Chi Rho Press eNewsletter
Vol. II, No. 3
20 January 2001

“The road to knowledge begins with the turn of the page.”

To join our list and get your own copy of our eNewsletter, send an e-mail
message to ChiRhoPress-subscribe@egroups.com.

Direct all other e-mail to Adam@ChiRhoPress.com. See the end of
this eNewsletter for a complete list of e-mail addresses at ChiRhoPress.com.

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Contents:

1. President Clinton's Farewell Address
2. January White (Paper) Sale!
3. Board Member Bio: Raye-Ann Dorn
4. Featured Book: The Bible and Homosexuality
5. Adam's Last Word

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1. President Clinton’s Farewell Address by Adam DeBaugh

We hope you all heard or have read President Clinton’s brief but eloquent farewell address. Last Thursday evening, 18 Jan., President Bill Clinton addressed the nation from the oval office for the last time.

Despite what you think about Bill Clinton, he leaves office with his popularity higher than most out-going Presidents. And regardless of the “scandals” that Republicans like to scream about in their unrelenting attacks on the man for the past eight years, the country is definitely far better off than it was when he took office.

His support for the LGBT community has been flawed by the ill-conceived “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy in the military and the passage of the so-called “Defense of Marriage Act,” both forced on Clinton by the Republican Congress. But the fact remains that Bill Clinton, more than any other United States President, has been more outspoken in his support of the LGBT community than any other President in history.

Earlier this month, President Clinton preached at Foundry United Methodist Church in Washington, a Reconciling Congregation pastored by my old friend J. Philip Wogaman. In his sermon, Clinton thanked the church for taking a stand for the inclusion of gay and lesbian people.

The following two paragraphs from his farewell address express with eloquence and grace his support for an inclusive society. Please note his inclusion of “sexual orientation,” a phrase he didn’t have to use, but which exemplifies his support for our issues.

“We must remember that America cannot lead in the world unless here at home we weave the threads of our coat of many colors into the fabric of one America. As we become ever more diverse, we must work harder to unite around our common values and our common humanity.

“We must work harder to overcome our differences. In our hearts and in our laws, we must treat all our people with fairness and dignity, regardless of their race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation and regardless of when they arrived in our country, always moving toward the more perfect union of our founders’ dreams.”

Thank you, President Clinton. I only hope that your successor can live up to the standards of inclusion that you have set. I look upon the coming four years with some trepidation, unfortunately. Despite his claims of being a “compassionate conservative,” there seems to be little to endorse an expectation of a compassionate four years in Mr. Shrub sorry, Bush and many of his Cabinet appointments bear this out, especially the egregious Mr. Ashcroft.

I can only echo my hero Thomas Jefferson, “Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just.”

(If you would like the full text of President Clinton’s Farewell Address, just write us at mailto:Clinton@Chirhopress.com.

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2. January White (Paper) SALE!

Only 11 more days! Just a reminder, we are running a special sale in the month of January 2001. We are calling it our January White (Paper) SALE!

For all paid orders received through snail mail and postmarked in January
2001, we will pay the shipping and handling.

We want to make a special gift to readers of this eNewsletter so rather than
changing the Web page shopping cart, this sale is only for prepaid orders sent
to us via snail mail.

You can use our web page as your Chi Rho Press catalog. Just choose as many
books, handouts, stained glass, or other products as you want from that you
find on our Web page (http://www.ChiRhoPress.com). If you would prefer a
printed copy of our catalog, just e-mail us with your mailing address.

Jot down a list of the items you want in a letter to us. Figure the cost of
the items, and send a check or money order for that amount. Don’t add
shipping and handling, we will pick up the tab for that!

Again, this is only for prepaid orders, sent to our mailing address (P.O. Box
7864, Gaithersburg, MD 20898), in the month of January 2001.

Of course, if you prefer, you may still order on our Web page, using our
convenient shopping cart and paying with your credit card, but shipping and
handling will be included in your charges.

We look forward to hearing from you!

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3. Board Member Bio: Ronald DeVrou

Here is the final biography of members of our Board of Directors. Ronald DeVrou is a cherished friend and a valuable member of the Board of Directors of Chi Rho Press, where he serves as Treasurer. He was the inspiration behind these eNewsletters and pushed to get Chi Rho Press into the information age with our Web site, eNews, and other computer-related efforts. Here’s what he has to say about himself:

Ronald DeVrou came to Washington, DC in 1991 from southwest Michigan where he'd worked in the family motorcycle and automobile business. After a 15 year marriage and two children Ronald came out as a gay man, got divorced, and left the family business to go back to university and obtain Bachelors and Masters degrees in Clinical Social Work (MSW).

