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March 2013 Volume 7, Issue 1

Maria Cuca Perez Moderator GLAD-PSWR Council David C. Downing Editor Confluence Newsletter

WHAT WAS THE DECADENCE OF WHICH PAUL SPEAKS?

This is the fifth of several brief articles on biblical interpretation regarding the issue of Sexual Orientation in the life of the Church. This article deals with the DECADENCE mentioned in the book of First Corinthians and First Timothy. In future issues we will continue to tackle specific biblical texts.

"Freedom, justice and human dignity have always guided our journey toward a more perfect union. Now across our country, we are standing together for the right of gay and lesbian Americans to marry the person they love. And with historic victories for marriage, we've delivered a mandate for full equality. The wind is at our back, but the journey has just begun. - Morgan Freeman, in an ad for HRC (Human Rights Campaign), November 25, 2012.

I Corinthians 6:9-10: Do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God?...Fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, male prostitutes, sodomites, thieves, the greedy, drunkards, revilers, robbers none of these will inherit the kingdom of God. I Timothy 1:9-10: the law is laid down not for the innocent but for the godless and disobedient, for the godless and sinful, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their father or mother, for murderers, fornicators, sodomites, slave traders, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to the sound teaching that conforms to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me. In the passages that we have looked at in this past year, we have seen that the Bible quite clearly takes a negative view of homosexual acts. However, we must remember that homosexuality as we know it today was not known in the same way in biblical times. Many things have changed since that time so long ago! The world was considered flat in those days. Science and technology had not progressed to where they have today. Numerous things that the Old and New Testaments condemned, we no longer adhere to: wearing clothing made from two fabrics, eating pork or shellfish, dashing our children against the rocks or stoning women for a variety of offenses, allowing women to speak in church or provide leadership. Likewise, the Bible actually practiced some things like slavery and polygamy, which we now have laws prohibiting. Today we know much more regarding homosexuality than was known in biblical times. There was certainly no awareness of sexual orientation in the first century. In biblical times same-sex relations were always associated with exploitation, inequality, abuse and lust. In the passages noted above it is not clear whether the words refer to the passive and active partners in same-sex relations, or to homosexual and heterosexual male prostitutes. It is unclear whether the issue is specifically
[See DECADENCE, page 2]

Gay, Lesbian and Affirming Disciples Pacific Southwest Region - Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) www.gladpswr.org

WORDS FROM THE GLAD-PSWR MODERATOR

Usually church is good. But sometimes church is transforming. On Sunday, February 10, 2013, Pastor Mike, as we call him, preached on St. Valentine and the power of love. He mentioned how certain meaningful objects can connect your spirit to God. He showed the children a few objects he had accumulated over the years that hold a special meaning to him, because it connects him to special people in his life, people that he loves.

As Pastor Mike talked with the children, my thinking evolved. I had a revelation: Love is God, not God is Love. Im defining Love as a force that creates, not a feeling that is subject to our hormones and is feeble and fleeting.
Maria Cuca Perez

Jesus compared the kingdom to small and earthly things such as a mustard seed. I compare Love to a spark that ignites us into action, whether it is a simple act of kindness or a justice campaign. On the other hand, a low dosage of Love is like a fireplace with firewood and kindling, but no matches to light it. You have the ingredients, but not enough spark. I have personally experienced the power of Love in the LGBTQI community. I have felt the hate and rejection from my church which is supposed to follow God. But Love has shown me acceptance and empowerment from my family and friends and my new church community. Through this interaction that Love can work its spark and transform any heart that has Love as its God. Live with Love and be the spark of evolution in our church.
[DECADENCE, from page 2]

