Interview: Senior Minister of United Church of Christ congregation talks about Gay Marriage & Same Sex Blessings
By Peter Menkin

Senior Minister, Reverend Matt Broadbent of Los Altos, California Foothill Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, spoke with this writer by phone and webcam via Skype in February, 2010 about Same Sex Marriage & Same Sex Blessings. This is the first of a series of interviews with different clergy denomination members on the subject. Two other upcoming interviews are with The Rt. Reverend Marc Andrus of The Episcopal Church, USA (San Francisco Bay Area known as Diocese of California), and Rabbi Stephen Pearce of Reform Temple El Emanuel, San Francisco. This writer hopes to find two other people willing to talk from their denominations, making this a five part series.

1. This two part question has to do with the Church’s mission: (1) Is it mission for United Church of Christ and your congregation to proclaim and normalize the practice of Gay Marriage & Same Sex Blessings? (2) Is this a peace and justice issue, and would you comment on the remark made by the Publisher of Pilgrim Press, The Reverend Timothy G. Staveteig. I asked a similar question on whether the matter is mission for UCC and the Church Publishers remarked in an email response:

a. “From our first printing of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Measure of a Man in 1957, The Pilgrim Press has developed books and resources that have often addressed difficult and complex social justice issues. Through our historic publishing operation (since 1640), which is a gift of the United Church of Christ, The Pilgrim Press has sought out voices marginalized by a dominant culture and seeks to build fully inclusive communities.”

I’m responding as a Pastor, not so much as a scholar.

No. Not our Mission. Mission is to be a Christian Church and embody God for all people.

It is a peace and justice issue. It is more a fairness issue, and we look at those who are marginalized. My Church is an upper middle class community, in the midst of Silicon Valley. For most of the people it is not a huge issue for them; there is a small group that is opposed.

We like to date as the Pilgrim Church, 1620. They were the separatist’s movement of the Puritans who sought to purify the church. These were mainly shop owners and tradesmen, part of the rising Middle Class in England who wanted to remove themselves from The Church of England. Rev. John Robinson sent the Pilgrims off to the New World with the admonition, “The Lord hath yet more truth and light to break forth from God’s holy word.” The Presbyterian churches that seek to be open to the LGBT community call themselves the “More Light” churches. They pick up from this Robinson’s quote. The UCC has sought to be faithful to this search for God’s continuing “light and truth,” and in so doing we have experienced a lot of “first” in American religious life. We were one of the first Church groups to opposed slavery. We were the first to ordain the first to ordain an African-American pastor, and the first to ordain a woman in the 19th Century. In the 20th century we were the first to ordain an openly Gay minister, Rev. William Johnson in San Carlos, UCC...

We have a long tradition of pushing the edges on the peace and social justice issues. I like to say, we are convicted by our principles, continually asking the question: How does God continually open the Church to all people? It seems natural for us to say: “Shouldn’t we be celebrating Same Sex Marriages?”

2. Where are you on the United Church of Christ religious spectrum? Progressive, Liberal, Conservative? What does this mean to you?

Senior Minister, Reverend Matt Broadbent: I guess I am somewhere in that range of the Progressive Liberal, but my style is traditional. I tease my congregation that I am more conservative than they are. They are trying to be up to date, whereas I’m still singing plainchant. I like the tradition.

3. Where is the San Francisco Bay Area United Church of Christ going with Same Sex Blessings and Gay marriage? Has a national statement been formulated on the subject?

Senior Minister, Reverend Matt Broadbent: The simple answer is Yes. We have formed a national statement. This is not a hierarchical Church, so the national organization has made a statement. It is a recommendation to local churches. It gets down to the local church. Each local church must decide how they handle the recommendation. On July 4, 2005 at the General Synod 25, the national gathering, they voted for an Equal Marriage Rights for All recommendation. Recommendation is my word, and that’s what it means, to consider support of Equal Marriage Rights for all.

4. If there is a key Bible vision that supports Gay Marriage & Same Sex Blessing; please give a Biblical example and explain something of your vision on interpretation? Who else shares this sensibility and understanding we might know or recognize?

Senior Minister, Reverend Matt Broadbent: My point is, if you ask the question of what is Jesus response to Gay Marriage, or same gender loving relationships. Nothing. He doesn’t speak of it at all. What has happened in this discussion is people have picked up some statements by Paul, and a few from the Old Testament. All have something to do with oppression, not loving relationships. The scripture passages that guide me are: 1st John: 4, where he says simply, God is Love. And those who Love, Love God. 1st Corinthians 13 is the Love passage of Paul, holding up this Love relationship between people is the highest value. For me the core of the Gospel text is the Great Commandment in Matthew, Mark & Luke. And it is the Jewish restatement of tradition that you are to love God and Love neighbor. That is the core of it, that is what Jesus says is the core of faith. Marriage, as such, is a social arrangement, or does these help to love God and Love neighbor. And I tell people, I am in the business of encouraging long term relationships. This is a healthy way in the world. If it is same gender loving relationships, then that is what I need to do. I would even say that in those passages that our more conservative pick out, all is about where a person is taking advantage of someone else. When he talks about men sleeping with men, or women with women, he is talking about Temple Prostitution. He is talking about relationships that are unequal, and essentially unjust. What Jesus calls for always is Justice and Equality in the Kingdom of God.

5. What book do you recommend reader’s read that leads to an understanding of your stance and your statements supporting Gay Marriage & Same Sex Blessing?

Also when people ask me, I direct them to the website, www.UCC.org .

6. Have you performed a Same Sex Blessing, and if so, will you tell us some of the words you used? Where did you do this?

Senior Minister, Reverend Matt Broadbent: I have, both in Santa Cruz where I was for 17 years, and here in Los Altos just a couple of months ago. I wish I could have said I’ve done more. In Santa Cruz--it was with two women fairly early in my ministry. I led that Church into an Open and Affirming relationship. We did the wedding in their home, not in the sanctuary. The reason they did it was one was an artist and the other was teaching at the University. I asked them when asked about doing the marriage, “What date were you thinking of?”

The other wedding was done in Los Altos at Foothills Congregational Church UCC. The couple was legally married in Vermont. What we did at the Church is a blessing of their Civil Vows,

We have a same gender, non-biased wedding ceremony. We worked with the couple, and the ceremony was pretty traditional. They said, “We want to be married, not be in a show.” What they wanted to receive was a sense of God’s blessing on their choice, their relationship. We’re speaking of the one in Los Altos. They went with the blessing, because they’d already been married.

7. Who are other significantly well-known and respected Church clergy leaders of other denominations, mainly in the San Francisco Bay Area, who join you in your viewpoint? Do you know their denomination? Is there one with whom you’ve spoken who has influenced you most?

Senior Minister, Reverend Matt Broadbent: In our own denomination, it is all of the leaders of the United Church of Christ in the Bay Area. I know of a couple of ministers who would have problems with it. I really don’t know of anyone else in our denomination that has a problem with Gay Marriage. There is always The Reverend Doctor Mary Susan Gast. She is the conference minister in the Northern California – Nevada region.

8. If there are words you’d recommend for Performing a Same Sex Blessing, will you tell us them. Where in the Bible is this supported, and if you see these as part of the Social Gospel, please tell us something of your sense of the Social Gospel that leads you to support this? Do you recommend certain Bible readings to Gay couples (man and man, woman and woman), and in their either civil union relationship, or in Gay Marriage, are there other readings or meditations on Biblical text you recommend?

