Catholic Reform Leaders Call for an Inclusive Pastoral on Marriage



At its annual fall meeting from November 16 19, 2009, the United States
Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is expected to review a new pastoral
letter pertaining to marriage. In a statement to the bishops, Catholic
reform leaders call upon them to create a pastoral that  addresses the real
needs of Catholics in the United States:



We call upon our bishops to ensure that any pastoral they endorse reflects
the experience and anxieties shared by Catholics in the listening sessions
the bishops conducted over the past few years.  We also urge them to address
the needs of the many Catholics who did not have access to these sessions.
We hope our Bishops have truly listened to the hearts and voices of all Gods
people and raise up those values that Catholics across the country are
living out in their families and communities.



There can be no doubt that, as the bishops pastoral letter states, marriage
is a blessing, both special and natural.  It is worthy of affirmation and
support from both religious and secular institutions.  At the same time, our
church and society can fully celebrate this blessing only when all those who
are called to marriage can indeed marry, when couples are able to exercise
their conscience to make moral decisions about their lives, and when those
who are remarried are still welcomed at the table.

As Catholics, we must adhere to those principles of love and justice that
are core to our faith as central to any marriage. We must also lift up the
freedom of conscience of every person in a loving relationship.




Endorsing Organizations

Association for the Rights of Catholics in the Church
Call To Action
Catholics for Choice
DignityUSA
Ecumenical Catholic Communion
National Coalition of American Nuns
New Ways Ministry
Pax Christi Maine
Roman Catholic WomanPriests
Southeastern Pennsylvania Womens Ordination Conference

Voice of the Faithful/NJ Affiliate

Womens Ordination Conference



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

U.S. Catholic bishops approve document on marriage


Aim is to oppose divorce, cohabitation, same-sex unions


* Related
* Bishops
<http://www.baltimoresun.com/features/faith/bal-bishops-college-1118,0,55202
02.storylink>  discuss increasing oversight of Catholic colleges
* In
<http://www.baltimoresun.com/features/bal-faithlink,0,5346320.storylink>
Good Faith: A blog about religion
* Topics <http://www.baltimoresun.com/topic>
* Internal Revenue Service
<http://www.baltimoresun.com/topic/economy-business-finance/internal-revenue
-service-ORGOV000010.topic>
* Church and State Relations
<http://www.baltimoresun.com/topic/religion-belief/church-state-relations/12
007000.topic>
* Culture
<http://www.baltimoresun.com/topic/arts-culture/culture/01022000.topic>
* See more topics
<http://www.baltimoresun.com/features/faith/bal-md.fa.bishops18nov18,0,19008
22.story> >

* X

Francis George
<http://www.baltimoresun.com/topic/religion-belief/christianity/roman-cathol
ic/francis-george-PERLL000307.topic>

Edwin F. O'Brien
<http://www.baltimoresun.com/topic/religion-belief/christianity/roman-cathol
ic/edwin-f.-obrien-PERLL000306.topic>

Abortion Issue
<http://www.baltimoresun.com/topic/social-issues/abortion-issue/14016000.top
ic>

Marriage
<http://www.baltimoresun.com/topic/social-issues/family/marriage/14006003.to
pic>

University of Virginia
<http://www.baltimoresun.com/topic/education/colleges-universities/universit
y-of-virginia-OREDU0000159.topic>

Minority Groups
<http://www.baltimoresun.com/topic/social-issues/minority-groups/14010000.to
pic>

Abortion
<http://www.baltimoresun.com/topic/health/abortion-HEPAS000029.topic>

Gays and Lesbians
<http://www.baltimoresun.com/topic/social-issues/minority-groups/gays-lesbia
ns/14010001.topic>

United States Conference
<http://www.baltimoresun.com/topic/religion-belief/christianity/roman-cathol
ic/united-states-conference-of-catholic-bishops-ORCUL000006.topic>  of
Catholic Bishops

By Matthew Hay Brown | matthew.brown@...

November 18, 2009

The nation's Catholic bishops approved a broad new document on marriage
Tuesday, laying what its writers described as the foundation for the
American church's efforts to promote the institution as the joining of one
man and one woman.

"Thank goodness this is out there, clearly stated, with ample documentation
and very reasonably put forward," said Archbishop Edwin F. O'Brien
<http://www.baltimoresun.com/topic/religion-belief/christianity/roman-cathol
ic/edwin-f.-obrien-PERLL000306.topic>  of Baltimore, which is hosting the
fall general assembly of the U.S.
<http://www.baltimoresun.com/topic/religion-belief/christianity/roman-cathol
ic/united-states-conference-of-catholic-bishops-ORCUL000006.topic>
Conference of Catholic Bishops this week. "I think it's going to be a very
positive document."

While "Marriage: Love and Life in the Divine Plan" does not represent new
Catholic teaching, bishops said the pastoral letter would address a need for
an authoritative source to which church leaders may refer as they campaign
against divorce, unmarried couples living together and same-sex unions. The
bishops, meeting through Thursday at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront, are
scheduled to hear details of that campaign on Wednesday.



The rest of the article is at
http://www.baltimoresun.com/features/faith/bal-md.fa.bishops18nov18,0,190082
2.story



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Affirmation Celebrates Signing of Hate Crimes Act

For Immediate Release, Wednesday November 4, 2009

By Affirmation Co-spokesperson Tim Tennant-Jayne

Affirmation: United Methodists for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and
Queer Concerns, celebrates that President Obama has signed into law the
Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act.  It's time
that a nation that promises "liberty and justice for all" ensures justice
for all people.

No one chooses to be lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer.  And what
of people who are perceived as LGBTQ and aren't?  Are they not deserving of
hate crimes protection as well?  How about persons with different colored
skin?  We must have legal protection against people perpetrating hate crimes
against anyone.  Or persons of a different faith, or those from another
country?

The news about the attack on Matthew Shepard broke as the Affirmation
Council gathered in Portland for the fall 1998 council meeting.  That a
likeable young man was tortured, pistol whipped, and left to die on a fence,
cast a pall over the council gathering and over the entire country.

Just as shocking was the death of James Byrd, Jr. on June 7, 1998.  That in
this day and age a human being could be chained to the back of a pickup
truck and dragged until dead and dismembered is almost beyond comprehension.

It's also shocking that the U. S. House and Senate have taken 11 years to
pass this legislation and get it to the President's desk.  One would think
this legislation would have already been in place when these attacks took
place.  Or that it would have been in place shortly thereafter when the lack
became apparent.

It's been a long time since Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. died.  It's
time for us as a country to go on record that hate crimes against LGBTQ
people or even those perceived as LGBTQ are wrong.  It's time for us as a
country to go on record that hate crimes against people of any racial,
religious, or national group are wrong.  We know that the law itself is not
an end.  It's just the beginning.



-30-

As an independent voice of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer
people, Affirmation radically reclaims the compassionate and transforming
gospel of Jesus Christ by relentlessly pursuing full inclusion in the Church
as we journey with the Spirit in creating God's beloved community.

Affirmation: United Methodists for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and
Queer Concerns is an activist, all-volunteer, not-for-profit organization
with no official ties to The United Methodist Church.

How to Contact Us:

email: Uumaffirmation_at_yahoo.com Affirmation

web: http://www.umaffirm.org



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

National March for Equality, October 10 - 11



For Immediate Release, Monday October 5, 2009

By Affirmation Co-spokesperson Tim Tennant-Jayne



Affirmation: United Methodists for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and
Queer Concerns encourages all members to attend the National March for
Equality.  On October 10-11, 2009, we will gather in Washington, DC from all
across America to let our elected leaders know that now is the time for full
equal rights for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender people.  We've had
a moment thrust upon us by the election of President Barack Obama and the
spirit of hope and change.  We will gather.  We will strategize.  We will
march.  And we will leave energized and empowered to do the work we need to
do in every community across the nation. This is only the beginning.



All United Methodists attending the March are encouraged to contact Chip
Aldridge at caldridge_at_wesleyseminary.edu for information about a time and
place for United Methodists to gather during the weekend.



-30-



As an independent voice of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer
people, Affirmation radically reclaims the compassionate and transforming
gospel of Jesus Christ by relentlessly pursuing full inclusion in the Church
as we journey with the Spirit in creating God's beloved community.



Affirmation: United Methodists for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and
Queer Concerns is an activist, all-volunteer, not-for-profit organization
with no official ties to The United Methodist Church.



How to Contact Us: email: H
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/affirmation/post?postID=KyEJodZJKggrmaJ5YR3uN
WxFHoxcNSGyRIMDYE4PSWjlmXEi6AYcnW6mc3BeLiZE8NjxhECmkUuaacMrnLEP>
Uumaffirmation_at_yahoo.comUH Affirmation web: H <http://www.umaffirm.org>
Uhttp://www.umaffirm.orgU



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

No Easy Answers



For Immediate Release, Wednesday September 30, 2009

By Affirmation Co-spokesperson Diane DeLap



It is an unfortunate by-product of the computer age that we seem to think
that we can answer any question by a quick search on Google.  We've even
translated that tendency to our study of the Bible.  A quick search of
BibleGateway.com or BibleStudyTools.com will give us as many quotes and
interpretations as we need on most any subject from whatever Bible version
(including Greek and Hebrew), concordance, or commentary we like.
Unfortunately such a search for quick and easy answers too often leads to
incomplete and false conclusions.



Paul instructs Timothy to "study to shew thyself approved unto God, a
workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."
(2 Tim. 2:15 KJV)  The Greek word orthotomeo translated as "rightly
dividing" could also be translated "correctly portioning" and the NIV
translates it as "correctly handles."  What Paul is suggesting is that a
good student of the Bible needs to be able to "correctly handle" the word.
Simply looking up a passage from your favorite translation and quoting it as
a proof-text of your opinion isn't good enough.  Unfortunately that seems to
be the prevalent level of the scholarship among conservative Christians
today.  A true Bible scholar in the Pauline mold needs to be able to discern
differences of context, language, and culture to handle the Word correctly



For same-sex relationships they quote Lev. 18:22, or 20:13, or Rom. 1:26 &
27.  For gay marriage they quote Gen. 2:24 or I Cor. 7.  For gender
differences they quote Deut. 22:5 or Gen. 1:27.  It's easy.  You don't have
to think.  Just quote a verse and that settles the question.  "The Bible
says.."  Unfortunately life is more complicated than that.  Two recent
incidents point out the difficulty of relying on proof-text theology for
answers to life's difficult questions.



First, on Wednesday Aug. 21st the 18 year old South African sprinter Caster
Semenya won the 800meter race at the 2009 International Association of
Athletic Federations (IAAF) World Track and Field Championship held in
Berlin.  Finishing her first senior race in a world record time almost two
seconds faster than her nearest competitor, who is the former world
champion, Semenya almost immediately heard cries of "Foul!"  Competitors and
media alike declared her "too masculine" to be a woman, and accused her of
having a sex change or of taking illegal testosterone.  In response, the
IAAF called for Semenya to submit to a battery of gender verification tests
including psychological, gynecological, and hormonal examinations.



Whatever the results, the need for the tests shows the extraordinary
complexity of what most Christians consider a basic question.  It's simple,
a doctor checks between the legs and whatever is there determines the
answer.  If that doesn't answer the question, certainly a DNA check will
reveal either the XY or XX chromosome markers for male or female.
Unfortunately, those simple answers don't take into the at least 1 in 3000
children born with various conditions described as "ambiguous genitalia."
Even when the doctor makes a determination of birth sex, the child can be
subject to any one of several conditions that are visible only to internal
or DNA tests.  There can be internal organs of the opposite sex or
chromosomal combinations other than XX or XY.  About 1 in 1600 births is a
child that is neither XX nor XY.  As much as we'd like a simple easy answer,
it's not always there.  God's creation is far more wonderfully complicated.



Second, on Sunday Aug 30th Rev. David Weekley revealed to his congregation
at Epworth UMC in Portland, OR that almost 30 years ago he underwent gender
transition from female to male.  Each person in his congregation, his
District Superintendant, and Bishop as well as the UMC all have to decide
what they feel about Pastor Weekley.  It's almost a repeat of what the
denomination faced in 2007 in the case of Rev. Drew Phoenix who transitioned
from female to male gender while serving as pastor of St. John's UMC of
Baltimore.  His Bishop ruled that Rev. Phoenix could continue to serve his
congregation, but that ruling was appealed to the Judicial Council which
affirmed the ruling.



That episode resulted in several legislative petitions being filed at the
2008 General Conference.  One would have included as a chargeable offense
"identifying as transgendered or undergoing elective hormonal or surgical
procedures to alter one's God-given identity as male or female."  This
petition and all others that would have rejected transgender United
Methodists were turned down, most by wide margins, by the Conference
delegates.  Now once again, the denomination is faced with a decision with
regard to transgender clergy.  We can be sure that conservative elements of
the church will once more step forward to repeat the simple and rejected
biases of the past.  They will present petitions to the Judicial Council and
demands for legislation to the 2012 General Conference.



