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CHI RHO
CONNECTION |
Vol. VII, No. 4 1.
Will the Oscar go to...? And, more importantly... Lessons from "Brokeback
Mountain" for the Presbyterian Church (USA), by Michael Adee 3.
May We Suggest "Come
Home!"? 4.
Modern Proverbs
(Tongue in Cheek)
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5 March 2006
"Until we have faced the controversies of life, explained our own position on them, and, at the same time, been open to the opinions, information, and attitudes of others, we have not really joined the human race. We have only been observers of the struggle rather than participants in the human quest for truth."
Sister Joan Chittister
(Joan D. Chittister, a Benedictine Sister of Erie, PA, USA is a best-selling author and a well-known national and international lecturer. She is founder and executive director of Benetvision: A Resource and Research Center for Contemporary Spirituality, and past president of the Conference of American Benedictine Prioresses and the Leadership Conference of Women Religious. Sister Joan has been recognized by universities and national organizations for her work for justice, peace, and equality for women in Church and society. Thanks to James Michael Hayes, of MCC Boston, Massachusetts, USA for this quote.)
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(Editor's Note: We saw this excellent article on the More Light Presbyterians list-serve and was given permission to reprint it here by the author, Michael J. Adee, M.Div., Ph.D., National Field Organizer, More Light Presbyterians and openly gay Elder, First Presbyterian Church, Santa Fe, NM. michael@mlp.org www.mlp.org. Many thanks to Michael for his gracious permission and his wise insights. Not only are Michael's points well taken for the Presbyterian Church, but for all churches struggling with the issues of LGBT people of faith in their midst.)
It is clearly becoming one of the most highly acclaimed and talked about films in history based upon the award-winning short story by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Annie Proulx. Proulx's story of Ennis del Mar and Jack Twist, two ranch hands who meet in 1963 herding sheep on a mountain in Wyoming, fall in love and have a twenty year relationship against all odds appeared first in the New Yorker in 1997. One film critic said that it is "a film in which love feels almost as if it were being invented."
Why is it in 2006 it has become "the love story" with 8 Oscar nominations and winner of 4 Golden Globes among other awards? Why is it that this film set box-office records in its limited release in major cities and opened under protest in small towns all across the country? Why is it that film reviewers and critics have hailed this film as the "one movie connecting with the heart of America?
Moreover, what are some lessons from "Brokeback Mountain" for us as people of faith in the Presbyterian Church (USA)? I would like to suggest ten lessons. Unlike some of its most outspoken and virulent religious critics who comment on the film without seeing it, I read the book three times, saw the film three times as well.
So, what lessons does "Brokeback Mountain" offer for the Presbyterian Church (USA) in particular and Christianity in general? I will suggest ten and I hope that you might add your own.
1. "Love is a Force of Nature." The intriguing subtitle for the film reminds us that love is natural, that we are created to be in loving relationships with God, ourselves and others. Jesus teaches this ethic of relationships and love in Mark 12: 28 - 31.
2. Same-sex love is perfectly natural, and normal, for those persons who discover themselves falling in love with someone of the same sex, like Ennis and Jack. It is time for the Church to recognize that same-sex love and same-sex sex exists, it is natural and part of being created in the image of God just like being created heterosexual for those persons who fall in love with persons of the opposite sex.
3. Homosexuality is about love, falling in love, being in love and wanting to be together, not different from heterosexuality. This is about integration of one's body, soul and life and sharing life deeply with another. Annie Proulx says of her story, "This is a deep, permanent human condition, this need to be loved and to love."
4. The closet is not a place that offers life or hope, and the longer the Church insists that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons stay in the closet, not discover who they are and claim their creation in the image of God, the Church will be complicit in taking away life and hope. Jake Gyllenhaal who plays Jack Twist said of the story and the film: "A friendship? No, its not. It's a love story. They're two men having sex. There's nothing hidden." And, the closet truly never protects anyone, it only prolongs the isolation and opportunity for liberation.