homosexuality or whether the issue is promiscuity and prostitution. The relationships that the Apostle Paul describes are heavily laden with lust and abuse. They are not relationships being experienced between loving, caring and committed adults. Friends, there does not appear to be a single, simple biblical sexual ethic in either the Old or New Testament. Rather, there is a variety of sexual mores, some of which changed over the thousand-year span of biblical history. Just look at these issues: sex outside of marriage: the Old Testament does not prohibit sexual relationships between unmarried consenting adults, unless it lowers the womans economic value!; nudity: the Old Testament regarded nudity as reprehensible and an accursed sin (Genesis 9:20-27); sexual intercourse during menstruation: the Old Testament strictly forbids it and violators were cut off from their people (Leviticus 18:19,29); adultery: both the man and the woman were to be stoned (Deuteronomy 22:22); and divorce: the Old Testament allowed it (Deuteronomy 24:1-4) but in the New Testament Jesus categorically forbids it (Mark 10:1-12). For some reason we regard some rules of the Old Testament as applying to us, but not others. How that is decided usually depends on how one interprets the Bible. If one approaches the Bible literally, then that reader would need to follow every principle, 2

every rule and every law called for. No one does that! However, If one approaches it through an historicalcritical approach, the Bible is viewed as having been written by human authors and is to be understood in the context of their day and time. Looking at it in the historical-critical way, Daniel Helminiak, in his book What The Bible Really Says About Homosexuality, says: The Bible takes no direct stand on the morality of homogenital acts as such or on the morality of gay and lesbian relationshipsIf people would still seek to knowif homogenital acts per se are right or wrong, they will have to look somewhere else for an answerThe Bible never addresses that question. More than that, the Bible seems deliberately unconcerned about it. But the Bible is very clear on some other issues. We are called upon to love one another. The old law has been done away with and we are to live under the new law, which is a law of love. (Matthew 5:43-48; 22:3740; I Corinthians 13:1-13) The Apostle Paul indicates that Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes. (Romans 10:4) Therefore, we are under the new law of life in Gods Spirit which encourages us to simply live a life of love, accepting one another in Christ and seeking justice and equality for all.

ARE WE EQUAL AND FREE?

This article is based in large part on an editorial written by Stampp Corbin, Publisher of the San Diego LGBT Weekly magazine

The Declaration of Independence makes this unique and bold statement: We hold these truths to be selfevident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. But we must ask ourselves a question: As a lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender American do we feel equal and free as we seek our inalienable rights of life, liberty and happiness? Do we feel equal and free when in 34 states you can be fired from your job because of your sexual orientation or gender identity? Do we feel equal and free when we cannot marry the person we love? Or walk hand-in-hand in every city and state in America? Or, when the simple act of kissing our partner is considered an affront to society in so many places? Do we feel equal and free when the government denies us more than 1,100 rights granted to those that can get married? Or passes a law that prevents us from being recognized as a couple by the Federal government? Do we feel equal and free when we pay taxes on domestic partner benefits provided by our employer for which our straight married colleagues pay nothing?

Do we feel equal and free when politicians can espouse discrimination against us? Or suggest that we need to go through reparative therapy? Do we feel equal and free when we go to work and hide who we are or what we did last weekend due to fear of discrimination or violence? Do we feel equal and free when in our houses of worship the preacher calls us a sinner and desecrates our lifestyle? Do we feel equal and free when we are asked to provide proof of our relationship when our partner is rushed to the hospital and we want to ride with him/her in the ambulance? The LGBT community is far from being equal and free in America. As Martin Luther King said at the March on Washington in 1963, When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all persons would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note.

QUOTES TO PONDER
Q: What about marriage equality for same-sex couples? A: I still get emotional on this one. I think its the most important thing I did. Equality isnt something you can quantify. But its something that has to be there. I think its coming right away. The Supreme Courts going to take up [the appeal of Prop. 8 supporters] and I think theyre going to let [gay marriage] stand in California because they dont want to deal with it. The voters are going for it. Young people, that is not even in their concern list. Were all taught from the day you start school, equalitys very important. And you look at the civil rights movements this is exactly what this is. And so playing a little part in it, its been good. - Mayor Jerry Sanders, as shared in a Union- Tribune interview before he left the office of Mayor on December 3, 2012. The mayor got national attention when he opposed many fellow Republicans who were backing a 2008 state ballot measure banning same-sex marriage. Sanders said his daughter Lisa, a Lesbian, and gay members of his staff in committed relationships should have the same marriage rights as he and his wife. He later testified in the Perry vs. Schwarzenegger lawsuit that led to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturning Prop. 8. 3

