Finding solace amidst messages of hate
I have been dealing with a broken heart this evening. As I continue to encounter more and more hateful speech spewing from pulpits around the country, I've been left wondering where the voices in opposition are. I know many pastors and faith leaders who disagree with the teachings of Ron Baity, Charles Worley, Sean Harris, and many others. But where are their voices? Why can't I find them anywhere in the news.
I understand how we sensationalize the macabre, but the LGBT community needs to hear the voices of those who affirm them from pulpits as well.
So tonight, I am simply trying to find comfort. I'll leave you with this litany (adapted from Matthew 5) that has brought some peace to my heart (from Rev. Ann B. Day):
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven.
God our Center, we are grateful for Your presence within and among
us. May all that we are and do arise from our love for you.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
God our Comfort, be with all whose hearts are filled with grief.
Let Christ's peace uphold them. May we bear with them the burden of sorrow, and
bring to them faith's message of hope.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
God our Inspiration, may we have the mind of Christ as we relate
to one another. Let love be our guide, and reconciliation our desire. May
people of every color and class, age and ability, sexual and gender orientation
be truly welcomed and valued among us.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for
they will be filled.
God our Advocate, let our righteousness be born, not of arrogance,
but of yearning to do Your good will. May we hunger for churches where all
belong, where diversity of humanity and unity in Christ create community and
promote justice. May we thirst for right relationship with You and all our
neighbors.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
God our Refreshment, as Your forgiveness restores us, so may we
offer the blessing of restoration to those who wrong us, and accept it from
those we have wronged. Help us to find our way when the paths of justice and
compassion seem to diverge. Give us hearts ever open to mercy's possibilities.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of
God.
God our Hope, plant deep in us the longing for a world where
children do not suffer at the hands of adults, where lovers' quarrels do not
end in violence, where nations do not battle. May we pray peace, make peace,
live peace.
Amen.
BEAUTIFULLY stated, sir! I have a simple answer to the question re: where the left-leaning and/or LGBTQ-friendly voices are in Christianity. I believe that they are in two places.
ReplyDelete1) They are the "apathetic majority." It is the same group of people who take so much of the humanistic beliefs re: same-sex oriented people as self-evident that they do not bother to vote, and then wake up the morning after Election Day, shocked that so much right-wing hate speech is being enshrined into political office. Everyone speaks of the "youth vote" and yet, look at the exit-poll numbers: the younger voters, who are so passionate about causes, DO NOT SHOW UP ON ELECTION DAY. That is problem one, right there.
2) From what I have seen as I pursue my MDiv, it boils down to money. Mainline protestant denominations are not supporting the next generation of seminary students like me who are Christ-followers and are hungry to preach a theology of radical inclusion, unconditional love, etc. Many of the mainline denominations are so busy fighting about LGTBQ inclusion that they are literally hanging their seminarians out to dry. And it is even worse for a person like me: I am very much post-denominational, in the sense that I see denominational polity getting in the way of the Good News far too often, so I am left to seek ordination in "margin" groups like Yvette Flunder's Fellowship of Affirming Ministries. My call takes me toward that kind of radically inclusive theology, but guess what? THEY HAVE NO MONEY. So, here I am, preaching and writing about all the things that Christians need to learn in order to make our religion more Christ-like... and I have NO ACCESS TO MEDIA, NO ACCESS TO THE FUNDING OF MAJOR DENOMINATIONAL BODIES, and essentially I do not exist. And there are THOUSANDS of Christian ministers-in-training like me. I go to school with many of them.
So that leaves us in a quandary. I am willing to do my part -- I am studying for an MDiv, I am working toward some form of ministerial ordination in a marginalized church group, and I am having to hold a secular job just to keep myself from homelessness. My question for you, and for all who claim to support a liberal voice in Christianity, is will the already-established liberal church body do its part? Will that body recognize that it needs the energy of the next generation of seminary-trained religious leaders to fan the flames of liberation? Will that body recognize that there are thousands of ministers-in-training out here, ready to fight the good fight, who just need someone to help us out with our educational funding? I will hit the life-time cap for Federal Student Aid debt before I finish my studies and will have to turn to the secondary market where usurious interest rates are the norm. Will anyone help me? I am here, waiting to be of service. Is anyone listening?
Anyway, there's my bloated two cents on the question. Go in peace, tell the nations of the Good News, and let us pray for God to give us increase.
-Philip Tanner