PLEASED TO MEET YOU . . .
There are times when I find myself in the midst of situations and I wonder, “How did I get here? What I am I expected to do with this?” I have come to the conclusion that much of what I am is a witness and a reporter. By nature, I am a connector. I hear of one person needing something and know of another who can fill that need and I am available to complete the synapse. It is becoming that way in the work I have chosen to do. I am nowhere near the point I would like to be, that of doing full time work in social justice, but I can see the efforts I put in greatly multiplied by what I call “God math” and good things coming of it.
I was recently in Mesa, Arizona for a four day conference with The Evangelical Network (www.T-E-N.org). Their mission statement states they are a group of Bible believing churches, ministries, Christian workers and individuals bound together by a common shared faith, united in purpose and witness and established as a positive resource and support for Christian gays and lesbians. They aren’t just a support. Most of them have been kicked out of mainstream churches for their same gender attraction. It was the TEN’s 20th anniversary and some very well known pioneers in the movement were there to speak. I could tell stories for hours about the people I met and the things I witnessed, but I will focus on three people: Troy Perry, Doug Schaffer and Mitt Romney. What, Mitt Romney was there?! No, that is the hook to the end of this.
Troy Perry is the founder of the predominantly gay Metropolitan Community Church (MCC). Today, it is 52,000 members strong and is the world’s largest religious denomination for the GLBT community with 314 congregations in 16 countries. In 1969, Troy performed the first public same-sex wedding in the U.S. In 2003, he and his spouse, Philip DeBlieck, were married in Canada and then filed suit against the State of California for recognition of their marriage. Within a short time, 27 more couples were added to that suit and you surely know the rest of the story there. I listened to him speak on a panel with two other pioneers and heard Troy’s story and more importantly, his passion. People have demonized Troy saying it is not possible to be gay and Christian and therefore he is deceived and deceiving others. What I saw and heard though is a humble man who loves Jesus and burns with a heart of social justice. The quick version of his story is: married at 21 under the recommendation that “getting married would cure me”, pastor and father by 22, came out at 23, lost his church, his marriage and contact with his kids for 21 years, formed MCC in his home in 1968 with 12 people at the first meeting and 1000 people were attending a year later. He lives in a very modest condo with his partner of 20 years and is now retired to speak about his faith, human rights, social justice, HIV, and marriage equality.
Quite a pedigree. Impressive, yes. I wanted some face time with him and had lunch with him one afternoon. The kindness and humility pour off him as easily as his Southern drawl. He asked about me, we exchanged stories, laughter, teary eyes and our mutual love of our faith. Then I had to ask him forgiveness for a judgment I have long held about him. I had heard for maybe 25 years about MCC and considered it church-lite, that the founder was using this as a platform for his “gay issues” and placed God second; I had heard that deception and even witchcraft was blended in the doctrine. I felt silly admitting all this after meeting the man and sitting with him over a meal. He was the gracious Troy I now would have expected. Here I am, the one who professes to be fairly non-judgmental, apologizing for the chains my beliefs have put on him. Ugh! There is a documentary coming out this year called “Call Me Troy”; I recommend you watch for it and let me connect you to a man who I am honored to know, Troy Perry.
Let me also introduce you to Doug Shaffer, assistant pastor of White Rock Community Church in Dallas, Texas overseeing the AIDS/HIV ministry called White Rock Friends. There are over 900 people on the clients list currently and Doug calls himself the “toilet paper man”. The average person on his client list lives on $660 monthly income and that leaves little for necessities after rent and drugs. The Friends supply disinfectant, toothpaste and brushes, shampoo, and toilet paper. The items are needed to keep the sufferers clean when their immune system is shot. The ministry also runs a clothing store and is considerate of their “T” clientele. A person might one month may be registered as Paul, but comes in as Paula next month and wants a women’s blouse. They have found many of their clients only get out of bed each day to feed their cat or walk their dogs; this small thing keeps them wanting to live. So, now the Friends have expanded their panty to include cat and dog food as well. I had a long dinner with Doug one night. There were ten at our table, but it was a conversation of two totally engaged in what we see God doing in people and in places. I came as close as I ever have to looking into the figurative eyes of Jesus. The eyes were housed in a gay Christian, HIV, and former meth-addict man. Looking into his face made me cry. His kindness and humility were drowning. I am honored to know Doug Shaffer.
So what has Mitt Romney to do with all this? On the way home, in the Phoenix airport, catching a layover to Salt Lake City, I moved off to a gate empty of people. I wanted to check my e-mail after four days out of touch electronically. As I typed away, a nice looking man sat two seats from me in this empty gate. I notice him, but went back to my work. I have an absurdly successful track record of interesting airport meetings (that is a whole conversation in itself). Hmmm, I thought, I recognize him. Yup, that’s Mitt Romney sitting there reading his paper and drinking his Starbucks (isn’t that against the rules?). I did what I always do in those situations that appear obvious. I ask God what I should do with it. Came back the crazy answer, “nothing”. What??? Here I am next to potentially the next V.P. of the U.S. with all this important social justice knowledge in my head and You, God, want me to ignore him? (I later found out he had been at McCain’s ranch in Sedona doing the courting thing.) Yup. So ignore him I did. Within 20 minutes the passengers to SLC discovered the favored son was nearby and the photos and handshakes and accolades began. I am in the background of some 50 photos disengaged and typing away.
I had been so filled with meeting wonderful people for four days in Mesa, my tank was full and I needed no more. It’s crazy sometimes that what seems apparent is not. I was honored to be with marvelous people that weekend at another gay Christian conference. I made friendships that will last a lifetime, I got to witness and participate in wonderful things and I will go tell my stories to people who will never get to walk where I do. I get arguments and nasty comments, but for the most part, I get to touch hearts and open minds. And, I am in good company with my friends Troy and Doug.
Kathy Baldock
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Monday, May 12, 2008
SODOMITES for RENO OUT July 2008
SODOMITES
I have been doing a fair amount of youtube in the last few months on the “can you be gay and Christian?” issue mostly. I get many comments and a fair amount of personal mail; the bulk of it is kind and even greatly encouraging. Some of it, however, is sad and lonely and defeated and it makes my cry. Then, there are the detractors and they are all too often mean. They may not see themselves that way; I do. The internet allows people to hide behind an avatar or text message and that shield can evoke such meanness that people may not have the courage to share in one on one conversations. In response, I try to educate and direct people to an opposite viewpoint with web links and words. Some just keep coming back with the same rhetoric, not caring to investigate. There are those that contentedly spend more time pushing their venom than trying to learn or look at themselves.