Senior Minister, Reverend Matt Broadbent: In the two I have done, we had all of the Bible open for interpretation. The one in Santa Cruz, Clearly we are not going to use the one where, A woman will leave her family and cling to her husband. But the other couple in Los Altossaid [regarding the Paul statement], We can make that work. One of us will take on the role of being the husband. The Bible for them was not a problem. They looked at the issue of love and commitment and caring for one another. We looked at the argument in the Apocrypha of Tobit’s wife taking on a goat. In most of the discussion I’ve had with people, most of the material has been open to mainstream, regular passages. There has not been a big to-do over special readings for Gay people. The whole thing is moving into the main stream. Hey there, we have similar needs, similar desires.

9. At what point in your life, did you begin to support the subject of this interview? Has it been since being a UCC ordained minister? Is there anyone you respect in specific who does not agree with your stance?

Senior Minister, Reverend Matt Broadbent: My father was a minister, and he met my mother in seminary. He was United Church of Christ. We had always been a part of a liberal and progressive way of worshiping. He had a problem with Gay marriage as an issue, but intellectually overcame that. My father grew up in an era where he did not show a lot of affection. It was something that I missed. It was a resentment on my part that he didn’t tell me he loved me. I think I was 50 years old that he first told me he loved me. He was afraid if he showed too much affection for me and his brother he was afraid we would become Gay. I’ve not known a time when I really had a problem with the issue of Gay Marriage. It is a matter of being in committed, covenanted relationships. My problem is the same as with heterosexual relationships. When it becomes a sexual relationship solely, it becomes about satisfying our own hunger, not about a caring relationship.

10. Though we have not talked about Proposition 8 in California, how do you characterize the results of the vote which said Yes to deny Gay Marriage in the State? Is there a kind of guilt to this position in the moral or spiritual sense?

I think that people who have been so opposed with Prop 8, seem to suggest that somehow their marriage is going to be devalued by same sex marriages; my first reaction is How insecure are you. The point is when a relationship is based on mutuality and trust and caring for one another, this can only enhance our society.


11. At what point in the faith and concern of the United Church of Christ (nationally and in your congregation) did the tide turn towards Gay Marriage & Same Sex Blessing? Will you tell us something of your personal experience in faith and concern regarding the faith issue? Was it a teaching of Jesus Christ, a meditation on the Bible?

Senior Minister, Reverend Matt Broadbent: It’s been a turbulent time, when the United Church of Christ decided to include the Rights of Marriage recommendation; they were other conferences that withdrew from the United Church of Christ. Puerto Rico withdrew from UCC, Pennsylvania (Western Pennsylvania) withdrew from the UCC (several associations did this). I think there were associations in Indiana who did the same thing. In our area.

Senior Minister, Reverend Matt Broadbent: My personal experience: When I cam to the Church in Los Altos 10 years ago, I was asked will this be one of your major issues? I said, No. But they needed to understand that I was an open and affirming minister, and this is the way I would administer the Church. When lay people from within the Church itself said to me and everyone else, We need to move ahead and become an open and affirming Church, I would be there to support them. There were people on that committee who thought, that’s okay. We can probably counter him, block this if we need to. Over the ten years we have practiced this, and in the past three years we have become an open and affirming Church. We lost a few members, but we gained a number of young families. All of them said they wanted to become part of a Church that was this; they wanted their children to be brought up in this kind of Church. I was asked also, will you do a same sex marriage. I said, Yes, I would. If I were asked. Before I would have taken that request to the Deacon (they are one of the ruling body of the Church, they are the lay leaders of Foothills Congregational Church UCC). I’m pretty sure they would have said Yes, but after we became an open and affirming Church, we were able to do it. I turned to a founding member of the fifty year old Church, did you ever imagine we would have a same sex wedding at Foothills. Never in my wildest dreams. Wasn’t it just perfect, she said.

12. Have you given a sermon on the subject, and may we see text of a key excerpt?

Senior Minister, Reverend Matt Broadbent: I tend not to beat these things into the ground. I’m more of a Biblical teacher, but I have used the issue as a reflection or illustration in a sermon. Several times I’ve used it: This is why Gay or Lesbian or Transgender people are so upset over this issue. Rather than preach on social hot topics, I try to interweave our concerns with the Biblical texts. I’m trying to create a way in which we can all talk to one another.

13. What is your sense of community of believers, in part in its congregational sense and as a dimension of your leadership of a congregation? How is your sense of Community extended beyond your denomination to the greater world, and again will you give us some Biblical instruction, maybe from the Old Testament as it relates to the New, on this topic of Gay Marriage & Same Sex Blessing?

14. I suppose we’ve covered the subject, but to rephrase the previous question as I think it important to our topic, and you do not need to speak directly to the topic in your reply to the previous question or this one, what does Church mean to you as senior minister? What is your vision, as one might say?

Senior Minister, Reverend Matt Broadbent: What I believe the Church to be, is the body of Christ. We are called to incarnate the spirit of Christ in the world, and that we carry that Christ life within us into the world. All of us are one body; here we are all included in this. My vision of the Church is that includes my Evangelical brothers, Catholics and Orthodox, all of the Church. What we’re called to is not to identify ourselves as an exclusive club in the world, but to manifest the church as the Kingdom of God to the world. It is a very inclusive vision. How can I be inclusive? How can God be in the world, not just in the Church, but in the creation? One of the key words is transforming the word kingdom to Kingdom. I think that is what Jesus was talking about; we’ve go it confused, as if Jesus is all powerful and going to judge us. He talks about how all of us are gathered into this kin to one another, that Jesus is opening an invitation to be kin to one another. It is so broad it is beyond religious identity. If God is love, then God is love absolutely.

15. In my email correspondence with The Reverend Michael D. Schuenemeyer we discussed a series of issues and contemporary issue topics regarding Gay Marriage & Same Sex Blessings. I asked him if San Francisco and California is in the forefront of the Church’s missionary activity in this area, and if it as secular society is in the forefront. Do you agree with his answer, and will you comment on his remarks? He says and I asked:

a. What area is leading in their receptivity of the matter; is it San Francisco?

b. For the UCC, this effort is not unique to California and so it is difficult to say where the leading edge of this movement is in our denomination. There are churches, pastors and layperson engage on both the civil and religious in many places around the country, especially in those states that have been successful achieving marriage equality, including Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire and Iowa. The congregations that tend to be most involved are those which have done an educational process called the Open and Affirming process. This process usually leads a local church to publicly declare their welcome and inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender person in the full life and ministry of the church.

c. There has also been strong engagement where marriage equality has not yet been realized either on the ballot or in the courts, or where states have adopted anti-gay marriage statutes. UCC leaders, clergy and lay, have ensured that their progressive religion is heard and have supported organizing efforts that have been successful in building a movement that despite recent setbacks will ultimately be successful.

d. The energy tends to be strongest in the areas where there is a high level of legislative, ballot or legal activity. This fall, Maine is going to be very active and there will be many UCC churches and leaders involved in the effort to defeat their ballot initiative to repeal marriage equality there. There is a lot of activity in Iowa in the effort to protect the court decision. California will also continue to be a place of activity with efforts to repeal Prop 8 as early as 2010 or 2012

This is a personal reaction by Senior Minister, Reverend Matt Broadbent : He [Reverend Michael] is mentioning states you wouldn’t think would open up to same sex marriage. I grew up in New Hampshire. I came to California in the winter of 1979; I experienced California as everybody generally liberal in their social behavior. But the religious atmosphere was fairly conservative in its nature, especially in the valley and other areas. People were socially conservative in New Hampshire and were generally religiously liberal. As a general kind of environment. So I can understand why those New England States agreed to Same Sex Marriages. I know their expectation was they were going to act in an appropriate way. In California people don’t always act in an appropriate way, but religiously they are very closed over. I find this an odd paradox. It doesn’t surprise that in California they defeated this idea of same sex marriage. Even though California is seen as a left coast kind of life. It is one of the paradoxes of life. For me personally, I struggle, and have struggled with the idea of separation of Church and State. Especially in Anglo American churches. We are not as defined as Black Churches who really get involved and take a stance. They are socially liberal, but really very much conservative. What I try to do in the UCC is try to preach values, stay with understanding the core values of the Gospel, then encourage actions by people in the community. I personally try to lead. For example, when we became an open and affirming Church, everyone knew where I stood.

