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eNewsletter 17 February 2003 |
Chi Rho Connection ************************* Contents:
1. "The Journey is Our Home:" Sharing Our Faith
Journeys, by Roberta Showalter Kreider -------------------------------------------------- This Issue's Quote: ***** Welcome once again to the Chi Rho Connection, the electronic newsletter of Chi Rho Press. Thank you for passing this Chi Rho Connection on to others. To join our list, send an e-mail message to
ChiRhoPress-subscribe@yahoo.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. -------------------------------------------------- 1. "The Journey is Our Home:" Sharing Our Faith Journeys, by Roberta Showalter Kreider
-------------------------------------------------- 2. New Book of Lenten Meditations -------------------------------------------------- 3. You Can Be Published by Chi Rho Press! -------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------- If you've received our Chi Rho Connection as a result of the good offices of someone passing it along to you (which we certainly encourage) and would like to receive it directly from us, please follow these directions: UNSUBSCRIBE: ChiRhoPress-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com Copyright 2002, Chi Rho Press, Inc. ******************************************
Vol. IV, No. 3
17 February 2003
2. New Book of Lenten Meditations
3. Call for Submissions
4. "Together in Love"
5. Sanctoral Cycle
6. Become a Guardian Angel
7. Adam's Last Word:
In a letter written near the end of his life, J.R.R. Tolkien, author of the Lord of the Rings trilogy said, "so it may be said that the chief purpose of life, for any one of us, is to increase according to our capacity our knowledge of God by all the means we have, and to be moved by it to praise and thanks."
Please visit our Web site at http://www.chirhopress.com to see our entire lines of books, handouts, tchochkas, and stained glass.
To continue 'The Journey is Our Home' series, we have called upon Roberta Showalter Kreider.
Roberta compiled "From Wounded Hearts: Faith Stories of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered People and Those Who Love Them," published by Chi Rho Press in 1998.
More recently, Roberta put together "Together in Love: Faith Stories of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Couples," an anthology of LGBT couples, telling their stories of their faith journeys as people in non-traditional relationships. "Together in Love" is 360 pages, and contains 26 stories by LGBT couples. It also includes other stories, poems, and a father's message to the church. (ISBN: 0-9664822-1-2).
"Together In Love" is $24.00 each, $18.00 each for six or more copies, plus shipping and handling.
Here is Roberta's story of faith, "One Slice of My Life" and we hope you are blessed by her spiritual journey.
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As I endeavor to compress over 76 years of life into a faith story of 500 words, I will need to focus on one incident that changed my life profoundly.
For most of my life, homosexuality was a word I seldom heard, yet I was sure that it was a terrible sin. The concept that a person could actually be born that way was completely foreign to me. When I was 58 years old, my husband and I entered my youngest brother's hospital room for a last visit before he died.
What a shock it was to hear him say, "I have AIDS, and I have no one to blame but myself." Then he added wistfully as if he wished we would understand but doubted that we could, "My sexual fantasies have always been with men."
My emotions were in a turmoil, but I am thankful that in all that traumatic time those words, "My sexual fantasies have always been with men," were burned indelibly into my memory.
The journey to where I am today has been painful, but thank God, I have come to a greater peace and a deeper understanding of God's inclusive love for everyone.
I have always deeply loved God and wanted more than anything else to please God. For most of the years of my life, I have been an avid biblical literalist. The way I was taught to read my Bible did not leave much room for people of other denominations besides the Mennonites and no room at all for people of faiths other than Christian unless they would change their way of thinking about God to conform to my church's interpretation of God.
It is easy to judge and condemn someone whom we do not know. It is especially easy to judge a group of people whom we think do not measure up to our interpretation of what the Bible says. However, when we take time to learn to know gay people as individuals, our perception of them changes, and we need to look at what the Bible really says in a new light of truth. My own life and attitude has been changed forever by listening to the stories of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and hermaphrodite people.
I am a Mennonite by birth and by choice. However, these days, I am deeply disappointed with the Mennonite Church. In spite of all evidence to the contrary, the majority of the Mennonite Church clings to the traditional way of excluding homosexual individuals unless they remain celibate or enter into a mixed orientation marriage.