EVOLVING INTO A SEISMIC SHIFT

In recent months a lot of changes have taken place in the attitudes of people of the issues of homosexuality, LGBT individuals and same-sex marriage. The words that follow come from a variety of sources, telling of constant evolving and shifting in the attitudes of individuals on this issue.

LGBT Americans are beginning to experience increasing acceptance. A recent poll found that Ninety-one percent of LGBT Americans says that people in their communities have become more accepting of them in recent years. There is soaring optimism among gay Americans that issues involving homosexuality will no longer divide the nation. Mary Ann Schmertz, a real estate agent, said that They have changed from This is appaling to you know what is wrong with that idea. The USA TODAY/Gallup poll also found that 53% of all Americans now say they support allowing same-sex couples to marry, compared with 27% in a 1996 Gallup poll. - USA Today, as quoted in Gay Politics Report, December 6, 2012 In 2009 Kasim Reed sought election as Atlantas Mayor. He had stated his position on samesex marriage to be one of opposition. Almost immediately following his election he indicated that the voters had spoken. He indicated that he had religious beliefs that precluded him from supporting LGBT individuals. But at some point in 2010 he expressed public support for HIV testing and he began to make attempts to connect with the LGBT community. When President Obama came out in support of equality, Mayor Reed still found himself, because of his personal beliefs, not ready to make a personal change in his stance. Then Maine, Washington, and Maryland voted for same-sex marriage in the fall election and suddenly Mayor Reed announced his support for marriage equality by signing a resolution, sponsored by Councilman Alex Wan and passed by the Atlanta City Council on Dec. 3, 2012, which supports the citys lesbian, gay, transgender and bisexual community by endorsing marriage equality for same-sex couples. He said: Today marks an important day as I announce my support for marriage equality. It is well known that I have gone through a good bit of reflection on this issue. Listening to the stories of so many people that I know and care about has strengthened my belief that marriage is a fundamental right for everyone. Loving couples, regardless of their sexual orientation, should have the right to marry whomever they want. By signing this resolution, I pledge my support to marriage equality for same-sex couples, consistent with equal protection under the law provided under the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution. - based on information found in an article in Box Turtle Bulletin The Prime Minister of Cambodia, Hun Sen, recently spoke out on the issue of gay rights and homosexuality. In a meeting with local villagers in southern Cambodia he made the following statement: There are gays and lesbians in every country, so there should be no discrimination against them. He appealed to society to show respect for gay people. This is a major reversal for the Prime Minister. In 2007, he had announced that he was disinheriting his adopted daughter because she had a lesbian partner. Newt Gingrich is not known as someone who is progressively supportive of same-sex marriage. However, there are beginning to be a few indications that he may be softening just a bit! (1) He has hinted at the reality of legal same-sex marriages; (2) He recently indicated that Republicans can no longer close their eyes to the movement of public opinion. (3) He has also suggested the he could accept a distinction between a marriage in a church from a legal document issued by the state (4) He spoke about same-sex attraction is in every family, and in every community. By all appearances it looks like he is clearly moving toward finding some way to deal with reality of what he sees all around him. It appears that he is experiencing some kind of evolution in his thinking! The one who once compared samesex marriage to paganism does not appear to be quite so radical in his understandings! (the above material taken in part from words posted on Box Turtle Bulletin on December 20, 2012) 4

AN INCREDIBLE VALIDATION
And we must be a source of hope to the poor, the sick, the marginalized, the victims of prejudice not out of mere charity, but because peace in our time requires the constant advance of those principles that our common creed describes: tolerance and opportunity; human dignity and justice. We, the people, declare today that the most evident of truths that all of us are created equal is the star that guides us still; just as it guided our forebears through Seneca Falls, and Selma, and Stonewall. It is now our generations task to carry on what those pioneers began. . . Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well. Barack Obama, in his 2nd Inauguration Address, January 21, 2013.

