MyOutSpirit.com Gay Spirituality Blog

Would Jesus Discriminate?

Would Jesus Discriminate? is the title of an outreach campaign AND the provocative book by Rev. Dr. Cindi Love, HRC Religion Council member and executive director of Metropolitan Community Churches. Harry Knox, Director of HRC’s Religion & Faith Program writes about her book, “Dr. Love’s pastoral nature and keen sense of what moves people...have already made her a powerful spokesperson. Through her eyes, you will see a Jesus who does not exclude and a hope for Christian community worldwide.” Listen to Dr. Love on HRC’s radio show The Agenda with Joe Solmonese . 

A Fireside Chat with Neale Donald Walsch

Gay internet radio personality Lance White will host a fireside chat with LGBT Ally Neale Donald Walsch this Saturday, March 29, 2008, at 7pm PST.

For those who want to listen, just go to www.bbsradio.com at 7pm PST, and click the purple button at the top which says, BBS Station 1.  Then, select the player and speed.

The show is called A Fireside Chat With Zany Mystic.  Lance says, "I think I'm the ONLY Gay host there, and though I've had a few Gay guests, and am having another this month, most are not. You can listen all day long if you like for free. Archived shows are by subscription. My next 'Gay guest' calls himself the Gay Mystic."

A Spiritual Survival Guide for Gay and Lesbian Christians

BULLETPROOF FAITH: A SPIRITUAL SURVIVAL GUIDE FOR GAY AND LESBIAN CHRISTIANS by Rev. Candace Chellew-Hodge is available for pre-order on Amazon.com.

A refrain heard relentlessly by gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people of faith is: "God hates fags!" Whether it's hurled as a direct insult or stated more subtly in a "Love the sinner, hate the sin" theology, the message to GLBT ears is the same: "God hates you and so do we!" From this kind of blatant attack, to "ex-gay" ministries, to faith-based arguments for a proposed amendment to the U.S. Constitution against "gay marriage," to the divide in churches like the Episcopal Church over a gay bishop, the faith of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people of faith is constantly under assault. In such a toxic religious environment, many GLBT people abandon their faith, believing that God hates them or at the very least will not love them unless they give up or deny their sexual orientation.

Bulletproof Faith: A Spiritual Survival Guide for Gay and Lesbian Christians will help the reader reclaim the spiritual self that criticism from society and religion has led them to give up. There are lots of books on gay and lesbian spirituality and/or Christian faith. Most are apologetics or debate-like responses to Christian conservative viewpoints. But there aren t any books that are simply a guide to being Christian and gay--how to do it, not by having the best apologetic or proof-text but by shoring up the inner life and one s self-esteem as one who is loved by God regardless of what others have to say on the subject. Bulletproof Faith empowers readers to withstand even the most aggressive assaults without fear, doubt, or anger by providing:

*A useful working knowledge of biblical history

*Solid, proven tactics that can be used successfully when faced with an attack

*Spiritual practices (such as meditation and prayer) that enhance and strengthen faith

*Practical tools to discover one's "authentic self": the bulletproof part of each of us

*Guidance on how to turn attacks into opportunities for spiritual growth

The best thing about Bulletproof Faith is that it doesn t argue; instead the author's approach--born out of 10 years of being on the frontlines in the controversies surrounding Gay and Christian identity--is to teach readers to draw on their own inner strength and to return abuse with the spiritual Aikido of gentleness, compassion, reverence--and strength.

Chellew-Hodge is the founder and editor of Whosoever.org, an online magazine for LGBT Christians and a long-time friend to MyOutSpirit.com.

Queer blog runs gay Passion and Easter series

Image at right: Jesus Before the Priests (from The Passion of Christ: A Gay Vision) by F. Douglas Blanchard (counterlight@earthlink.net)

A queer version of Christ’s Passion is running in daily installments at the Jesus in Love Blog this week through Easter.

Each daily post features a queer Christian painting and an excerpt from my new novel Jesus in Love: At the Cross.

Jesus Before the Priests (above) is one of my personal favorites from the series. The priest looks like so many I have known.  They stand by, wringing their hands while they let injustice and violence happen.  Artist Doug Blanchard has got that churchly smug indifference down cold.

The eight-day Passion series at my blog covers the dramatic events of Palm Sunday, the Last Supper, and Jesus’ arrest, trial, crucifixion, and resurrection.  Jesus is in love with his disciple John and faces religious homophobia in the selections from “At the Cross.”

The online Holy Week series includes paintings by Blanchard, Gary Speziale and Becki Jayne Harrelson.  Click here to visit the gay Passion series.

Black Jesus, Gay Jesus and Obama

Black Jesus is causing controversy now for U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama.

“Jesus was a poor black man who lived in a country and lived in a culture that was controlled by rich, white people,” said Obama’s recently retired pastor Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr.  He was preaching to a predominantly black congregation.

I appreciate the need for the black Jesus because as a lesbian minister and author I promote the idea of a queer Christ.  These radically new Christ figures embody and empower people who are left out when Jesus is shown as a straight man.  They can free the minds of everyone.

However, some people reacted with outrage when videos of Wright’s preaching were broadcast on national television yesterday.  News reports about the controversy focus not only on the black Jesus, but also on his analysis of U.S. politics, which Obama has condemned as “inflammatory and appalling.”

Wright recently retired as pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago.  Watch him on video and judge for yourself.
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Kittredge Cherry Kittredge Cherry is the author of Art That Dares: Gay Jesus, Woman Christ, and More.  She edits the Jesus in Love Newsletter on queer spirituality and the arts.  She offers progressive spiritual resources at JesusInLove.org.