The Rest of the Story

An editorial by Ross Murray, Director of Religion, Faith & Values, at GLAAD, in the Huffington Post wonders how it is that the mass media seems to only find conservative (read: anti-gay) sources when reporting about religion and sexuality.  While entertainment programming now features a wealth of gay and lesbian characters that both affirm and defy stereotypes about who we are, when it comes to religion, the good news that many denominations have a welcoming movement is a well-kept secret during prime time.  The overwhelming message is that the church is no place an LGBT person would want to be, and we witness the effects in our interactions with the unchurched.

While it is hardly surprising that figures like the Pope, Pat Robertson and Cardinal Dolan's words carry weight.  They represent millions of followers, many of whom disagree with their stance on social issues but remain faithful for other reasons.  However, others like Tony Perkins, whose extreme anti-gay reviews have earned his Family Research Council a designation as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, are still called upon by MSNBC and other outlets for a "Christian perspective."

Where is the countering argument? Within our own church, there is no lack of reasoned, educated resources at the media's disposal, some of whose names -- like Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Bishop Gene Robinson -- are household words.  Our Presiding Bishop, Katharine Jefferts-Schori, who is also a doctor of oceanography, brings both scientific and theological credibility to the table in her stance on issues of biblical interpretation and human justice. We have groups like Claiming the Blessing and the Chicago Consultation which have published opinions on these issues many times.

Other mainline traditions have equally articulate representation, and their existence is not a secret.  The Institute for Welcoming Resources was born of the United Church of Christ in 2002 and is now a program of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.  It provides a wealth of educational materials, many of them free, to help churches understand and equip themselves for welcoming ministry.  The IWR partners with GLAAD and the LGBT-advocacy groups in fourteen Christian denominations in Believe Out Loud, an ecumenical campaign to promote LGBT inclusive churches.

The movement towards inclusion is happening in evangelical circles as well.  The Rev. Jay Bakker, son of Jim and Tammy Faye and pastor of the Revolution Church in Brooklyn, has spoken out in favor of LGBT inclusion.  The Gay Christian Network under the leadership of Justin Lee, has been providing support to thousands of people across a broad theological spectrum.

And impressive credentials are not always required to make a valid point.  Murray also points to a 19 y.o. student named Matthew Vine, whose careful study and unpacking of the traditional "clobber passages"  puts proof-texting to bed:

In short, there is really no excuse for the fact that a balanced argument is not presented when Christian leaders are speaking about human sexuality.  The story which is told to the public is incomplete, and does not reflect the good news being shared from many pulpits: that God loves everyone and there is a place for everyone at the table.  There are many wise voices ready to help the news media present a more realistic picture: all they need to do is ask.

Break the Silence Concert: More Details

Three renowned LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) choirs will come together for the first time to sing sacred and spiritual music, while lending their own unique voices to advance the existing Christian movement for LGBT equality.  The concert will take place in New York City at one of the oldest Christian institutions in the United States – Marble Collegiate Church.  The entire event is an initiative of the Believe Out Loud project, which is managed by the Collegiate Churches non-profit organization, Intersections International.

The three choirs are:

• The New York City Gay Men's Chorus, which has appeared at such venues as Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall and performed alongside such stars as Liza Minnelli, Stephen Sondheim, Carol Channing and Eartha Kitt.  From Town Hall to City Hall, from the advent of AIDS to the struggle for marriage equality, the NYCGMC and its more than 250 members have been producing innovative programs and serving the LGBT community for more than 30 years.
• The Anna Crusis Women's Choir, the longest running women's choir in the United States, was founded in Philadelphia in 1975.  In addition to being a premier performing arts group, they are an agent for social change that tackles issues facing LGBT persons and other disadvantaged populations.
• Lavender Light Gospel Choir, a men and women's chorus, was founded in 1985.  The group consists of several ethnic and spiritual backgrounds, and provides a special ministry to African-American gays and lesbians—a constituency who have historically been pressured within their communities to choose between their race and orientation.

Sung Won Park, director of Believe Out Loud and all LGBT programming for Intersections International, called the coming together of the three choirs "a historical event to shout out God's love for all people, especially those who have been marginalized by the church as lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender.

"The time has come for us to take a stand," said Park, "and let the world know that being silent about our support of LGBT equality equals shutting the doors to the sanctuaries for these individuals."
Believe Out Loud, a trans-denominational movement to promote LGBT-inclusion in the Christian church, has begun a three-year drive to get one million progressive Christian voices to believe out loud and show the public that an all-inclusive Christian collective can save lives.  According to a recent poll conducted by Public Religion Research Institute, an astounding two-thirds of the respondents see a direct connection "between messages coming from America's places of worship and higher rates of suicide among gay and lesbian youth." (http://www.publicreligion.org/research/?id=426)

Within the Episcopal Church, IntegrityUSA, along with TransEpiscopal, The OASIS and other diocesan LGBT ministries, has adopted the brand"Believe Out Loud Episcopal Congregations" for those churches who are intentionally welcoming and affirming of LGBT people.