OUR LOVE IS WORTH PROTECTING

The picture of the bill board at the left is an important reminder of how urgent it is to promote the wellbeing of African American youth. This billboard, one of six, was first located on Crenshaw Boulevard, which is the main street of much of the Los Angeles Black community. It was later moved to the corner of Slauson and LaBrea. Funded by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, it was intended to promote health services for African American young men. An organization called In The Meantime, a prominent local Black LGBT advocacy organization, was co-sponsor of the billboard. As most of us are aware, there is currently a crisis surrounding this serious health issue. In The Meantime is working to address the issue within the Black community. Their web site indicates that the AIDS rate for Black men is more than twice that for White and Latino men, and AIDS rates for Black women are 5 times higher than for Latina women and 14 times higher than for White women. However, addressing this issue has not been easy! When the time came, back in December, for lighting of a community Christmas Tree near the billboard, a City Council Member chose to have the billboard's primary image - two black males in an embrace blacked out." The explanation as to why it was blacked out had to do with the holiday season and, supposedly, the lack of propriety about even considering a pandemic health issue anywhere near symbols of Christmas and the manger. The incident of covering up the billboard immediately brought about phone calls and e-mails. They began to proliferate and became increasingly vile. Jeffrey King, the Executive Director of the In The Meantime, met with community leaders and focused on the billboard incident. He has written an inspiring statement in response to the negative messages sent to his organization simply because they have used billboards to address the need for HIV testing and education and for even addressing the pandemic issue of AIDS. Following is a portion of that statement: Over the past year, In The Meantime, with the support of AIDS Healthcare Foundation, has embarked upon what is being called a revolutionary act. Imagine that an intention to empower and educate would be called revolutionary in 2012. Imagine that the word homosexual is still a bad word and that two men loving each other is something that far too many people just can't or won't understand. Since the first posting of the billboard that features two men embracing each other, accompanied by the simple message 'Our Love Is Worth Protecting, We Get Tested', we have received myriad phone calls, emails, calls to our
[See TESTED, page 7]

EX-GAYS: THE BIG HOAX

This article was written and shared by Rev. Steven F. Kindle, Associate Pastor, Niles Discovery Church, Fremont CA 94536

Herman Goebbels was right: tell a lie often enough and soon it will be thought to be the truth. Such a lie has been circulating for a few decades now, but is finally being held up to the light of truth, scientific truth to be exact. It is the lie that gays can be made straight through proper counseling and prayer. Its been stylized as Pray away the gay, in many conservative Christian churches and movements. Last January, no less an authority than Exodus International president Alan Chambers, completely reversed his longstanding view that gays can be made straight. Here's the full quote: The majority of [gay] people that I have met, and I would say the majority meaning 99.9% of them, have not experienced a change in their orientation. Interestingly, that would likely include himself, who has for years claimed an orientation change. Exodus International is the leading organization contending that gays can change. I have a speech from a former member of Exodus International's board of directors suggesting that, since a preponderance of gays don't change, Exodus International should change its motto to "Come suffer with us." There has been only one scientific study that has held that gays do change. It was conducted by none other than the psychologist who led the American Psychological Association to remove homosexuality from the list of mental disorders in 1973, Dr. Robert Spitzer. It was his presumed objectivity that gave the study its prestige. Recently, Dr. Spitzer retracted his study with an apology to the gay community for the harm he had caused. So, what drives the conservative Christian movement to applaud such studies and accept this lie at face value? Very simply, its all about one short paragraph in the Bible, 1 Corinthians 6:9-11. Do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived! Fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, male prostitutes, sodomites, thieves, the greedy, drunkards, revilers, robbersnone of these will inherit the kingdom of God. And this is what some of you used to be. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God. This verse straightforwardly states that some in the congregation were once sodomites, but are no longer. Sodomites, of course, are understood to be homosexuals. Many gay Christians took this verse to heart and subjected themselves to every conceivable treatment to rid themselves of this condition because they believed what they read and had been told. Unfortunately, this verse does not actually say anything of the kind. The translation, sodomites, was not coined until 1000 years after the Bible was written, so its use here is anachronistic. Therefore, a more suitable translation is required, and one is at hand: users of temple prostitutes. Male prostitutes were temple prostitutes in Corinth and they had customers/users. These are the people under consideration in this paragraph. To expect the same for non-heterosexuals is not warranted or even possible. Gays cant change their orientation any more than straights can. Since God made each of us in our own special way, why would anyone want to?