I have been doing a fair amount of youtube in the last few months on the “can you be gay and Christian?” issue mostly. I get many comments and a fair amount of personal mail; the bulk of it is kind and even greatly encouraging. Some of it, however, is sad and lonely and defeated and it makes my cry. Then, there are the detractors and they are all too often mean. They may not see themselves that way; I do. The internet allows people to hide behind an avatar or text message and that shield can evoke such meanness that people may not have the courage to share in one on one conversations. In response, I try to educate and direct people to an opposite viewpoint with web links and words. Some just keep coming back with the same rhetoric, not caring to investigate. There are those that contentedly spend more time pushing their venom than trying to learn or look at themselves.
So, this month I decided to give you , the readers in the GLBT community, some background and even a defense when assaulters come at you with one particular phrase of hate speech. How many of you have been called “sodomites” or “sodomists”? Nice terminology . . . not. I regret that a turn of words from the book I most cherish, the Bible, is used to hurt you, to keep you away from church, away from God. This will be a lesson then in counter-discussion from a section of the Bible commonly misunderstood by so many.
Here is the gist of the story of Sodom and Gomorrah so frequently heard about and not as often understood in and out of churches. It is found in Genesis 18 and 19. In about 2100 BC, God was pretty fed up the sister cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and several others in the area south of the Dead Sea around the Jordan River; a region that is now Jordan. Paraphrased, God had heard that the people of the region were so evil and their sin was “so grievous”. God spoke to Abraham and told him He was about to destroy the cities and all the people in them. Abraham pleads with God and asks Him to spare the towns if he, Abraham, can find 50, well, maybe 45, how about 40, make that 30, perhaps 20, will you take 10 righteous people there? “Righteous” at that time meant that they believed in God and lead their lives as though they believed in Him. Ten good people, not too tough you think, in a whole city. I am confident I could round up ten good people in my living room with a few phone calls. But, back to 4000 years ago. God sends two angels down to Sodom to check out the situation and they go to Abraham’s house. The good host insists the visitors spend the night with him because the city is too dangerous. An ancient law of hospitality is in operation here and Abraham protects his guests with his own life. Some men of the city bang on Abraham’s door and demand that the guests be brought out with the intent of gang rape. Gang rape, rape. This is still seen as an act of subjugation in war today. This is important here. Rape is agreed to be a crime of violence, not a mutual sexual act. So the men of Sodom wanted to gang rape the angels.
The next day, the angels blind the men, leave and report to God. Ten righteous men could not be found. The city was destroyed by a violent earthquake and volcano. So what was the issue; why did God deem the people of Sodom so evil? Was it because gang rape was going on? Because homosexuals lived there? All one ever needs to do to find out answers is read and cross reference. Jump ahead in the Bible a few books and 1500 years to a well known prophet Ezekiel and he says, “This was the sin of you sister city of Sodom, she had pride, excess of food and prosperous ease, but did not help the poor and needy. They were arrogant.” What, no mention of homosexuality here? None. The reason Sodom was destroyed was they were arrogant and did not care for their poor. The city was not destroyed because of homosexuals living there.
Another piece of the story: in the Bible, Sodomites are not inhabitants of Sodom even though that would following logical thinking. Sodomites were male and female worshipers of the Canaanite fertility goddess, not homosexuals and not lesbians. They were paid prostitutes used in cult worship in the temples. Sodomites were not homosexuals in loving relationships.
I hope you find this interesting. Unfortunately, the words for sodomite and homosexual have been used interchangeably in culture, tradition and some Bible translations. I want to show that they are not reciprocal. False assumptions repeated and believed have been used to label people in a destructive manner. I hear this fallacy repeated so often and I try to educate, but youtube may not be an effective institution of great learning. But, if I can educate here in RENO OUT so that you can learn to defend yourselves with real information maybe that will be effective. Hate speech is not only hurtful to the hearer; it is hurtful to the speaker. If you are up on your Ekert Tolle on your nightstand, you will know this to be true.
When someone comes at you with unkindness and the story of Sodom in particular, challenge the facts and the thinking. Oh, but please do it kindly. You know, the whole catching bees with honey thing. . . it really does work. I don’t think I have stoop to being mean or cutting in any of my reproaches. No need to, I have information, I have passion, I have a directive and faith that I am certain of.
Recently, your editor, Laura, hosted the showing of “For the Bible Tells Me So.” Wonderful, open discussion followed. If you are wondering if God really can love you and start a dialogue with you just the way you are, rent it and start the journey in your head. I am not saying God is ever pleased with bad behavior. The rules for you are the same rules for me. I find it much easier to be calm when I have knowledge; that is what I wish to extend to you here. Knowledge and truth straight from the source that is misquoted and misused. When things get repeated over and over, they may seem true. Don’t let people label you, don’t let people libel you. Progress can be made with thoughtful, intelligent discussion and kindness. Information can be very powerful and freeing. Intelligent conversation may elevate the understanding beyond the youtube forum. Please don’t let this label stick to you; it is not accurate and it is offensive. So, if someone is rude enough to actually call you a “sodomite”, perhaps you can say, “Can we talk about what the really means?” You might even get an apology.
Kathy Baldock
May 11, 2008
Kathybaldock@helloworld.com
Monday, April 7, 2008
STILL
STILL for RENO OUT mag, June 2008
I am starting this article while sitting on a table rock above Callahan Ranch in Reno where I live. I can see Washoe Valley, the Sierra, the Virginia Range and all the Truckee Meadows and it only took forty minutes of hiking for me to get up here. A prize view for so little effort. The outdoors is where I feel at home. No matter if it is bright and calm or dark and snowy, this is where I can connect with what is inside of me and find not only answers, but peace. I often write my column while hiking, pen in hand scribbling what I hear inside me.
Earlier today, I was at the Convention Center at the Women’s Expo and enjoyed a complimentary massage by your editor’s partner, Adrienne or “A”. She asked me to sit in the chair while she finished up with someone and we immediately gave each other a knowing look. ”A” knew and I knew that sitting down while I waited was not an option. I would have rather interacted with dear Cheryl in the massage chair or any one of the many friends I saw passing by. The exchange started me thinking . . . it has been told to me throughout my life that I do not do “still” well. True. But what is still ?
Most of the absolute truth that I know is God-based. When I think of the word still, my next thought is the verse from the book of poetry, the Psalms. In it David, the great King of Israel who knew everything from great successes to utter failure, writes “Be still and know that I am God.” Not easy when he was being chased after by yet another man that wanted to kill him! (You want to know the real story of David? Read how he seduced a beautiful woman, got her pregnant, tried to cover it up by bringing her husband home from war to sleep with her and then, having him killed on the front lines.) Yes, this is the David that God loved and said searched for Him in earnest. Makes me know I am never too far from God that I can’t find my way back. I will NEVER get that far off the path! When David said “be still”, he was saying essentially -- chill out. So, how do you find calmness, serenity in even the normal schedule of the day?
