Click here for items on sexual justice in 2010.

Items on sexual justice from past years are archived:

Documentary explores scripture and homosexuality, while also telling five families’ journeys of faith      [12-17-07]

We have reported before on the new film For the Bible Tells Me So, which was shown at the Covenant Network of Presbyterians’ conference in Atlanta. It is now being released more widely around the country, and Presbyterian News Service has published a story about its production and its content.

Christian "ex-gay" movement grows, brainwashing thousands      [12-15-07]

In a lengthy survey of various programs claiming to “cure” homosexuals, Casey Sanchez begins by looking at “Love in Action” in Memphis, Tenn. But he views it in the wider context of some 200 similar programs around the country, and says:

Today, Love in Action is part of a booming phenomenon that is also known as the "sexual reorientation therapy" movement, an effort that is reflected in the hundreds of programs attached to religious organizations across the United States. Although the stated aim of the movement is to turn gays straight and bring them to God, it actually now has as much to do with battling the gay rights movement by trying to prove that sexuality is not an immutable characteristic like race or gender. Ex-gay ministries began as redoubts for men and women trying to reconcile their faith and sexuality. But in the hands of the anti-gay Christian Right, they have become full-fledged propaganda machines depicting gays as sex-addicted, mentally ill, and stunted heterosexuals.

Award-winning documentary film looks at people of faith dealing with scripture and homosexuality – lovingly.   [11-13-07]

A synopsis from the film’s website:

Join us... for the weekend of November 16 - 18, a day or two, or the entire week of November 12 - 18 ...

Ready to make a difference serving with RainbowCorps by doing hurricane relief work in the City of New Orleans?

You can register online now at www.mlp.org

The Rev. Jan Edmiston, pastor of Fairlington Presbyterian Church in Alexandria, VA, writes a passionate invitation for us all to rethink the ways we treat candidates for ordination in our presbyteries.

These official letters of support for both ENDA and the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Act are a result of PEP, the Presbyterian Equality Project, working in partnership with the Religion and Faith Program of the Human Rights Campaign, Washington, DC.

The Presbyterian Equality Project asks you to contact your member of Congress now to ask for her or his support of ENDA and Hate Crimes Act of 2007. We call upon all members of Congress to do the right thing by supporting fairness and justice by voting for both ENDA and the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Act.

More Light Presbyterians gather for national conference in Decatur, Georgia    [9-5-07]

With the theme "Liberating Love, Celebrating Hope!" some 75 registered participants and many drop-ins came together at North Decatur Presbyterian Church from August 31 through September 2.

More Light Presbyterians comments with regret about the decision, and offers further thoughts on the conviction that "love matters most."

On the same web page you will find a long AP report, and more.

A very brief AP report begins:

A veteran Presbyterian minister was found guilty of violating church law for officiating the weddings of two lesbian couples, the minister's defense team said Friday.

According to her defense team, the Permanent Judicial Commission of the Synod of the Pacific ruled 6-2 that while the Rev. Jane Spahr of San Rafael "acted with conscience and conviction," her actions were still at odds with the church's constitution.

The ruling reverses a decision by the PJC of the Presbytery of the Redwoods in March 2006, which said that she acted within her rights as an ordained minister when she married two lesbian couples in 2004 and 2005.

Sources in That All May Freely Serve are saying that her case will probably be appealed to the PJC of the General Assembly.

ELCA assembly passes on to a task force the issues of homosexuals' ordination and blessings for same-sex unions.    [8-14-07]

A national assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America urged its bishops Saturday (August 11) to refrain from defrocking gay and lesbian ministers who violate a celibacy rule, but it rejected measures that would have permitted ordaining gays churchwide.

Still, advocates for full inclusion of gays were encouraged, calling the resolution a powerful statement in support of clergy with same-sex partners. The conservative group Lutheran CORE was critical of the vote, saying bishops would now feel more secure in ignoring denomination policy.

The 538-431 vote came on the final day of a weeklong meeting in Chicago -- and after emotional debate over how the denomination should interpret the Bible on homosexuality.
The report in the LA Times >>

[7-18-07]

The Rev. Letty Mandeville Russell, one of the world's foremost feminist theologians and longtime member of the Yale Divinity School faculty, died July 12 at her home in Guilford, CT. She was 77.

Russell was one of the first women ordained in the United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. and served the East Harlem Protestant Parish in New York City from 1952-68, including 10 years as pastor of the Presbyterian Church of the Ascension. She joined the faculty of Yale Divinity School in 1974 and served there until her retirement in 2001. In retirement, she continued to teach some courses at Yale Divinity School as a visiting professor.
The rest of the report from Presbyterian News Service >>

Celebrating the Life, Ministry & Legacy of Letty Russell

More Light Presbyterians express disagreement with decision, support for Schmeling   [7/10/07]

The Rev. Bradley Schmeling lost another skirmish with the nation's largest Lutheran denomination over the fact that he is in a gay relationship.