QUOTE TO PONDER . . .
Speaking about LGBT equality, Julian Bond made the following comment: Thats why when I am asked, Are gay rights civil rights? my answer is always Of course they are. Rights for gays and lesbians are not special rights in any way. It isnt special to be free from discrimination thats an ordinary, universal entitlement of citizenship. Julian Bond, Chairman of the Board of NAACP, as reported in the San Diego LGBT Weekly newspaper, January 13, 2011.

WHEN RELIGION LOSES ITS CREDIBILITY

This is portion of an article by Rev. Oliver Buzz Thomas, written as a Forum Commentary on USA Today, November 20, 2006. He is Baptist minister and author of a book 10 Things Your Minister Wants to Tell You (But Cant Because of Needs the Job.

Galileo was persecuted for revealing what we know to be the truth regarding Earths place in our solar system. Today, the issue is homosexuality, and the persecution is not of one man but of millions. Will Christian leaders once again be on the wrong side of history? What if Christian leaders are wrong about homosexuality? I suppose, much as a newspaper maintains its credibility by setting the record straight, church leaders would need to do the same: Correction: Despite what you have read, heard or been taught throughout your churchgoing life, homosexuality is, in fact, determined at birth and is not to be condemned by Gods followers. . . . What if were wrong? Religions only commodity, after all, is its moral authority. Lose that, and we lose our credibility. Lose credibility, and we might as well close up shop. Its happened to Christianity before, most famously when we dug in our heels over Galileos challenge to the biblical view that the Earth, rather than the sun, was at the center of our solar system. You know the story. Galileo was persecuted for what turned out to be incontrovertibly true. For many, especially in the scientific community, Christianity never recovered. This time, Christianity is in danger of squandering its moral authority by continuing its pattern of discrimination against gays and lesbians in the face of mounting scientific evidence that sexual orientation has little or nothing to do with choice. . .

[TESTED, from page 5]

funders, and letters from attorneys. We've had phone conferences with the federal government, violent threats from Christian abstinence-based teachers and homo haters, the complete covering of one of our boards, and other unfortunate reactions. We have also received countless phone calls and emails from men and women who are ecstatic to see something they feel is long overdue. It is amazing to witness how decades of homo-hatred preached from the pulpit has impacted the consciousness of good people, all of whom have at least one relative who is gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender. It is amazing how the basic concept of love has been hijacked by ego-driven, self-righteous fundamentalist snobs who embody few, if any, of the teachings of PURE Christianity -- that which mirrors the amazing existence of Jesus, who was said to have walked among all men and women loving them all just the same. How can anyone, operating in love, deny his/ her own blood and see his/her own people ostracized and alienated, embarrassed, dismissed, erased, abused, 7

and called abominations when so many homosexuals continue to uplift, elevate, educate, care take, cultivate, and CREATE beauty, build and maintain our diverse temples of worship, and pay far too much in taxes . . .? It is in the best interest of our survival, as Black people, that we better access the limitless resources of all of our people. Unless we start today to build a society that celebrates diversity, we are doomed. Thousands of human beings will continue to live in fear that breeds contempt and hatred. As we enter 2013, it is incumbent upon each of us to stretch over to the other side of our communities and better understand who is in our houses, our neighborhoods, our schools, our churches. We are all divine children of God and we have been birthed with the capacity to Love unconditionally. The negative responses they have faced are a reminder that stigma, fear, discrimination, homophobia and negative perceptions are very much at work in our communities. What can YOU do to try to overcome hatred with love? (Written from thoughts and material shared by Vance Martin)