How is it possible to be in a whirlwind or to go on a strenuous hike and quietly listen? This can be a challenging thought. I had to really consider this. I went back to my Bible and read the verse in an easily read version called The Message and it says “Step out of the traffic, take a long loving look at Me.” Next, I looked at the Hebrew root of the word “still” and it is the same root as the word for “to heal”. Hmm…how do you “step out of the traffic” and heal and recover from all the busyness? For me, it is clearly hiking every day. Even though I do not have television, I find it difficult to focus on what is going on inside me at home. Too many distractions. BUT, when I get my foot on dirt and rocks, I can focus. I can hear. I can process.
Several years ago, I was going through a very difficult time in my marriage. Each day I went up into the canyons (hence, my screen name and now company name-Canyonwalker Connections), and literally laid a rock every day on a pile I created and said to God, “I will do what I need to, just tell me, guide me.” I was building a reminder to my commitment to listen. I continue to do that every day, but now with my dedicated outdoors time. I step out of the traffic and take the time to help get me on the path I should be on, literally and figuratively.
Where do you go to find peace? Peace is usually not found with another person. Some find it in meditation, running, biking . . . . looking into the sky. I suggest that if you have no current space where peace exists, try getting outdoors. We live in a premier spot on the planet. You do not have to go far to get into nature. Every quadrant of this valley has trail heads. Tahoe is a jewel and we have it within a half hour of most of us. My dear friend, Mike White, has written three books on hiking in this area: “Afoot and Afield, Reno-Tahoe”, “50 Classic Hikes in Nevada” and Wilderness Press “Lake Tahoe”. Each is an excellent guide. Go stop by REI and ask most any employee, Mike included, for tips. Visit washoecountyparks.com and search for trailheads and find one near your home.
This summer, I will finally have the time to complete the Tahoe Rim Trail with my buddy, Netto. We have walked many hundreds, even thousands, of miles together over our eight years of friendship. Conversation on a trail beats conversation at Starbuck’s. There are no distractions. We know everything about each other. Tomorrow, I leave for China and she is my roommate and walking pal there too. We will see things others may not because we are trained to absorb while in motion.
Each day I spend a dedicated amount of time out in hills with my dogs. They have “heard” it all from the pain inside that I cry out to conversation of laughter and heart with my dearest friends. I am convinced that the changes I am now deep in the midst of were born on these walks. If I were to listen to others all the time, if I were to get consumed in the traffic and noise of problems, if I were to bury myself in television, I do not think I would now be as focused as I am on intent for my life.
Next month, I will be starting a process of conversation between disparate groups with my friend Denise Cordova of Light of the Soul Church of Christ, and open and affirming church. We will be having discussions with as many groups as we can insert ourselves into in hopes of having open conversations between the gay and straight communities and the Christian church at large. I feel this is the beginning of my significant contribution to bridge-building. This direction and the confidence to pursue it were paved on those unpaved roads I have walked for years. I believe I have been still enough to focus and hear new thinking. What are you missing out on by being busy? What is the world missing out on by you being busy?
The snows have melted, the trails are open….go enjoy them alone, with a partner or your dogs. Step out of the traffic and go sweat and be still. And then, do not be amazed when some new ideas take birth in your head and life, there is gold in “them thar hills” and it may well be inside you striving to come out. Happy trails!
Kathy Baldock
kathybaldock@helloworld.com
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Gay Friends in my Garden
Friends
I do not tend to be a fan of those little plaques and signs often seen around peoples’ homes with corny, trite sayings. I like art and photos and rarely do I keep or display adages surrounded by birds and benches. But, I do have one that my dear friend Sue gave me years ago. It says “Friends are like the flowers in my garden—each one is lovely, each one is different, and all bring pleasure to my heart.” Your editor, Laura Grotz, choose “gardening” as this months’ topic. How suitable then is this saying?
The garden of my life is filled with variety and I am grateful. Friends. . . . the root of friend is an Old English word “freon” which literally means “to love”. Isn’t that a challenging standard? There are many people that I love and respect. I have numerous friends and no one of them can satisfy me fully, that is the way God intended it. He selfishly wants that honor. I do, however, credit each one of them for their strengths. When I want comfort and encouragement, it is Sue I am drawn to. For healing discussions, I go to Marlene. Deep theology and medical advice-Robin, outdoor activities-Netto, spiritual direction-Sandy and Louise, strategy-Bob and Norma, money advice and politics-Sidney, art and cooking-Julia, living on the edge, risk and fun-Bill, social topics and legal matters-Myra, a business venture-Dana, absurdities-Jeff, books-Carol and Sandy, focus-Deb, eclectic matters-Chris, gay matters-Denise, everyday-my Mom and finally, everything-God. This is a corner of my garden. I need all these people to live my life to its fullest. The diversity represented here is what I see in nature. To limit myself to people that are just like me would make me less of what I am.
This past weekend I had a group of gay friends from California staying with me for a ski outing. What began as three people interested expanded to nine quickly in the on-line community to which I belong. There was no focus on sexual orientation, they are just my friends. How I long to be an “orientation agnostic”, orientation neutral, someone who doesn’t even notice if someone is gay or straight. My friends and I had a wonderful experience over the three days. It began with snowshoeing up at the Meadows, then a group dinner at my house, a day at Rose, followed by Virginia City and Gold Hill, another group dinner at home and a goodbye breakfast. The last activity was church. Four of my friends joined me at my regular Sunday service. I attend a church that can be described with many adjectives: evangelical Christian, prophetic, social justice minded, conservative and, to my gay friends, it would also be known as non-open and non-affirming. Classically this would mean not gay-friendly. I knew however that the pastor and congregation I have aligned myself with for almost twenty years would be welcoming to my visitors. And they were. This is why I have been in this congregation for two decades. I believe this group and this pastor reflect the heart of Jesus. I could not be in the midst of unkind people, I want to be with Jesus-followers and they are.
I cannot even count the times that I am labeled a “Pollyanna”. I want things kind, loving, merciful and good. No one would dare ask me when I walk in the doors of a church about (fill in your struggle of choice here). Why should I presume the right to place that burden on my gay friends as they walk in the doors of God’s house? So there I was in my congregation this past Sunday morning with Kennan who has the kindest heart and is wonderfully playful and witty, Brad who is so musically talented and amazingly funny and bright, Mark Andrew is who is gentle, cautious and sweet and Spencer who is still so young, hopeful and quiet. They stood alongside me in my congregation worshipping the same God with depth and authenticity. I could not have been more pleased with my church friends that they were so welcoming. Bridges of understanding were added to that day. Friends from one part of my garden in a lovely bouquet with friends from another part of my garden. God enjoyed the aroma I am sure.
