tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55930994453669161332012-01-31T15:58:57.977ZExplores questions of faith for lesbian, gay and trans Christians, and celebrates progress towards full LGBT inclusion in church.Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.comBlogger2351100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-23527948116889678542011-12-24T10:58:00.000Z2011-12-25T11:01:18.859Z

Broadcaster Olivia O'Leary has, very publicly, left the Catholic Church.The Carlow-born journalist renounced Catholicism because of the church's refusal to ordain women, though the institutional cover-up of clerical child sex abuse was a "proximate factor".This Christmas, Ms O'Leary, who was educated by Convent of Mercy nuns, will celebrate Christmas with carols and lessons at the Church of

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-66049365022059553432011-12-19T08:26:00.000Z2011-12-19T08:26:21.219Z

In terms of sheer numbers, the Philippines is a major Catholic country one that doesn't often make the headlines in the Catholic press elsewhere, except at Easter (when many Catholics re-enact the Passion by volunteering to be crucified themselves).Perhaps progressive Catholics should pay more attention. Filipinos have demonstrated remarkable imagination in finding ways t0 protest the actions of

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-13091191018567437352011-12-19T08:18:00.000Z2011-12-19T08:18:51.451Z

"Last Saturday evening, I joined with others from London’s Soho Masses for a Christmas Carol Service at the Church of the Assumption and Saint Gregory, Warwick Street, followed by a great Christmas Party. The closing hymn, the always popular “Adeste Fideles” (which we sang, to my disappointment, in English) was particularly suitable for the occasion.  It was written by John Wade, a choirmaster at

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-13097590627593399042011-12-14T08:36:00.003Z2011-12-19T08:38:00.001Z

There was a time when opponents of LGBT equality or inclusion could claim, without contradiction, that these were "obviously" and necessarily contrary to scripture. No more. Bible scholars, theologians, pastors and other people of faith, from all denominations, are increasingly visible with the counterpart arguments that Biblical values, and those of other faiths, are based primarily on love.The

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-28613307675958190732011-12-14T08:27:00.000Z2011-12-19T08:31:20.024Z

In an unseemly echo of last year's story from Boulder, Colorado, where a Catholic school refused to educate the children of two lesbian mothers, a school in Broken Hill, Australia, likewise attempted to refuse admission to the kindergarten class to a child with two moms. The local bishop intervened, instructing the school to reverse its decision - but too late. The damage has been done, and the

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-74462576960660356312011-11-19T16:20:00.000Z2011-11-19T16:20:43.214Z

For months, there have been simmering tensions in Adelaide's Anglican Church community over the unresolved matter of gay and lesbian clergy. A newly appointed bishop says that he has no problem with homosexual priests - as long as they don't engage in homosexual activity. This is the formally proclaimed policy of his church, but it is untenable - it makes no more sense than to say "It's all right

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-68774201688445783152011-11-18T15:35:00.000Z2011-11-18T15:35:37.971Z

At a Catholic event in London next week,  specifically about Catholics and gay marriage, the people most directly affected - gay Catholics themselves- have been excluded.In London next week,  "Catholic Voices" is hosting an event to discuss the public communication of the Catholic Church's stance on gay marriage. The advance material for this event made it clear that for security reasons , those

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-77480647093514305592011-11-18T01:07:00.000Z2011-11-18T01:07:33.101Z

"The legalization of gay marriage in New York last June reignited the age-old struggle between faith and sexuality in the Catholic community. While figureheads such as Archbishop Timothy Dolan promote an increasingly conservative outlook on homosexuality in Catholicism, a small group of mostly Irish-American Catholics continues to provide a weekly place of worship for all, regardless of sexual

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-6033458900132240342011-11-12T18:15:00.001Z2011-11-15T18:18:18.397Z

Catholic mothers, like all others, delight in their offsprings' weddings - and those of other family members. They are not alone. Weddings are the occasions of major family gatherings, where we gather to celebrate with them, cement the family bonds and interrelationships that have been set up by earlier weddings when we catch up with news from those members we only see at weddings and funerals,