But he and his flock at Atlanta's St. John's Lutheran Church intend to take the battle national.

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America announced Thursday it has removed Schmeling from its list of approved ministers because of his long-term relationship with a man.

Schmeling and members of St. John's in Druid Hills say they will travel to a national church conference in August to try to change the minds of delegates on gay issues.

The rest of the report, from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution >>

More Light Presbyterians decry Schmeling decision & stand in solidarity

MLP has responded with a statement which begins:

We are deeply disappointed by the recent decisions of The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Committee on Appeals to deny the appeal of Pastor Bradley Schmeling and to remove him immediately from the clergy roster of his denomination.

We stand in solidarity with the vision of full participation for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons and their families in the life, ministry and witness of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and our sisters and brothers of Lutherans Concerned North America who are faithfully laboring to make that vision a reality within the ELCA, one of the denominations that the Presbyterian Church (USA) is in communion with.

The complete statement >>

St. John’s congregation responds

John Ballew, president of St. John’s congregation, has stated that they intend "to go to Churchwide Assembly in August, to witness to our ELCA the costs of this decision, based on an absurd policy. This is not just about us and our wonderful pastor; this is about all those called to minister to God’s people, who lead exemplary lives, who provide a model for faithful, loving companionship with each other and with Christ."

New York State Assembly votes 85-61 to pass bill; no action scheduled in Senate    [6-20-07]

ALBANY, NY – After more than three hours of impassioned debate, the Assembly on Tuesday night approved a bill to allow same-sex marriage in New York.

Even though the bill is not slated for discussion in the Senate, proponents said the Assembly action was an important first step if New York is ever to legalize such marriages.

"I'm very proud of my colleagues," said a buoyant Daniel O'Donnell, D-Manhattan, an openly gay lawmaker who carried the bill on behalf of Gov. Eliot Spitzer. The bill passed 85-61, more than he'd expected.

The Massachusetts legislature voted yesterday to keep same-gender marriage legal in Massachusetts. It would have taken only fifty votes out of two hundred to send a measure to the voters which would have banned same-sex marriage, but only forty-five legislators voted in favor of putting this civil right out for the voters to decide.

The report from Reuters begins:

Gay marriage in Massachusetts withstood a challenge on Thursday when lawmakers beat back a four-year effort by social conservatives to ban same-sex unions in the only U.S. state where they are legal.

With 1,000 protesters from both sides of the debate rallying outside the gold-domed statehouse, the Democratic-controlled legislature voted 151-45 to block the amendment that would have allowed voters to decide whether to ban same-sex marriage in a 2008 ballot.

Erin Swenson and Jack Rogers will serve as two of the keynote speakers at the National More Light Presbyterians Conference, being held August 31 - September 2, 2007 in Atlanta, GA. Each of them will also offer thought-provoking educational workshops.

The Rev. Dr. Jack Rogers was Moderator of the 213th General Assembly, is a Presbyterian minister, Professor Emeritus of Theology at San Francisco Theological Seminary & Fuller Theological Seminary, and author of the best-selling Jesus, the Bible & Homosexuality, Explode the Myths, Heal the Church.

The Rev. Dr. Erin K. Swenson is also a Presbyterian minister, and is a pastoral counselor, transgender educator and inspirational speaker. She was the first minister in mainline Christianity to maintain pastoral credentials after gender transition. She is co-founder of SAGE, the Southern Association for Gender Education, and recently served as Co-Moderator, National MLP Board of Directors.

Soon after we posted Michael Adee’s comment on the death of Bill Silver, we received this note from Tim Leadingham, a Witherspoon member living in Coulee Dam, Washington:

The following quote is from Michael Adee in eulogizing Bill Silver:

From Michael J. Adee, M.Div., Ph.D., National Field Organizer for More Light Presbyterians

With sadness, a sense of pathos, and with thanksgiving for the life of Bill Silver, those of us within More Light Presbyterians recognize the life, ministry and witness of William David Silver, and his recent death as noted in today's New York Times obituary.

Bill Silver is remembered as one of the pioneers of the welcoming and affirming, More Light Movement in the Presbyterian Church (USA), along with his friends and colleagues who preceded him in death: David Sindt and Rosemarie Wallace.