16. Further in my email conversation with The Reverend Michael, I asked this question that follows with his response. Will you comment on the blessing service he notes and tell us if you use it or know of others in the area that uses it?

a. Have you a standard service for either or both, and may I see the text?
b. Yes. It is a gender neutral version of the Order of Marriage in our book of worship.
c. Link: Order for Marriage - an inclusive version [PDF]


i. The Reverend Michael D. Schuenemeyer is Executive for Health and Wholeness Advocacy Wider Church Ministries

Senior Minister, Reverend Matt Broadbent: This format of his is kind of the template we operate from. And we are free to change and adjust it as we want. We are really bottoms up Church...to the independent of thinking, and the decisions are made by the congregations themselves.

17. Thank you for this interview via email questions and answers. Is there anything else you’d like to add or say?

Senior Minister, Reverend Matt Broadbent: Not at this point. I think I’m about talked out.




Addendum:

The Publisher Pilgrim Press (United Church of Christ) recommends these book titles on Gay Marriage:

Same Sex Marriage?:
Extending the right to marry to same-sex couples is front-page news, and hotly contested in both church and society. This critical book is written by a gay man and progressive Christian ethicist who places justice making at the heart of contemporary spirituality. In dialogue with both legal scholars and theologians, the author examines the strengths and weaknesses of how marriage traditionalists, advocates of same-sex marriage, and LBGT (lesbian/bisexual/gay/transgender) critics of marriage analyze the issues and frame their arguments. This book offers constructive proposals for revitalizing Christian sexual ethics and moving the debate forward, regardless of whether the right to marry is won or lost.

Review Link: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1058/is_13_121/ai_n6100518/

Exile or Embrace:
This book is a helpful guide for pastors and congregations asking such questions as:
How will we as a congregation be in covenant with our gay members?
How will we respond to homosexuals outside the church?
Part One tells the story of Siler's congregation's struggle and growth as it pondered whether to become openly welcoming of gay and lesbian Christians.
Part Two assists congregational leaders in discerning how and when to engage in this congregational conversation.
Part Three is a study guide outlining seven sessions to shape the congregational conversation and discernment.
Review Link: http://www.ucc.org/ucnews/decjan09/from-exile-to-embrace.html

God Comes Out:
"Readers will welcome this book, not only for its wisdom and compassion, but also for its practical suggestions about how to initiate liberating conversation about sexual differences. Pastors especially will gain deep insight into how preaching a fully inclusive gospel can draw our communities into a more faithful realization of the reign of God. Hinnant demonstrates again and again how preaching is above all a theological act, a giving witness to the justice and compassion of God."
~Thomas H. Troeger, Yale Divinity School and Institute of Sacred Music.


Image: (1) Portrait The Reverend Matt Broadbent.

Southern Baptist seminary guest speaker examines sin: admirable talk in an ongoing series of subjects
by Peter Menkin

Guest speaker examines sin at Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary, Mill Valley, California for 40 minutes speaking before students, their friends, and the public with the theme, “We can win in our war against sin in our life.” Pastor Jim Fitzpatrick tells how belief influences behavior, citing Romans 6 the Bible during his admirable talk. Readers can hear the sermon in its entirety here.

Part of an ongoing series of sermons by speakers as well as faculty spokeswoman for the Southern Baptist seminary says, “...we often have music (songs and instruments) prior to the sermon – with the attendees singing – very much like a church worship service.” Upcoming guests can be found on the Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary (GGBTS) website here. “Attendees include students, staff and faculty. The public is welcome, and depending on the speaker, others may attend. For instance, Robert Wilkins will be the speaker selected by our African American Christian Fellowship. He is Young Adult Pastor, Allen Temple Baptist Church and President and CEO, YMCA of the East Bay, located in Oakland.”

Pastor Jim Fitzpatrick (Crosspointe Baptist Church) Vancouver, Washington, spoke with this writer.

Note that remarks from the sermon are briefly reported, then significantly followed by comments from Pastor Fitzpatrick on his sermon, as given in an email interview with this writer. Pastor Fitzpatrick answered the questions from his home in Vancouver, Washington, which is near Portland, Oregon.

The preacher starts off by preaching, “’While we’re always told to live a holy life, Romans 6:11-14 tells us how to do so. You can win in your war against sin.’”
Dr. Fitzpatrick is a Doctor of Ministry graduate of Golden Gate Seminary, an adjunct professor at the Seminary’s Pacific Northwest Campus.

The statement from GGBTS ends its report on the sermon with, “Fitzpatrick concluded by urging his listeners to ‘begin new every morning; to commit yourselves daily and to surrender your body and your mind – to offer yourself before the Lord. That is the way to win in your war against sin.’”

The Interview with Pastor Jim Fitzpatrick

From your sermon you say your favorites are Romans 6-8 (two of them). Will you tell me which quotes they are, and cite them or give me the text? These 3 chapters, Romans 6,7, and 8 are my favorites because of their emphasis on growing as Christians to become the holy people God desires us to be. I especially like chapter 8:1- therefore, there is now no condemnation in Christ Jesus and 8:31-39 which teaches that believers are secure in Christ. The chapter begins with no condemnation and ends with no separation for believers.

Do you refer to the Bible as reference and source frequently when speaking in the pulpit at Golden Gate Theological Seminary because of the imperative directed by R. Albert Mohler, Jr. and others who want Southern Baptist seminaries to rely more heavily on Biblical statement or source? Or are there other reasons? No, I was not aware of what Dr. Mohler said. My belief is that the Bible is God’s written communication to us. It is the source of authority. My comments as a pastor/teacher have no power on their own. The power/authority comes from the written Word of God (The Bible). I am one of many who are considered expository preachers. I always preach directly from the Bible and typically work my way through entire books, line upon line, precept upon precept.

Does your work with youth leadership lead you in this sermon as you find relevance for seminary students, though all may not be so young? Still, they are students. What is your focus for seminary students, as a tone? I just know that all of us, regardless of age struggle with the same issues. For the believer who deeply desires to live a godly life, sin and temptation are continual enemies. I felt it made sense to speak to this particular audience on this topic of Victory over Sin because it is something all Christ- followers desire in our lives.

You say, “You can win in your war against sin.” I note you use Romans 6: 11-14. What specifically tells you this is so? Why Paul, and do you lean towards Paul in your own faith and work as a pastor? These verses are very clear. God wants us to have victory over sin. Each of the four verses clearly teach that or allude to it in some way. Victory over sin does not mean we will ever be sinless in this life, but we can sin less and less as we apply the concepts found in these verses. I don’t necessarily lean towards Paul in my preaching, although I do like the 13 books of the New Testament that he wrote.

