjoying and helping others is good
for us. Certainly we should eat well
and cut down on our fat, but .I was
already doing that. Exercise is impor•
tant but I don't always do it. I'll
admit it: I'm human and not a perfect
person.
Many areas of health are important,
but there isn 't a set formula I can
prescribe . I don't think anyone · has
an answer here. I think people have
to listen to their heart and do what
they feel is best, in partnership with
their doctors. Communication surrounding
this disease is important. It
helps people to connect with others
who have HIV, to find out what has
been beneficial for them.
CJ: You know that women are an
increasing segment of our population
being infected with HIV. What can
be done to help the unique needs of
mothers with HIV?
MF: I think the biggest thing is to
know that a mom will take care of her
children before she will take care of
herself. If there is a · way to alleviate
some of the pressure and stress that
revolves aro ,·;id children, then maybe
mom can go and take care of her
own needs, like going to the doctor.
She needs support.
Medically, there are a whole
different set of issues regarding
women with HIV. There are a whole
set of things, gynecologically and
physically, that happen •::, women,
but don't happen to men. More
women - and even doctors - need to
be aware of that. I have a strong plan
to reach OB-GYNs because I don't
think they pay enough attention to
the problem of women and HIV.
I think doctors in general have felt
that they can judge people by what
they look like, to say if they have
HIV or not. Women can change that
by talking to their own doctors,
forcing their health professionals to
give them a test.
Education, one on one, can make a
difference.
Cheryl J ohnstan is editor of Lifetimes2
magazine, a publication of Stadlanders
pharmacy, a company specializing in
medications delivery for people witl,
AIDS. For infonnatian about Stadlanders,
or to get a sample copy of Lifetimes2,
readers may call 1-800-238-7828.
Excerpted with permission from Lifetimes
2.
Noteworthy W . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Bettendorf consecrated
t.THE REV. MSGR. CRAIG 5.
Bettendorf was consecrated for the
Episcopacy of the Evangelical Anglican
Church on Dec. 4, 1994. The
consecration took place during the
celebration of the Holy Eucharist at
All Saints Parish, Los Angeles, Calif.
Particpating clergy included Rev.
Mother Kathleen Stowell, co-rector of
All Saints, Rev. Fr. Anthony Morello,
vicar of St. Stephens Philippine Independent
<:;atholic Church in Fontana,
Calif ., and Rev. Fr. James Barlow,
also from St. Stephens.
Ecumenical Catholic
Church buys property
t.THE ECUMENICAL CATHOLIC
Church became a property owner on
Dec. 20, 1994 . St. Maximilian ECC
bought the former Ebenezer Methodisl
Church in Jacksonville, Ill. The
church was originally built in 1835,
on land donated by Dr. Peter Akers,
a Kentucky lawyer who moved to
Illinois to get away from slave owners.
The present-day building was
built in 1866.
Don McRae
t.THE REV. DON McRAE, pasfor and
founder of the Metropolitan Community
Church of Windsor, Ontario
died on Jan.2, 1995 of complications
associated with AIDS. McRae and his
partner, Tony Dias, moved to
Windsor in 1988 and founded the
church. "His life was, and will
continue to be a living challenge to
society's assulI)ption that one cannot
be gay and Christian at the same
,time," said longtime friend John
Shellhorn.
MARCH/APRIL 1995
........... ............. .· . .......C...o...m....m....e..n...t. .................... .
The ouster of Bishop Jacques Gaillot
Vaticanl osesc redibilityw hen it abusesa uthority
By The National Catholic Reporter
Guest Comment
The Vatican significantly raised
the stakes in the ecclesial debate
on the use • and abuse •
of authority when it sacked
the popular French bishop, Jacques
Gaillot of Evreux.
The move took him and most of the
rest of the French hierarchy by surprise
. It came when Gaillot was in
Rome discussing his future with
Cardinal Bernardin Gantin, prefect of
the Congregation for Bishops. Gantin
at first asked Gaillot to resign, sources
· said. When he refused, Gantin told
the bishop not only that he was out •
but that he was out the next day,
Jan.13.
When Gaillot balked again, Gantin
handed him a note signed by Pope
John Paul II, then traveling in the
Philippines, confirming the deed.
There had been no official judicial
hearing and no known consultation
with the French episcopal conference.
The reason Gantin gave for the
action was that Gaillot was not in
communion with the church. French
Catholics and others were asking:
Who was not in communion with the
church? ·
According to church Canon 194, the
removal of a bishop from office requires
"grave reasons" and can come
only after a bishop has "publicly
defected from the church or from the
communion of the church." A
number of French bishops and theologians
said the Vatican had acted
without justification.