Nature displays the glory of God in the many expressions we can see. He does it in the natural environment and He does it with the differences of the people He creates. So, in the list of my friends that contribute to the beauty of my life there are men and women, straights and gays and various ethnic backgrounds represented. I don’t want to hang with people who are my copies; how dull would that be? I do want to start more blending the flowers together in a beautiful bouquet. Recently over lunch, I had a discussion with my friend Denise who is the pastor of Light of the Soul, an open and affirming Christian church. We explored a goal of beginning forums for discussions. Discussions between the straight and gay church and the church and gay community. People make assumptions, hold fears, and believe lies. We want to gather divergent people together to talk, to ask questions openly, to do cross-pollinating relationships.
There are millions of varieties of flowers, really, there are. I want my garden of friends to reflect all that is possible, all the relational assets I enjoy. My friends . . . “each one is lovely, each one is different, and all bring pleasure to my heart”. My life would be far less colorful without my cherished gay and lesbian friends. I honor those people in my life; they are too numerous to list. Thank you to each of you who have surrounded me with the beauty of who God made you to be. I value you and appreciate the fragrant aroma of my life because of what you contribute to it.
Kathy Baldock
kathybaldock@helloworld.com
March 10, 2008
I do not tend to be a fan of those little plaques and signs often seen around peoples’ homes with corny, trite sayings. I like art and photos and rarely do I keep or display adages surrounded by birds and benches. But, I do have one that my dear friend Sue gave me years ago. It says “Friends are like the flowers in my garden—each one is lovely, each one is different, and all bring pleasure to my heart.” Your editor, Laura Grotz, choose “gardening” as this months’ topic. How suitable then is this saying?
The garden of my life is filled with variety and I am grateful. Friends. . . . the root of friend is an Old English word “freon” which literally means “to love”. Isn’t that a challenging standard? There are many people that I love and respect. I have numerous friends and no one of them can satisfy me fully, that is the way God intended it. He selfishly wants that honor. I do, however, credit each one of them for their strengths. When I want comfort and encouragement, it is Sue I am drawn to. For healing discussions, I go to Marlene. Deep theology and medical advice-Robin, outdoor activities-Netto, spiritual direction-Sandy and Louise, strategy-Bob and Norma, money advice and politics-Sidney, art and cooking-Julia, living on the edge, risk and fun-Bill, social topics and legal matters-Myra, a business venture-Dana, absurdities-Jeff, books-Carol and Sandy, focus-Deb, eclectic matters-Chris, gay matters-Denise, everyday-my Mom and finally, everything-God. This is a corner of my garden. I need all these people to live my life to its fullest. The diversity represented here is what I see in nature. To limit myself to people that are just like me would make me less of what I am.
This past weekend I had a group of gay friends from California staying with me for a ski outing. What began as three people interested expanded to nine quickly in the on-line community to which I belong. There was no focus on sexual orientation, they are just my friends. How I long to be an “orientation agnostic”, orientation neutral, someone who doesn’t even notice if someone is gay or straight. My friends and I had a wonderful experience over the three days. It began with snowshoeing up at the Meadows, then a group dinner at my house, a day at Rose, followed by Virginia City and Gold Hill, another group dinner at home and a goodbye breakfast. The last activity was church. Four of my friends joined me at my regular Sunday service. I attend a church that can be described with many adjectives: evangelical Christian, prophetic, social justice minded, conservative and, to my gay friends, it would also be known as non-open and non-affirming. Classically this would mean not gay-friendly. I knew however that the pastor and congregation I have aligned myself with for almost twenty years would be welcoming to my visitors. And they were. This is why I have been in this congregation for two decades. I believe this group and this pastor reflect the heart of Jesus. I could not be in the midst of unkind people, I want to be with Jesus-followers and they are.
I cannot even count the times that I am labeled a “Pollyanna”. I want things kind, loving, merciful and good. No one would dare ask me when I walk in the doors of a church about (fill in your struggle of choice here). Why should I presume the right to place that burden on my gay friends as they walk in the doors of God’s house? So there I was in my congregation this past Sunday morning with Kennan who has the kindest heart and is wonderfully playful and witty, Brad who is so musically talented and amazingly funny and bright, Mark Andrew is who is gentle, cautious and sweet and Spencer who is still so young, hopeful and quiet. They stood alongside me in my congregation worshipping the same God with depth and authenticity. I could not have been more pleased with my church friends that they were so welcoming. Bridges of understanding were added to that day. Friends from one part of my garden in a lovely bouquet with friends from another part of my garden. God enjoyed the aroma I am sure.
Nature displays the glory of God in the many expressions we can see. He does it in the natural environment and He does it with the differences of the people He creates. So, in the list of my friends that contribute to the beauty of my life there are men and women, straights and gays and various ethnic backgrounds represented. I don’t want to hang with people who are my copies; how dull would that be? I do want to start more blending the flowers together in a beautiful bouquet. Recently over lunch, I had a discussion with my friend Denise who is the pastor of Light of the Soul, an open and affirming Christian church. We explored a goal of beginning forums for discussions. Discussions between the straight and gay church and the church and gay community. People make assumptions, hold fears, and believe lies. We want to gather divergent people together to talk, to ask questions openly, to do cross-pollinating relationships.
There are millions of varieties of flowers, really, there are. I want my garden of friends to reflect all that is possible, all the relational assets I enjoy. My friends . . . “each one is lovely, each one is different, and all bring pleasure to my heart”. My life would be far less colorful without my cherished gay and lesbian friends. I honor those people in my life; they are too numerous to list. Thank you to each of you who have surrounded me with the beauty of who God made you to be. I value you and appreciate the fragrant aroma of my life because of what you contribute to it.
