Category Archives: Religious News

Rainbow Sash followup: GLBT Catholics

Last week, before Pentecost, I posted on the upcoming Rainbow Sash plans for Pentecost mass at the Cathedral of St Paul (Minnesota). A reader asked what happened at that mass, and here is what I know.

Michael Bayly, in his blog Wild Reed, quotes extensively from Brian McNeill, Rainbow Sash organizer … who disrupted the Pentecost mass?

“Was it the thirty people who quietly and prayerfully were present as gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender Catholics?” he asks. Or was it Archbishop Nienstedt and Fr. James Adams who “perhaps intentionally opted for the alternative reading from Galatians because it served their sectarian and political purposes . . . [among them to] discredit the wearers of the Rainbow Sash as disruptive protesters?”

Paula Ruddy, in a lengthy and insightful post called “One Archdiocesan Community, Two Mindsets” on The Progressive Catholic Voice goes beyond the issue of GLBT Catholics and suggests there are fundamental differences in the view of “church”:

The Archbishop, as a good leader, wants to maintain order. He is focused on the external behavior of respect and reverence for the sacrament, shown in this case by not drawing attention to the fact that there is disagreement among the communicants. He is concerned for the inner life of the church in that to function well the members should be in agreement on all the basics and obedient to the leaders. The Church is one body, thinking alike, acting reverently, producing a right minded, godly membership. He is speaking like a Communion Catholic.

The Rainbow Sash Alliance, on the other hand, wants to affirm difference. There are many ways we are not alike. Perhaps it would be acceptable to leave differences at the door of the Cathedral when going in to celebrate Mass if there were a forum within the Archdiocese for bringing them up and having them affirmed in another venue. But there is such a high value on uniformity within the Communion leadership, that there is no room for difference. Individuals who do not fit are stifled. GLBT persons do not fit the mold, defined in formulations about sin. People who question do not fit the mold, defined in dogmas and “unchanging truths. [These are Kingdom Catholics.]”

This is a variation on the theme of “polity vs policy”. That is, what is more important … denominational unity, harmony, peace, etc. (polity) or an underlying issue of injustice (principle)? In my own ELCA, there will be a contentious national assembly this summer in Mpls over the issue of gay clergy. Many who resist the movement toward ordination of gays suggest that will be disruptive, schismatic, unsettling, etc., and I suspect they are right. If church unity (polity) is most important, then the ELCA should not ordain gays.

But, did Martin Luther or Martin Luther King worry about the unsettling consequences of their actions as they advocated for change (policy)?

Gay female bishop

I suppose most of us are proud of our ancestry. This week, I am especially proud to call myself a Swede upon news that the newly elected Lutheran bishop of Stockholm is a lesbian in a state registered homosexual partnership with another priest. That she is Lutheran is also a source of pride for me, and since my hometown is Upsala, Minnesota, the election of Rev. Eva Brunne from Uppsala, Sweden just makes it all the sweeter.

Episcopalian pastor and blogger Elizabeth Kaeton of Telling Secrets has the details in her post entitled “Another purple shirt with a pink triangle.” Kaeton reports:

Brunne, who is currently the dean of the Stockholm diocese, is the first Church of Sweden bishop to live in a registered homosexual partnership, the Uppsala-headquartered church said, and she is believed to be the first openly lesbian bishop in the world.

Brunne, 55, lives with priest Gunilla Linden in a partnership that has received a church blessing. They have a three-year-old son.

A comment following her post laments the lack of media attention to this breakthrough event compared to the extensive and continued coverage of the election of Eugene Robinson, an openly gay Episcopalian priest, to the bishopric of New Hampshire. Perhaps Europeans are more tolerant than Americans suggests one commentor or perhaps this is an evidence of sexism suggests another.

When the choice is between a story about a handsome Catholic priest who’s been photographed with a woman . . . and a story about two Swedish priests who are living together in a monogamous relationship, you know which one is going to grab all the attention.

As a hetero male, I would like to be counted among those “few good (straight) men” that Kaeton refers to in a separate blog post.

Solidarity is a powerful thing. It can embolden the bold who have become temporarily weary by the struggle.

It speaks a silent but powerful truth to power.