Though this question has been touched on, How did you find the seminary listener different from others you’ve had the opportunity to address in a sermon? I am not sure. Again, my feeling is that all people have similar questions, issues, hang ups etc. I do know that I presupposed some Bible knowledge and understanding that I may not have assumed with an audience that does not know the scriptures as thoroughly as this audience does.

Tell us a few words about man as sinner, and why did you choose this topic? We are all sinners. We were born into sin and we willingly choose sin. I chose the topic because we are all in the same boat. We all sin, we all struggle, and we all need help beyond ourselves to defeat sin.

I did like your statement on belief influencing behavior. It is compelling and promising. Is there more to say on, Why or how does our belief influence behavior? Will you say a little more for readers? We act on what we truly believe. If we say we believe something but never act upon it, my guess is we may not really believe it at all. For example, as a follower of Christ, I believe there are not many ways to God but one – faith in Jesus Christ. Because I believe that, I am motivated to share this truth with others.

You don’t mention the devil, as I recall. Is sin created by the devil? So many people would like to know what you think who will look at this article about your sermon on sin. I did not mention the Devil, only because he is not mentioned in this passage. However, I certainly believe in the Devil – the Bible speaks quite a bit about Satan. We see from other passages that the Devil is a liar, a murderer, a deceiver etc. He certainly influences people to sin, although we are responsible for our own sins. I don’t believe it is correct to say the Devil created sin. Sin entered the world when Adam and Eve gave in to the temptation of the serpent (the Devil) of their own free will. Jesus was tempted by the Devil, but did not choose to sin.

A logical follow-up to the previous question, at least as it occurs to me: Why can’t man ever be sinless? In a Bible study I attended recently in San Francisco’s Bay Area a man declared more than hopefully that because of Jesus Christ we are forgiven of sin. He believed that and wanted to believe it. We can never be sinless in this life because we are all born with a sin nature = a desire and an ability to sin. The sin nature does not go away when we come to Christ. I would wholeheartedly agree with the man from the Bible Study. Jesus Christ came to bring forgiveness of sin. When we put our faith and trust in Christ as our Savior, we receive the forgiveness for all of our sins – past, present, and future.

Believers will probably be right with you when you say, Sin is slavery. One is free to go, when emancipated, as your story of Abraham Lincoln explained. What does free mean? I did hear you say in your sermon, it means, “Free to live with Jesus.” Anything else? Someone who is free has choices. Believers are free from the control of sin. We don’t have to choose to sin. Instead we are free to make choices that honor and please God.

Your sermon is more than upbeat, it is positive in its statements of promise regarding sin and Jesus Christ. You say, We can win in our war against sin in our life. Have you known anyone who is losing in their war against sin in their life? What has it done to them? I think many believers live defeated lives. The reason for this is often we do not fully embrace the new life we have been given. Christians are not just improved people, they are transformed people. I regularly deal with people who struggle to walk with God and live the kind of life God requires/desires.

Your sermon ends with how sin is a matter of the heart, not the mind. You tell a good story to illustrate this belief. In the sermon that lasts about 40 minutes, and a Southern Baptist sermon can be longer, is that not so? My question becomes: Is it the pastor’s job to help the heart solely, and that of your typical Baptist in the pew? I think effective preaching engages the mind, heart, and will all at once. Christianity is a religion of faith, but our faith is not some crazy leap in the dark. It is more of a step into the light. Christians used to be at the forefront of intellectualism in our society. I think some preaching is strong in volume, but weak in content. The issues we face in life are matters of the heart. We struggle sometimes because our wills are weak. Therefore, it is essential to go after the mind, heart, and will in preaching.

To the final question, and there is a long quote from Luther at the end, so stay with me if you will. Your thoughts and wisdom are invited. Question: Is there a similarity in the different ways Christians see sin. As an example, the following quotation found on an internet discussion list, Yahoo’s Monasticlife. Please comment: Grace is the key word in understanding all that motivates God to be involved in our lives. Grace means we receive that which we do not deserve (salvation and the forgiveness of sin among many other things). I assume there is a different way that some define sin, but the Bible is clear that sin is “missing the mark”, falling short of God’s moral standards in our lives. I like Luther’s quote. I am not sure any of us need any encouragement to sin, we do that pretty well already! However, the point seems to be that which is found in Romans 6:1-4. I would paraphrase it by saying – “the flood of our sin, is overwhelmed by the tidal wave of God’s grace.”


Here's the original quote from Luther's Works, Vol. 48 in a
letter he wrote to Philip Melanchthon on 1 August 1521. There are footnote
numbers embedded in this quote, sorry about that ...

"If you are a preacher of grace, then preach a true and not a fictitious
grace; if grace is true, you must bear a true and not a fictitious sin. God
does not save people who are only fictitious; sinners. Be a
sinner and sin; boldly; but believe
and; rejoice in Christ even more boldly, for he is
victorious over sin, death, and the world. As long as we are here [in this
world; we have to sin. This life is not the dwelling place
of righteousness; but, as Peter says; we
look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness
dwells. It is enough that by; the riches of God's glory we
have come to know the Lamb that takes away the sin of the world; No sin will separate us from the Lamb, even though we commit
fornication and murder a thousand times a day. Do you think that the
purchase price that was paid for the redemption of our sins
by so great a Lamb is too small? Pray boldly—you too are a mighty sinner
August 1, 1521"

Luther, M. (1999, c1963). Vol. 48: Luther's works, vol. 48 : Letters I (J. J
Pelikan, H. C. Oswald & H. T. Lehmann, Ed.). Luther's Works (48:281).
Philadelphia: Fortress Press.

Is there anything you’d like to add? I appreciate the opportunity to answer your thought –provoking questions. I also am thankful to Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary for the opportunity to share in the recent chapel service. Golden Gate is a great seminary that is doing many innovative and influential things for the kingdom of God in this generation.


Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary is a Cooperative Program Ministry of the Southern Baptist Convention and operates five, fully-accredited campuses in Northern California, Southern California, Pacific Northwest, Arizona and Colorado. For more information go here:

Report: Homily outlining prelude to Lent for San Francisco Roman Catholics by Archbishop George H. Niederauer
by Peter Menkin

In a neat Homily given as a prelude to Lent on the World Day of Prayer for the Sick at St. Mary’s Cathedral, San Francisco, a theme of “…we need each other…” was knit, offering a statement about Christ about, “Many Americans pride themselves on being rugged individualists, on being able to ‘go it alone.’”


Archbishop George H. Niederauer is commenting about the condition of humanity and specifically Americans and their relationships with one another, especially with the sick, in how we as human beings whether sick or well, “…need to be needed.”

Setting out on what this writer has called a neat Homily (as in compact and well said), the Lenten Season which began Ash Wednesday (February 17, 2010), is applied to the World Day of Prayer for the Sick. Quoting the Gospel of the Bible, the Archbishop gives his listener Jesus Christ’s words that speak on relationships, a Roman Catholic and Christian concern: “I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.”

What have these words of Jesus’ to do with us, how does the Archbishop say these words are relevant in their counterculture way to the St. Mary’s Cathedral, San Francisco event of February where a congregation of 300 showed up where the Archbishop was principal celebrant at Holy Communion? For this is how the Roman Catholic Church began Lent in prelude this year, this is how the newspaper Catholic San Francisco” presented on its front page the full text of the Homily that celebrated, “…as a special occasion for growth, with an attitude of listening, reflection, and effective commitment in the face of the great mystery of pain and illness…” this religious season of the year.