Kathy Baldock
kathybaldock@helloworld.com
March 10, 2008
Monday, February 25, 2008
SOCIAL JUSTICE / Reno OUT July 2007
SOCIAL JUSTICE
I’ve realized lately that five simple words open the door to conversation with people who might otherwise be content to do the pleasantries and move on. “I am a social activist”, I say. Is it global warming, immigration, the homeless, or the handicapped? What is it that drive my passions? Certainly each of these topics warrant my concerns. My trigger, however, is the gay community. From a time I cannot pinpoint, I have cared that bigotry does exist towards my gay friends. Years ago, a Native American lesbian with whom I have a very close relationship said, “I am considered the lowest of the low in society.” I felt her pain, I feel her pain. In November , I sat in a friend’s dining room watching the election results as FOX News posted the gay marriage results state by state. He spewed out, “that’s what’s wrong with America, the gays are ruining the American family”. Let’s ignore his own adultery that ruined his American family. Rather, let’s leer at Raf and Tim’s 17 year relationship. They knew on their first date that they wanted to spend their lives together. They “got married” one year later and moved in together. Let’s also look at two lesbian friends of mine who have been together for 14 years sharing love, faithfulness and respect behind closed doors, because being gay invalidates their belief system to many fellow Christians. This straight girl longs for much of what I see that these two couples share. What is wrong with America and the rest of the world? If I got to elect one dream candidate next November, I would elect President Jesus. His platform is mercy, compassion, human dignity, justice and hospitality. But, He is not running; He expects His followers to do the work for Him . In the arena of social justice for the LGBTQ community, an accurate picture of His heart and agenda have not been reflected.I am sorry that this distortion has hurt people. In January, I went to the Gay Christian Conference, sponsored by gaychristian.net, for four days. I was the first straight Christian to join them in their three years of meeting. Was I going to see for myself “ what is wrong with America?” Surely not in the way in which the rhetorical question was posed to me in November. I did not know my purpose, I just knew I needed to go listen , meet with and learn from my gay brothers and sisters. One night late, during the please-hear-my -pain-and-journey open mike, the Jesus I say I follow took over. I publicly apologized for the rejection of gay children by their parents, for rejection of the gay community by the straight community and rejection of the gay church by the straight church. I did not just say I was sorry, I was blessed with the associated pain God feels over each of these issues; this made the sorrow very real to me. Healing began that night for hundreds of people; healing that I want to be involved in, as a Jesus person. I see hatred swirling downwardly, hatred between two groups I care about: the Christian community and the gay community. Neither may be honest enough to say the word “hate”, but I am going to adhere to the Jesus definition which basically says, if it ain’t total love, then it is hate. I may be one person now, but I flow and move in many circles in our community and beyond. I choose to be as stalwart as Tank Man, who in June of 1989 stood in Tiananmen Square, in front of 17 People’s Republic army tanks. He is my personal hero, standing there in his work clothes with his grocery bag and in his silence; he said before the watching world “stop this destruction, stop this craziness.” I have raised two wonderful children and a new book has begun for my life. I do not like bigotry. That is one thing wrong with America, with humanity…I want to stand in my personal Tiananmen Square each day. I may only be a small plot of land now, but I know the passion and truth God has put in me will extend beyond what I can see. I make effort to speak to the two side of the chasm. To my gay friends, I say “can we re-look at the Jesus I know, not the misrepresented one, the hateful one?” Come talk to me ,or go see my friend Denise Cordova at Light of the Soul Christian Ministries. They meet every Sunday at 7 pm at the First Congregational Church on Sunnyside. She is a married, lesbian, Christian pastor. That may wrinkle a few noses. Good. Wherever you sit in the discussion, if you meet me and I say ‘I am a social activist”, be ready to engage in a conversation of mercy, compassion, human dignity and hospitality ala my Leader. You may not share my tenets, that’s okay. But, let’s talk, and begin to move towards dispelling the hatred, the fear, the misunderstandings. I want my Christian lesbian friends to have the freedoms I have in the church and in public. I want the two groups that I care about to experience the Jesus I know . I will stand daily in my work clothes with my grocery bags in front of the tanks of bigotry and say “stop this destruction, stop this craziness.” Kathy BaldockKathybaldock@helloworld.com
I’ve realized lately that five simple words open the door to conversation with people who might otherwise be content to do the pleasantries and move on. “I am a social activist”, I say. Is it global warming, immigration, the homeless, or the handicapped? What is it that drive my passions? Certainly each of these topics warrant my concerns. My trigger, however, is the gay community. From a time I cannot pinpoint, I have cared that bigotry does exist towards my gay friends. Years ago, a Native American lesbian with whom I have a very close relationship said, “I am considered the lowest of the low in society.” I felt her pain, I feel her pain. In November , I sat in a friend’s dining room watching the election results as FOX News posted the gay marriage results state by state. He spewed out, “that’s what’s wrong with America, the gays are ruining the American family”. Let’s ignore his own adultery that ruined his American family. Rather, let’s leer at Raf and Tim’s 17 year relationship. They knew on their first date that they wanted to spend their lives together. They “got married” one year later and moved in together. Let’s also look at two lesbian friends of mine who have been together for 14 years sharing love, faithfulness and respect behind closed doors, because being gay invalidates their belief system to many fellow Christians. This straight girl longs for much of what I see that these two couples share. What is wrong with America and the rest of the world? If I got to elect one dream candidate next November, I would elect President Jesus. His platform is mercy, compassion, human dignity, justice and hospitality. But, He is not running; He expects His followers to do the work for Him . In the arena of social justice for the LGBTQ community, an accurate picture of His heart and agenda have not been reflected.I am sorry that this distortion has hurt people. In January, I went to the Gay Christian Conference, sponsored by gaychristian.net, for four days. I was the first straight Christian to join them in their three years of meeting. Was I going to see for myself “ what is wrong with America?” Surely not in the way in which the rhetorical question was posed to me in November. I did not know my purpose, I just knew I needed to go listen , meet with and learn from my gay brothers and sisters. One night late, during the please-hear-my -pain-and-journey open mike, the Jesus I say I follow took over. I publicly apologized for the rejection of gay children by their parents, for rejection of the gay community by the straight community and rejection of the gay church by the straight church. I did not just say I was sorry, I was blessed with the associated pain God feels over each of these issues; this made the sorrow very real to me. Healing began that night for hundreds of people; healing that I want to be involved in, as a Jesus person. I see hatred swirling downwardly, hatred between two groups I care about: the Christian community and the gay community. Neither may be honest enough to say the word “hate”, but I am going to adhere to the Jesus definition which basically says, if it ain’t total love, then it is hate. I may be one person now, but I flow and move in many circles in our community and beyond. I choose to be as stalwart as Tank Man, who in June of 1989 stood in Tiananmen Square, in front of 17 People’s Republic army tanks. He is my personal hero, standing there in his work clothes with his grocery bag and in his silence; he said before the watching world “stop this destruction, stop this craziness.” I have raised two wonderful children and a new book has begun for my life. I do not like bigotry. That is one thing wrong with America, with humanity…I want to stand in my personal Tiananmen Square each day. I may only be a small plot of land now, but I know the passion and truth God has put in me will extend beyond what I can see. I make effort to speak to the two side of the chasm. To my gay friends, I say “can we re-look at the Jesus I know, not the misrepresented one, the hateful one?” Come talk to me ,or go see my friend Denise Cordova at Light of the Soul Christian Ministries. They meet every Sunday at 7 pm at the First Congregational Church on Sunnyside. She is a married, lesbian, Christian pastor. That may wrinkle a few noses. Good. Wherever you sit in the discussion, if you meet me and I say ‘I am a social activist”, be ready to engage in a conversation of mercy, compassion, human dignity and hospitality ala my Leader. You may not share my tenets, that’s okay. But, let’s talk, and begin to move towards dispelling the hatred, the fear, the misunderstandings. I want my Christian lesbian friends to have the freedoms I have in the church and in public. I want the two groups that I care about to experience the Jesus I know . I will stand daily in my work clothes with my grocery bags in front of the tanks of bigotry and say “stop this destruction, stop this craziness.” Kathy BaldockKathybaldock@helloworld.com
STRUGGLES/ Reno OUT AUGUST 2007
Struggles
There are some things I am sound on. So solid that self-doubt, opposition, criticism and enticement will not move my firmly planted feet. There are other issues that still cause me to search for the footing I would like. My heart knows what I want my head to believe.