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-51912302956428683132011-11-11T18:23:00.001Z2011-11-15T18:24:29.764Z

Here's a refreshing sign of the times: De Paul university is the USA's largest Catholic university - and has a student president who is openly gay.Anthony Alfano's story is instructive for all those who still see a contradiction or tension between their innate sexual orientation and their Catholic faith. In a report carried by the Windy City Times, he describes and contrasts his experience of

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-49551641038461812672011-11-09T10:59:00.000Z2011-11-09T10:59:30.511Z

Official Catholic teachings describe gay or lesbian orientation as “an objective disorder” and tell those who love their same-sex partners that they possess a “tendency… toward an intrinsic moral evil.” Catholic bishops have been public advocates for laws banning same-sex marriage, and some have sought to prevent LGBT Catholics and their allies from fully participating in the Church’s rituals and

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-91744251892287068342011-11-05T18:18:00.001Z2011-11-15T18:20:30.749Z

The extraordinary fiasco over comments by an advisor to the US bishops' anti-gay-marriage initiative would be the stuff of high comedy, if it were not so tragic. (Indeed, much of the commentary from the secular LGBT blogosphere has been hilarity at the nonsensical nature of his claim that homosexual orientation has a Satanic origin).The tragedy is that someone so appallingly ignorant on both the

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-54669627591403161612011-11-05T10:32:00.001Z2011-11-05T10:34:08.171Z

A peace worker who wants to become Britain's first transgender rabbi is to feature in a new prime-time documentary.Maxwell Zachs, who did not want to give his birth name, was born female but began the physical transition to become a man in 2009.The 25-year-old features in Channel 4's My Transsexual Summer, a four-part series following seven transgender men and women who share a house as they

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-54242636399839068892011-11-04T18:21:00.001Z2011-11-15T18:22:48.696Z

In marked contrast to the Catholic bishops, who have thrown unprecedented resources into supporting a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage, the Episcopal church in the state is opposed to the amendment.  Episcopal Bishop Brian N. Prior says this decision is grounded in the firm principle that the Church has always stood with the marginalized.In theory, the Catholic Church shares this

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-41105262947989158132011-10-29T15:47:00.001+01:002011-10-29T15:47:00.150+01:00

Huffington Post recently published a slide show of 15 "inspiring LGBT religious leaders". They are : Irshad Manji, Muslim and founder and director of the Moral Courage Project at New York University's School of Public Service. Bishop Gene Robinson, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire. Rev. Ouyang Wen Feng, who founded a gay-friendly church outside Kuala Lumpur and is thought to be

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-77194181266903511432011-10-28T12:50:00.000+01:002011-10-28T12:50:14.980+01:00

Three down, one to go - in the series of conferences on sexual diversity and the Catholic Church. The last of the series is due to take place tomorrow, at Fairfield University. This report from the Hartford Courant focusses on the "concerns" expressed by some Catholics to the bishops that the series is even taking place, concerns that the bishops shared with the organisers.  I (and many others)

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-11293819468977227242011-10-26T20:02:00.000+01:002011-10-26T20:02:27.271+01:00

Catholics from both sides of the issue are weighing in on the plan by the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis to create ad hoc committees in every Catholic church in Minnesota to push the state’s constitutional same-sex marriage ban. One lay Catholic who works for a church-affiliated organization, who asked not to be identified for fear of losing their job, told the Minnesota Independent that

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-38526085779536119032011-10-24T12:17:00.001+01:002011-10-24T14:11:26.641+01:00

Denmark was the first country in the world to provide near-marriage for same-sex couples, in a system of registered partnerships that were widely described as "gay marriage". The only surprise in the announcement that like their Scandinavian neighbours Sweden Norway and Iceland they are to extend this to full marriage is that it has taken them so long. (Finland also has plans for full marriage

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-84152244676801171042011-10-19T21:57:00.000+01:002011-10-19T21:57:44.496+01:00