Affirmation commends Rev. Weekley and his family for this courageous
revelation, and pledges our resources to once again stand with a pastor if
they are attacked by those who want simple answers to complex questions.  We
were with Rev. Phoenix during the 2008 General Conference, sponsoring a
media panel of transgender United Methodists who spoke of their experiences.
We also monitored all legislative committees considering transgender
legislation and serving as resources for progressive delegates.  Affirmation
will continue to demand that the United Methodist denomination repudiate
those who look for an easy way out of life's difficult questions by
rejecting those of God's children who experience the glorious differences of
Creation.



-30-



As an independent voice of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer
people, Affirmation radically reclaims the compassionate and transforming
gospel of Jesus Christ by relentlessly pursuing full inclusion in the Church
as we journey with the Spirit in creating God's beloved community.



Affirmation: United Methodists for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and
Queer Concerns is an activist, all-volunteer, not-for-profit organization
with no official ties to The United Methodist Church.



How to Contact Us: email: H
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/affirmation/post?postID=KyEJodZJKggrmaJ5YR3uN
WxFHoxcNSGyRIMDYE4PSWjlmXEi6AYcnW6mc3BeLiZE8NjxhECmkUuaacMrnLEP>
Uumaffirmation@... Affirmation web: H <http://www.umaffirm.org>
Uhttp://www.umaffirm.orgU



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Bridging the Gay-Evangelical Divide


Extreme opinions move toward the middle.


By DAVID
<http://online.wsj.com/search/search_center.html?KEYWORDS=DAVID+G.+MYERS&ARTICLE\
SEARCHQUERY_PARSER=bylineAND>  G. MYERS


'Efforts to change sexual orientation are unlikely to be successful and involve
some risk of harm." So says a new American Psychological Association report
affirmed by its governing body in a 125-to-4 vote. No surprise there, given the
past advice of the APA—and of other mental-health associations—against
sexual-reorientation therapies.

What has raised some eyebrows was the APA's olive branch to religious
conservatives. Reaffirming "individuals' right to their own religious beliefs,"
the report provides guidance to counselors whose religious clients feel
distressed about their same-sex attractions. It encourages them to remind their
clients that gay people can live happy lives and that there is no evidence to
support the belief that sexual orientation can change. But if clients reject a
gay identity anyway, declared the APA, then it would be ethical to help them
reconcile their religious and sexual identities and to assist them in managing
their behavior, including refraining from sexual activity.

Applause for the APA's sensitivity to religious diversity has come from
previously opposing sides within evangelicalism. Psychotherapist Ralph Blair,
the founder of Evangelicals Concerned, the gay-supporting "national network of
gay and lesbian evangelical Christians and friends," welcomes APA's "clear
rejection of 'reparative therapy.' " But he also welcomes its openness to
supporting homosexual people "who nonetheless think that it's wrong for them to
act on their same-sex desires." Grove City College psychologist-blogger Warren
Throckmorton, who supports those who want to control same-sex attractions and
reject a gay identity, sees hope for "a larger middle and smaller numbers of
people at the opinion extremes. People on both sides, he says, "can agree that
erotic responsiveness is extremely durable."

The rest of the article can be found here: 
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203706604574372772855461440.html



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Congregation embraces transgender minister as his secret is revealed

Rev. David Weekley hopes his story will help change United Methodist Church
doctrine

By Christine Mcfadden

As soon as he raises the topic of gay rights to his conservative clergyman
friend one day at lunch, he knows it's a mistake.

He knows that the United Methodist Church long ago retained the right to
turn away openly gay clergy members.

So Weekley listens to his friend espouse the opinion of the church, and
buries his secret deeper. No one can ever find out that Weekley, a married
father of five in Southeast Portland and a Methodist clergyman of 27 years,
was born female.

The full story is available at
http://portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=125167426609679800





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

In All Things, Charity



For Immediate Release, Saturday August 29, 2009

By Affirmation Co-spokesperson Tim Tennant-Jayne



The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) made two very important
decisions while meeting in Minneapolis, MN, at their Church-wide Assembly
2009.  First they approved a social statement on human sexuality, "Human
Sexuality: Gift and Trust," which is very supportive of same gender
orientation and gender identity while recognizing that there is not
uniformity of opinion within the denomination.  They also supported allowing
local congregations to choose to call and ordain homosexual clergy who are
living out their orientation.  Affirmation: United Methodists for Lesbian,
Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Concerns, applauds the ELCA for making
these faith filled decisions and congratulates the organizations of Goodsoil
for their work to ensure these actions.



The social statement provides the basis and guidance to form policy and
programs for the ELCA.  It is tolerant of differences in scriptural
interpretation and in practice.  The statement supports unity without
requiring uniformity.  And while the ELCA did allow openly lesbian, gay, and
bisexual clergy to be ordained, it forbade them from entering into
life-affirming, same-gender relationships.  Now all ELCA clergy need not
fear loving the person of their choice.  The denomination allows individual
congregations to call someone who is in a relationship.



Some people noted that while the Assembly was discussing the Human Sexuality
statement, a tornado caused damage to the building where the delegates were
meeting. These voices fearfully pronounced this a sign of God's disfavor.
As Christians, we are filled with God's spirit of discernment and love and
find this style of theologizing immature and on a level with studying animal
entrails to learn God's will.  Moreover, these persons failed to discern
that the sun reappeared upon the taking of the vote to accept the study.



Affirmation celebrates the increasing number of Christian denominations that
recognize that God's love for us is not limited by who we are or whom we
love.  We call upon The United Methodist Church to follow the guidance of
the denominations which have opened themselves up to proclaiming and living
God's love.  These churches recognize that God does not limit a call to
specialized service within the Church by gender identity or sexual
orientation.  Yes, this is an area of great disagreement within our
denomination and our society and causes members to leave the church.
However, most important issues rarely bring total uniformity.  As United
Methodists, we have found ways to follow John Wesley's teaching of "In
essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity".  Our
diversity is a strong point of our denomination.  Affirmation recognizes
that the solutions crafted by the ELCA or other denominations may not work
for The United Methodist Church.  Yet we pledge that we will continue to
work with The United Methodist Church in finding ways to be welcoming of all
of God's people.



-30-



As an independent voice of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer
people, Affirmation radically reclaims the compassionate and transforming
gospel of Jesus Christ by relentlessly pursuing full inclusion in the Church
as we journey with the Spirit in creating God's beloved community.



Affirmation: United Methodists for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and
Queer Concerns is an activist, all-volunteer, not-for-profit organization
with no official ties to The United Methodist Church.



How to Contact Us: email: umaffirmation@...
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/affirmation/post?postID=KyEJodZJKggrmaJ5YR3uN
WxFHoxcNSGyRIMDYE4PSWjlmXEi6AYcnW6mc3BeLiZE8NjxhECmkUuaacMrnLEP>
Affirmation web: http://www.umaffirm.org







[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Ecumenical pact does not open door to gay clergy


NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS)-The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's
acceptance of pastors in same-sex relationships does not pave the way for
noncelibate gay clergy to serve in United Methodist churches, officials from
the two denominations said. The Lutheran vote Aug. 21 to drop its ban on gay
clergy, coming a day after the denomination approved a full communion pact
with The United Methodist Church, raised the question of whether practicing
homosexual Lutheran pastors would be permitted in United Methodist pulpits.
Leaders from both churches said Aug. 26, however, that The United Methodist
Church's ban on noncelibate gay clergy is unchanged.




Read the full story at
http://www.umc.org/site/apps/nlnet/content3.aspx?c=lwL4KnN1LtH
<http://www.umc.org/site/apps/nlnet/content3.aspx?c=lwL4KnN1LtH&b=5259669&ct
=7321637&tr=y&auid=5237809> &b=5259669&ct=7321637&tr=y&auid=5237809







[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) votes to recognize same-gender
couples - Allows those gay and lesbian people in relationships to serve as
church leaders!



Today the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) passed a resolution
stating that it will commit itself to find a way to allow congregations that
choose to do so to recognize, support and hold publicly accountable,
lifelong, monogamous, same-gender relationships. Additionally, the voting
members passed another resolution stating that the ELCA is committed to find
a way for people in such publicly accountable, lifelong, monogamous,
same-gender relationships to serve as rostered leaders of the church.



"We are thrilled with these historic decisions," said Jeff Lutes, Soulforce
Executive Director, "God is smiling and the ELCA will benefit greatly from
the spiritual gifts of those who can now love, worship, and serve with
integrity. I hope every Lutheran congregation will see the rightness of
today's decisions and open their hearts accordingly."



Soulforce has a long history of working for change within the ELCA. In 2001,
fifty Soulforce volunteers were arrested outside the Indianapolis Convention
Center during civil disobedience after the ELCA voted to continue requiring
gay and lesbian clergy to vow celibacy to be eligible for ordained ministry.
In 2003, Soulforce maintained a visible presence at the ELCA Churchwide
Assembly in Milwaukee by leafleting and vigiling to educate ELCA voting
members. In 2005, Soulforce partnered with Goodsoil in Orlando where
approximately 100 people walked silently to the front of the hall and stood
between Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson and the 1,018 members after they
rejected a proposal to allow gay men and lesbians in committed relationships
to be ordained as members of the clergy. The action created tension within
the hall and forced ELCA voting members to face the injustice of their vote.




After nearly a decade of waiting, Soulforce rejoices over today's decisions
and commends Lutherans Concerned, Goodsoil, and so many others who have also
worked tirelessly for many years to bring about this change. Now more than
ever, Soulforce is committed to the practice of relentless, nonviolent,
resistance until all lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people are free
from both political and religious oppression.



Soulforce, Inc., P.O. Box 3195, Lynchburg, VA 24503

www.soulforce.org



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/faith/53859967.html

ELCA votes to allow gay pastors
JEFF STRICKLER, Star Tribune

In a historic change, noncelibate gays and lesbians can now lead parishes of
the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).

On a 559-451 vote taken Friday in Minneapolis at their biennial conference,
delegates repealed the ELCA ban on gay clergy unless they agree to remain
celibate. It makes ELCA, with 4.8 million members nationwide and 830,000 in
Minnesota, the largest denomination in the country to welcome gays into the
pulpits without restriction.

The vote did not surprise Ryan Schwarz from Washington, a member of Lutheran
CORE, a group that opposed the motion. Nor did it dampen his interest in
running for vice president, the highest lay position within the ELCA. That
vote will be taken today.

(The rest of the article is available on the Star Tribute web site.)

Jeff Strickler . 612-673-7392





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

We Are Who We Are



For Immediate Release, Wednesday August 21, 2009

By Affirmation Co-spokesperson Tim Tennant-Jayne



For many years those of us who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or
queer have known of anecdotal evidence that our sexual orientation or gender
orientation is a basic part of our make-up.  Loving someone of the same
gender is not a choice we consciously make one morning, nor is this
something that can be changed by altering some 'selection switch'.
Likewise, the idea that a person wakes up one morning and decides to go
through the emotionally and physically painful process to change their
gender on a whim is just as ridiculous.  Experience of psychological
professionals has shown that such feelings cannot be 'repaired.'  As the
song says, "I am who I am." Recently the American Psychological Association
(APA) declared that no solid evidence exists that such "reparative" change
is likely, and some research suggests that efforts to produce change could
be harmful, inducing depression and suicidal tendencies.  Affirmation:
United Methodists for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer
Concerns applauds this recognition.



The APA is a 150,000 member organization of mental health professionals.
They are the most authoritative organization for issues of counseling,
therapy, and mental and emotional health.  For this report, a six-member
task force of the APA spent two years examining over 80 studies on sexual
orientation change that dated back to 1960.  At their national meeting in
early August, the APA's governing council adopted a resolution in support of
the report on an overwhelming 125-to-4 vote.



Many of us have experienced, or know people who were subjected to, the
so-called "reparative therapy" which seeks to change sexual orientation.  We
recognize the fallacy of this effort.  At best, people learn how to mask
their true feelings.  We cannot remove the same-sex orientation, but we can
learn different-sex appreciation.



The decision of the APA also highlights the great harm created by those
individuals and groups who continue to insist that change is somehow
possible.  Affirmation recognizes that unfortunately The United Methodist
Church is among these groups. .While not promoting this discredited view as
vocally as some organizations, the current policies in The Book of
Discipline are based on an attitude of denying our God-given gifts and
accepting us only if we can change.  This viewpoint is wrong from a mental
health standpoint, as well as from a scriptural one that claims that we are
to love God and to love our neighbor as ourselves.  Nor is it being faithful
to John Wesley's declaration to 'Do No Harm'.  Affirmation calls upon our
denomination to recognize this great evil in its midst and realize that only
when we love our neighbors in all their diversity, do we truly love God.
Remove the hate-filled statutes opposing our ordination and the recognition
of our relationships.  It's time for The United Methodist Church to live up
to its advertising and truly "Open Doors" to all - especially those of its
children who are specially gifted with same-sex orientation or transgender
identities.

-30-



As an independent voice of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer
people, Affirmation radically reclaims the compassionate and transforming
gospel of Jesus Christ by relentlessly pursuing full inclusion in the Church
as we journey with the Spirit in creating God's beloved community.



