April 17th is the International Day of Silence, a day on which students around the world will take a vow of silence at school to draw attention to the bullying, harassment, discrimination and abuse that GLBT people face at school. Over the last 13 years, this event has grown from a project at one university…
My church has been in an interesting season. We have been fast-tracking the church year. What that means in practical terms is that we were celebrating Advent during Lent and now Christmas during Easter. I know – kind of odd. But it has been quite a refreshing experience. I was surprised to discover the deep…
We’ve all heard it …..”I love the sinner ….. I just hate their sin.” This statement has been critiqued a thousand ways. While some may use this phrase with the best of intentions, it has proven to be unhelpful and alienating. Yet inevitably, on some blog conversation about homosexuality and Christianity it will come up.…
It seems to me that when it comes to the language surrounding people who are gay, folks can often talk past each other. The use of language is challenging. Different people can mean different things when they say exactly the same thing. And these different meanings arise from different experiences, cultures, and backgrounds. Not only…
Someone has anonymously commented on my last post – and given that my response to them was getting longer and longer – I decided to just make it it’s own post. This commenter asked: “How do we get to the point of seeing this issue as an area of disagreement rather than a salvation issue?”…
This past weekend I had the opportunity to teach a couple of seminars at a conference called, “The Evolving Church: Amidst the Powers”. It was a pretty intense experience with some theological heavy-weights as keynote speakers. Stanley Hauerwas’ paper on “The Power of War” is something I’m still chewing on ….. and wish I could…
Recently I was asked to speak to a gathering of youth. The group was made up of youth from a variety of churches and denominations, and after I shared my story a number of youth and pastors came to talk with me and express how grateful they were. One woman told about having a gay…
I consider three different cords in living out the gospel with our gay neighbours. First there is mission: reaching our gay neighbours who do not experience relationship with Jesus Christ with the good news of His love. Second is justice: speaking out on issues of unjust treatment and the ways we fail to honour the…
I’ve just watched Dustin Lance Black win the Oscar for best screenplay for the movie Milk. Unfortunately, I haven’t yet been able to see the movie as I rarely have the chance to get to the theatre. In his acceptance speech, Lance spoke with overt emotion of the hope that the story of Harvey Milk…
As I was posting my last entry on ‘trust issues’, I came across a comment that had somehow gotten lost in the wasteland of unmoderated comments. “Jack” was very articulate in raising concerns that seem to be shared by other gay readers, so I wanted to try to address some of the issues he raises:…