It’s standing room only at Holy Trinity Community Church as the Rev. Cynthia Andrews-Looper wraps up her sermon for the 10:15 a.m. service, one of three she’ll do this morning. She strays from the pulpit, pacing in front of an architectural rendering of a planned multimillion-dollar expansion to the church. “Let’s make God-sized goals,” says Andrews-Looper, a former standup comedian. Like many

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-75462363932048690042011-10-19T18:12:00.000+01:002011-10-19T18:12:29.523+01:00

In his book "Sunday Morning: A Testimony of Life"  Richard Brown shares his personal testimony on life as a gay African-American Christian. Brown hopes to shed light on the world of gay Christians and the struggles they face from the organizations and churches that have challenged the idea of who is worthy to serve the Lord. "Sunday Morning" attempts to stand as a contrast to the developed

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-19570349302340390722011-10-18T00:12:00.000+01:002011-10-18T00:12:15.225+01:00

The proposal to approve women bishops for the Church of England has just passed a key threshold: of the 44 diocesan synods, 28 have already approved the proposal - comfortably more than the half of the total (i.e. 22) that were required, with 14 votes still to come. While approval at this stage may well have been expected, there are two features that particularly interest me. One is the sheer

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-38841407084217998272011-10-13T08:14:00.002+01:002011-10-13T10:08:35.213+01:00

This past Tuesday, was "Coming Out Day". One notable example of someone who came out publicly was John Smid, the former director of the ex-gay program "Love in Action". Writing at the website for his new ministry, Grace Rivers, he publicly declared that he is gay, and that in effect, there are no genuine "ex-gays" - only gay people who have learnt to live a life in contradiction with their innate

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-46578041033010443082011-10-11T07:00:00.000+01:002011-10-11T07:00:17.116+01:00

"THREE-quarters of Anglican church leaders in Staffordshire have thrown their support behind allowing women to become bishops, despite concerns from some churchgoers. The move has been described as "long overdue" and will finally place women on the same footing as their male counterparts in the Church of England." The Lichfield Diocesan Synod met on Saturday to debate and vote on the motion. The

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-67663338134808395552011-10-09T06:54:00.000+01:002011-10-09T06:54:54.069+01:00

"A Midlands church council has approved draft legislation which would allow women bishops in the Church of England.The Lichfield Diocesan Synod, which covers Staffordshire and parts of Shropshire, the Black Country and West Midlands, met on Saturday.It is one of 44 regional councils to discuss the proposals which have passed the first stages at the Church of England General Synod.The debate in

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-1724677269407838842011-10-08T15:27:00.000+01:002011-10-08T15:27:28.670+01:00

The Anglican proposal to approve female bishops needs the support of a majority of diocesan synods to move ahead. So far, every single one has voted in favour, in most cases overwhelmingly - as in this instance, from Yorkshire.  That will not end the matter: it will still need approval at the national synod from each of the three houses of bishops, clergy and laity. But the pattern thus far is

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-44201711838961162382011-10-05T23:06:00.000+01:002011-10-05T23:06:51.947+01:00

"An openly gay and popular syndicated sex columnist was raised in a Roman Catholic family and at one point attended a school for men looking to become priests. When he admitted his sexuality to his mother, he thought, like other members of the gay community, that he was saying he wouldn’t get married and that he wouldn’t be able to provide her grandchildren.Today, he’s gay, he’s married and he’s

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-72788330358433679212011-10-01T07:30:00.001+01:002011-10-01T07:32:05.059+01:00

"This month the campaign to allow women bishops in the Church of England could clear another hurdle. Supporters are surprised and encouraged by the backing it has been getting in the Church's regional councils, or synods. "We were expecting positive votes but the overwhelming majorities have been more encouraging than we expected," says Helena Jenkins, a parishioner of St Luke's church in

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-11370762527885855442011-09-29T07:14:00.000+01:002011-09-29T07:14:15.189+01:00