Affirmation: United Methodists for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and
Queer Concerns is an activist, all-volunteer, not-for-profit organization
with no official ties to The United Methodist Church.



How to Contact Us: email: umaffirmation@...
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/affirmation/post?postID=KyEJodZJKggrmaJ5YR3uN
WxFHoxcNSGyRIMDYE4PSWjlmXEi6AYcnW6mc3BeLiZE8NjxhECmkUuaacMrnLEP>
Affirmation web: http://www.umaffirm.org





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Survey Says, "We Are People of Faith"



For Immediate Release, Friday August 21, 2009

By Affirmation Co-spokesperson Tim Tennant-Jayne



A survey of 9,000 lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans by
George Barna, a well-known evangelical pollster, reports that 70 percent of
queer adults describe themselves as Christian and 60 percent say their faith
is "very important" in their lives. These figures are only slightly lower
than the general population, which records 85 and 70 percent on those
rankings, respectively.  Affirmation: United Methodists for Lesbian, Gay,
Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Concerns applauds these findings.  They
support what many of us have known anecdotally for many years.  We are
indeed people of faith.



Nor is this survey flavored by a basis on behalf of the author.  Barna, is
known as a Bible-believing, born-again Christian.  He himself comments that
the numbers demonstrate that what some assume to be "popular stereotypes
about the spiritual life of gays and lesbians are simply wrong."



The survey's authors note that the process of self-acceptance and coming out
is parallel to the journey of spiritual discovery and acceptance.  Many of
us find these two paths very closely intertwined.  In order for us to be
able to come out and accept the gift from God of our orientation, we have to
wrestle with and closely examine scripture and traditional church teachings.
Our coming out starts us on our faith journey.  Our faith journey leads to
our coming out. An additional result of this exploration is that many
lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer persons become very active
members of which ever denomination and congregation they eventually choose
to join.



Affirmation encourages all United Methodists to read and consider this
report.  As The United Methodist Church faces continued struggles to both
attract and retain active members, we hope that all levels of the church
will recognize the gifts we bring to Christ's table.



The report is available at
http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/13-culture/282-spiritual-profile-o
f-homosexual-adults-provides-surprising-insights



-30-



As an independent voice of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer
people, Affirmation radically reclaims the compassionate and transforming
gospel of Jesus Christ by relentlessly pursuing full inclusion in the Church
as we journey with the Spirit in creating God's beloved community.



Affirmation: United Methodists for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and
Queer Concerns is an activist, all-volunteer, not-for-profit organization
with no official ties to The United Methodist Church.



How to Contact Us: email: umaffirmation@...
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/affirmation/post?postID=KyEJodZJKggrmaJ5YR3uN
WxFHoxcNSGyRIMDYE4PSWjlmXEi6AYcnW6mc3BeLiZE8NjxhECmkUuaacMrnLEP>
Affirmation web: http://www.umaffirm.org





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

The Season of Pride



For Immediate Release, Wednesday August 12, 2009

By Affirmation Co-spokesperson Tim Tennant-Jayne



Affirmation: United Methodists for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and
Queer Concerns celebrates the recent decisions by the Episcopal Church to
allow for the ordination of openly lesbian and gay clergy persons as
bishops, and to encourage bishops to "provide generous pastoral response" to
same-sex couples being legally married. We join with our brothers and
sisters in Integrity in observing this momentous occasion. Since 1974,
Integrity has been a faithful witness of God's inclusive love to the
Episcopal Church and the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community.
They are working for the full inclusion of all the baptized in all the
sacraments.



Those voting at the General Convention in Anaheim, CA, wisely and
courageously chose to follow their faith in God's love and Christ's example
of acceptance, rather than seeking to impose unity on the Anglican Communion
based on a perception of scripture more akin to the Pharisees than Christ.
These decisions are indeed praiseworthy and one more step to being more
faithful followers of God's Spirit.



As United Methodists, we follow in the footsteps of John Wesley, and claim
the Anglican faith as part of our spiritual ancestry. Our Episcopalian
sisters and brothers have shown us the direction which we as United
Methodists must also go. They have made an important and faithful step in
the direction of living God's love both in our individual lives and in our
denomination. Affirmation prays and works for the day when United Methodists
will join with our Episcopalian family in acknowledging that God's call to
ordained service is not limited to heterosexual persons only, nor are only
heterosexual relationships acknowledged, honored, and blessed.



This church season of Pentecost is also a season of Pride. In 1969, our
queer ancestors rebelled at the Stonewall Inn and marked a change in their
own and in society's understanding of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender,
and Queer persons. As we commemorate this fortieth year, we acknowledge the
number of wonderful accomplishments as well as the disappointing set-backs
politically. Yet each year brings an increased amount of growth and
accomplishment. The decisions made at this time by the Episcopal Church are
a wonderful addition to this special season of Pride.



-30-



As an independent voice of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer
people, Affirmation radically reclaims the compassionate and transforming
gospel of Jesus Christ by relentlessly pursuing full inclusion in the Church
as we journey with the Spirit in creating God's beloved community.

Affirmation is an activist, all-volunteer, not-for-profit organization with
no official ties to The United Methodist Church.

How to Contact Us: email: umaffirmation@...
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/affirmation/post?postID=KyEJodZJKggrmaJ5YR3uN
WxFHoxcNSGyRIMDYE4PSWjlmXEi6AYcnW6mc3BeLiZE8NjxhECmkUuaacMrnLEP>
Affirmation web: http://www.umaffirm.org





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Yes, Gay is Definitely OK



For Immediate Release, June 23, 2009



By Affirmation Co-spokesperson Tim Tennant-Jayne



As is the sexuality of all of God's children who are lesbian, bisexual,
transgender, intersex, straight, or queer!



Affirmation: United Methodists for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and
Queer Concerns supports and congratulates the Reverend Diana Holbert, for
her courage and strength in preaching the truth about homosexuality.  Rev.
Holbert is the pastor of Grace United Methodist Church in Dallas, TX. While
other clergy seek to continue spreading distortions of God's message, Rev.
Holbert courageously preached the truth of God's gift of homosexuality.  Her
congregation is blessed to have this strong person as their pastoral leader.
The United Methodist Church is blessed to have her as one of their clergy
persons.



In true David vs. Goliath fashion, the Rev. Holbert was willing to dispute
the message coming out of a much larger congregation.  As she prepared to do
so the forces of ignorance rose up in fear.  Her sermon was mocked even
before she was able to preach it.  Unable to stand the light of God's truth
and love, those who obtain power by demeaning us sought to cloud the issue
by questioning her message.  Rev. Holbert persevered with preaching God's
message to her congregation.



We applaud the Rev. Holbert for her courage to speak out.  We hope her
shining example will empower others within this denomination and in all
faith traditions to recognize God's love of this varied gift of sexuality.
Love of another person is indeed a rich gift from God.  Let us all celebrate
it and proclaim its value.



-30-



As an independent voice of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer
people, Affirmation radically reclaims the compassionate and transforming
gospel of Jesus Christ by relentlessly pursuing full inclusion in the Church
as we journey with the Spirit in creating God's beloved community.



Affirmation is an activist, all-volunteer, not-for-profit organization with
no official ties to The United Methodist Church.



How to Contact Us: email: umaffirmation@...
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/affirmation/post?postID=KyEJodZJKggrmaJ5YR3uN
WxFHoxcNSGyRIMDYE4PSWjlmXEi6AYcnW6mc3BeLiZE8NjxhECmkUuaacMrnLEP>
Affirmation web: http://www.umaffirm.org <http://www.umaffirm.org/>





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Affirmation Celebrates Recent Marriage Decisions

For immediate release, Wednesday 5/20/2009

By Affirmation Co-spokesperson Tim Tennant-Jayne

The season of Easter is a time of renewal, of love reborn, of hope
rekindled, and of the resurrection of the One who is Life.  This Easter,
Affirmation: United Methodists for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and
Queer Concerns, joins with others in the larger faith community in
celebrating the recent decisions affirming same-sex marriage.  The Iowa
Supreme Court's unanimous decision in the case of Varnum v. Brien,
understands that different-sex and same-sex families have value and are to
be legally recognized, honored, protected, and celebrated.  Affirmation was
an Amicus in the case that resulted in this ruling.  Likewise, both the
Vermont and Maine Legislatures and Governors have very wisely acknowledged
that civil unions are not the same as marriage.  All loving couples deserve
equal status and protection.  In addition, the legislative debates and
decisions in New Hampshire and New York state legislatures are very
encouraging.

This good news is not universally celebrated.  Alas, people are generally
resistant to change, even when that change is to a more caring and loving
and equal society.  While some people will still say these decisions are
opposed to 'God's Will', a clearer reading of the Scriptures does not
support discrimination of same-sex individuals or couples.  Rather, we are
to celebrate and use all of our gifts for God's service in this world.

There will also be voices calling for popularist votes on this issue.  Yet
even in this Easter season we cannot forget the voices of Lent, and
particularly of Holy Week.  Those community actions so long ago show what
can happen when mob rule takes over.  Rarely does a society grant civil
rights to the oppressed.  It frequently takes strong individuals, such as
currently sit in the Iowa Supreme Court and in the Maine and Vermont
government, to guide our society into equality.

We recognize that these are civil decisions and not religious ones.  We hope
the United Methodists of Iowa, Maine, Vermont, and eventually the entire
United Methodist Church, will be able to rejoice in these decisions and
honor those who choose marriage for their lives.  We pray for the best for
all couples, both different-sex and same-sex, who decide to officially
marry.

-30-

As an independent voice of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer
people, Affirmation radically reclaims the compassionate and transforming
gospel of Jesus Christ by relentlessly pursuing full inclusion in the Church
as we journey with the Spirit in creating God's beloved community.

Affirmation is an activist, all-volunteer, not-for-profit organization with
no official ties to The United Methodist Church.

How to Contact Us: email: umaffirmation@...
Affirmation web: http://www.umaffirm.org

Remember: Faith communities can save transgender lives

The Transgender Day of Remembrance (November 20, 2008) is set aside to
remember
those lost to anti-transgender violence in the last year. Much of this
violence
is fueled by a sentiment that it is tacitly and explicitly reinforced by
narrow
understandings of gender, as well as outright transphobia and homophobia
expressed in the name of a Christian God. Too many of us have not only heard

"God condemns you" -- but also "It would be better if you were dead."

It is a profound and important step for every faith community to join in a
resounding chorus that condemns all forms of violence against people who are

differently gendered.

* By vocally condemning anti-trans bullying, harassment, and hate crimes, we

begin to chip away at the self-righteous fuel that feeds those who believe
they
are doing God's will by punishing the differently gendered.
* By loudly proclaiming that people of all genders are beloved, we begin to
address the rampant rate of depression and suicide among transgender youth
and
adults that so to often encouraged by religious judgment.
* By reaching out in love to the transgender community, we begin to
undermine the isolation and low self-esteem that can undergird substance
abuse
and high-risk behaviors (which inform high rates of HIV and AIDS).

Beyond the hate and judgment, trans people's lives are at risk because we so

often struggle to meet our most fundamental needs such as safe employment
and
basic health care. Faith communities need to be out in front of such justice

issues as well.

So, this year, let us (re)commit ourselves to the work of speaking up and
speaking out, to the work of educating ourselves and educating others, to
the
work of reaching out in love.

Chris Paige
Publisher, TransFaith Online

Follow-up reading:

* NCTE Health Priorities: http://www.nctequality.org/HealthPriorities.pdf
* TransFaith InterSections: www.transfaithonline.org/intersections/
* TransFaith - Where do we begin?
www.transfaithonline.org/the_basics/where_do_i_begin/









[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Transgender Day of Remembrance - November 20th 2008

For Immediate Release, November 15, 2008

By Affirmation Co-spokespersons Diane DeLap & Tim Tennant-Jayne

Last Sunday night someone shot Duanna Johnson to death.  The police - the
very people who pledge to "protect" all - ignored, or even worse, mistreated
and abused her, like many of the victims of violence against transgender
persons.  In addition, many experience extraordinarily vicious brutality at
the hands of their killers.  According to TransgenderDOR.org, in the past
year, over twenty individuals were murdered for being transgender.  Over
half of these deaths were in the United States.

And yet, The United Methodist Church remains silent.  We rejoice that the
2008 General Conference in Fort Worth, TX did not demonize or exclude
transgender and intersex persons.  Yet we need our denomination to show
positive support and encouragement for their transgender members and their
families as they deal with the extraordinary circumstances of their gender
identity.  Only when the Church supports all of the downtrodden of society,
like transgender people, will be fulfilling its obligation to "the least of
these."

Ten years ago, on November 28th 1998, the murder of Rita Hester, a popular
Boston transsexual, inspired over 250 of her friends to come together in a
vigil of remembrance.  A year later, on the anniversary of her death, San
Francisco held a vigil in Rita's memory.  The following year more cities
joined in. This year, churches and organizations will hold hundreds of
observances in dozens of countries.