5. We do not need to fear same-sex love in ourselves, or LGBT persons in our families or church. Heath Ledger who plays Ennis del Mar has a theory about why the movie makes some men uncomfortable: "I suspect it's a fear that they are going to enjoy it. They don't understand that you are not going to become sexually attracted to men by recognizing the beauty of a love story between two men." At the Australian premiere of "Brokeback," a reporter told Ledger that some religious groups were protesting the film in America and he responded, "that's immature." Persons who are secure in their sexuality and comfortable in their own skin offer acceptance and hospitality to others. Ledger is right, it is time for us to grow up as a Church and a country.
6. Ex-gay ministry is bad theology and bad medicine. It is unnecessary, it does not work and it sadly too often leads to deadly results. After falling in love with each other, both Ennis and Jack obey the social and religious pressures of their day to be "heterosexual" marry women and become fathers. Neither marriage works, of course and everyone is hurt by Ennis and Jack not being allowed to be themselves and together. How many more lives, marriages and families will the PCUSA allow to be hurt and destroyed before it recognizes and embraces same-sex love and relationships?
7. Body and soul are connected, flesh and spirit are inseparable. The story of Ennis and Jack painfully remind us that it is not possible for one to separate one's sexuality from one's behavior. For the Church to say that "it is [sort of, but not really] OK to be gay, but don't have sex" and to ask LGBT persons to split ourselves off from who we are and who we fall in love with to be part of the Church is not only illogical, it is cruel and un-Christian. It goes against everything we are taught by Jesus in the Gospel and the Biblical teachings of becoming whole persons.
8. Times have changed, people are changing. People are much more open and ready to stretch, even embrace same-sex love and relationships than most of us are willing to accept, imagine, even dream of. Adam Robinson in a USA Today article entitled, "It's a date: 'Brokeback' romance draws couples," said, "Give us straight men some credit. Not all of us are homophobic and turned off by films that deal with relationships. We're not all 13-year old boys anymore." So, will the Church give people credit for being open-minded and open-hearted, or insist on old prejudices and discrmination against LGBT persons? We have a choice.
9. Often called the "gay cowboy" movie, Director Ang Lee suggested that it was much more and of course it is. Upon receiving his Golden Globe award, Lee spoke of "the power of movies to change the way we are thinking." Too often we only see others through our prejudice. The old stereotypes melt away in what one film critic said of "Brokeback" by calling it a "groundbreaking, deeply felt, emotional love story that deals with the uncharted, mysterious ways of the human heart." As people of faith and Christians, we often speak of the place of mystery within our beliefs, creeds and faith traditions. The uncharted story of Ennis and Jack seems profoundly familiar and first-person to many of us, myself included. I see myself in both Ennis and Jack, and pray for a different ending to their story and the mystery of my own story.
10. Brokeback Mountain was the only safe place for Ennis and Jack to be themselves, to be together, to express their love for one another, to be whole. It was sanctuary for them in every sense of the word. How often I wish that the Church would be sanctuary for all of God's children, not just some. Here's to the Presbyterian Church (USA) being sanctuary for all of God's children, including God's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender children sooner rather than later.
Brokeback Mountain is up for 8 Academy Awards [this] evening at the 78th Academy Award Celebration in Los Angeles. You can bet I will be watching the show with a big box of popcorn and cheering on a film and a story that, as Director Ang Lee has said, "has the power to change the way we're thinking."
And, more than what we are thinking, it is my prayer that it will be part of the change we seek in how we treat each other in the Church and world by seeing the sacred in one another, recognizing and blessing love wherever it is found, and in being God's family with no one excluded, where everyone is welcome and loved.
with hope and grace,
Michael Adee
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Lent began on Wednesday, March 1, away, and Chi Rho Press is very proud of our two books of Lenten devotions. Here is a description of each one.
"'You Need Only To Be Still:' Using the Hebrew Scriptures to Journey Through Lent," by Randy Jedele. Spiral bound, 5½" x 8½", 100 pages. A book of daily devotions for Lent, in which author Randy Jedele takes us on a journey through the Old Testament. A lay Christian Education minister in the United Church of Christ in Iowa, Randy Jedele has drawn on his strong Protestant and Congregationalist background to enliven the Hebrew Testament for us in new ways in these Lenten devotions. View it on our Web site at this link: http://www.chirhopress.com/products/product_details/BookRevYouNeedOnlyToBeStill.htm $10.95 each, six or more copies for $8.95 each, plus shipping and handling.