GLAD-PSWR RECEIVES GRANT

We are happy to announce that GLAD-PSWR has received a RECONCILIATION Grant for 2013! The grant was for $1000.00. This is the first time that we have requested and received a Grant from this source. RECONCILIATION Funds come from local congregations who take special offerings in late September and early October each year to help overcome the effects of racism and poverty. Nurturing the wholeness of the church implies everyone. If we neglect to include everyone, the church falls short of its goal of a church that demonstrates true community, deep Christian Spirituality and a Passion for Justice. GLAD-PSWR seeks to be the vehicle that works to dismantle the structures that continue to keep us apart. Removing unjust structures as a means to include everyone at the Table is to reconcile the Church. GLAD-PSWR continues to be a safe place where LGBT people from all of our congregations and Constituency Groups can feel welcome, nurtured, and affirmed as Children of God. We desire to be open to engage in dialogue and communication with all groups and to be a constant presence and reminder that all LGBT persons are welcomed by God and by the Church.

LETTERS AND E-MAIL RECEIVED

I would like to attend your meeting on Saturday, Nov 12, but am not able to do so. We support GLAD with a small check each year because we are in sympathy with the principles. My middle son was gay and we were very proud of him. We are still proud of him in memory - Dean E. Many thanks for the back issues of "Confluence." I am putting them in the mail tomorrow to my friend who asked me for information about the Bible and Homosexuality. I'm also sending your letter to him so that he can pursue acquiring a copy of Daniel Helminiak's book which you recommended so highly. I'm grateful for "Confluence" and the work you are doing to help all of us Disciples to grow in understanding regarding the so-long divisive issue of sexuality in the Church. - Ed L. Today I received my first copy of Confluence. I read it from front to back and found it quite interesting. Thank you! Over the years I have known several gay people and a few transgender. One of the most beautiful weddings I attended was for a lesbian couple performed by the minister in a Unity church sanctuary. Thank you again for sending the Confluence. Elinor G.

QUOTES TO PONDER . . .
Declarations from homophobic, spiritually and intellectually hesitant, brothers and sisters, who paternalistically concede only that kindness and an inexplicable gentle exclusion of the universe of sinner/gay/lesbians/bi/trans persons be the church's response, are simply unacceptable. The dialogue among people of faith must commence at the point LGBT folks are accepted as full human creations of God, not after they are conditionally defined (with a nod toward the language of the current Pontiff) as "disordered" persons, to be loved only in spite of, rather than because of, themselves." - Vance Martin, in e-mail correspondence, July 12, 2011. This is not a conservative or liberal issue; it is an American one, and it is time that we, as Americans, embraced it." - Lawyer Theodore B. Olson, discussing why he is participating in a challenge of California's marriage ban, in Newsweek, January 8, 2010.

Confluence is a publication of GLAD-PSWR, on behalf of the GLAD-PSWR Chapter. GLAD-PSWR is related to the Church in Society Committee of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Pacific Southwest Region. It is published three or four times a year by TechTouch LLC, Jeff Wiatt, CEO, and David Downing, Editor. The name Confluence refers to our hope and prayer that this newsletter will be a medium through which there will be a coming together of people from all across the Region who will discover how we can live together in unity within the diversity that is our current reality. Our hope is to educate ourselves to our diversity, sensitizing ourselves to the variety of viewpoints, and creating, together, a movement for wholeness in our fragmented world. Do you have a story you would like to share? An event to promote? An article you have written? Suggestions and items for inclusion may be sent to David Downing, 4325 Caminito de la Escena, San Diego, CA 92108 or e-mail to davidd624@cox.net.