While in school Ronald worked to create an office of LGBT issues and staffed it for two years. Other activist work included being part of the creation of an HIV/AIDS organization; a community based LGBT resource center and phone line; and a LGBT church.

Following a former lover to Washington Ronald worked with the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force for three years doing campus organizing and helped draft a policy paper to the then-incoming President Clinton. During that time Ronald began developing a private psychotherapy practice which is now located in Dupont Circle. The practice expanded two years ago to include Life Coaching, which is a natural extension of Ronald’s training and experience. Coaching is mostly done by telephone with clients around the country.

Ronald also offers a unique 8-week program called Life Partner Quest: Relationship Success Training for Singles. His Web page, http://www.GayCoach.com, has more information about the training program and Ronald's other work.

Ronald also publishes the Gay Coach News, an e-newsletter with tips, information, and teleclass information. To subscribe, send an e-mail to mailto:GayCoachNews-subscribe@egroups.com or to Ronald directly at mailto:JoinENews@GayCoach.com.

Ronald is a member of the Metropolitan Community Church of Washington, DC and has been a part of the Gospel Choir. He is currently single and both lives and works in Dupont Circle.

Ronald takes great pride in being part of the board of Chi Rho Press and offering his skills and insight to his very good friend Adam and the staff. Watching the Press grow and expand has been a joy-filled experience.

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4. Featured Book: The Bible and Homosexuality

Our first featured book of the new millennium takes us back to the basics.
For too many lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered people of faith, the
Bible has been used as a club to batter and beat them down.

Only six lonely little verses that have been used against LGBT people.
Despite the paucity of unequivocal condemnation in the Hebrew and Christian
Testaments, religious folk use those six verses to justify a world of hurt
for LGBT people, their families, and supporters. These "clobber passages" are
over-used and abused!

So for much of the LGBT community, "going back to the basics" of their
oppression is going back to the Bible. The Rev. Michael England has written
what we think is the best primer on "The Bible and Homosexuality." We are
proud to have published this slim, but important volume, which has been our
best seller for 10 years. In 1998 we published the fifth edition of
Michael's important work.

"The Bible and Homosexuality" is $10.95 each, $8.95 each for six or more
copies, plus shipping and handling. You may order from our Web page at
http://www.chirhopress.com/products.html
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5. Adam's Last Word.

I hope you will all take advantage of our January White (Paper) SALE. Here’s your chance to order whatever you want from Chi Rho Press and have us pay the shipping and handling costs! See the second article in this week’s eNewsletter.

This week’s edition of the Chi Rho Press eNews has the final biography of our current Board of Directors. We have a diverse and exciting board who bring a lot of experience and wisdom to our ministry. I couldn’t be happier about working with these excellent people!

I also want to remind you that we always welcome letters and e-mail from our readers. And especially if you want to comment on any of our books. Your reviews would be welcome (and we hope that they will be favorable) and we would love to hear from you.

We have some exciting news coming up look for news of an important third printing of “My Memory Book” in the next eNewsletter and we hope to have news of new printings of our Handouts before the end of the month as well.

It’s a busy time here at Chi Rho Press I hope your work and ministry is keeping you busy, fulfilled, and blessed!

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We are glad you are partners with us here at Chi Rho Press. We are eager
for your comments, your suggestions, your assistance with selling our books, and
your own purchases! And of course, we covet your prayers for this ministry.

Grace and peace,

Adam DeBaugh, Director
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For orders, please write to us: Orders@ChiRhoPress.com. If you have
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Our snail mail address is:

Chi Rho Press, Inc.
P.O. Box 7864
Gaithersburg, MD 20898

Our telephone and fax number is 301/926-1208.

You may order any of our books via snail mail, telephone, fax, or e-mail at
Orders@ChiRhoPress.com. You may pay by credit card on our web page or we
will ship your order after receiving your check or money order. Include your
e-mail address, mailing address, and telephone number please.

Visit our web page at http://www.ChiRhoPress.com. We now accept credit
cards on our web page!

Our Canadian friends can order using credit cards on our web page or through
our Canadian distributor, MAP Enterprises, Mary Ann Pearson, Box 340, 54
Centre St., Odessa, ONT., Canada, K0H 2H0; e-mail: mapenterprises@home.com;
phone or fax: 1-613-386-5711; or toll free (leave a message) 1-877-245-9569.

Copyright 2001, Chi Rho Press, Inc.

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R. Adam DeBaugh, Director, Adam@ChiRhoPress.com.
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