Siri C. Erickson, Pastor of Lifelong Learning at Trinity Lutheran Church in Stillwater, MN, responds to the actions of the ELCA's 2009 Churchwide Assembly.
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A presentation service announcement (PSA) to potentially turn around the struggles of this fallen world through the help of God's beloved Son Jesus Christ's salvation through human repentance.
This is the first sermon I have ever given on homosexuality--a fact I am sad to admit. My neglect of this important topic is symptomatic of the church's mistakes about how to help people struggling with same-sex attractions over the last 2000 years. I hope these notes and the audio of the message can help some find a better, more biblical way to love our neighbors who may think they are gay.
Gallery of Voices - HiTOPS Faith Initiative HiTOPS
The Faith Initiative seeks to help LGBTQ+ youth and their families share their experiences with faith communities by creating opportunities for authentic dialogue between a variety of faith communities, LGBTQ+ organizations, and community members regarding spirituality, family relations, and the LGBTQ+ community.
We at HiTOPS know there is a wide array of experiences people hold at the intersection of faith and sexuality. Our organization cares deeply about the lived experiences of queer youth. Over the next several months we will be gathering stories of individual’s experiences to encapsulate the varied narratives of LGBTQ+ youth in New Jersey.
Our initiative will seek to hear the experiences of LGBTQ+ youth who are part of an affirming community, LGBTQ+ Youth who are a part of a non-affirming faith community, as well as LGBTQ+ youth who have left their faith communities. We will also seek to hear from faith leaders and straight youth who attend affirming and non-affirming faith communities.
Every Niche of Christ Honored (ENOCH) (Part 3 of 10)Daren Billy
A presentation service announcement (PSA) to potentially turn around the struggles of this fallen world through the help of God's beloved Son Jesus Christ's salvation through human repentance.
This is the first sermon I have ever given on homosexuality--a fact I am sad to admit. My neglect of this important topic is symptomatic of the church's mistakes about how to help people struggling with same-sex attractions over the last 2000 years. I hope these notes and the audio of the message can help some find a better, more biblical way to love our neighbors who may think they are gay.
Gallery of Voices - HiTOPS Faith Initiative HiTOPS
The Faith Initiative seeks to help LGBTQ+ youth and their families share their experiences with faith communities by creating opportunities for authentic dialogue between a variety of faith communities, LGBTQ+ organizations, and community members regarding spirituality, family relations, and the LGBTQ+ community.
We at HiTOPS know there is a wide array of experiences people hold at the intersection of faith and sexuality. Our organization cares deeply about the lived experiences of queer youth. Over the next several months we will be gathering stories of individual’s experiences to encapsulate the varied narratives of LGBTQ+ youth in New Jersey.
Our initiative will seek to hear the experiences of LGBTQ+ youth who are part of an affirming community, LGBTQ+ Youth who are a part of a non-affirming faith community, as well as LGBTQ+ youth who have left their faith communities. We will also seek to hear from faith leaders and straight youth who attend affirming and non-affirming faith communities.
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These are the slides which accompanied a presentation I gave on 28 September 2016 in Mitchell, SD at Dakota Wesleyan University's McGovern Center for Leadership and Public Service
Gay Issues LGBTQ Issues What Do We Mean by LGBTQ Is.docxhanneloremccaffery
Gay Issues
LGBTQ Issues:
What Do We Mean by LGBTQ Issues?
It`s all the difficulties they face in their life such as marriage, Job, Health care, Education, Travel, etc ).
4 LGBTQ Issues That Matter More Than Marriage:
1. Queer and Trans* Youth Homelessness
40% of homeless youth identify as LGBT. 68% of those kids were kicked out of their families and homes because of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity, and 54% reported being survivors of abuse from their families. These experiences leave these young people particularly vulnerable to mental and physical health issues, and lead to unfair criminalization of queer and trans* youth.