The explanation is based on a concern with the Gospel messages found in the Magnificat this year 2010 for the Lenten season, so the Church offers as emphasis for the season of Christian penitence.

Apparently, mindfulness and caring for others in relationship is nuanced as part of the Lenten journey, traditionally noted for abstinence solely. So how does all of this come to Lent and its prelude day celebration the World Day of Prayer to the sick? “Jesus Christ comes to us in the hungry, the stranger, the sick person, so that we can love and serve him in them.” Archbishop Niederauer goes on to tell his pastoral message:

…Christ comes to those in need through us; he loves them and serves them through us, if we let him do so…

In its compact way, spare in word but powerful in Christian message for Roman Catholics and likely as well Christians in general or even citizens of San Francisco’s Bay Area who may not be religious or Roman Catholic, the Homily preaches a clear if startling social message. Speaking rhetorically, Archbishop George H. Niederauer as Homilist, seems to reflect in his message a preaching like St. Paul’s: “I preach nothing but Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” His rhetorical question is posed to the fallen Roman Catholic, the believer, and mankind in general, for his is an appeal as well as admonition in this revolution of values proclamation set by Jesus Christ:

“Is this not merely a vague, spiritually romantic thought? No, to make it very real and down to earth, the Church sets before us, front and center, the life, suffering death and resurrection of Jesus Christ…”

More so, this Homily for the sick is meant as comfort and comforting.

For the sake of clarity, the Archbishop says in the Cathedral Mass, “…in honor of our Lady of Lourdes…hosted by the Order of Malta Western Association, USA, based in San Francisco,” a doctrinal statement understood easily, and tells those who will listen to him the reality of Christ in the life of Roman Catholics and the Roman Catholic Church:

Make no mistake: Christians are not in love with suffering—we do not glamorize, romanticize it or seek it out. However, neither do we run from it, nor do we interpret it as a sign of God’s anger or rejection. Because the Son of God became human with us in Jesus Christ, and embraced everything about being human, including suffering and death, and through his very suffering, death and resurrection merited forgiveness of sins and eternal life for us—because of his saving action, every human experience except sin has meaning and purpose and value in Christ.

Calling the Gospel reading of the day a “moral revolution.” He says, “Consider the social revolution in values as Mary prays: “God has thrown down the rulers from their thrones and has lifted up the lowly.” The Magnificat goes on with Mary saying: The hungry God has filled with good things, the rich he has sent empty away.”

Methodists look towards Communion in England, Lutherans in America with Methodists and Episcopalians
by Peter Menkin

In an historic move, the Methodist Church in Great Britain “is on its way to rejoining the Church of England…” The “Telegraph” newspaper report from the United Kingdom by Martin Beckford goes on to say, “The head of the non-conformist denomination said it was ready to come back to the national church after 200 years apart, if it would help spread the word of God.”

The paper’s report of February 13, 2010 continues:

The Rev David Gamble, president of the Methodist Conference, told General
Synod, the Church of England’s governing body on Thursday: "We are prepared to
go out of existence not because we are declining or failing in mission, but for
the sake of mission.

"In other words, we are prepared to be changed and even to cease having a separate existence as a Church if that will serve the needs of the Kingdom."

In the United States, and specifically as well in California’s San Francisco Bay Area, The Episcopal Church USA is in Communion with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. This means Lutherans may take Communion at Episcopal churches, as may Episcopalians freely take Communion in Lutheran churches.

At the Church this writer attends, who may take Communion is a controversial topic. Church of Our Saviour (Episcopal), Mill Valley, California, located north of San Francisco
debated the subject and decided they would publish a statement in their Sunday bulletin, every Sunday. It says, “everybody…” is welcome at God’s table, but reminds the visitor that instruction for Baptism is readily available and freely offered. Controversial a statement as this may be, no one at most Churches finds themselves “carded” when coming for Communion.

(Carded means asked for proof of Church membership, or of Baptism. The Episcopal rule is one must be Baptized to receive Communion, by the way.)

Roman Catholic Communion services require a visitor be a Roman Catholic to receive Communion, which annoys many people as many resent the “closed” and what some call exclusive and special nature of the Roman Catholic Church and its membership—even in this post Vatican II era it is so. Of course, a blessing is offered by Roman Catholics to those visitors who attend Mass and are not Roman Catholic. This is a good thing. Other Churches,
like the Episcopalians, do so, too. They offer a blessing to the unbaptized, the real Church policy of The Episcopal Church USA, and of course within the Anglican Communion.

Apparently, British Methodists will be in Communion with the Anglican Church in England, and this significantly also means there is a special and Church recognized bond in Christ between the two Churches, just as that special bond occurs between the Lutherans and Episcopalians in the United States and specifically San Francisco’s Bay Area. Parishioners at the Mill Valley Church of Our Saviour like this situation, as it makes Christians closer in Christ.

Though this planned merger of the Methodists with The Church of England is not completed, the intention is real. The “Telegraph” continues:

It is believed Methodists have now recovered from (a) hurt…caused (in 1972 over women priests), there are fewer grounds on which traditionalists in the Church of England can object to unity as it introduced female priests in 1994 and is likely to have women bishops by 2014.

Thursday’s address by Mr Gamble was the first by a Methodist President to Synod since 1993. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, is due to address the Methodist Conference in June, while reports on the Covenant process will be made to both national assemblies next year.

But formal progress between merging the denominations is unlikely to take place until women bishops are introduced to the Church of England, in 2014 at the earliest.

The English Anglican Church hopes to continue the process with success. One Bishop is quoted: “We need to be very cautious with the institutional process. It’s vital that we don’t fail because we can’t afford to fail again.”


He said the Methodist church's decision was consistent with its "radical commitment" to the Christian mission.

Interestingly, the Episcopalians believe, as an Episcopal Priest says, "...in 'con-substantiation,' the presence of Christ with the elements. Very close to, if not aligned
with the Lutheran teaching." They remain in Communion with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America who defines Communion and its ceremony of Eucharist in this manner:

Lutherans use the term "sacrament" to describe two parts of Christian life and worship where an earthly element or sign is linked with God’s promise and Christ’s directive. The New Testament tells us that Jesus Christ commanded Baptism and Holy Communion. For Lutherans, these are rituals of worship but each also shapes broader understanding and daily living.

In the Sacrament of Holy Communion, after hearing and experiencing the good news of Jesus Christ in word, prayer and song, the community receives bread and wine. They experience the tangible presence of Christ by eating and drinking these elements.


The outward signs of the sacrament are simple earthly elements: bread and wine. Yet, together with the spoken promise of God these elements convey the presence of Jesus Christ to the assembly of believers. Martin Luther said that Jesus is present “in, with, and under” the bread and wine. We believe this because Jesus says it is so (Matthew 26:26-28, Mark 14:22-24, Luke 22:19-20) even when we cannot fully explain how it happens.

The “Christian Post” (Lillian Kwon) reports Methodists in the United States are now in full Communion with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America: “The new relationship between the two major Protestant denominations is not a merger but a recognition of each other's ministry and mission. Full communion recognizes that each church has "the one, holy, catholic and apostolic faith" expressed in the Scriptures and confessed in historic creeds and the core teachings of each denomination.”


Christianity in America is changing.

Images: (1) Church of Our Saviour (Episcopal), Mill Valley, California—San Francisco Bay Area. Photo: Rick White. (2) Communion table, Anglican. (3) Sculpture by Jonathan Clarke of "Christ Blessing the Children". (4) Bishop Mark Hanson of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (left) and United Methodist Bishop William Oden sing a hymn during April 29 morning worship at the 2008 United Methodist General Conference in Fort Worth, Texas. Photo: UMNS / Mike DuBose.