This year services of remembrance are scheduled around Nov 20th in at least
ten countries and over 65 US communities.  Affirmation supports these
services and encourages its members and all progressive United Methodists to
show their support by attending a service in their area.  You can find a
service in your area by referring to the following web site:
<http://www.transgenderdor.org/> http://www.transgenderdor.org/

Homicide Victim Identified as Transgendered Person, Duanna Johnson

Reported by: Jill Margetts, Contributor: Shane Myers Eyewitness News
Memphis, USA

November 10, 2007

MEMPHIS, TN - Duanna Johnson was found shot to death in North Memphis,
according to her lawyer.

Memphis police say it happened just before midnight at Hollywood near Staten
Avenue, Sunday, November 9, 2008.  According to detectives, when officers
arrived at the scene, they found the body lying in the street. Police say a
witness heard gunfire and then saw three people running away from the scene.
Investigators do not have any suspects at this time.

Lawyer Murray Wells confirmed to Eyewitness News that the person who was
killed is his client Duanna Johnson. He says Johnson was often in the area
where she was killed. Murray says Johnson was trying to leave Memphis and go
back to her hometown of Chicago. According to Murray, Johnson was just about
homeless trying to live in Memphis. He says the apartment where Johnson was
living did not have power. Murray says he was helping Johnson buy a bus
ticket to Chicago.

Johnson was the subject of an alleged videotaped beating that happened in
June of 2008. Johnson, who had been arrested on a prostitution charge, said
former Memphis Police Officer Bridges McRae beat her after making derogatory
remarks about her sexuality. Johnson said another man, Officer J. Swain,
held her down during the beating. Both officers were fired from the
department.

Johnson was suing the city for $1.3 million.

C 2008 Newport Television LLC

-30-

As an independent voice of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer
people, Affirmation radically reclaims the compassionate and transforming
gospel of Jesus Christ by relentlessly pursuing full inclusion in the Church
as we journey with the Spirit in creating God's beloved community.

Affirmation is an activist, all-volunteer, not-for-profit organization with
no official ties to The United Methodist Church.

How to Contact Us: Email:
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/affirmation/post?postID=KyEJodZJKggrmaJ5YR3uN
WxFHoxcNSGyRIMDYE4PSWjlmXEi6AYcnW6mc3BeLiZE8NjxhECmkUuaacMrnLEP>
umaffirmation@... Web:  <http://www.umaffirm.org>
http://www.umaffirm.org





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Still Much to Do

For Immediate Release, November 14, 2008

By Affirmation Co-spokespersons Diane DeLap & Tim Tennant-Jayne

The 2008 elections are over.  On the one hand, we all breathe a sigh of
relief.  No more attack ads.  No more constant arguments over what candidate
said what.  Also, these elections do bring hope.  There is hope for the
future in the selection of a new President and in the ever-increasing number
of elected officials who are openly queer.  On the other hand, the 2008
elections gave us several setbacks in civil rights.

"Same-gender marriage" bans passed in Arizona, Florida, and most
disappointingly, California where the status of thousands of same-gender
marriages is now unknown.  We say "same-gender marriage" in quotes because
for us it's not "gay marriage" or "lesbian marriage."  Also, the use of the
term "one man and one woman" in most of the legislation ignores the many
transgender and intersex citizens who are forced, under these statutes, to
remain unmarried.  Civil marriage should simply be the life commitment of
one person to another.  This is something fundamental and taken for granted
by a large portion of our populace.  In addition, a ban on adoptions by gay
and lesbian couples and non-married heterosexual couples passed in Arkansas.
Our country has, since its beginning, rejected the influence of religious
opinions on civil law.  The laws passed this week reflect a broadening
influence of religious fundamentalism on governments that could lead to far
more serious issues in the future.

Even where marriage rights are achieved at the state level, same-gender
couples still have to spend thousands of dollars on legal documents to
achieve the over 1,000 federal protections any opposite-gender couple can
get with a marriage license and a simple ceremony, either religious or
civil.  We tire of paying first class taxes for second class citizenship in
a few states, third class citizenship in most of them.

There are those voices that claim this is just following biblical teachings.
Yet the fundamentals of those teachings are our equality before a God who
loves each of us as we are, wills the best for us, and urges us to treat one
another as we wish to be treated.  There are those voices that claim this is
not the same as racial struggles for equal rights.  The similarity is that
we can no more change our sexual orientation or gender identity than others
can change the color of their skin.

Affirmation will continue to work to open the hearts of The United Methodist
Church so that one day "Open Doors, Open Hearts, Open Minds" will become a
reality.  We will also work to rescind state and federal laws that relegate
us to second- and third-class citizenship.

We rejoice in the support of the United Methodist congregations,
conferences, pastors, members, and bishops in California who recognize the
basic human and civil right of two people legally uniting their lives.

There is, unfortunately, even in 2008, still much to do.

-30-

As an independent voice of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer
people, Affirmation radically reclaims the compassionate and transforming
gospel of Jesus Christ by relentlessly pursuing full inclusion in the Church
as we journey with the Spirit in creating God's beloved community.

Affirmation is an activist, all-volunteer, not-for-profit organization with
no official ties to The United Methodist Church.

How to Contact Us: email:
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/affirmation/post?postID=KyEJodZJKggrmaJ5YR3uN
WxFHoxcNSGyRIMDYE4PSWjlmXEi6AYcnW6mc3BeLiZE8NjxhECmkUuaacMrnLEP>
umaffirmation@... Affirmation web:  <http://www.umaffirm.org>
http://www.umaffirm.org





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Jefferts Schori removes Pittsburgh bishop from office
Duncan led effort to take diocese out of Episcopal Church

By Mary Frances Schjonberg

September 22, 2008 [Episcopal News Service] Robert Duncan has been
given a formal sentence of deposition from the ordained ministry of
the Episcopal Church and has been removed as the bishop of the Diocese
of Pittsburgh.

Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori signed Duncan's sentence on
September 19, the day after the House of Bishops agreed by a vote of
88-35 to authorize the action. Bishop Richard S.O. Chang, vice
president of the house, and Bishop Kenneth Price, the secretary, also
signed as witnesses to the sentence.

The sentence and an accompanying letter from Jefferts Schori to Duncan
were sent to Pittsburgh diocesan offices on September 22 and later
released to the public.

The Rev. Dr. Charles Robertson, canon to the Presiding Bishop, told
ENS that the Presiding Bishop signed the deposition before leaving for
meetings with the Church of Sweden directly from the House of Bishops,
"but she chose not to release it out of consideration for Duncan until
he had been notified, which was done via his office [September 22]."

In the sentence Jefferts Schori declares that "from and after 12:01
a.m., Saturday, 20 September, 2008, Bishop Duncan shall be deprived of
the right to exercise the gifts and spiritual authority of God's word
and sacraments conferred at ordination in this Church and further
declare[s] that all ecclesiastical and related secular offices held by
Bishop Duncan shall be terminated and vacated at that time."

Robertson said that diocesan staff were contacted September 22 and
told that the sentence of deposition was on its way to their offices.
Robertson said he did not know if Duncan was aware of the effective
date of the deposition before he received the sentence.

The diocesan Standing Committee, now the ecclesiastical authority in
the diocese, will meet September 23 in a regularly scheduled
gathering, the Rev. David Wilson, committee president, told ENS.
Wilson said that Standing Committee members would discuss the details
of the diocesan convention, scheduled for October 4, at which the
deputies will be asked to approve resolutions (see resolutions one,
two and three here) re-aligning the diocese with the Anglican Province
of the Southern Cone of southern South America.

A September 18 news release posted on the diocese's website said that
"Bishop Duncan's own continuing status as a bishop in The Anglican
Communion has been secured by the Province of the Southern Cone" and
quoted Southern Cone Primate Gregory Venables as saying that
"effectively immediately" Duncan was a member of that House of Bishops.

"Neither the Presiding Bishop nor the House of Bishops of the
Episcopal Church has any further jurisdiction over his ministry,"
Venables claimed.

In a September 18 statement issued after the House of Bishops vote,
the Pittsburgh Standing Committee said that Duncan would "continue to
support the work of our diocese under the terms of his administrative
employment agreement and within the bounds of his deposition,
providing many of the services that he previously performed for the
diocese."

Meanwhile, a group called "Across the Aisle" issued a statement
September 22 saying that Jefferts Schori's office had informed the
group of the sentence of deposition via a phone call that afternoon.
"The direct communication is further evidence of the Presiding
Bishop's recognition that Across the Aisle is the primary group
working to maintain a diocese in Pittsburgh that is part of the
Episcopal Church, even if the existing diocese votes at its upcoming
convention to realign with an Anglican province in South America," the
statement said in part.

The Presiding Bishop had singled out the group during her September 19
remarks to reporters after the end of the House of Bishops meeting,
calling it "a remarkable example of cooperation across a variety of
differences of opinion."

Jefferts Schori said during the news conference that the Episcopal
Church would support efforts to reorganize the diocese should
delegates vote for re-alignment.

"The Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh will not go away, even if their
convention makes a canonically inappropriate vote to secede" from The
Episcopal Church (TEC), she said during the news conference.

Robertson told ENS September 22 that "the Presiding Bishop's office is
communicating regularly with a group of leaders in the Diocese of
Pittsburgh who, despite holding diverse opinions and positions, are
committed to remaining in the Episcopal Church."

In the letter to Duncan which accompanied the sentence, Jefferts
Schori noted "the prayerful and thoughtful atmosphere of the
discussions" leading up to the bishops' authorization of the deposition.

"In their deliberations at the special session last week, the House of
Bishops was clear that this action is based on Robert Duncan's actions
and statements to facilitate the departure of congregations out of the
Episcopal Church," Robertson told ENS. "This was not based on Robert
Duncan's theological position." Duncan has taken a conservative stance
on such issues as church attitudes toward homosexuality.

The Title IV Review Committee had certified in December that Duncan
had abandoned the communion of the Episcopal Church under the terms of
Canon IV.9.1 "by an open renunciation of the Doctrine, Discipline, or
Worship of this Church."

The Presiding Bishop moved to inhibit Duncan (restrict his episcopal
acts) during the time between the certification and the time she
brought the matter to a meeting of the house. However, the House's
three senior bishops could not agree unanimously with Jefferts
Schori's request. The canon on abandonment does not call for a formal
trial, as do the disciplinary canons.

John H. Lewis, Duncan's attorney, said in a September 18 statement
that was posted on the diocese's website September 22, that Duncan
"was denied his fundamental right -- the right to a church trial …
because the Presiding Bishop believes that his 'deposition' will
assist her in her desire to seize the property of the Diocese of
Pittsburgh."

-- The Rev. Mary Frances Schjonberg is Episcopal Life Media
correspondent for Episcopal Church governance, structure, and trends,
as well as news of the dioceses of Province II. She is based in
Neptune, New Jersey, and New York City.

Opinion: The path to discernment on homosexuality
By David Gushee
Associated Baptist Press
July 17, 2008

(ABP) -- I have sought to suggest in a handful of columns in recent
months that a rethinking of the church's stance on homosexuality is
needed.

Reading in the scholarly literature, one sees that some very fine
Christian minds are at work on this issue. Moving well beyond old
clichés and prejudices, these scholars, many of them quite
conservative both methodologically and theologically, are wrestling
with the idea that Christians may need to revise centuries-old
teaching about homosexuality.

Some of these thinkers are concluding that in fact a revision is
needed; others are not persuaded. It would be a significant
ethical-doctrinal change, though such change is not unprecedented in
Christian history (e.g., slavery, segregation, sexism, state killing
in the name of Christ, etc.).

In reflecting and dialoguing about this issue, certain things have
become clear to me.

It is clear that insofar as "Christianity" or "the church" is
primarily associated in people's minds with rejection of homosexuals,
as poll data shows, our mission as witnesses to the love of God in
Jesus Christ has been badly damaged. There are very good missional
reasons for Christian leaders to back off of public crusades against
gay rights, whatever one may think about the merits of the particular
issues under discussion. We must be known for what (who) we are for,
not what (who) we are against.

Secondly, it is clear that an uneasy "don't ask, don't tell" ethos
still pervades many (especially big city) churches when it comes to
the homosexuals in our midst. Most Christians have little taste for
outing and expelling folks who want to attend our churches that we
think may be homosexual. Most homosexuals have little interest in
provoking a confrontation and just want to attend a church that meets
their needs. Nobody asks, so nobody has to tell. Sometimes situations
will emerge in which "don't ask, don't tell" is not adequate. But the
issue is sufficiently explosive that most ministers will do all that
they can to avoid reaching that point.

It is clear that some Christian (and non-Christian) homosexuals, led
by a cadre of committed activists (as happens with any movement for
social change), will continue to ask the church to rethink its posture
on this issue. Some are okay with baby steps and incremental change;
others want much more, and want it now. Their strategies differ. Some
focus on legal issues and others on the internal teaching of the
church. Some appeal to basic values such as fairness and justice,
others to our compassion for the suffering of homosexuals, especially
young people driven by family and church into self-loathing. All are
asking us to offer within our churches a choice for gays other than
the closet, lifetime celibacy, change therapy, or finally rejection.