4 LGBTQ Issues That Matter More Than Marriage:
2. Violence Against Queer and Trans* People
There were 2,000 incidents of anti-LGBT hate violence in 2012. In the past few months, we’ve seen the murder of Islan Nettles (a trans* woman) and the shooting of Mark Carson (a gay man). In May, there were at least 7 anti-LGBT attacks in New York City alone
4 LGBTQ Issues That Matter More Than Marriage:
3. Health
There exist significant disparities in health between heterosexual and LGBT people. The Center for American Progress identified 14 health disparities between straight and LGBT adults in 2009. For example, 82% of heterosexual adults had health insurance, while only 77% of LGB adults, and 57% of transgender adults, had health insurance. Similarly, 83% of heterosexual adults reported excellent or very good health, compared to only 77% of LGB adults and 67% of transgender adults. The expansion of access to health care in the U.S. should be a priority of the LGBT movement, beyond accessing a spouse’s medical plan through legalized marriage.
4 LGBTQ Issues That Matter More Than Marriage:
4. Trans* Justice
Empowerment of trans* people must be central to the movement for LGBT justice. Many trans* people live in extreme poverty, and are almost four times more likely than heterosexual and LGB people to have a household income of less than $10,000 per year. 41% of trans* people have attempted suicide, compared to 1.6% of the general population. Trans* people are consistently abused, discriminated against, harassed, and assaulted. Too often, the “T” gets excluded from LGBT initiatives and campaigns. We have to realize that we can’t have LGBT/queer justice without trans* justice.
Gay Issues
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Alshaghathirah
Mohammed Alshaghathirah
MCGS 310Z
Written Exam 3
“I Say a Little Prayer” is a moving book by renowned author E. Lynn Harris. It follows a
thirty-year-old man named Chauncey as he struggles with various issues such as race, religion,
and sexuality. Chauncey has been bisexual all his life until he finds out that it is too emotionally
draining to be women. He then decides to see men only but no one man for more than three
nights. The book delves into the uncomfortable issue that many people deal with, but are
unwilling to pursue; that is, conflicted sexua ...
This is from the Southern Baptist Convention to help its churches deal with the radical revolution going on in America's culture over sexual identity definitions. Worth reading.
Deep religious pluralism, as understood by process theologians, provides a way toward friendship, mutual learning and mutual transformation among the world's great religious traditions.
Process theology provides a better way to think about how and why there is evil in the world. The core theological starting point in that God is not all-powerful but has a persuasive, loving power that is limited by the freedom inherent in the world.
Racism and white privilege in small town AmericaMary Hess
These are the slides which accompanied a presentation I gave on 28 September 2016 in Mitchell, SD at Dakota Wesleyan University's McGovern Center for Leadership and Public Service
Gay Issues LGBTQ Issues What Do We Mean by LGBTQ Is.docxhanneloremccaffery
Gay Issues
LGBTQ Issues:
What Do We Mean by LGBTQ Issues?
It`s all the difficulties they face in their life such as marriage, Job, Health care, Education, Travel, etc ).
4 LGBTQ Issues That Matter More Than Marriage:
1. Queer and Trans* Youth Homelessness
40% of homeless youth identify as LGBT. 68% of those kids were kicked out of their families and homes because of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity, and 54% reported being survivors of abuse from their families. These experiences leave these young people particularly vulnerable to mental and physical health issues, and lead to unfair criminalization of queer and trans* youth.
4 LGBTQ Issues That Matter More Than Marriage:
2. Violence Against Queer and Trans* People
There were 2,000 incidents of anti-LGBT hate violence in 2012. In the past few months, we’ve seen the murder of Islan Nettles (a trans* woman) and the shooting of Mark Carson (a gay man). In May, there were at least 7 anti-LGBT attacks in New York City alone
4 LGBTQ Issues That Matter More Than Marriage:
3. Health
There exist significant disparities in health between heterosexual and LGBT people. The Center for American Progress identified 14 health disparities between straight and LGBT adults in 2009. For example, 82% of heterosexual adults had health insurance, while only 77% of LGB adults, and 57% of transgender adults, had health insurance. Similarly, 83% of heterosexual adults reported excellent or very good health, compared to only 77% of LGB adults and 67% of transgender adults. The expansion of access to health care in the U.S. should be a priority of the LGBT movement, beyond accessing a spouse’s medical plan through legalized marriage.