In Thunder and stone, The Commandment came...
poem by Peter Menkin

To be set free

by stones:First Commandment:

Have no other Gods

but me.

Could the thunder

on Mount Sinai have

said something when

Moses came down?

I am your friend,

you are my people.

Did trumpets sound?

Light was there around

Moses.

Let me say the

words, Friend of God.

Living words.

Children on parade, 4th of July...(2001)

poem by Peter Menkin

The girl scouts wore silly hats,

one an emerald green overly large

with a brim as in top hat. More.

One satisfied mother pulled along

a boy

in a decorated red wagon, replete

with red, white, blue ribbons

on the wheels.

The congresswoman

sat on the back seat of the car,

listening to the constituents

on the avenue; they hailed.

Some people paraded

dressed as cats, long felt black tails.

The library

consisted of fanciful groups in their

atire, like the butterfly angel girl.

Mostly the July 4th parade,

at around noonsaw a rocket

ship, "made by someone's father"

the woman on the curbside grass told

her small son and daughter.

The rocket ship was filled with children,

four, and powered by a revolving

bubble blowing series of instruments

creating a trail.

An obelisk, black,

taller than a fire truck by two or three,

had preceeded the device, having

the American flag flat on one side.

The woman next to me, spent the time

holding and loving her children,

and her small son spelled "parade."

His sister was patient.

There were dogs. Beautiful ones.

The ring master

was, I think,

the cub scout of the year.

He sat up on the back seat

of a cream color car,

carried along in line.

Unfolding in the silence and sound...(2002)
poem by Peter Menkin

Came to Lent

this season

with fear of the Lord

and weakness.

Asked of Christ,

that the moon will not strike

at night, nor when lost among

strangers cause me adversity of pain.

I am Yours,

You are mine. Abide

in You.

Exercises:Making room for silence,

the sound of life;

listening as penance

these weeks. Long time.

Intimate moments in people's talk, their voices

about Triune God mystery

mark the weeks. Barren depths

of sin reveal themselves.

This is unfolding.

The amusement of steel sculpted...(2001)

poem by Peter Menkin

Red, white, blue sculpture in squares

of metal; tall, laughter say friend.

Lightness of being, there is freedom

in this elegant 9

feet, high, waiting

with hello. Love partakes its shape

exudes, and empty spaces speak smiles.

Devotion to the Cross... poem by Peter Menkin ________________________________________

The Kingdom of heaven

is like a mustard seed.

So this parable leads these

two worshipers to seek their treasure in God.

Their emotions for the cross,

they carry, not so evident.

No displays in public,

one wouldn't know this couple's devotion.

The cross: thing of torture, ignomious end,

horrible death, mean judgment;

their lives embrace even this part of living.

Gaining a meaning from Christ,

saying "yes" in worship,

church by attendance

a statement for living their lives.

So startling large looms faith.

The couple kneel

with bowed head.

August rains (revise, new title)...
poem by Peter Menkin

August rain, summer relief,
cools the later months.
Against the larger
sky below walks
the path alone common
stranger afoot, a lone

vision this existential
separation stays transitory;
sound the long highway
travelers north: growl to stretch

northward. The light rainwaters with relief
stark realities finite.
A mortal vision sighted
before the season changes.

This scene told anew, loneliness,
California climate norm.
Come the time of year
punctuated weather portents.

For about 8 years I worked off and on at the department store Sears on a part time basis.It was mainly on. A few poems about observations while on duty as a sales clerk were written. Herewith, a poem from 2002 on what I saw at Sears. There were only a few of these poems, originally posted on the Atlantic Monthly Writer's Workshop (now defunct). I am sorry I did not write more of them, as 7 years later I like this one and another.
One can't call two or three poems a series, and because I keep poems I've written on my computer, I will search to see if there are more. Some people think it unfair to be revising or looking at poems 7 or 8 years old. One poet remarked to me that this wasn't so unusual, to keep an image or a sense of a poem in ones mind for years.
My way is to return to work written sometimes as long ago as 8 years or even nine, and revise. I find at times that I begin to like the poem, where before I did not like it so much or found it lacking. I do hope you like this one as it is an amusement. So as I say, herewith the poem:

Round is not a Pregnant Shape
by Peter Menkin

Three pregnant women

last night at the store.

Each carried her self,

proving round is not

a pregnant shape.

I watch the pregnant women

as they shop, and walk,

move about with children

or alone.

This is part of mystore duties, I tell myself:

Pregnant woman watching.

There are ovals, and mountains,

abundance, and full.

There are heavier, and moving,

ripe and blooming.

Some are a little bit more.

Amid this there is something

new, alive, awakening to two

and wonderment moving towards

birth.

About the Dance...(2000)
by Peter Menkin
________________________________________

Tonight the ballet, through the storm
And with some delight in the practice
Of movement that belies the interval
Dance, oh, this is a balanced pattern
Of set and good company.

The ushers are willing to show us
To our seats, with special tickets of
The set builder, the curtain puller, the
Carpenter's wife girlfriend to company.

When shall this modern dance of California
This modern dance of San Francisco,
This choreography of shadow and lithesome
Classical movement in man and woman
Begin to the tell story. We begin to gather
As the winter storm this week brings a large
Sky in some splendor and dread to the City.
Magnificent, so clear in the interlude of
a winter storm.

Gathering we. Oh, Lord, our God, who are
Amid the dancers in their presence before you
How kind they move to the music of orchestral
Reverberation in the golden walled palace
On the Coast near the Pacific Ocean. What story
We look forward to in the movement of the limbs.

A concert of sound and movement, with a designed
Backdrop of sets constructed
so overlarge and spare.
In their lighted scenery to display the colors of the Many players who come to perform
for us this evening.

Move dancers, dance dancers, lift, and turn, and go
On with the youth of the strength that we share among Us.
As audience, as visitor, as lover
in the times of our
Lives. We seek the sublime in this elesion statement
Of the majestic movement with sound and story. Gladly.

The San Francisco Ballet. What wonderful company
On a stormy, wet, and El Nino driven evening. Respite.

The musicians will play. We will gather in our listening
To a congregation of observers, partakers, waiting for
The love of the body in movement before the Almighty.
In this season of the turn towards
Spring and all that
Means for Lent is near
and Epiphany remains this week.

For mindfulness of the presence mankind
offers in an Homage of disciplined lives
for the sake of their artistic
Sense in a life we do share with you dancers, dance for us.

Dance for yourselves, and among yourselves, with your troupe,
To be a part of this dance and this music is what we can find
For ourselves in the darkened theatre, in companionship.
And good tidings, with pleasures of the aesthetic joys.

Thank you for the gift you bring us in music, sound, light
And the stand upon the stage so large to be seen by us
With grateful minds and good concern
for what you bring
Us in the beauty of your enjoyment in love for this practice.

In dance, oh, yes we go on with our tickets to our seats: visitors
And participants in this act of
the ballet.

A Grace of God...(revise)
by Peter Menkin
________________________________________

Inner life
aware of soothing Spirit.
Waiting.
Grace that underlines
living.
Ask for waters
that spring from abundance.
Quenches.

As at the mall masses of food style junk, we eat American...(2001)
by Peter Menkin
________________________________________

People eating at the mall, see them
do so with tastes for tacos,
MacDonald Meals, Chinese specials,

Pizza and air baked french fries.
Enough foods like junk; I ask
where is the hamburger, or hot dog.