And, I know that those of you – LGBT and straight – who enjoy the sacramental grace of marriage will not know complete sacramental fullness until everyone who is called to stand where you are privileged to stand is allowed to pursue their vocation to marriage and family life.

Dr. Miguel Diaz: St John’s and St Ben’s

The President has appointed Dr. Miguel Diaz to be ambassador to the Vatican.

Blogger Andrew Sullivan comments on his Hispanic background (Diaz is Cuban-American) and notes that he is an academic with outstanding scholarly credentials.

James Martin, S.J. of America, the National Catholic Weekly applauds the choice.

[T]he nomination is clearly going to a talented and faithful Catholic (like Mary Ann Glendon), rather than a straight political appointee, and it is also going to someone who clearly understands not only the Vatican but also Catholic theology at the highest levels.

Diaz is a theology professor at St. John’s/St. Ben’s in central Minnesota. St. John’s School of Theology is where I pursued post-graduate studies in theology and Christian history although I was there before Diaz. But, I can attest to the progressive spirit of ecumenism as well as a committment to the highest standards of critical scholarship amongst the Benedictines of these fine institutions.

Recent St Ben’s graduate Beth Dahlman of Faith in Public Life concurs.

St. Ben’s and St. John’s (the two schools have a close partnership and share an academic program) are special places to me; they embody a commitment to a lived faith that is theologically and spiritually serious while still engaged with the needs of the wider world.

Dahlman was a theology major at St Ben’s where she served as TA for Diaz’ systematic theology class, and Diaz served on the advisory committee for her honors thesis. She suggests that Diaz is an outstanding choice for ambassador based on “the passion with which he taught theology and his inclusion of theologians from diverse backgrounds, in the way he hosted classes at his home for end-of-semester celebrations, and in his obvious love for his family–that will serve him well in his new position.”

Rainbow Sash Movement

The Rainbow Sash Movement is an organization of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Catholics, with their families and friends, who are publicly calling the Roman Catholic Church to a conversion of heart around the issues of human sexuality.

Brian McNeill of the Minnesota Chapter has advised Archbishop John C. Nienstedt of the Archdiocese of St. Paul-Minneapolis that LGBT Catholics and their allies would be present wearing rainbow sashes at this year’s Pentecost Sunday noon Mass at the Cathedral of St. Paul. McNeil also reiterates:

We cannot repeat too often that we attend Mass on Pentecost to celebrate who we are, not to protest. We participate in Mass in the same way we do all the other days of the year. But on Pentecost we come out of the closet as lgbt Catholics, family and friends to remind our fellow Catholics that we too are part of God’s loving family.

The archbishop has responded with a letter in which he states: archbishop john neinstedt

Anyone wearing a “rainbow sash” will not be permitted to receive Holy Communion, since their dissent is a sign that they have publicly broken communion with the Church’s teaching. I also ask that those not wearing the sashes refrain from sharing the Holy Eucharist with those who do. Such an action is unbecoming the dignity of the sacrament.

Read the full letter and additional commentary at The Progressive Catholic Voice.

Church of Scotland affirms gay clergyman (Updated)

scott-rennie The Church of Scotland is part of the Presbyterian tradition. A gay clergyman, Scott Rennie, was recently appointed to Queen’s Cross Church in Aberdeen, but the bigger news is that his appointment was affirmed this past week by the churchwide assembly. “In a ground-breaking move, the church’s ruling body voted by 326 to 267 in support of the Rev. Scott Rennie, the church said in a news release Sunday,” according to CNN.

Elisabeth Kaeton, in her blog, Telling Secrets, includes a copy of a different news release from Ekklesia with more details than the CNN report.

In his blog, Madpriest, (an Anglican priest in England) commends the Scots for putting principle ahead of concerns over possible schismatic fallout.

What really struck me about how the Scots handled this potentially damaging matter was this. Although the reactionaries, as reactionaries are wont, immediately played the schism card at the start of the troubles, the elders of the Church of Scotland pretty much ignored it. When they came to debate the matter they concentrated on theology and the constitution of their church not on pragmatic issues concerning the future of their church. They consistently refused to be blackmailed or intimidated.