4 LGBTQ Issues That Matter More Than Marriage:
4. Trans* Justice
Empowerment of trans* people must be central to the movement for LGBT justice. Many trans* people live in extreme poverty, and are almost four times more likely than heterosexual and LGB people to have a household income of less than $10,000 per year. 41% of trans* people have attempted suicide, compared to 1.6% of the general population. Trans* people are consistently abused, discriminated against, harassed, and assaulted. Too often, the “T” gets excluded from LGBT initiatives and campaigns. We have to realize that we can’t have LGBT/queer justice without trans* justice.
Gay Issues
By
Alshaghathirah
Mohammed Alshaghathirah
MCGS 310Z
Written Exam 3
“I Say a Little Prayer” is a moving book by renowned author E. Lynn Harris. It follows a
thirty-year-old man named Chauncey as he struggles with various issues such as race, religion,
and sexuality. Chauncey has been bisexual all his life until he finds out that it is too emotionally
draining to be women. He then decides to see men only but no one man for more than three
nights. The book delves into the uncomfortable issue that many people deal with, but are
unwilling to pursue; that is, conflicted sexua ...
This is from the Southern Baptist Convention to help its churches deal with the radical revolution going on in America's culture over sexual identity definitions. Worth reading.
Deep religious pluralism, as understood by process theologians, provides a way toward friendship, mutual learning and mutual transformation among the world's great religious traditions.
Process theology provides a better way to think about how and why there is evil in the world. The core theological starting point in that God is not all-powerful but has a persuasive, loving power that is limited by the freedom inherent in the world.
What Should be the Christian View of Anime?Joe Muraguri
We will learn what Anime is and see what a Christian should consider before watching anime movies? We will also learn a little bit of Shintoism religion and hentai (the craze of internet pornography today).
The Book of Joshua is the sixth book in the Hebrew Bible and the Old Testament, and is the first book of the Deuteronomistic history, the story of Israel from the conquest of Canaan to the Babylonian exile.
The Good News, newsletter for June 2024 is hereNoHo FUMC
Our monthly newsletter is available to read online. We hope you will join us each Sunday in person for our worship service. Make sure to subscribe and follow us on YouTube and social media.
The Chakra System in our body - A Portal to Interdimensional Consciousness.pptxBharat Technology
each chakra is studied in greater detail, several steps have been included to
strengthen your personal intention to open each chakra more fully. These are designed
to draw forth the highest benefit for your spiritual growth.
Lesson 9 - Resisting Temptation Along the Way.pptxCelso Napoleon
Lesson 9 - Resisting Temptation Along the Way
SBs – Sunday Bible School
Adult Bible Lessons 2nd quarter 2024 CPAD
MAGAZINE: THE CAREER THAT IS PROPOSED TO US: The Path of Salvation, Holiness and Perseverance to Reach Heaven
Commentator: Pastor Osiel Gomes
Presentation: Missionary Celso Napoleon
Renewed in Grace
Homily: The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity Sunday 2024.docxJames Knipper
Countless volumes have been written trying to explain the mystery of three persons in one true God, leaving us to resort to metaphors such as the three-leaf clover to try to comprehend the Divinity. Many of us grew up with the quintessential pyramidal Trinity structure of God at the top and Son and Spirit in opposite corners. But what if we looked at this ‘mystery’ from a different perspective? What if we shifted our language of God as a being towards the concept of God as love? What if we focused more on the relationship within the Trinity versus the persons of the Trinity? What if stopped looking at God as a noun…and instead considered God as a verb? Check it out…
In Jude 17-23 Jude shifts from piling up examples of false teachers from the Old Testament to a series of practical exhortations that flow from apostolic instruction. He preserves for us what may well have been part of the apostolic catechism for the first generation of Christ-followers. In these instructions Jude exhorts the believer to deal with 3 different groups of people: scoffers who are "devoid of the Spirit", believers who have come under the influence of scoffers and believers who are so entrenched in false teaching that they need rescue and pose some real spiritual risk for the rescuer. In all of this Jude emphasizes Jesus' call to rescue straying sheep, leaving the 99 safely behind and pursuing the 1.
