HOW TO RELATE TO AN IMPERFECT CHURCH

(Notes of a talk to the Melbourne chapter of Freedom2B – 16 March 2012)

BUT FIRST:  ¢â‚¬   I ¢â‚¬â„¢m ignorant about many things  ¢â‚¬“ I ¢â‚¬â„¢m a  ¢â‚¬Ëœpractising heterosexual ¢â‚¬â„¢ (52 years 2 months), not a scientist, psychologist, anthropologist, biblical scholar, Catholic/Eastern Orthodox…

 ¢â‚¬   I do know a little bit about Evangelical/Protestant/Pentecostal/ Anglican churches; social psychology of religious organisations; what clergy think/believe; what a healthy church looks like; what hundreds of gays/lesbians etc. tell me about their lives…

 ¢â‚¬   So: I ¢â‚¬â„¢m not here as a preacher, proof-texter, know-all…

 ¢â‚¬   Terminology? Shorthand for LGBTIQQ? Mostly  ¢â‚¬Ëœgay ¢â‚¬â„¢ sometimes  ¢â‚¬Ëœlesbian and gay ¢â‚¬â„¢.  

LOVE OF GOD/SELF/OTHERS  ¢â‚¬“  ¢â‚¬ËœI love God as much as I love the person I love least ¢â‚¬â„¢ ¢â‚¬ ¦ (Dorothy Day)  

 ¯Æ’   The Way of  ¢â‚¬ËœBureaucratized Religion ¢â‚¬â„¢ vs The Way of Jesus:  

 ¯Æ’   Pharisees (law/doctrine vs compassion/love), Sadducees/Zealots (power), Samaritans (faith) etc.  

 ¯Æ’   vs. Jesus: Luke 4:18-19, Matthew 23:23, Luke 11:42, Luke 5:15-16  

 ¢â‚¬   Justice (right use of power)  ¢â‚¬“ Who has what kind of power over you? What power do you have for others?  

 ¢â‚¬   Compassion/love (especially for those  ¢â‚¬Ëœnot like us ¢â‚¬â„¢ / the marginalized)  ¢â‚¬“ Who are they?  

 ¢â‚¬   Faith (God can deal with our enemies)  ¢â‚¬“ Is reconciliation always possible? The alternatives?  

Sociology of Religion: The ‘routinization of charisma’ (Google it!)

Politics of Apology: (Left  ¢â‚¬“  ¢â‚¬Ëœyes: oppressive system ¢â‚¬â„¢ vs. Right –  ¢â‚¬ËœNot our problem: we aren ¢â‚¬â„¢t/weren ¢â‚¬â„¢t there! ¢â‚¬â„¢)  

Gays and the Church: The Alternatives: Stay (but remain closetted); stay (but come out, and work within system); stay (but be prophetic and berate the system ¢â‚¬â„¢s ungodliness); leave (and either be angry or resigned)  

RESOURCES:  ¢â‚¬   48 Welcoming/gay-friendly churches in Australia  

 ¢â‚¬   4 Articles on the Bible and Homosexuality

 ¢â‚¬   Rowland Croucher: Was Jesus a Christian?    ¢â‚¬   Pharisees Ancient and Modern    ¢â‚¬    ¢â‚¬ËœHow to Know the Lord ¢â‚¬â„¢ (Social Justice)  

 ¢â‚¬   3 Gays Confront an Unjust (Anglican/Catholic) Church  

 ¢â‚¬   Yvette Flunder – Where the Edge Gathers    

 ¢â‚¬   Bishop Gene Robinson  ¢â‚¬“ In the Eye of the Storm  

So, my dear friends: God regards you  ¢â‚¬“ yes you!  ¢â‚¬“ as an unrepeatable miracle of God ¢â‚¬â„¢s creation. My humble suggestion is that you agree with God about that (even if some who claim to be God-followers haven ¢â‚¬â„¢t  ¢â‚¬Ëœgot it ¢â‚¬â„¢ yet)  !!!

~~

Rowland Croucher

jmm.aaa.net.au

Note 1: here’s a Youtube upload of the talk

Note 2:  http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/churches-more-gay-friendly-than-ever/story-e6frea6u-1226309741692