It is clear that our churches and their leaders are rarely prepared to
offer a serious discussion of the theological, biblical, scientific
and ethical issues that are at stake in the contemporary homosexuality
debate. That's because we are not prepared to offer serious discussion
of theological, biblical, scientific and ethical issues of any type.
We are not ready, for example, to discuss the normative significance
of male-female sexual complementarity, the relative importance of the
various "ends" of sexual intercourse, or the stubborn persistence of
creational sexual orientation diversity and how that relates to
cultural patterns and norms.

It's very clear that most of our churches are not getting the
intellectual and spiritual leadership they need from their pastors.
The leaders don't lead the people in thinking theologically. And as
for the Christian education program, let's just say that Sunday school
often is a profound waste of time. Some of the dumbest and meanest
things that anyone says about homosexuality-and a lot of other
issues-are said in church. This is truly scandalous.

In discussions recently with a number of pastors, it has become clear
to me that many of our churches are losing the will to fight the
abandonment of basic Christian sexual morality among our people.
Premarital sex among our youth is rampant. Cohabitation has become
routine. Our marriages are collapsing at an epic rate. Multiple
remarriages happen among us regularly and without reflection or
resistance. Children get swept along as the detritus of our
mix-and-match families. Ministers just try to be of some help amidst
the chaos, while hanging on to their always fragile jobs.

A church that is in the process of abandoning basic tenets of
Christian sexual morality has no credibility as a moral voice in
culture. And, ironically, it has no credibility if it decides to
abandon the church's traditional stance on homosexuality.

One can imagine a church in which the classic understanding of
Christian sexual morality has survived and even flourished. Ministers
teach that marriage remains normative and the only legitimate locus
for sexual expression, and the people still believe it. Celibacy is
understood to be both possible and expected for the unmarried, partly
because it is understood that sex is not life's highest good.
Faithfulness within marriage is strongly emphasized and rarely
violated. Divorce is treated as a rare, tragic exception to the
covenant of marriage, and not one in a hundred Christian marriages
ends in divorce.  Community life is strong and nurturing, contributing
greatly to the emotional well being of everyone in the church, both
single and married.

That kind of Christian community might one day be in a position to
consider the pleas of homosexual believers that have formed families
and seek inclusion into the community of those whose permanent,
covenanted relationships receive the church's recognition and support.
This kind of church might have the capacity to reflect on the idea
that even though God's design for sexuality in creation was
heterosexual, in our fallen world a tiny minority among us is,
mysteriously, is just not wired that way, and needs some structure in
which their relationships and families can be properly formed and
sustained (if they are not called to the celibate path).

But in churches and denominations in which classic Christian sexual
morality has officially or unofficially collapsed, the abandonment of
ancient moral convictions related to homosexuality offers no positive
way forward. It is just one more abandonment, one more surrender to
culture, which makes it nearly impossible for more conservative
churches (Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, charismatic/Pentecostal, black
and Hispanic, evangelical Protestant) to even consider the possibility
that the issue needs rethinking.

We need a careful, unhurried process of Christian discernment related
to scriptural teachings, our theological understanding of
homosexuality, and church practices in relation to homosexuals,
undertaken by those who are committed unequivocally to every (other)
dimension of the classic Christian sexual ethic -- in which sex
belongs within marriage (lifetime, exclusive, covenant partnerships),
marriage is for life, and the church is a disciplined countercultural
community in which these norms are both taught and lived.

The question on the table would be whether Christian homosexuals who
live according to these norms should be treated as faithful members of
the Christian community.

Future columns will offer some discussion of the basic tenets of
Christian sexual ethics, such as celibacy and lifetime marriage, and
what must be done to preserve them before they are entirely washed out
of church life by the waves of a sexually licentious culture. These
are actually the most important issues in sexual ethics - not
homosexuality - because they pertain mainly to the 98 percent of us
who are heterosexuals and who, on the whole, are not doing well in
this area at all.

  -- David Gushee is distinguished university professor of Christian
ethics at Mercer University. www.davidpgushee.com

NEJ affirms Calif. clergy on same-gender marriages
July 18, 2008
By Maidstone Mulenga*

HARRISBURG, Pa. (UMNS)-In sharp contrast to the action taken at the
United Methodist General Conference last spring, delegates to the
denomination's Northeastern Jurisdiction Conference voted July 17 to
support clergy in California who choose to perform same-gender marriages.

The delegates approved a resolution expressing respect for pastors in
the California-Pacific and California-Nevada annual (regional)
conferences "who as a matter of Christian conscience, spiritual
discernment and prophetic witnessing" opt to participate in the
celebration of same-gender marriages that are not approved by the church.

The resolution also asks for lenient disciplinary action against
clergy who disobey church law on the issue.

The 2008 General Conference, the denomination's top legislative body,
voted to retain its ban on same-gender marriages and to bar clergy
from performing such marriages or consecrating them in the church.
Pastors who perform same-gender unions risk losing their clergy
credentials. The assembly met April 23-May 2 in Fort Worth, Texas.

Division among Northeastern Jurisdiction delegates over the resolution
prompted passionate debate from supporters and opponents. Bishop Jane
Allen Middleton of the Harrisburg Area, who was presiding over the
session, prayed for holy discernment before the delegates voted.

On May 15, the California Supreme Court struck down the state's ban on
same-gender marriage, ruling that the state constitution protects that
"right to marry."

The California-Pacific Annual Conference, which met in June, approved
measures that support same-gender couples entering into the marriage
covenant and encouraged congregations and pastors to "welcome, embrace
and provide spiritual nurture and pastoral care for these families."

The neighboring California-Nevada Annual Conference approved similar
measures,  including one that lists about 80 retired United Methodist
clergy who have offered to conduct same-gender marriage ceremonies on
behalf of those clergy who feel they cannot do it themselves.

After the Northeastern Jurisdiction Conference resolution was passed,
Bishop Mary Ann Swenson of the Los Angeles Area read it to the Western
Jurisdiction Conference in Portland, Ore. Delegates and guests greeted
it with a standing ovation.

The five U.S. jurisdictional conferences of The United Methodist
Church are meeting to elect and assign bishops for the next four years
and to handle other business. The Northeastern Jurisdiction is meeting
July 13-18.

*Mulenga is a reporter for the Rochester Democrat-Chronicle, the
communications committee chairperson for the Western New York Annual
Conference, and a delegate to the Northeastern Jurisdictional Conference.

Press Release from Integrity 19 July 2008

"ALONGSIDE LAMBETH" OFFERS PROGRAMME FOR ALL COMERS

  CANTERBURY, UK— Plans for this Lambeth Conference originally included
an Anglican Congress that would have drawn lay and ordained Anglicans
[not just bishops] from across the world to meet and learn together.
Those plans were changed but Lambeth still draws many people—some
coming as volunteers, others as visitors. IntegrityUSA is delighted
that Thinking Anglicans and Inclusive Church have joined forces to
offer a program "Alongside Lambeth" for those who are not
participating in the bishop's conference.

Each morning at 11am there will be a brief devotional time near the
Marketplace Café, followed by Bible studies in small groups. Many of
the Bible studies will come from "Signs on the Way"—which focuses on
St John's Gospel and complements the Bible studies in which the
bishops and their spouses will take part during the Lambeth
Conference. This has been prepared by the Lambeth Planning Team as a
way for Anglicans to be present in spirit with the bishops.

Later in the morning there will be an opportunity for discussions and
buzz groups. Each afternoon a variety of speakers will offer talks and
discussions on similar topics to the ones the bishops are considering.
Speakers include Sue Burns, Eric Beresford, Jenny TePaa, Giles
Goddard, Dianna Gwilliam, Andrew Wingate, and Rowan Smith.

The afternoon talks will take place at St Stephen's Church and will be
followed by Evening Prayer at 5pm. Clergy from St Stephen's are
available for prayer and spiritual counsel, as are several other
clergy. Chaplaincy services are available to anyone attending the
conference in whatever capacity and can be arranged by contacting the
Rev. Caro Hall, Inclusive Church Network chaplain, at 07503-681-408 or
through the Inclusive Church stall.

"Alongside Lambeth" is open to everyone at no charge. Unlike other
Fringe Events, no prior sign up is necessary. More information is
available at the Inclusive Church stall in the Marketplace.

END



Press contact in the UK:
Louise Brooks, Senior Press Officer, +44 (0)7503 695 579,
tvprod@...



Press contact in the USA:
Jan Adams, Field Organizer, +1-415-378-2050, jan@...

Bishop rules Cal-Nevada statement on same-sex unions 'void'
(Revised to include additional comments)
July 18, 2008
By Marta W. Aldrich

PORTLAND, Ore. (UMNS)-Retired United Methodist clergy in northern
California and Nevada could face disciplinary charges if they perform
same-gender marriage ceremonies in the wake of a California court
ruling that allows gay couples to marry, their bishop says.

While the church's California-Nevada legislative assembly approved a
resolution in June commending retired clergy who have offered to
perform such ceremonies, Bishop Beverly J. Shamana has issued a ruling
declaring the statement "void and of no effect."

"While the resolution is a commendable gesture to the congregations of
the conference in offering the pastoral counsel of a number of retired
clergy to persons contemplating same-gender marriage under the laws of
California, it steps over a disciplinary line when it commends these
clergy to the congregations for the purpose of 'performing same gender
marriages or holy unions,'" Shamana wrote in her ruling of law.

Meanwhile, an organizer of the retired clergy said the bishop's ruling
would not deter the pastors from performing the ceremonies.

"Nothing has changed by the bishop calling the resolution null and
void," said the Rev. Don Fado, a retired United Methodist pastor in
Sacramento. "As far as we're concerned, we're available, and the
conference knows we're available, and we've made our witness and will
continue to do so."

Ruling of law

The ruling of law was requested immediately after the church's
California-Nevada Annual (regional) Conference approved the resolution
on June 21. The ruling was sent July 2 to the United Methodist
Judicial Council, the church's top court, which will review the matter
at its October session. A copy of the ruling was obtained by United
Methodist News Service during the church's Western Jurisdictional
Conference, meeting July 16-19 in Portland, where a new bishop was
being elected to replace the retiring Shamana.

Sixty-seven retired clergy signed on to offer their services under the
original resolution. The list has since grown to 82, according to Fado.

The resolution lists the names of retired clergy wanting to
participate and states that the conference "commends its retired
clergy for offering continued ministry and will communicate to its
congregations the availability of the following retired pastors to
perform same gender marriages or holy unions."

In her ruling, Shamana says the denomination's Book of Discipline
declares that performing same-sex marriage ceremonies is a chargeable
offense.

"It is not within the power or prerogative of an annual conference to
offer the services of its clergy to perform acts which the General
Conference has declared to be chargeable offenses against the law of
The United Methodist Church," Shamana wrote.

The United Methodist Church, while affirming all people as persons "of
sacred worth," considers the practice of homosexuality "incompatible
with Christian teaching." Its law book prohibits its pastors and
churches from conducting ceremonies celebrating homosexual unions. The
denominational statements were affirmed in a split vote last spring by
General Conference, the church's top legislative body that meets once
every four years.

The Rev. Ronald Greilich, who asked Shamana for the ruling of law,
said he was pleased with the bishop's conclusion.

"The Discipline is very specific that United Methodist clergy are not
to do gay and lesbian weddings and they're not to be held in the
churches, and to do so is a chargeable offense," said Greilich, a
retired pastor in Clovis, Calif.

Greilich is writing a brief to submit to the Judicial Council in
support of Shamana's ruling. "This is what our book of rules says, and
if we're going to be United Methodists in covenant with one another,
we should do what we promised to do when we were ordained, which is to
support The United Methodist Church," he said.

Making a statement

Fado said many retired clergy in California-Nevada actually have been
"doing holy unions for three years"--under the radar. However, he
said, they felt compelled to make a statement about their availability
in the wake of last spring's ruling by the California Supreme Court,
overturning a voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage.

The resolution "was a chance to make a witness on where we stand and
give courage to pastors in the connection that we're willing to do
it," Fado said. "… We're saying this is an act of collegiality to be
of support to pastors who feel for any reason they cannot perform the
ceremony."

Fado said retired clergy listed in the resolution are among the
leaders in the California-Nevada Conference, which includes northern
California and the state of Nevada. They include 15 former district
superintendents, 11 who have been delegates to General Conference and
10 who have served as conference staff.

The church's California-Pacific assembly also passed gay-friendly
statements in June in southern California, after the state began
issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples on June 16.

Some denominational leaders have subsequently expressed concern that
the two conferences are on the verge of breaking a Scripturally based
covenant with the rest of the 11.5 million-member denomination, as
expressed through the Book of Discipline and actions of General
Conference, which is the only body that can speak for the entire
United Methodist Church.

They say the church's position is based on biblical teaching and
Christian tradition, which they note is often at odds with popular
culture.

Gay rights advocates say gay rights are God-given civil rights that
the church should support as a matter of conscience and that the
church, in its quest to be more inclusive, should extend to gay
couples the same levels of support it provides to heterosexual couples.