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Our first book of Lenten Meditations was "For Another Flock," written from a Gay Roman Catholic point of view. "For Another Flock: Rainbow Meditations and Study Guide for Lent," by Jeffrey Lea. ($10.95 each, $8.95 each for six or more copies, plus shipping and handling.) View it on our Web site at: http://www.chirhopress.com/products/product_details/BookRevForAnotherFlock.htm $10.95 each, $8.95 each for six or more copies, plus shipping and handling.
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3. May We Suggest "Come Home"?
"Come Home! Reclaiming Spirituality and Community as Gay Men and Lesbians," second edition, by Chris Glaser. First published in 1990 by HarperCollins, the second edition was published in 1998 by Chi Rho Press with the addition of five new chapters to the original 20.
"Come Home!" is perhaps Chris Glaser's best book. It is divided into five sections, each with five chapters. The five sections are entitled, "Welcoming God's Acceptance," "Receiving Our Inheritance," "Discerning Our Call," "Making Our Witness," and "Declaring Our Vision."
Bishop John Shelby Spong called "Come Home!" "powerful, sensitive, and provocative. . . . Glaser stands inside his own humanity as a gay male and hears the word of God through the Bible. Christians, gay and straight, need this book if we are to be the body of Christ."
This is a brilliant and important book by perhaps the best-known Gay Christian writer in the U.S. today.
The Rev. Carter Heyward called "Come Home!" "an enthusiastic compelling testimony to the power of faith in the lives of many gay and lesbian Christians."
Virginia Ramey Mollenkott said, "If courage, honesty, and insight are beautiful, then this is one beautiful book. . . . I rejoice that in this book all the gay men and lesbian women who have been robbed of their spirituality are issued an urgent invitation: Come home!"
"Come Home!" by Chris Glaser offers a vision of faith, hope, and affirmation inviting gay men and lesbians to come home to their spirituality through Christian faith and community. Order your copy today!
"Come Home!" is available for $19.95 each, $14.95 each for six or more copies, plus shipping and handling.
http://www.chirhopress.com/products/product_details/BookRevComeHome.html
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4. Modern Proverbs (Tongue in Cheek)
*** Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark. Professionals built the Titanic.
*** Conscience is what hurts when everything else feels so good.
*** Even if you are on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there.
*** Politicians and diapers have two things in common. They should both be changed regularly and for the same reason.
*** An optimist thinks that this is the best possible world. A pessimist fears that this is true.
*** Indecision is the key to flexibility.
*** It hurts to be on the cutting edge.
*** I am a nutritional overachiever
*** I am in shape. Round is a shape.
*** A day without sunshine is like night.
*** I have kleptomania, and when it gets bad, I take something for it.
*** The real art of conversation is not only to say the right thing at the right time, but also to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment.
*** Age doesn't always bring wisdom. Sometimes age comes alone.
*** You don't stop laughing because you grow old, you grow old because you stopped laughing.
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Here is a selection from our second major book of reflections, "Christian with a Twist: Reflections on Scripture that are a bit more inclusive, a bit more relevant, and with a bit of a bite," by the late William Gaston.
"Christian with a Twist" is available for $19.95 each, $14.95 each for six or more copies, plus shipping and handling. You can read more about it and order it at http://www.chirhopress.com/products/product_details/BookRevChristianWithATwist.htm
As the subtitle suggests, Bill's writing has a bit of a bite, and we believe you will enjoy his sharp, but loving take on Scripture, life, and faith.
Here is a selection entitled "Checking or Savings?" from the Lenten section of "Christian with a Twist."
Please read Matthew 6:1, 3, 5, 19-21
Is Jesus trying to take all the fun out of doing good? To my mind Jesus is not so much forbidding our pleasures as he is just telling us like it is. He is saying you can do things one way and get immediate pleasure, and that is not necessarily bad. Or you can do it another way without instant gratification and prepare yourself for a better tomorrow.