The PBHP DYC ~ Reflections on The Dhamma (English).pptxOH TEIK BIN
A PowerPoint Presentation based on the Dhamma Reflections for the PBHP DYC for the years 1993 – 2012. To motivate and inspire DYC members to keep on practicing the Dhamma and to do the meritorious deed of Dhammaduta work.
The texts are in English.
For the Video with audio narration, comments and texts in English, please check out the Link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zF2g_43NEa0
The PBHP DYC ~ Reflections on The Dhamma (English).pptx
Sexuality Sermon
1. Response to the actions taken regarding human sexuality
at the ELCA’s 2009 Churchwide Assembly
Siri C. Erickson. TLC. August 22/23, 2009
Mark 12:28-31
28
One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another,
and seeing that Jesus answered them well, he asked him, “Which
commandment is the first of all?” 29Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, O
Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; 30you shall love the Lord your God
with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with
all your strength.’ 31The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as
yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
INTRO
It has been a fascinating week to observe the way communities
engage in the difficult work of moral deliberation. I’ve been following two
different conversations: the national debate over health care reform at town
hall meetings across the country and our ELCA Churchwide Assembly’s
work on human sexuality. The behavior of people participating in the health
care and sexuality conversations was dramatically different.
The health care town hall meetings have been characterized by tactics
of organized disruption, disrespect, shouting, and personal attacks. The
baseness of the behavior at these meeting was epitomized by the young
woman who, at a town hall meeting with Massachusetts representative
Barney Frank, compared Obama’s health care policy to the Nazis while
holding a poster of the president’s face debased with a Hitler-style mustache.
The sexuality debates at the ELCA’s Churchwide Assembly here in
Minneapolis this week have also had moments of tension and the public
speaking of strongly divergent opinions. But the behavior of the Lutheran
delegates has been, for the most part, respectful and conducted with a
commitment to listening. The Assembly took time to pray and sing together
every 20 minutes during the deliberations and actually voted to respect the
consciences of one another, to value our unity in Christ in the midst of
differences, and to not abandon one another. Watching the ELCA
deliberations and contrasting them to that of the health care town hall
meetings has made me proud to be a Lutheran.
1
2. OUTCOMES
Neither conversation is over. Neither debate is fully resolved. Work
on finding solutions for how to expand health care coverage to meet the
needs of all Americans is still going on, and we don’t know yet what the
outcomes will be.
Moral deliberation about articulating a faithful understanding of
human sexuality is still ongoing, but the Churchwide Assembly did take
some votes that have moved the debate into new territory. The Assembly,
made of up pastors and congregational members from Lutheran churches
around the country, took some significant actions.
In a two-thirds majority vote, the Assembly passed a social statement
on Human Sexuality, which includes but is not limited to the following
actions: a condemnation of the global sex trade, commodification of the
body, and commercialization of sexuality, an affirmation that sexuality is a
gift from God and can be expressed in both healthy and loving ways and in
ways that harm individuals and society, and an acknowledgment of four
different conscience bound approaches to homosexuality and same gender
relationships found within our churches.
Additionally, the Assembly voted to adopt recommendations to allow
congregations who so choose to call gay and lesbian pastors in publicly
accountable, lifelong, monogamous relationships.
Whether or not you agree with the actions of the ELCA Churchwide
Assembly, the sexuality debate raises anew the issue of how we make moral
decisions, both as individuals and as communities.
TWO APPROACHES to MORAL DELIBERATION
This week we have seen two very different approaches to moral
deliberation. The path of division, polarization, demonization, and
misinformation, as seen in the health care town hall meetings. Or, the
commitment to loving the neighbor, respecting the consciences of those who
have different opinions, and recognizing that our unity in Jesus is stronger
and more important that our disagreements over any particular moral issue,
as witnessed to us by the work of the Churchwide Assembly.
2
3. RESPONSIBILITY of LEADERSHIP in MORAL DELIBERATION
This is one of those moments in time when I believe that it is my
particular responsibility as a leader to both guide and encourage moral
deliberation in our community and to speak honestly about my own
conscience-bound beliefs.
I truly do not know if you feel like Trinity is a place where you could
share your honest thoughts, concerns, stories and questions about
homosexuality and same gender relationships, but we will never know until
some are willing to take the risk of speaking openly and honestly.