As news of the action spread,
protests erupted throughout the na-
QUOTABLE
"I think the CatholicC hurch's
stando n homosexualitiys
horriblye vil. .. It just enrages
me to see them take that
position. We can debate
about Jesus as a historical
figure, but when I think of
Jesus, I think of someone
who is truly about love. I
don't think he'd get along
toow ell with the Pope".
-Cybill Shepherd
SECOND STONE
lion. By Jan. 15 he had received
more than 1,000 telegrams and faxes
expressing support. In the city of
Metz, parish priests refused to preach
at Sunday Mass in protest.
He has never disputed official
Catholic doctrine. His apparent offense
· apparent because it . was not
spelled out by the Vatican - stems
from his independent-minded ways
and his outspokenness on non-infallible
matters of morality, especially
sexual morality.
He has been an advocate of
compassion for Gays and Lesbians
and has said, for example, that the
AIDS virus can be battled by the use
of condoms. . .
This is a case in which fidelity to the
Vatican, as defined by the Vatican,
has become the litmus test of rthodoxy.
This, then; is a church in
· which fidelity to Rome has become
more important than obedience, as an
ordained bishop interprets it, to the
demands of the gospel and
conscience. Woe to those Christians
called to place institutional fidelity
over compassion.
Almost within hours, Gaillot's
removal was taking its toll on the
church of France. He is an articulate
television figure, a cleric who has
spoken on behalf-of the poor and the
marginalized of France. The French
bishops are divided on the sacking,
with several calling for a gathering of
the episcopal conference to consider
its implications.
Only Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger
of Paris was known to actively support
the move, which may have
already backfired. ·
'They can't muzzle someone,"
Gaillot said. 'Now that I have become
an outsider of sorts, perhaps my
determination will be even more
vigorous than before.
'The church certainly wants to
marginalize me, to lessen the weight
of my voice. But I will not keep
silent."
r.,tfj:_P_o_ ntius'P uddle
From the vast outpouring of
commentary in the French media on
Gaillot's dismissal one common theme
emerged · a widening gap between
the Vatican .and a substantial number
of French Catholics.
'There are many who consider the
pope's decision totalitarian," said an
editorial in Le Dauphine Libre, a
Grenoble daily. 'The image of the
church has been tarnished. How
many men and women will break
away?"
Le Mol'.lde, in a front-page article,
said the church was "distancing itself
from society."
"I regret this decision," said_ the
archbishop of Cambrai, Jacques
Delaporte . "For out church, it is a
wound. For dialogue, it is a failure.
For the poor and those seeking a
direction who put their confidence in
him, it is a source of incomprehension
. ...
"If mission and communion do not
go together, we are moving sooner or
later toward a clash," he said.
Bishop Jean Vilnet of Lille said the
Vatican's decision was "extremely
grave." It is thanks to Gaillot that
"the poor, the marginals, the excluded,
those seeking hope, felt understood,
supported, recognized," he
said.
Said the president of the French
bishops' conference, Archbishop
Joseph Duval of Rouen: "I am sad. I
never ceased to hope that we would
not be faced with such a situation. I
am sad for Bishop Gaillot, for the
diocese of Evreux. I am sad for the
church."
Duval said he asked Gaillot last
April "to place less distance between
himself and the bishops, between
himself and Rome . . I explained to
him, in_ the presence of several
bishops, that I had written this letter
so that Rome did not have to
intervene."
"Gaillot paid no heed to my appeal.
I pleaded with Rome to have
patience," he said.
After being forced out, Gaillot
wrote a letter to be read in his diocese
that said: 'The important thing is to
follow Christ, to welcome his word, to
continue to be the church to proclaim
the Good News of salvation to
everyone."
Nine German theologians,
including Hans Kung, released a
"telegram of solidarity" sent to
Gaillot, demanding his reinstatement.
"We protest resolutely against this
arbitrary action by the papacy. It
involves a bishop who, following
Jesus in discipleship and motivated
by pastoral responsibility, exercised
his office as the gospel demands with
extraordinary openness and readiness
to enter into dialogue."
In taking such demeaning action
against thinkers and pastoral leaders,
it is the Vatican that is actually demeaned.
Each exercise of brute authority
only diminishes its authority
and further erodes its credibility.
The pope earlier sent out the
message to theologians - toe the line -
subjecting some of the most creative
to trials and silence. Vatican officials
also have gone after bishops, and the
ranks of those who dare to question
are thinning.
It doesn't sound much like the
Christianity we long for.