We worship in a beautiful church building that costs a pretty penny to operate. If we can afford to give our share to cover the expenses there is nothing wrong with feeling good about it. Giving more so that those who cannot give very much can none-the-less feel welcome is also good. Many of us give by check, keep an accounting, and take a tax deduction in April. Jesus would not condemn that.
But Saint Peter will not be looking over our tax returns when he assigns us our cloud in heaven. What will be felt for eternity is the private joy we had in giving, maybe to our church, maybe to another church, maybe to a need that nobody else noticed.
We do a lot of praying out loud here in church. Each Sunday several step up to the microphone to do that and several more open their arms in front of the church to those in need after the sermon. God notices and God is pleased, but it is the ways that these spoken prayers touch hearts and inspire private prayer that lives in heaven.
There is also nothing wrong with enjoying the creature comforts of life. I expect Jesus would not mind staying in my apartment and riding in my Subaru if he were to visit Washington in the flesh. It is very likely if he came to do a revival weekend at MCC, someone would offer him a private room and bath in their larger home so he would not have to deal with my sofa bed.
It is good to live well and give well. But we must not do either as if our lives depend on the details or amounts. Spend generously for yourself and others. Just be sure that the deductions in your checkbook bring memories and not regrets. And do not put too much stake in the deposits. You do not want God to have to pry your bank statements out of your hands when it is time to go. Actually God will not, but somebody else might. Be sure they do not break your heart in the process.
http://www.chirhopress.com/products/product_details/BookRevChristianWithATwist.htm
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As a regular feature in the Chi Rho Connection, we are offering up traditional saints listed in the 2006 Liturgical Calendar and Lectionary from today until our next scheduled electronic newsletter.
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Sat., March 4, St. Casimir of Poland (Patron saint: bachelors). Praise of Mary: St. Casimir was the second son of Casimir IV, king of Poland. He grew up in an atmosphere of luxury, however the young prince turned his back on all of it to dedicate himself to the charity of the poor and afflicted. He had a special love and devotion to the Virgin Mary and his love for her was expressed as a hymn, "Daily, daily sing to Mary."
Sun., March 5, St. John Joseph of the Cross. Sympathy: Sympathy consists of realizing the suffering of others as our own. St. John Joseph teaches us that to do this we have to put aside our own feeling for the love of Christ. St. John Joseph was often not content to relive the sufferings of others but at times took them upon himself.
Mon., March 6, Sts. Perpetua and Felicity (Patron saints: barren women). Strength in weakness: God puts the example of women before us so that we can learn courage. God calls upon us to endure suffering of body and mind, if necessary, to prove our faithfulness to God. But God promises to uphold us by God's strength, light, and divine encouragement. "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9).
Tues., March 7, St. Thomas Aquinas (Patron saint: publishers). Chastity: "I don't understand how a man can ever smile if he is in a state of mortal sin," St. Thomas Aquinas. A story tells that when St. Thomas was confined at Rocca Secca, his brothers tried to entrap him by sending a woman to his cell. He picked up a burning brand from the hearth and chased her out. He dreamed that night that two angels had girded him with a cord, a token of the gift of perpetual chastity. The Confraternity of Angelic Warfare still wear the cords under their clothing for the preservation of their chastity.
Wed., March 8, St. John of God (Patron saint: book sellers, fire fighters, heart patients). The rewards of charity: God rewards us for works that are pleasing in God's sight by giving us grace and opportunity to do yet better. St. John of God attributed his conversion and the grace that enabled him to do so much to what he had done in his prior life helping Christian slaves in Africa. "I have never seen a compassionate and charitable [person] die a bad death," St. Augustine.
Thurs., March 9, St. Gregory of Nyssa. Hope in the worst of times: Learn from St. Gregory to stand up earnestly and humbly for the truth, and to leave the rest to God, in whose hand the gift of faith resides. "I wash my hands in innocence, and go about your altar, O Lord, pro-claiming aloud your praise and telling of all your wonderful deeds" (Psalm 26:6-7).