A man sitting across from me
eats a sunday with ice cream
in the bottom and syrup atop
all in a tall papercup confessing he
is a diabetic and cheating
his body, not immune to sugars

but carnival like drawn to join
the rest who like me line up
for American foods overpriced.

How do we survive this stuff
that we put in our bodies, filling
open mouths like hords yearning

for fast junk food akin to pesty
excellent restaurants whose specialty
is good service and excellent design
in elegant yummies eaten fashionably
by style. Food as art.

We do love to sit and eat
even a bowl of soup, in a good restaurant,
or as at the mall

masses of industrial design for imbibing
Orange Julius or Burrito Supreme
$4.39 and prices for a whole meal.
To go or here is the question asked.
Mall food, fast ubiquitous--just junk,
fascinating obsession to fill stomachs.

All Saint’s Eve is near
By Peter Menkin

On a wish and rainbow
and stars in heaven
it's all right to pray on knees
at the edge of your bed.
Pray for children
all over the world.
Pray for morning joy and light of night.
Your heart is ready,
it is humility in love.

Address for Lovers
By Peter Menkin

You princess, slave life before,
we parted; gain in my heart remembrance
of ours fruitfully entwined
secret intimacies: Come, a joy
back to me, yea we were living
lovers lives together--lovers
in the deep arousal: merge.
Your breasts, beauty, sweet honey
and butter to share. Wine's mist aroma
enticing to further entwine our love.
Young love in the room with the skylight bedroom
lit across the Bay waters, a Montgomery Street
hill address for lovers. This my letter
that is the sculpture of mask and shape;
our good fortune and fate's reward hurrah!
We share this passion of desire to the end.

Same-sex marriage case closes: Roman Catholic teaching says 'marriage is between a man and a woman'
by Peter Menkin

Of the kind of argument posed in San Francisco regarding the California initiative Proposition 8 that disallows homosexual marriage in the state, is the argument offering religion is a major cause of anti-Gay and Lesbian prejudice. Catholic News Agency (CNA) reports on the case recently before the Federal Court in San Francisco:

Court witnesses arguing against California’s Proposition 8 have described religious beliefs of those who believe marriage is between a man and a woman as biased and a “chief obstacle” to homosexuals’ “political progress.” The comments were part of a “troubling” attack on religion, Proposition 8 defenders say.

The plaintiff witness was Gary Segura, a Stanford University political science professor, is noted by Catholic News Agency finding religion onerous to homosexual marriage based on deep religious conviction:

“It's difficult to think of a more powerful social entity in American society than the church,” he commented, according to a transcript of the trial.

Segura noted that America is a very churchgoing nation and religion provides an opportunity for people to meet together on a weekly basis. In his view, religious groups are “arrayed against the interests of gays and lesbians.”

He said that the biblical condemnation of homosexuality and the teaching that gays are “morally inferior” affects a “huge percentage” of the public. This makes the political ground “very hostile to gay interests.”

Asked to explain his understanding of an earlier witness, Dr. Young, he said Young “freely admits that religious hostility to homosexuals is an important role in creating a social climate that's conducive to hateful acts, to opposition to their interest in the public sphere, and to prejudice and discrimination.”

In a related story regarding the Federal Case under consideration by the Judge, reporters for “The San Francisco Chronicle,” Phillip Matier, Andrew Ross note: "There is nothing about (Vaughn) Walker as a judge to indicate that his sexual orientation, other than being an interesting factor, will in any way bias his view," said Kate Kendell, head of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, which is supporting the lawsuit to overturn Prop. 8.” Judge Vaughn Walker is homosexual.

Roman Catholic teaching offers marriage as between man and woman and Christ, sacramentally bound, and it isn’t about romantic love or sexual love in matters of binding relationships—not wholly or even most significantly so the Roman Catholic Church offers. Hence, the issue is not animus of a given special group of people, but faith in God that is the issue. (It isn’t for this article to delve into the secular nature of the Federal Trial on same-sex marriage, but to offer a religion’s view on marriage and a skeletal look at some issues of the San Francisco based trial.)

Roman Catholic teaching offers that homosexual marriage as wrong. During the 2008 campaign favoring Proposition 8, The Knights of Columbus gave more than $1 million to pass the proposition, banning Gay marriage. Individual Roman Catholics have found themselves the target of those in favor of Gay marriage, in what is a heated and frequently mean issue in California. Catholic News Agency reports:

Allan Leatherby, 46, told CNA that he and other family members decided to contribute to the Yes on 8 campaign after Bishop of Sacramento Jaime Soto personally called him to ask for his support.

Members of the Leatherby family, which owns Leatherby’s Family Creamery, gave $20,000 to the campaign. “It was a response to his personal request. Otherwise we might not have supported it in that amount,” he explained to CNA.

“Obviously as Catholics we value marriage,” he said, saying they saw some “huge red flags” about the effects of same-sex marriage.

When the family’s support for Proposition 8 became public, protesters targeted their business. The ice cream shop was picketed, employees in company sweat shirts were harassed and angry callers phoned the business. The business reportedly received hundreds of angry e-mails and was targeted by bloggers.

Leatherby also received obscene Valentine’s Day cards in the mail.

“There is no way we could have prepared for the kind of reaction…”

As a trial by law, “The Sacramento Bee” says of the San Francisco based Federal Court case that is now concluded that… the ongoing federal trial is less about presenting evidence than "a sociological and philosophical debate," with some saying same-sex couples have the right to marry and others saying there is no such right. (So reports United Press International of the paper’s statement.) Speculation on the trial’s outcome is a favorite game among many, especially those in the San Francisco Bay Area Gay and Lesbian Community.

“The Sacramento Bee” comments in their wrap-up piece that is thoughtfully presented:

In reviewing the evidence, Walker will be guided by U.S. Supreme Court precedent. Notably, in Romer v. Evans, that court struck down an initiative that was handily approved by Colorado voters on the ground that the real basis for the initiative was anti-gay animus. This, the court said, was not a constitutionally acceptable or sufficient justification for singling out lesbian and gay people for differential treatment.

Thus, one of the core questions presented by the Perry case in California is whether there is any justification for the exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage other than animus.

The February 7 article by Bee writers Courtney G. Joslin and Lawrence C. Levine makes the important point brought up in the trial calling the exclusion of same-sex couples the result of animus, the powerful argument that those opposing same-sex marriage are prejudice against Gay and Lesbian citizens.

The Roman Catholic Church sees marriage as a sacramental bond between a man and a woman, a special relationship in Christ, tied to the family and part of human procreation. One writer recently wrote of Roman Catholic marriage, “…because it explicitly and sacramentally unites the spouses with the infinite love that Christ has for each one of them, sacramental marriage overcomes the tragic limits of natural marriage and achieves the infinite and eternal character to which every love aspires.” In her essay distributed by CNA titled Marriage: the Mystery of Faithful Love, Alice Von Hildebrand remarks as her theme, “In our society, the beauty and greatness of married love has been so obscured that most people now view marriage as a prison: a conventional, boring, legal matter that threatens love and destroys freedom.”

Witnesses at the Federal Trial testify that Gay and Lesbian marriage will weaken marriage as it is known now, and has been known traditionally throughout history.