"The church should serve to affirm life for all people," said Park.  "But if two-thirds of the public believes the church is not affirming life when it comes to LGBT people, it is a wake-up call to all churches to shift this perspective."

Believe Out Loud is an unprecedented coalition of the nation's leading religious and secular LGBT organizations, including the Human Rights Campaign (HRC); Gays & Lesbians Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD); the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force; Progressive Christians Uniting; Public Religion Research; Christian Community Inc.; The Religious Institute; Many Voices; The Association for Welcoming and Affirming Baptists (American Baptist Church USA); Gay, Lesbian and Affirming Disciples Alliance (Christian Church/Disciples of Christ); Integrity USA (Episcopal Church); Lutherans Concerned (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America); More Light Presbyterians (Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)); The Coalition for LGBT Concerns (United Church of Christ); and The Reconciling Ministries Network (United Methodist Church).

Break the Silence Concert

On Sunday, February 20th, Intersections International presents a spectacular concert to benefit Believe Out Loud, the multi-denominational revolution of welcome that's sparking new ways of thinking in churches across the country.

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Join us for Break the Silence, an afternoon of spectacular music and celebration featuring the Anna Crusis Women’s Choir of Philadelphia, the New York City Gay Men’s Chorus and the Lavender Light Gospel Choir at the beautiful Marble Collegiate Church in New York City. Proceeds benefit the Believe Out Loud project, a collaboration of Intersections International, the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force's Institute of Welcoming Resources, and twelve Christian denominations. Within the Episcopal Church, Integrity and the various OASIS diocesan LGBT outreach programs, along with TransEpiscopal, are working with congregations to promote inclusion. For more information on Believe Out Loud within the Episcopal Church, visit An Invitation to Become a Believe Out Loud Episcopal Congregation.

Tickets are $20.00 in advance; $15.00 for groups of five or more; and $25.00 at the door.

For more information, contact James Rowe at Intersections International.

WHEN:  Sunday, Feb. 20th at 3:00 p.m.
WHERE: Marble Collegiate Church, 3 W 29 St, New York, NY
PUBLIC TRANSPORT:
- Subway: 28th & Broadway (N,R) 28th & Lexington (4,6)
- Bus: X27 (5th Ave & W 30 St)


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Are You Ready to Believe Out Loud?

This past weekend, folks from Delaware to Maine attended the Province I & II workshop of Believe Out Loud at St. James' Episcopal Church in Danbury, CT. This workshop was designed to acquaint Integrity diocesan organizers and any other interested parties with the Believe Out Loud program and help them develop an action plan to implement Believe Out Loud in their parish or diocese. It was led by Neil Houghton, the VP of Local Affairs of Integrity; John-Albert Mosley (Province I Coordinator) and Chap James Day (Province II Coordinator).

Believe Out Loud is a cooperative effort among seven major mainline denominations and numerous smaller churches. Its goal is to identify and promote individual faith communities who have taken the steps to be intentionally welcoming, as well as to help additional communities along the road to full inclusion. It dispenses with the 'eighties model of "going to be gay over there" and as such does not promote separate worship or other events for the LGBT community within a congregation or diocese. Rather than a club or committee, it is a mindset not just for the LGBT members, but for the entire parish, that everybody who seeks Christ belongs and is entitled to full participation. There are multiple resources available through the Believe Out Loud program and its partners to help achieve this goal, including educational tools for the areas where the church has historically been not so successful (e.g. transgender issues).

Certainly a large percentage of our parishes (in Newark) are living into this vision or are somewhere on the road to it. The OASIS enjoys the support of some fifty Sponsoring Congregations. Many people feel we have reached the point where LGBT folks can take for granted that they will be welcomed into parish life, and thus we can now say "mission accomplished". However -- as was witnessed at this workshop -- there are many LGBT folks out in the world who are either unchurched or "damaged-churched" and do not believe there is a place for them in a worship community. One of the goals of this program is to counteract that idea with a consistent brand that folks can look for. Another is to provide the educational tools to help parishes be prepared and at ease when LGBT people do visit or seek to join their communities. Even a congregation that is comfortable with gay issues may have less experience with bisexual or transgender people. Materials and resources are available to help overcome assumptions and fears and understand what pastoral needs members of these communities may bring to the table.

In order to officially be called a "Believe Out Loud Congregation" there is a three-phase self-analysis a parish undertakes. Typically the vestry can do this as a group. It can be an eye-opener as one sees one's surroundings through the eyes of a newcomer.

One theme generated a lot of discussion, as it is a common response when the question of being more visibly welcoming is posed: "We're fine with gay people coming here, but we don't want a reputation as 'the gay church' in town." Participants and the program leaders offered a variety of interesting and sometimes humorous ways of addressing this fear.

The Integrity Diocesan Organizer will be available to any congregation that wishes to embark on this process. Some of our parishes will "test out" of the process by demonstrating they are living into the goals of the program already, or take what few steps would be required to bring them to this level. For others the process may take longer, or they may decide they are just not "there" yet.

This was en enriching and invigorating look at the next steps churches can take to live boldly into their baptismal promise: Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of EVERY human being?

It's time to believe out loud!