"The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) plans to ordain the first openly gay candidate for ordination since the denomination struck down barriers this year to clergy who have same-gender partners.Scott Anderson will be ordained as a teaching elder on Oct. 8 at the Covenant Presbyterian Church in Madison.The new policy won approval from a majority of the denomination's 173 presbyteries, or regional

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-7139041717109350972011-09-28T10:42:00.001+01:002011-09-28T10:53:52.556+01:00

The progress to LGBT equality in the mainline Protestant churches, and in Europe, should by now be familiar. The Anglican communion and the Swedish Lutherans have openly gay and lesbian bishops; the Methodists in the US and the UK are freely discussing recognition for out and partnered queer clergy, a move already agreed by US Lutherans and Presbyterians, and practiced for years by the United

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-64169339526136914882011-09-28T07:08:00.000+01:002011-09-28T07:08:31.586+01:00

"Five religious groups are joining together to call for same-sex marriage to be allowed in Scotland. The Unitarians, Quakers, Metropolitan Community Church, Pagan Federation and Liberal Judaism are backing members of the Scottish Youth Parliament in their campaign on the issue. Ministers are currently holding a consultation on same-sex marriages. At the moment gay couples can have a civil

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-61863698108496144402011-09-25T17:32:00.002+01:002011-09-25T17:32:00.218+01:00

There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. - Galatians 3:28In the context of religion, we are familiar with the quotation from Galatians, even if in the Catholic Church we are unwilling to take the words literally, and apply them to ordination. From the world of science though, it is becoming clear that there is a

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-34461017686220972552011-09-23T06:45:00.000+01:002011-09-23T06:45:09.545+01:00

"It is inevitable that Christians who would now be described as “liberal” will be the overwhelming majority of Christians in America. That sea change, the waters of which we already feel swelling everywhere around us, can no sooner be stopped than can the moon passing across the night sky. Today’s conservative evangelical Christians who are rallying against “postmodern relativism,” “revisionist

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-48285843185959429792011-09-21T15:12:00.001+01:002011-09-21T15:12:00.329+01:00

With compulsory celibacy for the Catholic Church back in the news, it is pertinent to consider once again the example of Father Alberto Cutie, who responding to a public outcry when he was seen on a public beach with a woman - and on terms that were obviously more intimate than simply pastoral - by quitting the Catholic Church and joining the Episcopal Church instead, where he now continues to

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-14586880172482306352011-09-20T15:36:00.000+01:002011-09-20T15:36:47.918+01:00

In the Anglican communion, the squabbles over gay bishops and women bishops are closely linked. The threats of secession,  and calls for special treatment for priests and parishes who dissent on women bishops, have been widely reported. It is worth noting therefore, the less widely reported, slow and undramatic progress of the diocesan votes to ratification of the synodal decision to approve

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-70350584447999858782011-09-20T15:22:00.000+01:002011-09-20T15:22:07.755+01:00

THE Church in Wales will next week consider taking a further step towards equality for gay clerics by providing improved pension rights for their civil partners. But progressive elements in the Church remain uneasy that while there is an acceptance that priests can have a monogamous sexual relationship, the same tolerance does not extend to Bishops. During a two-day meeting starting on Wednesday

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-54244575761481343962011-09-16T08:28:00.002+01:002011-09-20T15:24:38.310+01:00

"The Church of Ireland row over gay clergy is unlikely to diminish, despite the warning by the Primate Archbishop Alan Harper that the furore could lead to " significant division" within the Church. Major divisions with the Church of Ireland on this issue have been there for some time, but the news that the Dean of Leighlin Tom Gordon entered into a civil partnership has brought the issue into

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-32272719164510846682011-09-16T08:27:00.001+01:002011-09-22T08:30:51.195+01:00

"It isn’t exactly a movement — more of a blogosphere hubbub. In solidarity with his gay and lesbian brothers and sisters, one well-known evangelical pastor in Minneapolis is taking a stand. As long as his state won’t confer upon homosexuals the legal right to marry, Tony Jones won’t sign a marriage license. He will officiate at a Christian ceremony, what he calls the “sacramental” part of