This announcement comes from More Light Presbyterians

More Light Presbyterians is pleased to serve as a co-sponsor with Presbyterian Welcome; Immanuel Presbyterian Church, Montgomery, Alabama; and other LGBT affirming groups and churches for this special retreat designed for LGBT Presbyterian Seminarians, Candidates and Inquirers.

*For more information, registration or scholarship information please contact the Rev. Mieke Vandersall, Minister Director, Presbyterian Welcome, by phone at (917) 441-8638 or email at mieke@presbyterianwelcome.org

More Light Presbyterians recommends ...

OutFront Arizona Conference:
Blessing All Our Families
June 1 - 2, 2007, Phoenix, Arizona

[5-15-07]

More Light Presbyterians is delighted to be one of the national sponsors of this extraordinary 2-day conference celebrating and offering education about LGBT persons, relationships and families within a faith context in Phoenix, June 1 - 2.

Sylvia Thorson-Smith, Mike Smith and Marvin Ellison are presenters at the conference.  MLP is offering a LGBT/faith educational resource table.

This OutFront Arizona Conference is being offered by the Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies in Religion and Ministry at the Pacific School of Religion, and No Longer Silent, Clergy for Justice coalition in Arizona. First Congregational UCC Church, Phoenix, is the host church.

For those of you in the Southwest particularly, we encourage you to participate in this conference. The worship, speakers and workshops are a strong program which includes our Marvin Ellison, Professor of Ethics and Presbyterian minister, Bangor Theological Seminary. The conference flyer follows this invitation. Scholarships are available to students and those on limited income.

For more information on the conference and registration, please go to www.clgs.org or contact me at michaeladee@aol.com  or the National MLP Field Office (505) 820-7082.

An announcement from More Light Presbyterians   [4-25-07]

This is the fourth year of the annual tradition of celebrating the presence, faith and gifts that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons, their parents and families bring to the life, ministry and witness of the Presbyterian Church (USA).

Liberating Love

How does Love liberate us? What is liberating about God's love for us, and for all the world? What is liberating about being in love? What is liberating about our love for each other as part of the Body of Christ and the realm of God on earth?

What actions are required of us to liberate Love in our lives, churches, communities, nation and world? How is God calling us in this time and place to liberate Love? How might God be calling you, and all of us, to set God's Love free to do its life-giving, life-saving work? These are questions and meditations we offer for this More Light Sunday.

April 15 - 17 Celebrations, Community and a Call for Justice & Equality in Washington, DC    [4-4-07]

A note from Michael Adee, National Field Organizer for More Light Presbyterians, with a call for your participation, your voice and prayers

Calling for Justice and Equality

Clergy committed to spiritual and civil equality for LGBT persons and their families from all 50 states will converge upon Washington, DC to rally and lobby Congress on Capitol Hill on April 17.

Focusing upon lobby visits with Congress, we will meet with our representatives to call for the end of discrimination by lobbying for ENDA, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act that protects LGBT persons from discrimination in the workplace. We will also lobby for the passage of hate crimes legislation that is inclusive of hate crimes against sexual orientation and gender identity.

I have been invited to serve with the contingent from New Mexico as well as the national representative from More Light Presbyterians.

This historic Clergy Call for Justice and Equality, a Gathering in the Nation's Capital on April 17, is being sponsored by HRC's Religion and Faith Program. By HRC's Religion and Faith Program, we are being called to: "Join clergy from around the country to raise public awareness of the need for Congress to pass legislation to combat hate-motivated violence and end workplace discrimination against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans. The time is right for the passage of these bills and clergy can make the difference."

Calling for Equality in Church and Society

More Light Presbyterians remain wholeheartedly committed to: spiritual equality, ordination equality and marriage equality for LGBT persons and their families. Working to end discrimination in civil society against LGBT persons and their families is in harmony and supports our initiatives to achieve spiritual, ordination and marriage equality within the Presbyterian Church (USA).

Calling for Participation

For More Light Presbyterians in or near Washington, DC, you are welcome to join us for an Interfaith Celebration, April 16, 7 PM - 9 PM, All Souls Church, 1500 Harvard Street NW, Washington, DC. You are also welcome to join us for the Clergy Call for Justice and Equality gathering April 17, 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM, Holiday Inn on the Hill, 425 New Jersey Avenue NW, Washington, DC. The press conference is set for 10:30 AM. Congressional lobby visits are 1 PM - 5 PM.

For more information, to register for this Gathering - www.hrc.org and go to the "Religion and Faith" section

Calling for Presbyterian Voices, Dreams & Prayers

I want to ensure that as many Presbyterian voices, wishes and dreams related to LGBT justice and equality as possible get expressed during this historic gathering, rally and lobby day in Washington, DC. Please do send your thoughts, wishes and dreams about LGBT justice and equality to me at michaeladee@aol.com so that your voice can be lifted among others in Washington, DC on April 16 and 17.

