The first time (as a young student) that I came across the title "Good News for Modern Man", I did not realise it was an unconventional name for a new Bible translation. Later I made the connection, but could not see the relevance. "For Modern Man" I could understand, but in what sense "Good News"? After drifting away from the Church as a young adult, and later facing my sexuality, the description of the Bible as "good" news seemed even less appropriate. After all, 'everybody' knew how it was riddled with condemnations of any touch of sexual impropriety, most especially of the shameful sin of 'sodomy'. There were a sprinkling of liberal churchmen, I knew, who took a more enlightened and tolerant view, but the Catholic Church in which I had grown up was implacable and instransigent. Like birth control, homosexuals were just not acceptable. So, like so many sexual minorities, I stayed outside the Church where I knew I was not welcome.
Today, after some years' journey of rediscovery of my faith, I find that the Bible is indeed "Good News", including and especially for sexual outsiders; The Catholic Church really is the universal, welcoming community implied by that little word 'catholic' and LGBT people have an important part to play in it.
As I write, I can picture the jaws of my readers dropping in disbelief. In my experience, there are few people who believe that openly gay people can be accommodated in the Christian family: those of firm religious views reject out of hand the sinful 'gay lifestyle' (whatever that is), while people who have worked through the difficulties of coming out, have no desire to collaborate in 'our oppression' by religion. But around the world, more and more gay, lesbian and transgendered people are indeed finding that truth, as always, is more subtle and nuanced than the superficial perception, that they can after all find a welcome in a Catholic church, and that they do not have to renounce or compromise their sexual psyche to find it.
Naturally, we have some disagreements, even tensions, with the Vatican and some of our churchmen. The church and church people have inflicted great evils on our community in the past, and some smaller iniquities continue to this day. Likewise, Scripture contains some uncomfortable 'clobber texts' we have to come to terms with. But I submit that these texts are not as intimidating as we might fear, and in any case represent just a tiny fraction of the total Bible message. The Church, too, is greater than the clergy, the clergy greater than the Papacy and its attendant Vatican bureaucrats, and the Papacy far greater than its peculiar and disordered pronouncements on 'homosexuals'.
If you remain sceptical, as I suspect many of you will be, I ask that you suspend your scepticism a little longer, as I share with you some of the experiences and insights that have led me to my transformed view of faith. I hope also to bring to your attention relevant topical news, information and comment.
But I do not wish to do this alone. The catholic church, after all, is above all about community. I have invited several of my associates too, to share their views, news and beliefs. Who knows? You may even find yourself stung into posting a comment or longer contribution.
I hope you do.
Terence.
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