As my own church (ELCA) prepares for contentious consideration of gay clergy issues this summer at their churchwide assembly, church unity is often raised as a reason against affirming gay clergy. The fractious experience of the Episcopal church is cited as an example. But, the polity over principle argument merely postpones and does not resolve the issue, and is inherently unfair. Neither Martin Luther nor Martin Luther King shied from the unsettling consequences of their actions, and kudos to the Scots for their courage.

In his latest post, Madpriest suggests a movement is afoot by some dissenting Church of Scotland congregations to withhold funds from the churchwide organization.

UPDATE:

Tennesee Presbyterian minister John Shuck suggests this morning that the celebrations over the Church of Scotland sitituation may have been premature. While the ordination of gay clergyman Scott Rennie stands as reported, other actions by the church body are less progressive:

Mother (Dearest) Church Reconsiders

John Knox struck up the alleluias too soon it appears. The Church of Scotland (behaving like all superstitious and fearful cults–like the PCUSA) gave into its homophobic element. I praised it yesterday for approving an openly gay man as minister. The backlash has begun.

Instead of outright rejecting a motion similar to the PCUSA’s G-6.0106b (effectively banning gays without mentioning them), the General Assembly decided to set up a commission. From the BBC:

At its General Assembly in Edinburgh, it was decided instead that a special commission should be set up to consider the matter and report in 2011.

There will be a two-year ban on the future ordination of gay ministers.

Church of Scotland has avoided a potentially damaging debate about whether gay people should be allowed to become Kirk ministers.

“Avoided a potentially damaging debate” says the news. Potentially damaging to whom? Those of us who have watched commission after commission in the 35 year struggle in the PCUSA know what these commissions end up doing.

The Church of Scotland will experience a shit storm of fear-mongering for two years. At the end of this time, the beleaguered commission will come up with some report. It makes no difference what the report will say. Fundamentalist forces will wrest control and tell the same lies and offer the same threats that have been made here for the past third of a century. Then they will come up with some horrific rule (just like G-6.0106b).

The Church of Scotland will be no further ahead then than they are now.

It was fun for a day.

Prop 8 Court decision due

The California Supreme Court has announced that its Prop 8 decisions will be made public at 10:00 on Tuesday, the 26th of May.

Episcopalian priest, Susan Russell of Sacramento, and her partner will be among those waiting. She calls the GLBT friendly faith community to vigil in her blog, An Inch At A Time.

California “Decision Day” is Tuesday … May 26 … stay tuned for more info as it comes in! Meanwhile, here are some links from our friends at California Faith for Equality:

By 10:00am on Tuesday, 36,000 of our community will know if their marriages will continue to hold legal standing. Thousands more will know if our Constitution really protects all Americans.

We have been waiting for months, but we have not been idle. Our faith and LGBT communities across the state are prepared to act for and celebrate justice. Here are three things you can do to be prepared for Decision Day and the days after:

Sign up for National Center for Lesbian Rights text service to know exactly when and how the Decision comes down.

Dial in with hundreds of other people of faith on Friday @ 10am. RSVP to http://bit.ly/zAszd for call-in information.

Attend a Decision Day event in your area and Meet CA Faith for Equality in the Middle at our “Faith Tent.” You can find Decision Day events listed in the websites in the right column.

And here’s where I’ll be on Tuesday.

I’ll be sitting at my desk in Northfield, Mn, but my thoughts and prayers will be with all.

Freedom of religion?

daniel-hauser In Minnesota, thirteen year old Daniel Hauser and his mother are on the lam today, seeking to avoid court ordered chemotherapy and radiation treatments. The boy apparently has a treatable cancer but stopped treatments after one month and substituted alternative care including herbs and vitamins for purported religious reasons. When the boy’s doctors called this to the attention of authorities, a local court received evidence and ordered that the treatments be reinstated.

That was all in the past. Today’s news is that testing showed the cancer returning, and the boy and his mother have disappeared, perhaps in the company of another woman who may be a California attorney. A national warrant has been issued for the mother’s arrest.

While adults may freely choose to refrain from medical treatment for religious reasons, a child may not nor may the parents decide such a weighty issue for him. The end of this story is not known, but it is a tragedy in the making that involves the life of a young man and the legal and moral consequences to his mother if it does not end well.

A blog on the blogger news network suggests the boy is illiterate and three years behind his age group.