I struggle, and who does not? I have been a resident in this society for 51 years and a professing Christian for 25 of those years. Both these citizenships have colored my views. In the most extreme of cases, I have heard the barb, “all gays go to hell”, and I try to place this in my larger contextual solid shell of “Jesus is merciful and compassionate” and chose to hang out with the outcasts and the marginalized.
So, can you see the dichotomy, the struggle? What’s a Jesus-follower to do and, what’s a person who has been wounded and pushed away by society and church to do? Is there a middle we can meet in in love and discuss this and make sense of it all? It is part of my personality to be curious , so I investigate into, meditate on, listen to, discuss and read in hope to come to that solid place where I am firmly rooted. When I look down, I am sure my feet are firmly planted on some very major issues, on others, I am still in process.
Sexual issues of morality are not unique to the gay and non-Christian community. Yes, even I struggle with what I want and what I know is right. You may find this amusing, but this is how it sometimes works in my head till I get solid. After lingering five years too long in a difficult twenty year marriage, I found a man who greatly pleased me. My gentle pastor of almost twenty years was brave enough to challenge me on the obvious. I said, “I hope God has some kind of a balance sheet where He knows what I’ve missed out on and has credited me for withdrawal now.” Creative, but very lame. Some things are definitive to me; other thinking may and often does stretch the elastic to the point just before it snaps.
Friends call me a creative thinker; God made me that way and then, I believe, placed me in a spot sure to draw controversy and misunderstanding. In keeping with that, last month in my article, I mentioned the five “clobber verses” in the Bible. These five verses are used by many people in and out of churches to label the LGTBQ community as unworthy of God’s love and society’s respect. I could do an article on each of those verses by going through the Hebrew, the culture, the context…..this is not the forum. In each case, however, the phrases that invite the rejection have been translated as “homosexual”. People with vested interests have helped me look at each of these verses in a different way than the interpretations I have heard. I have a dear friend in the East Bay named Ed who I met at a conference in Seattle. He has come to trust me enough to open up his life, his vast and intelligent approach to Biblical study and his church community to me. I spent a weekend with him and his fellow Freedom in Christ church members this summer. He continues to direct me to books, websites and activists to help me to find information so that I could get the other side of the translations I had read so often.
And, so I struggle, struggle to find REAL meaning, intent, context and historical setting of these five verses that have so offended my gay friends, that so empower some people to judge and condemn. I can get in all kinds of trouble with people when I say that I believe some Bible translations did a horrible job in substituting “homosexual” for what I believe is being spoken of in those verses is a male temple cultic prostitute and in other cases males that dress up as women for temple cultic practices. I just cannot mesh all I know about Jesus, about the loving same sex relationships I know together with these badly translated verses and then conclude that my gay friends are immoral just because they are gay. Sexuality is amoral; it is people who are moral and immoral. I am on my third reading of a “Sex God” by Rob Bell. In it, he explores the connection between sexuality and spirituality. The heterosexual community has certainly done its part to distort sex from its original intent. And do I know plenty of sexually immoral heterosexuals—absolutely! So, why all the emphasis on sexual orientation? Jesus never mentioned it in the Bible, but in fairness, He never mentioned lots of things.
I confuse some people in the lesbian community in particular when I show up to Gay Pride and their softball games and go to Bully’s with them afterwards. I am genuinely trying to hear hearts and understand and reflect Jesus. A woman recently told me she has “no history” with someone like me, so I can be rather suspect. Bono from U2 says, “if Jesus were on earth you’d find Him in gay bars in San Francisco. He’d be working with people suffering from AIDS. These people are the new lepers. If you want to find out where Jesus would be hanging out it’ll always be with the lepers.” I am NOT saying my gay friends are lepers; it is just where Jesus would be. My radical role model.
So how about if we each put down our judgments and inch towards the center? I am trying to run at it; I will stumble, I will offend. If you want to do your own inching, a safe place for the LGBTQ is Light of the Soul Christian Ministries. They meet every Sunday at 7 pm at the First Congregational Church on Sunnyside. They played a great set Sunday morning at Gay Pride if you were there. They love Jesus; they would love to help you find a way back to a place of acceptance.
I want to effect change in a world that breeds too much fear and hatred. I want to struggle less and know more. I challenge you to take the tough road of opening up to be a creative thinker too. As I strive to find an honest way to bring understanding in all this confusion and interpretation, I want to find a place where my feet are so solid on this issue that the certain-to-come opposition will not knock me down. I want to adhere to what one of the Old Testament Prophets answered of the question “What does the Lord require of you?” The answer; ‘ To act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with our God.” I want justice, I do love mercy and I try to walk humbly with my God and His creation, and that is each of you. And finally, I want my head to believe what my heart thinks, don’t you?
Kathy Baldockkathybaldock@helloworld.com
There are some things I am sound on. So solid that self-doubt, opposition, criticism and enticement will not move my firmly planted feet. There are other issues that still cause me to search for the footing I would like. My heart knows what I want my head to believe.
I struggle, and who does not? I have been a resident in this society for 51 years and a professing Christian for 25 of those years. Both these citizenships have colored my views. In the most extreme of cases, I have heard the barb, “all gays go to hell”, and I try to place this in my larger contextual solid shell of “Jesus is merciful and compassionate” and chose to hang out with the outcasts and the marginalized.
So, can you see the dichotomy, the struggle? What’s a Jesus-follower to do and, what’s a person who has been wounded and pushed away by society and church to do? Is there a middle we can meet in in love and discuss this and make sense of it all? It is part of my personality to be curious , so I investigate into, meditate on, listen to, discuss and read in hope to come to that solid place where I am firmly rooted. When I look down, I am sure my feet are firmly planted on some very major issues, on others, I am still in process.
Sexual issues of morality are not unique to the gay and non-Christian community. Yes, even I struggle with what I want and what I know is right. You may find this amusing, but this is how it sometimes works in my head till I get solid. After lingering five years too long in a difficult twenty year marriage, I found a man who greatly pleased me. My gentle pastor of almost twenty years was brave enough to challenge me on the obvious. I said, “I hope God has some kind of a balance sheet where He knows what I’ve missed out on and has credited me for withdrawal now.” Creative, but very lame. Some things are definitive to me; other thinking may and often does stretch the elastic to the point just before it snaps.