At the church's Northeastern Jurisdictional Conference meeting in
Harrisburg, Pa., delegates voted July 17 to support retired
California-Nevada clergy who perform the marriage ceremonies. The
resolution also asks for lenient disciplinary action against clergy
who disobey church law on the issue.

# # #

*Aldrich is news editor of United Methodist News Service.

California United Methodists react to same-sex ruling
Jul. 9, 2008
NOTE: Corrected version, original sent July 8
A UMNS Report
By Marta W. Aldrich*

On the heels of a California Supreme Court ruling that opened the door
to same-gender unions, two United Methodist legislative bodies in
California have approved gay-friendly statements that are stretching
the denominational promise of "open hearts, open minds, open doors."

The church's California-Pacific Annual Conference, convening June
18-22 in Redlands, approved three measures that support same-gender
couples entering into the marriage covenant. Each "encourages both
congregations and pastors to welcome, embrace and provide spiritual
nurture and pastoral care for these families," according to a June 27
letter to the conference from Bishop Mary Ann Swenson and other
conference leaders.

That same week in Sacramento, the California-Nevada Annual Conference
approved two measures on the same issue, including one that lists 67
retired United Methodist clergy in northern California who have
offered to conduct same-gender marriage ceremonies. The resolution
commends the pastors' work in offering continued ministry.

The statements are the strongest yet on the issue by California United
Methodists and have drawn cheers from gay rights advocates, who say
the church and its pastors should extend to same-sex couples the same
level of support it provides heterosexual couples.

Others say the conferences are on the verge of breaking a Scripturally
based covenant with the rest of the 11.5 million-member worldwide
denomination. The United Methodist Church, while affirming all people
as persons "of sacred worth," considers the practice of homosexuality
"incompatible with Christian teaching." Its policy book, called the
Book of Discipline, prohibits its pastors and churches from conducting
ceremonies celebrating homosexual unions.

The denominational statements were affirmed last spring during split
votes by General Conference, the church's top legislative body. The
assembly, which met April 23-May 2, convenes every four years and
represents United Methodists worldwide.

That same month, California's high court overturned a voter-approved
ban on same-sex marriage, making California and Massachusetts the only
U.S. states to allow gay couples to marry. California began to issue
licenses June 16.

Pastoral choices

The actions by United Methodist leaders in southern California reflect
the struggle by pastors and churches to minister to same-sex couples
in the wake of actions by both the General Conference and the state's
high court, according to the Rev. Frank Wulf, pastor of United
University Church, a United Methodist/Presbyterian congregation in Los
Angeles.

"This recognizes that our pastors and our churches are already
struggling with these decisions," said Wulf, who helped to author the
resolutions. "It's an attempt to honor the choices they make."

One resolution reads in part: "While we recognize that we are governed
by the Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church, we support
those pastors who conscientiously respond to the needs of their
parishes by celebrating same-gender marriages, and we envision
compassion and understanding in any resulting disciplinary actions."

The second resolution acknowledges the May 15 court decision, and the
third opposes a November ballot initiative in California that would
reverse the court ruling and amend the state constitution to bar gay
marriage.

In northern California, the California-Nevada Conference voted to
support both the court ruling and the pastoral alternative offered by
some retired clergy. "Some of our clergy will choose not to perform
same-gender marriages, for various reasons, but would like to keep a
continued ministry with families and loved ones of same-gender
couples," the resolution states. "…Retired clergy in our conference
are now available to perform the marriages as an aid to the
congregation and pastor. …"

Bishop Beverly Shamana, who presides over the conference, declined to
comment on the action. Responding to an elder's call, she has sent a
ruling to the denomination's top court on the question of how the
conference can authorize and commend its clergy to conduct an act that
might violate church law. The Judicial Council is expected to consider
her ruling when it convenes in October.

Ongoing conversation

The latest developments in the California conferences trouble United
Methodists who view such actions as a challenge to both Scriptural
authority and the church's covenant through its Book of Discipline.
They note that General Conference has repeatedly affirmed its stance
on homosexuality and homosexual unions.

"We've made it clear we adhere to biblical teaching and Christian
tradition," said the Rev. Eddie Fox, director of evangelism for the
World Methodist Council. "Ninety-eight percent of Christians around
the world believe marriage is between one man and one woman, so we're
not out of step in our ecumenical relationships with Christians around
the world."

At the most recent General Conference, Fox helped lead the effort to
keep the church's stance on homosexuality intact. He argued that "God
created the maleness and the femaleness" and that this "order of
creation is, at the very heart, one of those essential doctrines for
us in our church."

"If we don't have a clear, consistent statement on this, it will
result in confusion in our church," Fox said in a July 7 interview
with UMNS. "These are the Social Principles for the whole church, not
for one church." The Social Principles, contained in the Book of
Discipline, detail the church's position on homosexuality and other
social concerns.

The Rev. Maxie Dunnam urged all pastors and churches to act on the
church's definition of marriage instead of secular definitions. "The
church is called to be prophetic in opposing that in the culture that
is clearly out of step with what our United Methodist Church, the
church universal and the Christian faith affirms," said Dunnam,
chancellor of Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Ky.

"I would hope that people would recognize the pain that their action
will cause for the whole church, especially as we seek to be a global
church."

The Rev. John McFarland was among California-Pacific members who
questioned the wisdom of the body's decisions and the processes being
used to discern God's voice.

"This topic is not being debated based on Scripture," said McFarland,
pastor of Fountain Valley (Calif.) United Methodist Church. "It's
being debated primarily on experience without regard to tradition,
reason and Scripture." Scripture, tradition, experience and reason are
the four themes cited by Methodism's founder, John Wesley, as
illuminating the Christian faith.

"Even though wonderful and caring people practice same-sex behavior,
the discussion does not end there. What concerns me is how far we've
gone from trusting the Bible as the Word of God," said McFarland. He
noted that 2 Timothy 3:16 says "all Scripture is inspired by God and
profitable for teaching, reproof, correction and training in
righteousness."

Interpretation vs. authority

Proponents of conference actions suggest the issue is not biblical
authority, but biblical interpretation.

"It is our UM tradition to interpret Scripture with attention to its
context and purpose," said the Rev. Sharon Rhodes-Wickett, pastor of
Claremont (Calif.) United Methodist Church.

"We create misunderstandings when we choose some texts to be
understood as literal and others not," she said. "We once excluded
women as clergy based on Scriptural authority; we once justified
slave-holding based on Scripture. We're doing the same thing now with
regard to homosexuality."

Wulf said the church's unity does not necessarily lie in the unanimity
of practice in all things. "We are fallible human beings, and our
covenant is imperfect. We all know that because we get together every
four years to adjust it," he said of the church's General Conference.

"To those of us in the West who feel a calling to offer a different
kind of message to same-sex couples, there is a sense in which the
whole church wants to hem us in and prevent us from following that
calling," Wulf said.

"… We know the world is in flux, particularly on this issue," he said.
"So we do this--not as an act of disrespect to the people of Africa or
the people of (other parts of the United States)--but as a way of
speaking the Christian Gospel compassionately to a group of people who
deal with this every day."

*Aldrich is news editor of United Methodist News Service.

'Christian Conferencing' Follows Demonstration
By Linda Bloom*
May 1, 2008

FORT WORTH, Texas (UMNS) — Relationships established before the 2008
United Methodist General Conference began helped temper a May 1
response to that body's decision not to change the denomination's
current positions on homosexuality, according to some participants.

During a press conference after a "witness" was made on the General
Conference floor by supporters of lesbian, bisexual, gay and
transgendered people, Bishop Gregory Palmer, president of the United
Methodist Council of Bishops, said he had a "deep sense of gratitude"
for both how the witness was handled and how delegates and bishops
responded.

The 15-minute demonstration was in reaction to the April 30 decision
to retain the denomination's decades-old proscription describing
homosexual practice as "incompatible with Christian teaching." One
protester, Audrey Krumbach, read a statement declaring that the
"anti-gay policies of The United Methodist Church are wrong and sinful
in the sight of God."

Afterward, 16 bishops met with the witnesses advocating for full
inclusion and created a table for Christian conferencing and
acknowledgement of the pain felt by some church members. "We went into
a time of discussion, speaking from our hearts as much as our heads,"
said Bishop Sally Dyck.

Team-building eased tension

The Rev. Troy Plummer, executive director of the Reconciling
Ministries Network, noted that "today was a better day than
yesterday." He thanked the team from JUSTPEACE, a mission of the
church for mediation and conflict transformation, for helping
participants in the discussion to "overcome some sticking points."

"In shock" over the outcome of the April 30 vote, Plummer said it was
only the team-building which occurred before General Conference that
prevented a response of civil disobedience.

Bishop Scott Jones said he had only joined those conversations today
as a volunteer for the Council of Bishops, but supported the effort
because he has "a ministry of bridge building."

On May 2, the last day of General Conference, those involved in the
conversations will focus on how to proceed, according to Dyck. "We do
want to build on relationships and trust so we can use this as an
opportunity for new hope to emerge," she said.

The Rev. Gail Murphy-Geiss, chair of the Commission on General
Conference, addressed the concern over the fact that the demonstration
appeared to be cut off from the live Internet feed of that plenary
session. "It was definitely an accident," she said. "The plug was not
pulled."

Even though it was not shown live, Murphy-Geiss said the event was
recorded and has since been uploaded to the General Conference Web
site, www.gc2008.umc.org.


Decision 1032 still troubles some


Plummer said that he was most troubled about the vote to let stand
language in the Book of Discipline regarding pastoral authority over
church membership, even though a majority report of a legislative
committee recommended the congregation change the language to make it
clear that pastors and congregations "are to faithfully receive all
persons who are willing to affirm our vows of membership."

Controversy has occurred over a 2005 decision by the United Methodist
Judicial Council – No. 1032 – supporting the Rev. Ed Johnson of
Virginia who denied membership to a man who was in an openly
homosexual relationship. The council reinstated Johnson after he had
been placed on involuntary leave by the Virginia Annual (regional)
Conference.

"It's very dismaying to leave this General Conference with 1032 still
in place. That's a grief for our people," Plummer said, adding that he
hoped the new Judicial Council "might somehow be asked to reconsider
1032 again."

Jones said that 1032 and a similar case cited "are in my experience,
isolated cases" and he believes that 99 percent of the church does not
discriminate in this way.


*Bloom is a United Methodist News Service writer based in New York.

Online videos of the demonstration at General Conference are
available:

Witness (Complete)

Windows Media
http://media.umcom.org/gc2008/video_archives/20080501_protest/20080501
_Break_Holy_Witness_sm.asx
QuickTime
http://umcmedia.org/gc2008/video_archives/20080501_protest/20080501_Br
eak_Holy_Witness_sm.mov
MPEG
http://umcmedia.org/gc2008/video_archives/20080501_protest/20080501_Br
eak_Holy_Witness_sm.mpg

Holy Witness Floor Demonstration Excerpt

Windows Media
http://media.umcom.org/gc2008/video_archives/20080501_protest/20080501
_Excerpt_Protest_sm.asx
QuickTime
http://media.umcom.org/gc2008/video_archives/20080501_protest/20080501
_Excerpt_Protest_sm.mov

The direct link to "General Conference Sights and Sounds," which has
links the audio/video of the demonstration is:
http://www.umc.org/site/c.lwL4KnN1LtH/b.4047987/k.6384/General_Confere
nce_Sights_and_Sounds.htm


----------------------------
Demonstrators Call Church's 'Anti-Gay' Policies Sinful
May 1, 2008
By Linda Green*

FORT WORTH, Texas (UMNS)—In an act of witness in front of delegates
to the 2008 United Methodist General Conference, more than 200 people
declared that the denomination's policies and practices against
homosexuality are "sinful" and that "sexuality is a gift from God."

Primarily dressed in black, demonstrators walked onto the legislative
floor at the Fort Worth Convention Center, formed a two-lined cross
around the communion table located in the center aisle and draped it
in a black shroud to witness against the church's stance on
homosexual practice. They entered silently, but once all
demonstrators were in place, they sang, "Were You There When They
Crucified My Lord?"

The black shroud and the black worn by the demonstrators
to "recognize our brokenness" and "to acknowledge that the body is
broken," said Audrey Krumbach, who read a statement during the
witness.

The 15-minute demonstration was in reaction to the April 30 decision
to retain the denomination's decades-old proscription in the Social
Principles and other parts of the Discipline describing homosexual
practice as "incompatible with Christian teaching."

Delegates voted 501-417 to keep the stance and also passed a
resolution against homophobia and heterosexism, saying the church
opposes "all forms of violence or discrimination based on gender,
gender identity, sexual practice or sexual orientation."

One witness, speaking on behalf of the protesters, told the General
Conference that when The United Methodist Church refuses to accept
and honor everyone's call to professional ministry, it refuses to
abide by the rules of Methodism's founder John Wesley: do no harm, do
good and stay in love with God.

