Issue #7
Morality:
Living A Life Of Integrity As A Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual or Transgendered Christian
July/August 1997
Table Of Contents
Cover Story: Morality:
To many, homosexuality equals immorality. How can we lead lives of integrity and morality as gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered people?
Think "gay lifestyle" and you think sex. That's the lesson my mother taught me. She told me that the "gay lifestlye" is all about sex.
Morality is no small issue for me. I have often joked, and it is only a
half joke, that I find guilt to be a great motivator and if not for guilt,
I'd never get anything done.
Disagreements about the morality of homosexuality extend in many directions. They are ripping apart communities of faith. They have led to the promulgation of half-truths and lies in the name of science. They have prevented us from listening to, much less honoring, the life journeys of others.
Homospirituality:
More Through the Lens of Homospirituality: Gifting The Golden Rule to Ourselves and One Another -- By: Carol Stabel
As many a truth contains its paradox, loving your
neighbor as yourself implies loving yourself. It seemed to me that I was
programmed toward a compromised sense of self-love (shame?). Fearing I was
a homosexual didn't help.
God Is Love -- By: Margaret Curry
GOD IS LOVE. Oh, wait, only if you're not on the list, that precious list of THOSE WHO CANNOT BE GOD'S CHILDREN.
I was first diagnosed as HIV+ in 1985. At that time I
just assumed that I would be dead within the year.
Features:
Presbyterians in Transition: From Amendment B to Amendment B-plus -- By: Kate August
Amendment B requires church officers (elders, deacons,
clergy) to "live in fidelity within the covenant of marriage of a man and
a woman or chastity in singleness."
Living in Faith in Launceston, Australia -- By: Colin Roberts
The Uniting Church of Australia struggles with acceptance of its gay and lesbian members. Here is one person's personal struggle to find acceptance in his church.
Jerry was the kind of guy you love to hate. He was always in a good
mood and always had something positive to say.
Bible Study:
The book is almost out of place in the Bible. There is no mention of
God anywhere, but it exudes the type of love that Christ wants us to have
for each other.
Romans is being misused today to bash homosexuality much as the Jewish and
Greek Christians were bashing each other in Paul's day.
From The Pulpit:
Learning How To Blush --Rev. Dr. Mary Ellen Kilsby
First Congregational Church,
United Church of Christ,
Long Beach, California
Do we .. know how to blush? Don't you get the sense in our society today that "everyone is greedy
for unjust gain" and that too many "deal falsely" and that we are "treating the wounds of the
people, [our neighbors], carelessly?"
Holy Humor!
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