Friends call me a creative thinker; God made me that way and then, I believe, placed me in a spot sure to draw controversy and misunderstanding. In keeping with that, last month in my article, I mentioned the five “clobber verses” in the Bible. These five verses are used by many people in and out of churches to label the LGTBQ community as unworthy of God’s love and society’s respect. I could do an article on each of those verses by going through the Hebrew, the culture, the context…..this is not the forum. In each case, however, the phrases that invite the rejection have been translated as “homosexual”. People with vested interests have helped me look at each of these verses in a different way than the interpretations I have heard. I have a dear friend in the East Bay named Ed who I met at a conference in Seattle. He has come to trust me enough to open up his life, his vast and intelligent approach to Biblical study and his church community to me. I spent a weekend with him and his fellow Freedom in Christ church members this summer. He continues to direct me to books, websites and activists to help me to find information so that I could get the other side of the translations I had read so often.
And, so I struggle, struggle to find REAL meaning, intent, context and historical setting of these five verses that have so offended my gay friends, that so empower some people to judge and condemn. I can get in all kinds of trouble with people when I say that I believe some Bible translations did a horrible job in substituting “homosexual” for what I believe is being spoken of in those verses is a male temple cultic prostitute and in other cases males that dress up as women for temple cultic practices. I just cannot mesh all I know about Jesus, about the loving same sex relationships I know together with these badly translated verses and then conclude that my gay friends are immoral just because they are gay. Sexuality is amoral; it is people who are moral and immoral. I am on my third reading of a “Sex God” by Rob Bell. In it, he explores the connection between sexuality and spirituality. The heterosexual community has certainly done its part to distort sex from its original intent. And do I know plenty of sexually immoral heterosexuals—absolutely! So, why all the emphasis on sexual orientation? Jesus never mentioned it in the Bible, but in fairness, He never mentioned lots of things.
I confuse some people in the lesbian community in particular when I show up to Gay Pride and their softball games and go to Bully’s with them afterwards. I am genuinely trying to hear hearts and understand and reflect Jesus. A woman recently told me she has “no history” with someone like me, so I can be rather suspect. Bono from U2 says, “if Jesus were on earth you’d find Him in gay bars in San Francisco. He’d be working with people suffering from AIDS. These people are the new lepers. If you want to find out where Jesus would be hanging out it’ll always be with the lepers.” I am NOT saying my gay friends are lepers; it is just where Jesus would be. My radical role model.
So how about if we each put down our judgments and inch towards the center? I am trying to run at it; I will stumble, I will offend. If you want to do your own inching, a safe place for the LGBTQ is Light of the Soul Christian Ministries. They meet every Sunday at 7 pm at the First Congregational Church on Sunnyside. They played a great set Sunday morning at Gay Pride if you were there. They love Jesus; they would love to help you find a way back to a place of acceptance.
I want to effect change in a world that breeds too much fear and hatred. I want to struggle less and know more. I challenge you to take the tough road of opening up to be a creative thinker too. As I strive to find an honest way to bring understanding in all this confusion and interpretation, I want to find a place where my feet are so solid on this issue that the certain-to-come opposition will not knock me down. I want to adhere to what one of the Old Testament Prophets answered of the question “What does the Lord require of you?” The answer; ‘ To act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with our God.” I want justice, I do love mercy and I try to walk humbly with my God and His creation, and that is each of you. And finally, I want my head to believe what my heart thinks, don’t you?
Kathy Baldockkathybaldock@helloworld.com
STRUGGLES/ Reno OUT September 2007
Struggles
There are some things I am sound on. So solid that self-doubt, opposition, criticism and enticement will not move my firmly planted feet. There are other issues that still cause me to search for the footing I would like. My heart knows what I want my head to believe.
I struggle, and who does not? I have been a resident in this society for 51 years and a professing Christian for 25 of those years. Both these citizenships have colored my views. In the most extreme of cases, I have heard the barb, “all gays go to hell”, and I try to place this in my larger contextual solid shell of “Jesus is merciful and compassionate” and chose to hang out with the outcasts and the marginalized.
So, can you see the dichotomy, the struggle? What’s a Jesus-follower to do and, what’s a person who has been wounded and pushed away by society and church to do? Is there a middle we can meet in in love and discuss this and make sense of it all? It is part of my personality to be curious , so I investigate into, meditate on, listen to, discuss and read in hope to come to that solid place where I am firmly rooted. When I look down, I am sure my feet are firmly planted on some very major issues, on others, I am still in process.
Sexual issues of morality are not unique to the gay and non-Christian community. Yes, even I struggle with what I want and what I know is right. You may find this amusing, but this is how it sometimes works in my head till I get solid. After lingering five years too long in a difficult twenty year marriage, I found a man who greatly pleased me. My gentle pastor of almost twenty years was brave enough to challenge me on the obvious. I said, “I hope God has some kind of a balance sheet where He knows what I’ve missed out on and has credited me for withdrawal now.” Creative, but very lame. Some things are definitive to me; other thinking may and often does stretch the elastic to the point just before it snaps.
Friends call me a creative thinker; God made me that way and then, I believe, placed me in a spot sure to draw controversy and misunderstanding. In keeping with that, last month in my article, I mentioned the five “clobber verses” in the Bible. These five verses are used by many people in and out of churches to label the LGTBQ community as unworthy of God’s love and society’s respect. I could do an article on each of those verses by going through the Hebrew, the culture, the context…..this is not the forum. In each case, however, the phrases that invite the rejection have been translated as “homosexual”. People with vested interests have helped me look at each of these verses in a different way than the interpretations I have heard. I have a dear friend in the East Bay named Ed who I met at a conference in Seattle. He has come to trust me enough to open up his life, his vast and intelligent approach to Biblical study and his church community to me. I spent a weekend with him and his fellow Freedom in Christ church members this summer. He continues to direct me to books, websites and activists to help me to find information so that I could get the other side of the translations I had read so often.
And, so I struggle, struggle to find REAL meaning, intent, context and historical setting of these five verses that have so offended my gay friends, that so empower some people to judge and condemn. I can get in all kinds of trouble with people when I say that I believe some Bible translations did a horrible job in substituting “homosexual” for what I believe is being spoken of in those verses is a male temple cultic prostitute and in other cases males that dress up as women for temple cultic practices. I just cannot mesh all I know about Jesus, about the loving same sex relationships I know together with these badly translated verses and then conclude that my gay friends are immoral just because they are gay. Sexuality is amoral; it is people who are moral and immoral. I am on my third reading of a “Sex God” by Rob Bell. In it, he explores the connection between sexuality and spirituality. The heterosexual community has certainly done its part to distort sex from its original intent. And do I know plenty of sexually immoral heterosexuals—absolutely! So, why all the emphasis on sexual orientation? Jesus never mentioned it in the Bible, but in fairness, He never mentioned lots of things.