Despite Roman Catholic teaching on marriage for procreation, essayist Alice Von Hildebrand indicates “…Even though official Catholic teaching had until then [1923] put an almost exclusive stress on the importance of procreation as the purpose of marriage, the practice of the Church had always implicitly recognized love as the meaning of marriage. She had always approved the marriage of those who, because of age or other impediments, could not enjoy the blessings of children.

But conscious that he was breaking new ground in making so explicit the distinction between the purpose and the meaning of marriage, my husband sought the approval of Church authority. So he turned to His Eminence Cardinal Pacelli, then the Papal Nuncio in Munich. To this future pope (Pius XII), my husband expounded his views, and to his joy, received from the future Pontiff a full endorsement of his position.”


There is no doubt that Roman Catholic teaching tells its faithful, marriage is between a man and a woman, regardless of even special circumstances like age. That it is based on love between man and woman, that it is sacramentally bound in Jesus Christ as a love in heaven and earth.






Fr. Richard Neuhaus - Truth, Marriage and The Church



Father Richard Neuhaus talks how one should view the truths and teachings of the Catholic Church. For more formation resources for single Catholics visit
www.RoadtoCana.com
www.6StoneJars.com

Question: Do Churches do anything to help Haiti in this disaster? Yes & Yes (two examples and more)
by Peter Menkin

This writer entered into a discussion with an acquaintance friend in San Francisco’s Bay Area, and the surprising question Does the Church do anything for Haiti, donate money or such to help with the disaster?

How shocking. Of course, churches of various denominations make donations of various important kinds in money, aid, direct help, and even in action for larger economic questions. Though my acquaintance and this writer had neither time nor other mutual interests to enter into a fuller conversation, this article is an attempt to name just two ways Haiti is helped by churches.

Needless to say, shocked by my acquaintance’s ignorance, it occurred to me that others might not realize that so many Christians make an effort of large measure to help those in need experiencing and living with a natural disaster. Haiti is a significant focus of this kind of activity and concern. Organized religion does and has responded.

The Presbyterian Church USA has a hospital in Haiti and just recently that denomination announced: “Hôspital Sainte Croix (Holy Cross Hospital) and an affiliated nursing school in Léogâne, Haiti, have been approved to receive a $200,000 grant from Louisville-based Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA).”

In a specific way, denominations work together. The grant request was sent to PDA, and the much-needed funds were approved within two hours. The hospital and nursing school are ministries of the Episcopal Diocese of Haiti and have been a major focus of Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) mission in Haiti. Léogâne is near the epicenter of the Jan. 12 earthquake and both facilities sustained serious damage.

Here is a quote from the Presbyterians:

“We’ve been told by our Episcopal partners in Haiti that despite the damage, the nursing school began operating as a makeshift hospital within a half-hour of the quake,” said Randy Ackley, PDA coordinator. “In addition, nursing students have established 10 first-aid stations around the main part of Léogâne. The people on the ground are working hard to help one another and this grant is one way we can support their live-saving efforts.”

News media have reported that 80 to 90 percent of the buildings in the main part of Léogâne were destroyed. The PDA grant will support electrical power and distribution needs, water and sanitation facilities, fuel for generators and vehicles, and salaries for local staff involved in the cleanup.

This is specific, ongoing, hands-on, on-the-ground and at-the-scene help that includes significant coordination and work and a significant sum of money.

Gifts by congregations and members sent to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) for response to the earthquake in Haiti total more than $2.7 million through Jan. 29, according to ELCA Treasurer Christina Jackson-Skelton. Nearly 16,000 individual gifts have been sent to the ELCA, she said.


Politico-Economic matters are being raised by churches, and The World Council of Church (WCC) recently joined with their many church voices to request cancellation of Haiti’s foreign debt. They say:

An "immediate and full cancellation" of Haiti's foreign debt would be "only an initial step", as the quake-stricken country needs a broader "plan to support recovery, poverty eradication and sustainable development".

In fact, as part of the January statement, general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit has called on the international community to cancel Haiti's foreign debt.

The WCC press statement offers a genuine stance of economic reform of this kind of aid, in a concerted effort by its members to take action on the world stage:

In addition to debt cancellation and short-term emergency relief, Haiti needs "reconstruction and sustainable development in the medium and long term." But "any financial assistance should come in the shape of grants, not loans that would burden the country with more debt", the WCC statement says.

Haiti, the most impoverished nation in the western hemisphere, is also a heavily indebted country. In spite of having had some 1.2 billion US dollars of foreign debt written off last June by international financial institutions, the country still owes some 641 million US dollars to multilateral banks and countries. This year Haiti is scheduled to pay some
10 million US dollars to the International Monetary Fund.

As a caption to the picture of a woman feeding a child in this story, WCC offers a strong remark: "Obliging Haiti to make debt payments at the expense of health care, education and other critical social programmes is illegitimate." The photo is by Paul Jeffrey/ACT.

In the second picture is seen: A survivor of the earthquake engaged in cleanup efforts in the Port-au-Prince neighbourhood of Belair. Photo: Paul Jeffrey/ACT.


The World Council of Churches is a fellowship seeking unity, a common witness and Christian service. The WCC brings together 349 churches, denominations and church fellowships in more than 110 countries and territories throughout the world, representing over 560 million Christians and including most of the world's Orthodox churches, scores of Anglican, Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist and Reformed churches, as well as many United and Independent churches. While the bulk of the WCC's founding churches were European and North American, today most member churches are in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America, the Middle East and the Pacific.

As an end note, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America reports, The Haitian people are "living with hope," says Louis Dorvilier, a member of the churchwide staff of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). He said despite many difficulties for
survivors of the Jan. 12 earthquake, Haitians living in temporary shelters can be heard singing and worshipping -- similar to eyewitness reports of other ELCA members in Haiti in the days after the disaster.


Addendum:
This series of facts on Haiti is published by WCC:

Population 8,549,254
Surface area: 27,750 km2
Capital: Port-au-Prince
GNI per capita: 400 US$
Classification: Least developed country
Languages: French
Creole
Religions: Christian: 96.00%
Spiritist: 3.00%
Other: 1.00%
Christianity: Catholics: 6,628,000
Protestants: 1,607,500
Anglicans: 115,000
Independent: 479,900
(double affiliation)


Images: Photo of hospital: Hospital Sainte Croix (Holy Cross Hospital) in Leogane before the earthquake struck Haiti. Photo by Bob Ellis.

United Church of Christ works with the ACT Alliance, whose video is shown here




The Official Statement of what ACT Alliance is about:
Action by Churches Together (ACT) International is a global alliance of churches and related agencies working to save lives and support communities in emergencies worldwide.

ACT members are Protestant and Orthodox churches and their related agencies, drawn from the membership of the World Council of Churches and Lutheran World Federation.

Established on August 25, 1995, the global ecumenical organisation came into being as a result of the genocide in Rwanda in 1994, when churches and their related agencies around the world responded to the disaster through a mechanism that was ACT's precursor -- the then Church Action Aid.

ACT members’ strong local roots enable the alliance to provide locally based knowledge, analysis and understanding of emergencies and disasters. ACT recognises that, as important as identifying vulnerabilities and providing for people’s immediate needs are when crises occur, a vital component of its response is recognising the valuable gifts communities in crisis contribute: coping mechanisms and strategies for survival, skills and strengths, wisdom and knowledge, and resilience and courage. Strengthening local capacity lies at the heart of our responses to emergencies. The ACT alliance coordinates its global responses to humanitarian crises through the ACT Coordinating Office (CO), which is based in the Ecumenical Centre, Geneva, Switzerland, where it is registered as a legal entity.