Posts Tagged ‘Marriage Equality’
Crossing The State Border: From Married To Single In An Instant
I want to begin my musing with a little history. In June 1958, two residents of Virginia, Mildred Jeter, a Black woman, and Richard Loving, a White man, were married in the District of Columbia pursuant to its laws. Shortly after their marriage, the Lovings returned to Virginia and established their marital abode in Caroline…
Read MoreRising From The Ashes
As I reflect on the last six months, I can only say it was the grace of God that has kept me and kept my mind. It was only God’s love that kept my wife and I covered. After disclosing my sexual orientation to the church where I was the senior pastor and sharing that I had…
Read MoreUnited Church Of Christ Landmark Lawsuit Says North Carolina Laws Restrict Freedom of Religion
The General Synod of the United Church of Christ (UCC) filed a lawsuit today in U.S. District Court in Charlotte, arguing that North Carolina laws defining and regulating marriage as being between a man and woman restrict UCC ministers from performing their religious duties and are unconstitutional. The State of North Carolina prevents couples of…
Read MoreA Mormon And A Lesbian Walk Into A Bar…
That could be the opening to a great joke, but the story here ends with something better than a punch line. My sister Sharon and I could not be more different. In high school, she was the super-popular and uber-cute homecoming queen, student officer, and North Ogden Miss Cherry Days. I was immersed in debate,…
Read MoreUnited Methodists Gathering For Full LGBTQ Inclusion At Wedding
Despite their denomination’s policy against gays and lesbians, people of faith from all over California and neighboring states will be celebrating a “Season of Love” this coming May—a call for acts of love and support for full inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people in The United Methodist Church. “It all begins with…
Read MoreThe Double Feature
There are movies that I can watch again and again with pleasure because they conjure up for me the “olden” times of my life. The Birds and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner? take me back to a quaint California of the early 1960s, my native state. To Kill a Mockingbird and The Heart Is a…
Read MoreThe Radical Reversal
The recent news that World Vision USA had decided to honor marriages in all forms—between those of opposite genders and those of the same gender—had many within progressive circles of faith elated. I was one who believed that their decision was prophetic in nature, and that by taking this stand, they were saying to same-gendered…
Read MoreAn Act Of Love: A Documentary Inspired By Rev. Frank Schaefer
Like a lot of you, I first heard about Rev. Frank Schaefer from the news. I read an article back in November about a United Methodist pastor who was in the middle of a church trial. Six years earlier, Rev. Schaefer had performed a small wedding ceremony for his son, Tim, something countless pastors have…
Read MoreCase Dropped In Prosecution Of Scholar: Bishop Vows “Cessation Of Trials”
White Plains, NY, March 10, 2014 – At a joint press conference today, United Methodist Bishop Martin McLee and Rev. Dr. Thomas W. Ogletree (pictured above) announced that the church was dropping the case against Dr. Ogletree for officiating at his son’s wedding. In a huge victory for the Methodist movement that is organizing ministry to all…
Read MoreRussia And The Olympics: It’s Not A Game!
An Italian advocate for transgender rights and former member of parliament was detained at the Olympics for unfurling a rainbow flag with “Gay is OK” on it. Russian officials denied it, but the Italian foreign ministry activated its crisis protocol for Italian travelers in trouble. Russian President Vladamir Putin showed up last week at a celebration party for…
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