Excerpted witlt permission from tlte
National Catholic Reporter, Kansas
City, Missouri.
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MARCH APRIL l 9 9 5
W From the Editor W • • • - • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • e ~ •
Louganis worth more than gold
By Jim Bailey
WITH NOTHING LEFT to lose, Greg Louganis has told his secrets. He
waited a long time, too long say many in the lesbian/gay community, to
finally come out. The 35-year-old four time Olympic diving champion had
been not-so-secretly involved with men for over ten years before he officially
came out at last summer's Gay Games in New York.
And now comes the revelation that Louganis knew he was HIV-positive
when he competed in the 1988 Olympics and he didn't share the information
with officials. It is "regrettable" and "not morally right" said an outraged Park
Seh-jik, chief organizer of the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Louganis said he was too
scared to reveal his HIV status to the doctor who stitched a cut suffered when
he hit his head on the diving board in the Seoul games.
After all the secrets are out, is Louganis, holder of 47 national titles, five
world championships and five Olympic medals, still the champion we
thought he was? ·
During his school years, Louganis was taunted, called "retard" because of his
dyslexia, "nigger" because of his dark skin, and "sissy." He grew up in an
adoptive home that included a father who paid little attention to him until
Greg found out what he was good at - diving - and he beg·an getting
recognition. His father once beat him with a belt across his butt and legs until
he got a dive right. . · ·
As a young gay man, he ended up in a relationship that started out wjth
his raging -lover raping him after attacking him with a knife. Instead of
terminating the relationship, Louganis allowed this lover to move into his
home and help him spend his money. The two stayed together for six years.
Louganis' story is different from the stories of many other gay men only in
that he disco_vered something early on that he could commit to, work hard at,
and excel in - something that would bring him fame. Otherwise he was a
scared, depressed youth who knew he "was different." He was afraid to name
the difference and even if he had ·he would have still had no role models.
When he ven.tured out to explore his· sexuality, he did not find a tender,
genuine love; he found greed and abuse. "I thought it was the best I could
do," he replied when asked by Barbara Walters why he stayed in the
relationship. - -- -- - ·
Even as he stood with Olympic medals around his neck, Louganis somehow
felt incomplete and undeserving.
.Our task is to learn the true value of. ourselves, as children of God, and to
equip oμrselves to help others understand their worthiness.
We are partners with World Community Builders
Second Stone has become a partner in ministry with World Community
· Builders, an organization we reported on a couple of years ago. It's a group of
folks who travel to foreign countries to help build and repair - ministry
buildings. The highlight of our partnership will be our activities at the
UFMCC General Conference this summer. We will be covering the activities
of World Community Builders and will donate to WCB a percentage of
subscription sales generated by our partnership. Watch for .mor-e details in
the next few issues.
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Copyright 1995 by Second Stone. a registered trademark.
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SECOND. STONE, ·a national ecumenical Christian social justice newsjoumal
with a specific outreach to sexual orientation minorities.
PUBLISHER/EDITOR: Jim Bailey
CONTRIBUTORS FOR THIS ISSUE: Rick Mixon, Edouard Fontenot,
A. J. Kelly, Rev. Sarah J: Flynn, Cheryl Johnston, Allen Smalling.
SECOND STONE
ANGELS,
From-Page 13
Graduate Theological Union last fall,
put it this way: churches need to
practice our faith ori new frontiers;
·mainstream churches have to serve
people where unmet spiritual needs
exist - at the border, in secular urban
milieus, in AIDS wards. Rodriquez, a
gay, Latino, Catholic addressing seminary
faculty, administrators, students
and trustees, all purported religious
leaders, chided: "We are not mainline
churches anymore, not i)l 1994, not in
secular America, not in yuppy San
Francisco, not anymore. We .are on
the edge . The world does not listen
to . you. America is moving away
from established churches ... We have
to become eccentrics. We have to
meet (people) where -they are. Religion
does not begin with theology. It
begins ... in a cappucino bar, on a
deathbed . It is all around us.
Ancient Sodom's angelic visitors
came from the edge. They came from
the edge of political reality, social
convention and religious need. They
came because Yahweh heard the outcry
of the oppressed. They came to
see if the people had strayed so far
from right living that they were
beyond hope . The story says they
found the city worse than they
expected and they had no choice but
to destroy it. Later, Jesus sat and
wept over Jerusalem, another great
city that had lost its spiritual connections.
He stood in the midst of the
GAY DAYS,
From Page 14
death.