I confuse some people in the lesbian community in particular when I show up to Gay Pride and their softball games and go to Bully’s with them afterwards. I am genuinely trying to hear hearts and understand and reflect Jesus. A woman recently told me she has “no history” with someone like me, so I can be rather suspect. Bono from U2 says, “if Jesus were on earth you’d find Him in gay bars in San Francisco. He’d be working with people suffering from AIDS. These people are the new lepers. If you want to find out where Jesus would be hanging out it’ll always be with the lepers.” I am NOT saying my gay friends are lepers; it is just where Jesus would be. My radical role model.
So how about if we each put down our judgments and inch towards the center? I am trying to run at it; I will stumble, I will offend. If you want to do your own inching, a safe place for the LGBTQ is Light of the Soul Christian Ministries. They meet every Sunday at 7 pm at the First Congregational Church on Sunnyside. They played a great set Sunday morning at Gay Pride if you were there. They love Jesus; they would love to help you find a way back to a place of acceptance.
I want to effect change in a world that breeds too much fear and hatred. I want to struggle less and know more. I challenge you to take the tough road of opening up to be a creative thinker too. As I strive to find an honest way to bring understanding in all this confusion and interpretation, I want to find a place where my feet are so solid on this issue that the certain-to-come opposition will not knock me down. I want to adhere to what one of the Old Testament Prophets answered of the question “What does the Lord require of you?” The answer; ‘ To act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with our God.” I want justice, I do love mercy and I try to walk humbly with my God and His creation, and that is each of you. And finally, I want my head to believe what my heart thinks, don’t you?
Kathy Baldockkathybaldock@helloworld.com
There are some things I am sound on. So solid that self-doubt, opposition, criticism and enticement will not move my firmly planted feet. There are other issues that still cause me to search for the footing I would like. My heart knows what I want my head to believe.
I struggle, and who does not? I have been a resident in this society for 51 years and a professing Christian for 25 of those years. Both these citizenships have colored my views. In the most extreme of cases, I have heard the barb, “all gays go to hell”, and I try to place this in my larger contextual solid shell of “Jesus is merciful and compassionate” and chose to hang out with the outcasts and the marginalized.
So, can you see the dichotomy, the struggle? What’s a Jesus-follower to do and, what’s a person who has been wounded and pushed away by society and church to do? Is there a middle we can meet in in love and discuss this and make sense of it all? It is part of my personality to be curious , so I investigate into, meditate on, listen to, discuss and read in hope to come to that solid place where I am firmly rooted. When I look down, I am sure my feet are firmly planted on some very major issues, on others, I am still in process.
Sexual issues of morality are not unique to the gay and non-Christian community. Yes, even I struggle with what I want and what I know is right. You may find this amusing, but this is how it sometimes works in my head till I get solid. After lingering five years too long in a difficult twenty year marriage, I found a man who greatly pleased me. My gentle pastor of almost twenty years was brave enough to challenge me on the obvious. I said, “I hope God has some kind of a balance sheet where He knows what I’ve missed out on and has credited me for withdrawal now.” Creative, but very lame. Some things are definitive to me; other thinking may and often does stretch the elastic to the point just before it snaps.
Friends call me a creative thinker; God made me that way and then, I believe, placed me in a spot sure to draw controversy and misunderstanding. In keeping with that, last month in my article, I mentioned the five “clobber verses” in the Bible. These five verses are used by many people in and out of churches to label the LGTBQ community as unworthy of God’s love and society’s respect. I could do an article on each of those verses by going through the Hebrew, the culture, the context…..this is not the forum. In each case, however, the phrases that invite the rejection have been translated as “homosexual”. People with vested interests have helped me look at each of these verses in a different way than the interpretations I have heard. I have a dear friend in the East Bay named Ed who I met at a conference in Seattle. He has come to trust me enough to open up his life, his vast and intelligent approach to Biblical study and his church community to me. I spent a weekend with him and his fellow Freedom in Christ church members this summer. He continues to direct me to books, websites and activists to help me to find information so that I could get the other side of the translations I had read so often.
And, so I struggle, struggle to find REAL meaning, intent, context and historical setting of these five verses that have so offended my gay friends, that so empower some people to judge and condemn. I can get in all kinds of trouble with people when I say that I believe some Bible translations did a horrible job in substituting “homosexual” for what I believe is being spoken of in those verses is a male temple cultic prostitute and in other cases males that dress up as women for temple cultic practices. I just cannot mesh all I know about Jesus, about the loving same sex relationships I know together with these badly translated verses and then conclude that my gay friends are immoral just because they are gay. Sexuality is amoral; it is people who are moral and immoral. I am on my third reading of a “Sex God” by Rob Bell. In it, he explores the connection between sexuality and spirituality. The heterosexual community has certainly done its part to distort sex from its original intent. And do I know plenty of sexually immoral heterosexuals—absolutely! So, why all the emphasis on sexual orientation? Jesus never mentioned it in the Bible, but in fairness, He never mentioned lots of things.
I confuse some people in the lesbian community in particular when I show up to Gay Pride and their softball games and go to Bully’s with them afterwards. I am genuinely trying to hear hearts and understand and reflect Jesus. A woman recently told me she has “no history” with someone like me, so I can be rather suspect. Bono from U2 says, “if Jesus were on earth you’d find Him in gay bars in San Francisco. He’d be working with people suffering from AIDS. These people are the new lepers. If you want to find out where Jesus would be hanging out it’ll always be with the lepers.” I am NOT saying my gay friends are lepers; it is just where Jesus would be. My radical role model.
So how about if we each put down our judgments and inch towards the center? I am trying to run at it; I will stumble, I will offend. If you want to do your own inching, a safe place for the LGBTQ is Light of the Soul Christian Ministries. They meet every Sunday at 7 pm at the First Congregational Church on Sunnyside. They played a great set Sunday morning at Gay Pride if you were there. They love Jesus; they would love to help you find a way back to a place of acceptance.
I want to effect change in a world that breeds too much fear and hatred. I want to struggle less and know more. I challenge you to take the tough road of opening up to be a creative thinker too. As I strive to find an honest way to bring understanding in all this confusion and interpretation, I want to find a place where my feet are so solid on this issue that the certain-to-come opposition will not knock me down. I want to adhere to what one of the Old Testament Prophets answered of the question “What does the Lord require of you?” The answer; ‘ To act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with our God.” I want justice, I do love mercy and I try to walk humbly with my God and His creation, and that is each of you. And finally, I want my head to believe what my heart thinks, don’t you?
Kathy Baldockkathybaldock@helloworld.com
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