Volume 15, Issue 4

Where Is the Light?

Cover Stories

Where Is the Light?
By Rev. Candace Chellew
This is a season of darkness — but the light shines on.

Glory in Stained Glass
By Lori Heine
Stained-glass windows enable human beings to participate in the glory of God. The light shows through them, telling a story God needs us to tell.

The Light of the World
By Bishop Paul E. Jones
We may not feel very bright at times, but that is our weakness and not the Jesus within us. We dim, and squelch, and hide the light in us.

Have You Seen the Light?
By Kathleen Kopitsky
The greatest thing that we can say about God is that God is mystery. Like the wind, unable to be seen, yet only detectable because we are affected by it. Like gravity, unable to grasp, yet necessary to hold on. Like light, everywhere, yet only visible through interaction.

Surrounded by Light
By Rev. Suzie Chamness
To reach the source of the Light, we simply need to walk the pathway that leads us to our soul.

O Light Divine
By John H. Campbell
Wherever you may find yourself in your own faith journey at the dawn of this New Year, remember that even in times of darkness or if you experience times when the Divine Light within you may seem as if it has grown dim, it is always there and can never be extinguished.

Features

Can We Forgive YOU Over “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”?
By Warren J. Blumenfeld
The question for me is not whether they will “allow” us to serve openly. The more salient question is whether we can forgive them for their dehumanizing, offensive, and downright prejudicial stereotypical characterizations.

The Psychological, Social Roots and Payoffs of Homophobia
By Rev. Dr. Jerry S. Maneker
Homophobia and its expressions can be seen as being perversely “therapeutic” for those who lack emotional/sexual intactness.

This Generation Gap Really Matters
By Dr. Robert N. Minor
What keeps the darkness of the political landscape from overtaking the social landscape where most young people live — the landscape we’ll need to travel in if we want change — is the bright light of the cultural landscape where young people’s influence is king.

The Eleven Commandments of Gay Rights Activism
By Don Charles Hampton
Wherever you find Gay Rights activism, you’ll also find varying degrees of reticence to combat homophobia and heterosexism in a meaningful way.

The Emerging Evangelicals
By Jenny Rae Armstrong
Dubbed “The Joshua Generation” by the Obama campaigners who courted them vigorously, the voting practices of younger evangelicals have been shifting steadily to the left.

Leave Homophobia and Move to Higher Ground
By Rev. Dr. Jerry S. Maneker
It’s high time that LGBT Christians make a cold turkey choice, if they haven’t done so already! Stay in denominations and churches that view you as objects of disdain and ridicule OR flee those toxic denominations and churches and not subject yourselves to such gross indignities visited upon you “in the name of God.”

When Can a Speaker of the House Cry?
By Dr. Robert N. Minor
Imagine as well how openly gay Democrat Barney Frank would be criticized if he cried as often as Boehner in public. Frank must keep a stiff upper-lip and use his quick wit as a sharp weapon to best those who criticize him.

From the Pulpit

The Seven Deadlies: Fear
By Rev. Candace Chellew
How would it changed the way you lived if you understood that there is nothing to fear in this world?

The Seven Deadlies: Gluttony
By Rev. Candace Chellew
We gorge ourselves on the fast food of life — the shopping malls, the Internet, the television, the movies, the gossip magazines, the reality shows, the daily news. All delicious, but ultimately deadly.

The Seven Deadlies: Pessimism
By Rev. Candace Chellew
The top sin I think our world is suffering from today is the sin of pessimism. Despair is prevalent in our society.

The Seven Deadlies: Envy
By Rev. Candace Chellew
“Be strong, do not fear!” This is how we dispel the sin of envy, because at the heart of envy is fear.

Holy Humor

Meaning of the Fall

How to Get to Heaven