The format of the 365 daily
meditations Glaser offers follows a
simple pattern. The season sets the
general theme: - A passage from scripture,
either Hebrew Bible or the New
Testament, is the context for a short
meditation followed by a two or three
line concluding prayer. Generally,
Glaser does a good job of developing
his twelve seasonal themes, though
the reflections flow from the text in a
loose stream of consciousness and the
connection can be obscure. During
the season of Lamentation (February),
he confronts issues · such as unbelief,
.suffering, grief, resistance, 'internal- .
ized homophobia; AIDS. Passion
(March) brings consideration of eroticism,
carnality, sexual expression,
nakedness, and justice and the season
of Liberation (June) focuses on the
misuse of religious power to condemn
alternative sexual identity and the joy
of overcoming this condemnation.
Glaser makes a valiant effort at the
slippery task of inclusiveness, addressing
such pressing issues as internalized
homophobia, transgendered
people, aversion to aging, sexism and
misogyny, abusive relationships,
religious . arrogance and patriarchal
church hierarchy. When he is able to
tie together well these issues with
thinking about God, Glaser is very
effective. Unfortunately some of his
city offering a new life, but so many,
especially the wealthy and the reli_
gious leaders, could not grasp what
he was offering because they were so
caught up in defending 'their own
way of life. They had it all figured ·
out; no need of God or God's messenger
. Only this time the messen- ·
ger was . not so lucky or powerful as
the angels of Sodom. This messenger
they hung on a cross.
How are our "cities" like Sodom,
and how are we like Sodomites? Are
there angels in our midst, come to see
how we respond to our neighbors in
need? Do we have a word of hope, a
cup of cold water, a comforting touch,
a challengihg word to .offer? Do we
offer what we have, or do we hold
back? Can we say no to the sin of
security and yes to life that takes us
from sacred walls to the very edge of
our "cities?" If we accept the notion
that the world outside our comfortable
environments is hostile and, therefore,
evil, and so settle for security
and stasis, we run the risk of
forfeiting not only our own lives but
God's creation, for which we have
been made responsible. If we work
together, we may move mountain ·s
and the fate of Sodom will never be
the fate of the "cities" we love. IJ Rick Mixon is director of
American Baptists Concerned.
This article first
appeared in Voice of the
Turtle, the newsletter of
ABC.
gender inclusive retranslations of
biblical text are , distracting, with an
overdrawn, mechanical feel. As is
often the case, simply excising
pronouns can produce an excessively
awkward text, "For God so loved the
world that [God] gave [God's] only
begotten son ... " Something deeply
personal has .. been lost in this
trimsition. In the absence of a more
thoroughgoing retranslation, it would
have been preferable simply to
.alternate between masculine and
feminine pronouns for the divine
name as the meditations progressed ..
This critique is not Glaser's alone to
be borne; as .a culture we have yet to
become nimble at the task of
inclusion .
These observations aside, one could
not read The Word is Out without
feeling a certain humility before the
authenticity of Glaser's spiritual
journey. At times his· eloquence is
deafening. The reader, theist or no,
will from . time to tin,e simply set
aside the book and wonder at the
unexplored possibilities, which is, I
suppose, Glaser's goal. Glaser has
begun the hard, constructive work of
building up the gay and lesbian
religious community, a community
often assaulted from all sides. He is
to be congratulated for this work.
MARCH/APRIL 1995
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SECOND HOME,
From Page 12
into the ECC as a priest, while
recognizing the validity of my United
Methodist ordination. He developed
a Rite of Reception in which my .
United Methodist ordination was duly
acknowledged and recognized as
valid, while at the same time I was to
be welcomed into the ECC with the
laying on of hands and a blessing.
This proposed rite of reception was
shared with my United Methodist
bishop, William B. Grove, who _ enthusiastically
approved it and saw in
the proposed rite of reception a
possible solution to larger problems
concerning the mutual recognition of
ministries between the . United
Methodist Church and other churches
having the .historic episcopate. On
January 11, at a service of St. Francis
and St. Clare parish in Hartford,
Connecticut, after making the appropriate
affirmations of faith and loyalty
to the ECC, I was .received by Bishop
Mark Shirilau as a priest of the ECC.
While it was not my original intent
to be a pioneer in either the first or
second sense of the word a~ used by
Bishop Grove, that seems to be what
has happened. So God works in
.strange ways to break down the dividing
walls of suspicion and division,
not only between gay and
straight, but'between Christian communites
as well. It is my hope that
what God has begun in an indirect or
"lefthanded" manner in my life my
flourish 'in the ministry of the ECC,
and in ways I cannot now begin lo
see or understand.
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