Because personal stories have been so important in my own transformation, I felt that God was asking me to provide a forum where my friends could tell their stories. "From Wounded Hearts: Faith Stories of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered People and Those Who Love Them" was published in August of 1998 and "Together in Love: Faith Stories of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Couples" in August of 2002.
Jesus is my guide as I endeavor to love God with all my being and my neighbor as I love myself. (Matthew 22:37-40.)
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"For Another Flock," includes daily meditations for all the days of Lent and Holy Week, beginning with Ash Wednesday (which this year is March 5), and ending with Easter Sunday (April 20, 2003). Scripture readings are provided for every day in Lent and Holy Week followed by a reflection from a uniquely gay and Catholic point of view and a prayer.
Following the daily meditations is a seven-week Lenten Bible Study Guide. Jeff Lea’s introduction explores Lent as a penitential season, discussing penance and repentance. Each weekly Bible Study starts with a Gospel reading. There is a Lenten theme for each of the seven sessions. Week One is "An Ash Wednesday Ritual and Discussion of the Nature of Penance." Week Two is "The Nature of Temptation." Week Three is "the Meaning of Sin in our Lives." Week Four is "Faithfulness and Homosexuality." Week Five is "The Joy of Being Gay." Week Six is "The Meaning of Judgement." And the concluding session is "The Last Supper and the Mandatum (New Commandment)."
Seven Appendices conclude the book.
Jeff Lea writes, "Far too many gay women and men continue to view the primary Christian scripture, the Holy Bible, as a document hostile to people whose expression of intimate love is homosexual. Nothing can be further from the truth. While the Bible does condemn the ritualistic abuse of human sexuality it does not ever express a view of same-sex love as an abomination. In fact it affirms it in the love story of Jonathan and David.
"The Bible's primary message is Love. To love God, ourselves and each other as God has loved us. The Bible is not a handbook on how to hate sin. It is a transcript of the ongoing love story between God and the people of God.
"Lent is the primary renewing and penitential season of the Church year. It is the time of personal examination and purification before we enter into the Paschal mystery on Easter Sunday. We are at the door to salvation during this time. Gay people are also at that door and we too have an experience of conversion and faith. These meditations present the point of view of a gay male Christian exploring the liminal experience of coming out gay, coming out Christian, and discovering affirmation in the Bible. The book provides both a daily meditation on the scriptural readings for Lent, and a seven-week group study that explores penance from a positive gay perspective."
"For Another Flock: Rainbow Meditations and Study Guide for Lent" is spiral bound, 5 ½" x 8 ½", 104 pages, and sells for $10.95 each, $8.95 each for six or more copies, plus shipping and handling.
Lead on, O fiery pillar,
We follow yet with fears,
But we shall come rejoicing
Though joy be born of tears.
We are not lost, though wandering,
For by your light we come,
And we are still God's people,
The journey is our home.
We try to publish a new faith story in each issue of the Chi Rho Connection and we are hoping that YOU will submit your faith story for publication. We want our writers to be well known and not famous at all, clergy and lay people, LGBT people and non-gay people, people from all walks of life, and even Christians and non-Christians. We have already begun collecting these faith stories for 'The Journey is Our Home' and hope you are blessed by the spiritual insights found here. And we need your faith story now as well!
Just send your faith story for "The Journey is Our Home" to Adam@ChiRhoPress.com. Please try to limit your story to 500 words. Tell our readers about a significant event in your faith journey, what happened, what it means to you, how it changed your faith journey and your life. Be published in the Chi Rho Connection!
'Together in Love: Faith Stories of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Couples' is an anthology of LGBT couples, telling their stories of their faith journeys as people in non-traditional relationships. 'Together in Love' has a foreword by psychiatrist Elsie Enns Steelberg, is 360 pages, and contains 26 stories by LGBT couples. It also includes other stories, poems, and a father's message to the church.