MY THOUGHTS AND EXPERIENCES
Today, then, I speak on my own behalf and not for other pastors, the
congregational council or anyone else.
In deciding how to share my own thoughts and experiences, I decided
that I needed to be as clear as possible. And so I share this with you,
knowing that we will not all agree, that each of us will have a different story
to tell, and that there may be some anger, discomfort, and pain for many of
you as this conversation continues in the months to come.
For me, I cannot think of a single day in my life when I have ever
thought that publicly accountable, lifelong, monogamous same gender
relationships were sinful, evil, unnatural, wrong, or against God’s will.
To say it positively, throughout my entire life I have always believed
in the goodness, beauty, and rightness of two people, regardless of gender,
entering into a publicly accountable, lifelong, monogamous relationship
based on mutual love, friendship, and respect. And I certainly would be
proud to serve a church alongside such a person who is a pastor or
congregational leader.
My story starts with the family. The commitment of my grandma and
grandpa Anderson to living out an ethic of generous hospitality and love of
neighbor as a matter of deep faith made an early impression on me. My
grandfather was a prominent doctor and congregational leader in Owatonna,
Minnesota. When the first black family moved to town in the 50s, grandma
and grandpa invited them over for dinner and developed a close friendship
with their family. When a family of little people moved to town, grandma
and grandpa invited them into their home for a meal and enjoyed time with
their new friends.
3
4. When a sixth grade teacher came out as gay, grandma and grandpa
adopted him into the family. He is one of my grandmother’s best friends to
this day. When my grandfather died and my grandma had to move out of
her home of 50 years, Ron flew in several times from Arizona to help her go
through all of her things and make a new home at a senior living center in
Roseville.
It was with some risk to reputation and relationship that my
grandparents acted in love toward their neighbors. They were always
willing to take a chance on people, to befriend people who others wouldn’t,
and to reach out to people though acts of loving kindness even before they
had answered all of their own moral questions. Their example made a deep
impression on me in terms of what it means to live out Jesus’ command to
love our neighbor. Besides, they always said, they were the ones who were
blessed by getting to know some truly wonderful people.
Fully acknowledging my family influence as a starting place, I have
also gone back to do a rigorous study of scripture and science. This research
and reflection has not changed the convictions that were formed by my
family experiences. I admit that it is difficult for me to understand the
perspective of people who see publicly accountable, lifelong, monogamous
same gender relationships as sinful, because I have never seen it that way.
I also know that it must be equally as difficult to understand my point
of view, if, for your whole life, you have believed that homosexuality is a
sin. Many of you have different life experiences and have a different story
to tell with regards to your own journey with understanding homosexuality
and same gender relationships.
This then, is the heart of why the ELCA’s work this week has been so
remarkable. People shared their stories publicly and spoke honestly about
their beliefs and experiences.
4
5. OUR UNITY IS GREATER THAN OUR DIFFERENCES
The challenge being put to us this week by the Churchwide
Assembly’s actions is to have open and honest conversation about the
diversity of our human sexuality while at the same time committing to not
abandon one another even though we may disagree, to acknowledge that
there is suffering on account of both perspectives and to bear one another’s
burdens. This sounds good in theory but is very difficult to live out in
practice.
As part of your deliberation, I invite you to read and study the full text
of the ELCA’s newly approved social statement on Human Sexuality. You
will find a link to it on our Trinity website.
It is my hope that as we have conversations at Trinity about human
sexuality and the ELCA’s actions, we will follow the model of the ELCA
assembly’s guiding assumptions and not the model of the health care town
hall meetings. I am optimistic that we will, because I trust in your
thoughtfulness and intelligence and have experienced this community as
being capable of respecting differences in the midst of difficult
conversations. I want to end by sharing with you the passage from scripture
that Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson read after the sexuality votes were
finished.
from Colossians 3:12-17
12
As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with
compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. 13Bear with one
another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other;
just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.14Above all,
clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect
harmony. 15And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed
you were called in the one body. And be thankful. 16Let the word of Christ
dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with
gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to
God. 17And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of
the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Amen.
5