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-46022208874748373892011-09-13T10:29:00.000+01:002011-09-13T10:29:05.545+01:00

"Raul Vera Lopez, the Catholic bishop of Saltillo, Mexico has vowed to continue his outreach to the gay community.The Vatican had summoned the bishop to Rome to inquire about a gay-inclusive group of Catholics headed by Noe Ruiz.Vera publicly affiliated his diocese with the group and sponsored its film festivals, which lead to harsh criticism from the Peru-based Catholic news agency ACI

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-53583791282838579522011-09-13T06:55:00.001+01:002011-09-13T06:55:47.370+01:00

Walter C. Righter dies; Episcopal bishop played role in gay rights in church "Walter C. Righter, an Episcopal bishop whose victory in a 1996 heresy trial played a key role in the push for gay rights in the church, died Sept. 11 at his home in Export, Pa. He was 87. He died of heart and lung ailments, said his wife, the former Nancy Tolbert." “I look around the Episcopal Church today where there

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-39289886061785810432011-09-10T08:21:00.001+01:002011-09-22T08:34:43.965+01:00

Equality NC today released the names of nearly 250 clergy and faith leaders from across North Carolina who have, in the past two weeks, signed on to a statement publicly denouncing a proposed anti-gay constitutional amendment and calling on state lawmakers to join them in opposing the legislation. The clergy join over 500 additional people of faith every corner of the state who have also signed a

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-87932086895798598862011-09-08T14:50:00.000+01:002011-09-08T14:50:42.471+01:00

Chuck Pilon responds to Archbishop John C. Nienstedt's July 18 letter in which he cautions the priests of the Archdiocese and the Catholic faithful against attending the Catholic Coalition for Church Reform's September 17 Synod of the Baptized: I wish you well, Archbishop Nienstedt. You are a man dedicated to the Church – the institutional, Roman Catholic version of Church.Based on my

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-60659071165711263922011-09-07T17:44:00.000+01:002011-09-07T17:44:05.808+01:00

Kristen Chenoweth says she is a liberal Christian "US singer and actress Kristen Chenoweth has described how she balances her Christian faith with support for gay rights. The West Wing and Wicked star has been praised for supporting equality and last year, defended her Promises, Promises co-star Sean Hayes after an article said he couldn’t play a straight man. She told The Advocate: “I read

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-62420830418840143372011-09-05T22:20:00.000+01:002011-09-05T22:20:05.425+01:00

"HARLINGEN — Kaya Candia–Almanda says no one can truly understand what it’s like to be a gay or lesbian person living in a conservative community unless they are one. Sometimes, in passing, negative whispers, jokes and ridicule about identity and sexual orientation are murmured by acquaintances, family members and friends, Almanda said. The 18-year-old, who says she is a lesbian, doesn’t let

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-50330091427911247762011-09-03T08:19:00.000+01:002011-09-03T08:19:10.499+01:00

"In 2001, little did Justin Lee, a recent graduate from Wake Forest University and 23 at the time, realize what a monumental contribution he would make to LGBT Christians around the globe." Born in Marietta, Ga., his family moved to Raleigh when he was four. He came from a loving and supportive Southern Baptist family. When he was 19 he came out, but felt confused and tried to go straight. He

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-75915872329977076172011-09-01T07:24:00.001+01:002011-09-01T07:24:00.043+01:00

"Despite Christian protestors heckling the Parade yesterday, religious groups still remain a key element of Pride 2011. Many have attended the festival for years, practically since it’s creation in 1990, and will not be leaving any time soon. The Pride Expo area is littered with medical and ethical support groups there to help and advise LGBT members who need it. Regular attendees include

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-31714302551989097742011-09-01T04:02:00.001+01:002011-09-01T04:02:00.411+01:00