Fri., March 10, The Forty Martyrs. Strength in numbers: All of us that live in the grace of Christ are one. Thank God for binding you to others by spiritual ties and pray that the bond that unites you here may last for eternity. "Friendship which is broken by death is no true friendship," St. Ambrose. "An offended brother is more unyielding than a fortified city and disputes are like the barred gates of a citadel" (Proverbs 18:19).
Sat., March 11, St. Andrew Corsini. Repentance: St. Andrew is a prime example of a true penitent: one who trusts firmly in God's forgiveness but never forgives himself. "Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death" (2 Corinthians 7:10).
Sun., March 12, St. Gregory I. Conversions: "Restore us to yourself, O Lord, that we may return; renew our days as of old unless you have utterly rejected us and are angry with us beyond measure" (Lamentations 5:21-22).
Mon., March 13, St. Isidore of Skete. Mind yourself: St. Isidore teaches us to avoid opportunities to go astray; not only situations that may cause great danger, but also any that may give rise to anger, vanity, excessive pride and arrogance, or any other passions. "The enemy of our souls in his malice does all he can do to induce us to sin; let us on our part do all that we ought to do. Have recourse to prayer, and the enemy will be put to flight. It is by thinking of God that we gain the victory," St. Isidore.
Tues., March 14, St. Fructuosus. Perseverance in prayer: Often we lose the joy of the Holy Spirit when we need it the most: during our times of trial and hardship. We lose the Holy Spirit because we do not pray. Jesus teaches us to pray always if we are to get the strength we need against our spiritual enemies and that we should be ready to meet those enemies with a spirit of confidence in the victory.
Wed., March 15, St. Louise de Marillac (Patron saint: social workers). Our brother's keeper: "As for your conduct toward the poor, may you never take the attitude of merely getting the task done. You must show them affection; serving them from the heart – inquiring of them what they need; speaking to them gently and compassionately; procuring necessary help for them without being too bothersome or too eager," St. Louise de Marillac.
Thurs., March 16, St. Julian of Antioch. The good example: We are all blessings to someone else in spite of ourselves! "The heavens declare God's glory, not because their voice is heard, but because the very sight of them leads us to praise their Creator," St. John Chrysostom.
Fri., March 17, St. Patrick (Patron saint: engineers). Zeal: The United States owes much of the Christianity found here to the faith and zeal of the sons and daughters of St. Patrick, the Irish. St. Patrick's life was one of prayer and penance, his humbleness increasing as he grew older. "Your faith is confirmed, not only in the hearts of people, but before their eyes. Heaven bears witness to it and earth likewise, the angels in glory and the lost in Hell," St. Augustine.
Sat., March 18, St. Cyril of Jerusalem. Trust in the Word of God: "As a stout staff supports the trembling limbs of a feeble old man, so faith sustains our vacillating mind, lest it be tossed about by sinful hesitation and perplexity," St. John Chrysostom. "Long ago I learned from your statutes that you established them to last forever" (Psalm 119:152).
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Order the 2005-2006 Liturgical Calendar and Lectionary, complete with the entire year's Sanctoral Cycle, at this link:
http://www.chirhopress.com/products/product_details/BookRevLiturgicalCa05_06.html
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The 2005-2006 Liturgical Calendar and Lectionary, Year B is available on the Chi Rho Press Web site. You may view it and order it at this link:
http://www.chirhopress.com/products/product_details/BookRevLiturgicalCa05_06.html
The 2005-2006 Liturgical Calendar and Lectionary sells for 11.95 each, $9.50 each for six or more copies, plus shipping and handling.
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I will be at Chris’ Steakhouse, in Old Town Gaithersburg, Maryland this evening to watch the Oscars with openly Gay owner Keith Gross and his partner Ben Cavanaugh. We expect a bunch of other people as well. Check out their Web site, by the way, at www.hotbeercoldfood.com. And if you are in the area, let me know and maybe we can have dinner there! Tell your server you qualify for the 10% family discount.
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Please check out the Chi Rho Cards! Our line of greeting cards, by the talented New York artist Timothy Leetch, are now available. See the descriptions of the cards on our Web site at: http://www.chirhopress.com/products/cards.html.
Order some cards today!
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Gracia y paz,
R. Adam DeBaugh, Director, Adam@ChiRhoPress.com.
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