"We are part of God's living body in today's world, but our United
Methodist Church refuses to accept what God has already done; refuses
to keep covenant with its own words in the baptismal promise …
refuses to open its hearts, minds and doors," said Krumbach, formerly
a member of the North Georgia Conference and a student at Garrett
Evangelical Theological Seminary, Evanston, Ill.

She said those outside the church have noticed "the church truly
scapegoating" people "on the altar of so-called unity" and "the
closeting (of) the LGBTQ people who faithfully serve the church."

Krumbach declared that the "anti-gay policies of The United Methodist
Church are wrong and sinful in the sight of God" and in the act of
witnessing "we reject the lie that homosexuality is a sin and that by
standing, we affirm that sexuality is a good gift of God."

'Wrenching' decisions

The demonstration was a compromise between General Conference
officers, the Council of Bishops and leaders of groups advocating the
full inclusion of gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people in
the church. There had been plans for a large-scale demonstration
reminiscent of those at the 2000 General Conference in Cleveland,
where people participated in acts of civil disobedience and were
arrested. At the 2004 conference in Pittsburgh, a demonstration was
held on the assembly floor.

Bishop Gregory Palmer, president of the Council of Bishops, said some
decisions made by General Conference delegates have been "more
wrenching than others to all the members of this body and the whole
church, including your bishops."

He read a statement to the conference to demonstrate that the
bishops, in a time of crisis, remain focused on their leadership
roles and their pastoral duties and to recall the messages of hope
offered throughout the General Conference.

"It was our conviction that being in holy conferencing means
listening deeply and sensitively to voices you might otherwise not
hear" and "identify ways in which the votes and the desire for a
witness was affecting the life of the council," he said.

The "sensitive listening" that the bishops have been involved in led
them to reaffirm their covenant to love, preach, serve, live by
Wesley's three rules and to lead all United Methodists, Palmer said.

During the witness, bishops who have different perspectives around
the issue of sexual identity moved within, around and outside the
demonstrators to live out their pastoral role among the body.

Twelve bishops, paralleling the 12 disciples, met with 12 of the
demonstrators to maintain the covenant of holy conferencing and keep
conversation going toward wholeness. The bishops who are meeting with
the demonstrators are not of one mind but are of one heart in seeking
the wholeness of the body of Christ and the denomination, Palmer said.

While the demonstration occurred, the presidents of the council –
Bishop Janice Riggle Huie, whose tenure ended during General
Conference; Palmer, the newly installed president; and Bishop Larry
Goodpaster, the president-designate – stood behind the altar table
with arms lifted and hands clasped together as they prayed for the
conference and for the activity taking place.

"This was a symbolic act of our praying for the whole body. It was
not intended to be a protest. It was a sign of leading a community in
prayer," Palmer said. "It was to say that these are people, we are
people and we are all trying to be disciples of Christ."

Comparisons to Central Jurisdiction

Retired Bishop Melvin Talbert, a former ecumenical officer of the
Council of Bishops, reminded the conference of the church's 1939
action, when the denomination segregated black Methodists into the
Central Jurisdiction.

"That action was wrong. That action was a sin against God," and in
making the decision on April 30, the General Conference "has taken an
action that is wrong," he said. The segregated jurisdiction was
dissolved in 1968.

Prior to asking the General Conference to reconsider its April 30
vote, Talbert said that those in the former Central Jurisdiction
lived within a structure and were able to repair broken relationships
with the church. That has not been the case with those with differing
sexual identities, he said.

"We have chosen to leave them out rather than invite them in to work
out our relationships. … I can do no other than to say what is on my
heart. General Conference, General Conference, this is wrong. I
invite you to reconsider."

Palmer found Talbert's statements surprising but said he could
understand the content. Comparisons of sexual rights, civil rights
and the Central Jurisdiction are nothing new, he said.

Some delegates stood in solidarity with the witnesses, and others
remained seated because they did not support the witness.

'I make no apology'

North Georgia Bishop Lindsey Davis expressed thanks for the way the
leadership team of the Council of Bishops allowed the witnesses to
voice their concerns and their hurts, but he refuted Talbert's
assertion that The United Methodist Church is wrong in upholding its
stance against homosexuality.

"I think the church is right. I think we are very much in sync with
historic Christianity and very much in sync with 99.9 percent of
Christians in the world," he said. "I make no apology for our
position. It is biblical, and it is in keeping with 2,000 years of
Christian tradition."

The church's stance is compassionate, he said, but those who
participated in the act of witness may not have that perspective and
use civil rights as an argument for inclusion.

"I definitely disagree with Bishop Talbert on that matter. … I do not
think it has anything to do with civil rights," Davis said. He added
that the church takes great strides to protect the civil rights of
all people.

"I will go to the mat to protect the civil rights of all of these
persons who protested today, but I don't think you can equate the
two," he said. "If you do, it is doing a disservice to the civil
rights movement of the 1960s and on."

'All children of God'

Eunice Musa Iliya, a delegate from Nigeria and a student at Claremont
(Calif.) School of Theology, stood in support of the witness, despite
being admonished by other members of the Nigerian delegation. "My
delegation remained seated because they believe that it is
incompatible with Christian teaching," she said.
Iliya found being the lone supporter "terrible" because "they are not
happy with what I did." She stood "to support my fellow brothers and
sisters who are a part of this body. . .. They are all children of
God, and we should support them and give them opportunity to be in
the same place where God has called us to be."

The show of support from General Conference delegates made
demonstrator Becca Cramer of Claremont, Calif., cry tears of joy. "To
see allies and all the delegates who were willing to stand with us
despite the reasons others were giving them to sit down, and despite
what may happen to them because of their solidarity, gives me so much
hope that the future of our church will live into Christ's vision and
will stop being the broken church that we are now."

Palmer advised Iliya and other delegates who are being chastised for
their display of solidarity to "hold to God's unchanging hand." He
also advised those who are marginalizing members of their delegations
for supporting the demonstration "to take great care to understand
the complexities of reasons as to why anyone stands."

'We were held captive'

The Rev. Chappell Temple of the Texas Conference said there were
numerous delegates who were "dismayed, saddened and outraged" at the
act of witness. People are questioning whether such action would have
occurred if the General Conference would have changed its stance on
homosexuality, he said.

Bishop J. Lawrence McCleskey, the presiding bishop prior to the
action, halted the legislative assembly and recessed the conference.
Chappell said, "He should have said those wishing to leave can do so.
We were held captive. The altar was desecrated; the singing was
presumptuous, self-righteous and accusatory."

While noting the pain resulting from the church's decision and
stance, Temple also said it was wrong to lay guilt on those trying to
follow Christ and listen to Christ. "I understand that the (act of
witness) was a compromise, and what was allowed was simply blackmail,
it was extortion" and was disrespectful to people of different
views.

"For a person to give a long, one-sided speech, and for a bishop to
speak and call for reconsideration, goes against everything that we
hold together and as holy covenant," he said.

During the witness, Krumbach said the voices of gay, lesbian,
bisexual, transgender and queer people have not been heard, but
Chappell disagrees. "They have made witness the entire week," he
said. "No one is happy about where we are, and their demonstration
implied that somehow we've heaped burning coals on them."

Delegates, he said, are trying to hold the church together "not for
artificial unity, but for a unity of heart that strikes at the very
root of Christian conference."

Some delegates and visitors questioned why the event was not streamed
live on the Web along with the General Conference business sessions.
McCleskey told delegates the witness event was not streamed because
it occurred during a recess, and normal procedure during the breaks
is for the streaming video to be replaced by an image of the
assembly's logo. However, he said, the witness event was recorded and
the video would be posted by United Methodist Communications on the
General Conference Web site, www.gc2008.umc.org.

*Green is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in
Nashville, Tenn.

Same-Sex Couple Says 'I Do' Outside Church Assembly
By Ciona D. Rouse*
May 2, 2008

FORT WORTH, Texas (UMNS)--Just days after their denomination
reaffirmed its position against same-sex unions, United Methodists
Julie Bruno, 47, and Sue Laurie, 52, held a marriage ceremony on
General Worth Square, across the street from the convention center
where the General Conference was meeting to pass official
denominational stances.

More than 200 guests--family, friends and delegates--attended the
outdoor ceremony on May 2. The couple are members of United Church of
Rogers Park, a United Methodist church in Chicago.

"We have talked for many years about the pros and cons of a wedding.
We decided to do it now while our church family is gathered," Bruno said.

Invitations were distributed on the evening of May 1 as delegates and
visitors left the convention center, but Bruno said the ceremony was
open to the entire church.

The couple exchanged vows, and the guests read a printed declaration
of marriage in unison.

Only one clergy person, the Rev. Julie Todd of the New England Annual
(regional) Conference, participated in the ceremony. Todd blessed and
consecrated communion elements that the couple served to their guests.

The United Methodist Book of Discipline prohibits the denomination's
clergy from conducting ceremonies that celebrate homosexual unions.

Bruno and Laurie, who is the outreach coordinator for the Reconciling
Ministries Network, said other United Methodist clergy wanted to
participate in the ceremony. The couple wanted their ceremony,
however, to be "less about upsetting people and more about being role
models," showing that "ceremonies are going on regardless" of the
church's position on homosexual marriage. The Reconciling Ministries
Network advocates for full inclusion of gays, lesbians, bisexuals and
transgender people in the life of the church.

"This is about us today, not about clergy breaking rules," said Bruno.

Long relationship

Bruno, a lifelong United Methodist, and Laurie met during a Bible
study at a United Methodist church 25 years ago. They bought rings for
each other after 10 years, but the Fort Worth event was their only
formal ceremony.

Joan Bruno, Julie's sister, said the ceremony felt like an affirmation
of the couple's relationship and celebration of their church family
because she has considered them married for many years.

"It's been 25 years already. She's been my sister-in-law forever,"
said Joan.

"They've been together longer than my straight parents, so this is a
very powerful experience that, for me, speaks to what loving,
committed relationships are," said David Braden, a friend attending
General Conference as an alternate lay delegate from Northern Illinois.

Braden said he was still distraught over the April 30 legislative
decision retaining the church's stance that the practice of
homosexuality is "incompatible with Christian teaching." However, he
said he believes this ceremony was helping him to heal.

"I can go home from this conference feeling more fully human knowing
there are people in this church who affirm loving relationships and
are dedicated to God," Braden said.

Julie Bruno said that she and Laurie hoped the celebration would
provide healing for others hurt by the assembly's decisions. She
called their marriage an "Easter celebration after what felt like Good
Friday."

"This is our Easter gift to our church family," Bruno said.


*Rouse is a freelance writer in Nashville, Tenn

During the United Methodist quadrennial General Conference, which
takes place in Fort Worth, Texas, on April 23-May 2, 2008, Affirmation
will post a daily newsletter.

Contents (plain text stories pasted below but not the poems):
No Progress On Human Sexuality Paragraph in Social Principles,
Observations From Someone New to General Conference, We're Not Your
Punching Bags, This 'n' that, Poems: INCARNATION, To The Chair and
From The Voiceless.

The complete, illustrated newsletter is available in PDF format at:
http://www.umaffirm.org

Out #10, May 2, 2008 (PDF, 4 pp, 180K)
http://www.umaffirm.org/pdf/gc080502.pdf
Contents (plain text below): Spiritual Violence Sparks Protests, Those
Patronizing Cliches, Sexual Based Violence, Discrimination Condemned,
Legislative Miscellaneous, Fort Worth Witness Proclamation.


Spiritual Violence Sparks Protests
by Gary Shephard Newsletter Staff

Wednesday's vote to accept the minority report on Paragraph 161.G has
sparked multiple protests. This was partly in response to the
acceptance of the minority report. It was partly in response to the
ugliness of the arguments against the majority report and for the
minority report.

The first protest Wednesday evening consisted of the Common Witness
people who were able to, to stand at the door so that delegates would
have to walk past them on their way back from their dinner break.
Anyone with too much strong emotion was requested to care for
themselves rather than engage in the protest.

The second protest was before Thursday's session started. Body
outlines were chalked in various locations. Those who were able to
continued to lie in their chalk outlines as delegates walked past into
the convention center.

The third and by far largest protest happened during the morning
plenary. Under rule 3.3 the presiding bishop recessed the session for
15 minutes so that protesters, many of them dressed in black with
black scarves over their heads, filed in filling the area between the
four sections of delegates on the floor. Additional protesters and
supporters stood in the stands. As the protesters filed in and turned
to face the delegates they sang Were You There? Then a proclamation
was read. You can find that on page 4 of this newsletter as
Proclamation – Witness – General Conference 2008. People were then
invited, both protesters and delegates alike, to lay black cloth on
the communion table in the middle of the delegate area. At the end of
the 15 minutes the protesters left the floor. At that time 16 bishops
and representatives from the Common Witness coalition started meeting
in Holy Conferencing. As of Thursday afternoon we found out that the
Holy Conferencing would continue after General Conference.

-----------------

Those Patronizing Cliches
by Rev. Richard F. Burdon, Retired, Oregon-Idaho Annual Conference

Oh, those patronizing cliches: "Love the Sinner, Hate the Sin," "We
are all sinners so all are in need of forgiveness." "God loves
everybody so everybody is welcome here." "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." Yet
for 36 years our church law proclaims: "the practice of homosexuality
is incompatible with Christian teaching."