(ISBN: 0-9664822-1-2)
Roberta Kreider compiled 'From Wounded Hearts: Faith Stories of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered People and Those Who Love Them,' published by Chi Rho Press in 1998. Now, with 'Together in Love,' Roberta has put together another impressive anthology of LGBT people of faith telling their stories.
Roberta Kreider writes, 'To truly embrace all of God's creation as good and worthy of respect and love is the most freeing experience I know. Never again do I want to judge another person by skin color, status in life, gender, sexual orientation, religion, or by what those in authority determine for me. I am experiencing in a much deeper way than ever before God's unfathomable heart of love for me. May this also be true in your experience.' From 'A Personal Message to Our Readers,' Roberta Kreider's introduction to 'Together In Love.'
'Together In Love' is $24.00 each, $18.00 each for six or more copies, plus shipping and handling.
Mon. Feb. 3, St. Aelred of Rievaulx (1110-1167). Cistercian abbot and patron saint of Integrity. Aelred wrote freely of his feelings for his friends and fellow monks. While it is not known if he had any romantic relationships, it is clear that he was strongly attracted to men. He had a very positive attitude toward creation and humanity, and was comfortable embracing his own feminine side. He developed a theology of friendship, and is today the patron saint of Integrity, a lesbian and gay organization for Episcopalians. (He died on Jan. 12, however this date is used by his order.)
Tue. Feb. 4, Cornelius the Centurion. The story of Cornelius is told in Acts 10 and 11. He was an important military leader and a deeply religious person who was interested in Judaism. His story is significant in the growth of the early church because he and his family were among the first Gentile converts, thereby opening the door for the message of Jesus to spread throughout the Roman Empire. His story is significant for gay and lesbian people because of Peter's vision, which led him to go to Caesarea and visit this Gentile home. This vision led Peter to understand that, despite the laws of Leviticus, there was a higher law of love, "God has shown me that I should not call anyone profane or unclean."
Sat. Feb. 8, Martin Buber, (1878-1965). Jewish philosopher and theologian. Buber had a strong impact in reminding Christianity of its Jewish origins. He wrote that Jesus exemplified the highest ethical and spiritual ideals of Judaism. He was a champion of interfaith dialogue and improved understanding between peoples. He was influenced by the Hasidic movement in Eastern Europe. He became a professor at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and believed that Jews and Arabs could find a just way to live together.
Tue. Feb. 11, Fanny Jane Crosby, (1820-1915). Hymn writer and musician. Though she went blind at six weeks of age, Fanny Crosby became one of the most prolific hymn writers in America. She eventually wrote more than 8,000 hymns. A lifelong Methodist, her hymns speak of a personal devotion to Christ. Among those that have been deeply loved (especially in Evangelical churches) include, "Blessed Assurance," "Pass Me Not, O Gentle Savior," and "To God be the Glory."
Fri. Feb. 14, St. Valentine, (d. 269). Martyr. Though long since removed from the lists of "official" saints, Valentine's Day has been taken over by the greeting card industry and become fixed in the popular calendar of most people. Its seems to have its origins in England, where it was noted that birds began to pair and mate around the feast of St. Valentine. The original Valentine was likely a Christian priest in Rome who was beheaded for refusing to renounce his faith. By giving his heart to God, he really did show us the depth of true love.
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You may contribute on line, paying with your credit card or send your check or money order to Chi Rho Press, P.O. Box 7864, Gaithersburg, MD 20898.
Thanks for your support!
*****
I have been snowed in here at home all this weekend. My secular work place was closed today (Monday) because of the snow, an unusual occurrence to be sure! My car is totally buried and no one has cleared the paths in our common areas so I can't even get to the car without wading through up to three feet of snow. I hope those of our readers who are in the snow belt this week are warm, safe, and dry.
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Sales have been good for the "Liturgical Calendar," "For Another Flock," and many of our other books. Check out "Steps to Recovery from Bible Abuse," "The Road to Emmaus," and "The Bible and Homosexuality," which have been our biggest sellers this month along with the "Liturgical Calendar" and "For Another Flock."
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R. Adam DeBaugh, Director, Adam@ChiRhoPress.com.
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We are glad you are partners in ministry 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.
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