"Earlier this year, after coming out as gay in his memoir, Transparent, African-American CNN anchor Don Lemon told the New York Times that being gay is “about the worst thing you can be in Black culture.” You're taught you have to be a man; you have to be masculine,” he continued. “In the black community they think you can pray the gay away.” I’m not sure how accurate Lemon’s assessment is—no

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-23661135467695725952011-08-31T21:50:00.000+01:002011-08-31T21:50:00.488+01:00

 "THE report by Geraldine McKelvie on the division between leading members of Newburgh Parish Church regarding their gay minister’s proposal to enter into a civil partnership makes sad reading (“Fresh Kirk row on same-sex unions”, The Herald, August 29. From all accounts, the Rev Lynn Brady seems to be an asset to her community and a committed Christian who has worked extremely hard to help

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-20426413120566523662011-08-31T21:03:00.000+01:002011-08-31T22:15:16.306+01:00

div style="text-align: justify;"> "Jay Bakker, son of televangelists Jim Bakker and Tammy Faye Bakker Messner, says GOP presidential candidates Michele Bachmann and Rick Perry have hijacked Christianity. Bakker, who heads the gay-inclusive Revolution Church, told CNN anchor Don Lemon, who was hosting HLN's chat show the Joy Behar Show, that his church does not believe being gay is a sin. Lemon,

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-77780462286900091242011-08-31T15:51:00.000+01:002011-08-31T15:51:49.903+01:00

A drive for reform by Austrian priests, urging the ordination of women and an end to celibacy, is meeting with widespread support, according to a new survey published Monday.A total 71.7 percent of Austrians found the initiative "fair and adequate," with 64.7 percent saying they would even sign a "call for insurbodination" launched in June, according to the Oekonsult polling institute.The

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-24796138864008773942011-08-30T21:55:00.000+01:002011-08-30T21:55:52.884+01:00

"The winter of 2004, I was sitting somewhere in the vast Pennsylvania wilderness for my school’s annual “snow camp”—a week where several fundamentalist Baptist schools came together to bring spiritual revival into the lives of their students. This was done by making the teenagers in their charge feel a transitory emotional response to their messages of guilt and fear. The particular session

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-63848067584023663642011-08-30T17:06:00.000+01:002011-08-30T17:06:42.295+01:00

"A gay Malaysian pastor who plans to marry his American partner in New York pledged Tuesday to throw a wedding banquet in his Muslim-majority home country despite criticism by government politicians. The Rev. Ouyang Wen Feng, an ordained minister who has mainly lived in the United States since 1998, told The Associated Press that he wants more Malaysians to speak up for gay people after the

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-51735006148561771332011-08-30T16:51:00.000+01:002011-08-30T16:51:17.543+01:00

To kick off my proposed series of discussions of the Patheos collection on the future of the Catholic Church, I begin with the vision of James Martin, SJ. Martin begins with a discussion of the problem of disagreement and dissent within the Church, whereby almost any suggestion of disagreement with any church leader is seen as dissent. This knee-jerk response provokes a fear of coming under

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-89149411770595125472011-08-28T04:50:00.001+01:002011-08-30T17:18:39.955+01:00

 " Presbyterians in Mexico are breaking ties with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) because of differences over homosexuality. The theologically conservative National Presbyterian Church of Mexico voted to stop working with the U.S. denomination. U.S. Presbyterians voted last May to remove barriers for ordaining people in same-sex relationships. The churches share a 139-year history and a

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-78392895498529941062011-08-15T10:30:00.002+01:002011-08-29T23:32:38.872+01:00

"A group of prominent Australian Christian clergy have put their support for same-sex marriage on the record a day before Christian opponents of marriage equality stage a rally in the Great Hall of Parliament in Canberra. The Uniting Church, Baptist and Anglican clergy made their statements following the launch of a new Christian campaign for marriage equality, Christians For Gay Marriage, on

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-57921240516689119082011-08-14T22:50:00.000+01:002011-08-14T22:50:01.530+01:00