A quick review of early blogs and comments suggests overwhelming support for the authorities and disagreement with the mother but not all. One commenter on another blog refers to the authorities and doctors as “medical nazis.”

Gay marriage scoreboard

From the ashes of disappointment following the California Prop 8 results in November, new hopes arise this Easter season with a string of court and legislative victories. Starting with the unexpected court mandate of marriage equality in Iowa, legislative victories in New England have gained momentum with the latest news that the New Hampshire governor will sign a marriage equality bill once the legislature works out minor details. New York and New Jersey may soon follow.

Despite the “sky is falling” predictions of many conservatives, the Massachusetts experience proves the opposite. May 17th will be the 5th anniversary of the first same-sex marriages in Massachusetts. The occasion will be a time of celebration and reflection. Michael Cole in the HRC Back Story blog provides a brief retrospective, including video of early celebrations, on the historic Massachusetts day five years ago.

From the standpoint of Christian denominational support for GLBT equality, the national convention of the ELCA in Mpls this summer will be the next battlefield. Early procedural skirmishes suggest that chances are good that the ELCA will join the Episcopal church and the UCC as mainline denominations that support gay clergy ordination and marriage equality.

Is my marriage gay?

An Op-ed in today’s NY Times comes from Jennifer Finney Boylan.

Boylan was male when he entered into a heterosexual marriage in 1988 but has since become legally female, at least in her home state of Maine. The marriage continues: “Deedie stood by me, deciding that her life was better with me than without me … the things that she loved in me have mostly remained the same, and that our marriage, in the end, is about a lot more than what genders we are, or were.”

Her op-ed piece offers a fresh perspective on the issue of gay marriage and the silliness of attempting to define marriage according to gender or even attempting to define gender itself. “How do we define legal gender? By chromosomes? By genitalia? By spirit? By whether one asks directions when lost?”

Elizabeth Kaeton comments on the article in her blog, Telling Secrets. Kaeton says she confronts her own sexism and internalized homophobia and that “transsexuals, as a group, continue to be maligned among some LGBT people as well as the heterosexual community. They make us uncomfortable. They challenge us to change traditional understandings of gender, relationships, why, even marriage!”

Both the original Op-ed piece and Kaeton’s blog post are worth reading.

ELCA Book of Faith Initiative Embraces Online Social Network

CHICAGO (ELCA) — Members of the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America (ELCA) are reading and discussing the Bible
as part of the church’s Book of Faith initiative. That
discussion is being propelled with Internet technology.

An estimated 2,400 members have signed on to the Book of
Faith social network — http://bookoffaith.ning.com/ — made
possible through Ning, an online platform for users to create
their own social networks.

“Ning is really very similar to Facebook,” said Bill Huff,
assistant director for the Book of Faith initiative, ELCA
Vocation and Education, St. Paul, Minn.

“Social networking is one of the fastest growing vehicles
for personal communication right now,” Huff said. “The essence
of Book of Faith is that it’s not a program. We don’t want it
to be a top-down initiative,” he said.

“The motivation for a social networking site is to stay
in contact with individuals and to be in contact with large
groups of people who have similar interests,” Huff said. “You’ll
be able to socialize with your colleagues throughout the country,
but also you’ll be able to share ideas and be able to see what
other people are doing.”

“The Book of Faith tag line is ‘Open Scripture. Join the
Conversation.’ So much of what the Ning site is about is joining
the conversation,” Huff said. “Once you’re signed up you have a
profile, and you can tell a little bit about yourself. Then you
can join the conversation.”

Someone reading the Bible can find study helps as well as
others who may be reading on their own. There are more than 45
videos and other resources on the site. There is an area of the
site to find or add events.

Augsburg Fortress, the publishing ministry of the ELCA,
Minneapolis, established the Book of Faith’s Ning site.

The initiative is generating resources in congregations
across the church, and the Ning site is a means for sharing
“what’s working in my setting,” Huff said.

“If you are a Sunday school volunteer, you can go on to
the conversation piece and see what’s going on with people as
they teach their kids,” he said. “People post ideas, but also
people post questions or theological concerns.”

“The goal is to get people engaging in Scripture, so
anything we can do to help that along is meeting the mission
and will help the ELCA,” Huff said.