They gloss over the harm done to those whom the church has denied full
participation as members. Every time a person leaves the church in
despair and hopelessness the church has failed to minister to those
begging for a ministry of understanding and welcome.

A committee coined the phrase "the practice of homosexuality is
incompatible with Christian teaching" but it is time to hit the delete
key on that old line of defense. Scripture does not support such
rhetoric, nor does tradition, nor experience, nor reason. The Church's
exclusionary pronouncement betrays the reality that the church has
failed to minister to a talented, loving minority. There are few
places in the Church where the homosexual minority can find true
welcome, comfort, understanding, council, and a place to be one's
self. The secular world has moved farther and faster toward
inclusiveness, thus leaving the church squabbling over a sin that does
not exist.

After 25 years of struggling to be a clergyperson and outwardly a
model family man, supposedly in love with a women, and producing two
lovely, intelligent children I arrived at an "outing" juncture which
left me adrift without the ministry of the church. There was no
alternative but to search outside my denomination for council and for
help to accept the truth about myself. I am a gay man.

I served the church as a missionary on two continents and as a parish
pastor for 10 years, all the while living a dual life. It was a life
of constant fear of discovery--always looking over my shoulder afraid
of potential attacks or revelations. I had encountered physical
brutality, verbal assaults, and heard demeaning categorizations.
Religious bigotry battered my personhood. I paid a heavy price for
pretending to be something other than what God intended for me. Those
clichés developed by an uninformed church had for years blocked my
route to self-discovery.

The movie Brokeback Mountain made it clear to me that my life had
parallels to that story. I was confused about my search for identity,
as they were. They tried to live an idealized life. They longed for
love they hoped to find in marriage, romance, and a home life with
children to raise. It is a sad story of a love and ideal that could
never be realized because of their denial of being gay. They sought in
vain to fulfill the marriage paradigm. The lives of these two
fictional characters are symbolic of millions of families facing the
dilemma of trying to deny their true nature while living a lie.

The LGBTQ world is in desperate need of a compassionate church that
understands its need for understanding, love, and acceptance.

-----------------

Sexual Based Violence, Discrimination Condemned
by Victoria Rebeck, edited by Gary Shephard

Violence and discrimination against gay, lesbians, transgender, and
bisexual people was firmly condemned Wednesday. The GC delegates
passed a resolution saying that "actions rooted in homophobia and
heterosexism, including violence, threats, ridicule, humiliation,
discrimination, isolations and rejection, is damaging to persons of
all sexual orientations and identities."

The resolution also calls the United Methodist Church to strengthen
its advocacy of the eradication of sexism by opposing all forms of
violence or discrimination based on gender, gender identity, sexual
practice or sexual orientation. Further, it directs the United
Methodist General Board of Church and Society, based in Washington,
D.C., to provide resources and materials "aimed at educating members
of the local churches about the reality, issues, and effects of
homophobia and heterosexism and the need for Christian witness against
these facts of marginalization."

The resolution did not make a statement about homosexuality. Its
purpose was to condemn violence and discrimination against people who
do not "appear to fit within the particular category defined as
appropriate for their gender."

To read the complete text, visit http://gc2008.umc.org and under
"Track legislation" enter petition 80845.

-----------------

Opportunity Missed On 161.G
by Diane DeLap Affirmation Spokesperson

By a vote of 501 to 417 the UMC General Conference voted to accept a
new version of Paragraph 161.G. However, instead of accepting the
majority report from the Church and Society 2 Legislative Committee
that would have removed the "incompatibility" language, the minority
report was accepted. The majority report stated in part that "We know
that all are God's children and of sacred worth; yet we have been, and
remain, divided regarding homosexual expressions of human sexuality.
Faithful, thoughtful people who have grappled with this issue deeply
disagree with one another; yet all seek a faithful witness. We
continue to reason and pray together with faith and hope that the Holy
Spirit will soon bring reconciliation to our community of faith." This
version offered the hope of breaking the logjam of painful conflict
that the UMC has endured for the past thirty years.

The new text of Paragraph 161.G can be found at
http://calms.umc.org/2008/Menu.aspx?type=Petition&mode=Single&Number=80449


-----------------

Legislative Miscellaneous

An attempt to change Paragraph 214 in Section V Church membership to
prevent an elder from preventing someone the elder feels unworthy of
church membership from joining failed to pass. This means that
Judicial Council ruling 1032 is still in effect and anyone can be
denied membership if the pastor determines the person is not ready for
membership for any reason.

An irregularity in the voting on this measure has come to light, but
it's unclear at this time whether the item will be voted on again.

Items barring transgender clergy were voted down.

-----------------

Fort Worth Witness Proclamation
Drafted by the Witness Team of Reconciling Ministries Network

We have heard Jesus say – to all persons without exception – "follow me."
We are part of God's living body in today's world, but our United
Methodist Church
    refuses to accept what God has done,
    refuses to keep covenant with its own words in the baptismal promise,
    refuses to honor God's call to professional ministry,
    refuses to do no harm,
    refuses to open its hearts, minds, and doors.

The unchurched notice. They notice the church cruelly scape goating
lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people on the altar of
so-called unity.
The young notice. They notice the church denying, refusing,
threatening, removing, closeting the LGBT people who faithfully serve
the church.
The world notices.
We notice.
God notices.

The United Methodist baptismal liturgy calls all of us to
    accept the freedom and power God gives us
    to resist evil, injustice, and oppression
    in whatever forms they present themselves.

It is our duty – our baptismal covenant – to stand against the sin of
the church,
    to stand for God's freedom and power,
    to affirm God's entire body of Christ that is the church.

We are God's children, here . . . now.

Today we boldly declare by standing here
    that our church's doors and our ministries
will radically obey the Gospel
    that we defy bigotry and ignorance,
    that the anti-gay policies and practices of The United Methodist
Church are wrong.

By human means we cannot stand
    but by the grace of God we can.

By standing we reject the idea that homosexuality is a sin
By standing we affirm that sexuality is a good gift of God
By standing we affirm our intent to spread God's love and grace
By standing we bless and celebrate families, all families.

We do not stand alone.
We stand in solidarity with all those who are not here, who are not in
our congregations.
We stand with those who've been forced out
and who've never come in,
   who already affirm one another as beloved children of God,
   regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.

We stand with holy boldness
    to welcome LGBT laity and clergy into our churches and pulpits, NOW;
    to keep baptismal promises for all, NOW;
    to affirm calls to ministries for all people, NOW;
    to bless covenant relationships in our churches by our clergy, NOW;
    to assure membership for all, NOW;
    to provide hospitality for all, NOW.

Join us. Stand now. Build our future with hope and trust in God.

During the United Methodist quadrennial General Conference, which
takes place in Fort Worth, Texas, on April 23-May 2, 2008, Affirmation
will post a daily newsletter.

Contents (plain text stories pasted below but not the poems):
No Progress On Human Sexuality Paragraph in Social Principles,
Observations From Someone New to General Conference, We're Not Your
Punching Bags, This 'n' that, Poems: INCARNATION, To The Chair and
From The Voiceless.

The complete, illustrated newsletter is available in PDF format at:
http://www.umaffirm.org

Out #9, May 1, 2008 (PDF, 4 pp, 180K)
http://www.umaffirm.org/pdf/gc080501.pdf


No Progress On Human Sexuality Paragraph in Social Principles
By Gary Shephard,  Affirmation Newsletter Staff

It was much like a root canal that went on longer than expected with
the anesthetic wearing off with no way to signal the dentist.
Amendments to the majority report. Amendments to the minority report.
Points of order. Arguments for. Arguments against. All afternoon it
dragged on.

As of the Affirmation newsletter deadline, the majority report on
161.G was replaced by the minority report, and the minority report was
approved.

While we had hoped that this indeed might be the year when this
paragraph might change, we find that the heart of the majority is not
yet with us. This, however, was not the major change we were looking
for at this GC. We did make a few improvements in other areas. As of
the April 30 press deadline we're still waiting on the church
membership decision, and we're still waiting on the transgender
issues. Unfortunately we can't hold the newsletter waiting for the
evening session. We'll have a full report in our Friday newsletter.

-----------------

Observations From Someone New to General Conference
by Tina Seitz

During the first few days of General Conference, I had the great honor
of working with a highly dedicated group of people trying to make our
church what it should be: a church that accepts everyone. I have
belonged to other denominations, but needed to leave because they
could not accept me as a transgender woman. I decided to investigate
the UMC because of the recent stories where the Rev. Drew Phoenix was
reaffirmed in his elder status after having transitioned into living
as the man he was always intended to be. Due to some of the activism I
was involved with in my home town near Detroit, I was given this
opportunity to work alongside all the dedicated people trying to make
a difference on everyone's behalf. I had only a short time that I
could spend with all of you, and my biggest regret is that I could not
stay longer to help in this great cause.

I have given speeches on what it means when a church is not fully
inclusive, what message that sends out to society. There are too many
youths living on the street because their parents' church said they
were sinners for being lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual or queer.
There are beatings that happen every week, and already five murders in
our country this year of LGBTQ people just trying to be who they were
born to be. Why aren't they accepted? The church says they are
sinners. These beatings and murders rarely make the news because
society doesn't care about LGBTQ people. Society feels as if we don't
matter, that our lives are meaningless because of whom we are, because
this is the message the church tells society.

This is why your work in Fort Worth is so very important. It's time
for our church to say that we do matter, that we are of sacred worth.
It's time for the UMC to stand as one and tell society that the
harassment, the beatings, and the murders must end. It is time for the
UMC to be fully inclusive of all LGBTQ people at all levels.

Since I joined my church, I have been welcomed within my congregation.
In Fort Worth, I was again welcomed by all the people from the many
advocacy groups working together for full inclusion. I wrote this to
say thank you to all of you, because regardless of what happens for
the rest of General Conference, all of you changed my life forever,
and know that the work you do is truly the work of the Lord. Thank you
all.

-----------------

We're Not Your Punching Bags

[Editor's note – this article has to be anonymous to protect the
identity of one district's Board of Ordained Ministry.]

"The Opportunity to be threatened, humiliated and to live in fear of
being beaten to death is the only `special right' our culture bestows
on homosexuals." – Diane Carman, Denver Post (This quote comes from
the hate crime.org web site with Dennis Shepard's statement to the
court on 11/04/1999.)

The above quote just happened across my path one day. The most
interesting things wander by when you're living with someone in grad
school.

This grad student, for your information, is my partner of almost 23
years, a pre-96 deacon that severed his connection to the UMC when he
felt it was becoming increasingly hostile to us homosexuals. After an
interim career in social service and a long career in data processing,
however, the call to be helping people never left. When the district
Board of Ordained Ministry failed by one vote to reconnect him to his
conference, he decided to become a Licensed Professional Counselor.
With his age, course load, and vision challenges we have no idea how
long he'll get to counsel once he has his degree and his license.

That brings me back to the quote my favorite grad student brought
home. Stop using us for your verbal punching bags.

"But we're only speaking our beliefs," I hear you say.

Your beliefs hurt people. How Christian! No less than the pistol
whipping delivered to Matthew Shepard, your words cause injury,
depression and deep psychological wounds. You cause untold injury to
vulnerable people. Not to all of us, fortunately. Me personally? I
hear your language and I dismiss you as not worth my time. Hurt me?
Hurt my partner? You wish. Still, there are fragile people out there
and you're hurting them.

Give the language a rest. I won't tolerate it in my presence. I'll
tell you to keep your opinion to yourself because I've heard it, I've
heard it from better than you, and I doubt you have anything new to
add to the argument.

And for the other lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender and queer
persons here at GC If someone starts running us down in your presence,
with the utmost respect tell them you've heard it and it's time to
give it a rest. And for our supporters, and our friends, and our
parents, and yes, our children too, I urge you to step forward. Be
respectful but firm.

This is our reality. We were born lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender,
queer. We're here. We're confident of our salvation. And we're not
your punching bags. Show a little respect to your fellow Christians.

-----------------

This 'n' that

Unfortunately we can't cover everything that happened Wednesday in the
Thursday newsletter. At some point we need to finalize this thing so
we can get on with production of the next day's newsletter. We hope to
have full coverage of the Wednesday sexual orientation, gender
identity, and gender expression issues in the Friday newsletter. That
will be our last newsletter produced at General Conference, and we
hope we can make everything fit.

Meanwhile, if you've been touched by a story in our daily GC
newsletter, you feel we've done something particularly well or we've
screwed up really badly, let us know. We really do appreciate
comments, written and verbal. Please send written comments to
AffirmationNewsletter_ at_yahoogroups.com. (Replace the _at_ with @,
of course.)

Judy WestLee
Gary Shephard
Co-Editors

Quote of the Day: "Human beings are perhaps never more frightening
than when they are convinced beyond doubt that they are right." -
Laurens van der Post, explorer and writer (1906-1996)