Please join More Light Presbyterians in prayer for this gathering, rally and the Congressional lobby visits that indeed it will become clear to all that LGBT Americans continue to be denied full, equal, civil rights and protections afforded to heterosexuals and that this reality is unjust, unfair and immoral. Now is the time for equality. Now is the time for justice.

May the prayer from the ancient Hebrew prophet Amos be fulfilled on April 17 in our Nation's Capital: "Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream."

with hope and grace,

Michael

PS - please join us in prayer for this rally for LGBT justice and equality, and if you want to share your voice, wish or dream for April 16 -17 send it to michaeladee@aol.com

Michael J. Adee, M.Div., Ph.D., National Field Organizer

More Light Presbyterians, 369 Montezuma Avenue # 447, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501 USA (505) 820-7082, michaeladee@aol.com, www.mlp.org

Gay graduate of Austin Seminary leaves denomination to pursue ministry.
[3-13-07]

A message from Michael Adee, National Field Organizer of More Light Presbyterians

Karen Thompson said she is sad, but not bitter that the Presbyterian Church is still struggling with sexuality issues in ordaining ministers. God led her to the seminary, she says, though now she'll be answering his call to serve elsewhere

Please join us in prayers of blessing for Karen Thompson, Austin Theological Seminary graduate, who is leaving the Presbyterian Church (USA) to follow God's call to serve as a pastor in another denomination, the Metropolitan Community Church.

Becce Bettridge, Director of the Network of Presbyterian Women in Leadership, attended the recent New Wineskins Association of Churches' Convocation in Orlando, Florida. As she summarizes her experience, "New Wineskins [has] issued their strategy for congregations to leave the PCUSA and join with the EPC (Evangelical Presbyterian Church). New Wineskins perceives this realignment as an opportunity for PCUSA congregations to be united with a denomination they consider to be a more faithful body of believers. As I engaged in conversations with members of the EPC and listened to speakers representing the EPC, I found myself asking questions about the ordination of women as officers in the proposed New Wineskins-EPC churches."

In response to this experience, she wrote an essay entitled "Has anyone asked the women?"

Reflections from Mount Kilimanjaro ....the Roof of Africa

[2-23-07]

An article in this morning's Atlanta Journal-Constitution opens with the headlines above.  The reporter's basic point is that church members (Presbyterians, along with Lutherans, Episcopalians and others, on both sides of the debates about ordination and same-sex marriage) are increasingly anxious to get on with what they see as the church's primary mission.  As one Presbyterian elder says, that means "helping the poor, the homeless, the community at large."       Read the article on-line >>

The Covenant Network has sent out this note about the resources:

The 217^th General Assembly, in adopting the recommendations of the Theological Task Force on the Peace, Unity, and Purity of the Church, offered the PCUSA an invitation to step back from controversy and concentrate on living together as brothers and sisters whose love of one another in Jesus Christ supersedes our differences.

Sadly, some Presbyterians seem either addicted to conflict, or unwilling to tolerate views that differ from their own. In some presbyteries, peace, unity and purity have been elusive; and yet, across the denomination Presbyterians still seek to live out their faith and live into the opportunities and responsibilities highlighted by the GA’s action.

The Covenant Network of Presbyterians has been developing resources to help. I hope you have already discovered Guidelines for Examination of Church Officers (2006),which you can access by

The Rev. Erin Swenson, a Presbyterian minister member of Greater Atlanta Presbytery, is featured in a recent Newsweek special report on the first National Transgender Religious Summit, held last weekend at the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, CA.

About 65 ministers, priests and rabbis joined in discussing their various denominations’ policies, ways to work within them and ways to challenge and transform them.

Click here for items on sexual justice posted from mid-2008 through 2009.

Items on sexual justice from past years are archived:

PVJ's Facebook page

Mitch Trigger, PVJ's Secretary/Communicator, has created a Facebook page where Witherspoon members and others can gather to exchange news and views. Mitch and a few others have posted bits of news, both personal and organizational. But there’s room for more!

John Shuck’s new "Religion for Life" website

Long-time and stimulating blogger John Shuck, a Presbyterian minister currently serving as pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Elizabethton, Tenn., writes about spirituality, culture, religion (both organized and disorganized), life, evolution, literature, Jesus, and lightening up.

Click here for his blog posts.

John Harris’ Summit to Shore blogspot

Voices of Sophia blog

Heather Reichgott, who has created this new blog for Voices of Sophia, introduces it:

Got more blogs to recommend?