Katrina Foster, a pastor from Fordham Evangelical Lutheran Church, had relocated to the East End after over 15 years of service in the South Bronx. Pastor Foster is gay, and was one of the first handful of Lutheran clergy members to not only live openly as a lesbian, but to marry a woman and start a family, despite strictures set forth by the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA). She is

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-89918423693431467072011-08-04T22:53:00.000+01:002011-08-14T22:55:20.139+01:00

Two of the identities I hold dear to my heart are my faith and my orientation. As a child, I wondered if I could lead a 'normal' life as a gay Christian. My family and I attended a Baptist church in eastern New Mexico, and I had numerous experiences within the church that shaped my core values: love for family and neighbors, a yearning for strong community, and a calling to pursue justice and

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-31299050560855851462011-08-02T04:36:00.010+01:002011-08-30T17:11:07.021+01:00

"One of the biggest struggles many gays, lesbians and bisexuals face is the reconciliation of their sexuality with their Christian faith. Can someone be gay and a Christian? Can a Christian be gay? Depending on who you ask, and what translation of the Bible you read, you might get a wide variety of answers. No one knows the answer better than Shawn Thomas, a Boynton Beach gay man who grew up the

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-91290589078931186872011-07-28T05:33:00.005+01:002011-08-29T14:32:55.979+01:00

LGBT and human-rights activist Bishop Christopher Senyonjo, known as the Desmond Tutu of Uganda, will return to San Diego next month to update his supporters on the dire conditions in his homophobic homeland.The bishop and his wife, Mary Senyonjo, will be in America’s Finest City from Aug. 19 through Aug. 27 to kick off a tour of the U.S.Bishop Christopher will preach at 8 and 10:30 am

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-6636123339171807182011-07-22T23:01:00.000+01:002011-09-06T23:05:01.046+01:00

Randy Roberts Potts, Grandson of Oral Roberts "Like his famous grandfather, Randy Roberts Potts is now a man on a mission. Potts, who’s speaking in Chicago July 30, is the grandson of the late Oral Roberts, the world’s first televangelist, a man whose ministry had revenues of almost $90 million a year by the end of the 1970s and who founded the Oklahoma university that bears his name. But Potts

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-47248732541841468612011-05-01T13:46:00.000+01:002011-05-01T13:46:00.167+01:00

For a man to be both both married, and an active churchgoer, should be unremarkable.   That Mooketsi Sedimo's marital status and church participation is different, is because his spouse is a man, and he and his husband live in Africa - in Botswana.  We are all familiar with depressing headlines about the homophobic hysteria in some African countries, but too easily overlook the more encouraging

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-7208583183812525992011-04-30T14:53:00.001+01:002011-04-30T14:53:00.238+01:00

The first notable books on theology appeared something like forty years ago. Since then, the early thin trickle has become a steady stream, as Publishers Weekly has observed: Religious movements often build on a variety of texts: key scriptures, treatises, tales of pioneers and heroes. For gay Christians, the time has come to fill in a few gaps, and publishers are eager to contribute. Recent and

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-65985821869019900342011-04-29T13:54:00.001+01:002011-04-29T13:54:00.756+01:00

“I think the best way we convey how we believe is not words; it’s the way we act,” Sr Gramick told students at Columbia Collegege Chicago April 1. Gramick said lay Catholics are far ahead of Catholic leaders on gay issues.“This happens in a lot of religious traditions, where the people lead their religious leaders,” Gramick said. “The real people who matter are the people in these religious

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-86048588502235048822011-04-28T15:31:00.000+01:002011-04-28T15:31:40.176+01:00

The Changing Tone of Catholic Bishops' Responses to HomosexualityLast year, I reported on statements by a series of bishops which pointed a change in tone from Church authorities on responses to homoerotic love. This began almost a year ago with Cardinal Schonborn's observation that it was time to shift the emphasis from an obsession with "homosexual acts" to a consideration of the quality of our

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-19153576223132652742011-04-28T15:28:00.000+01:002011-04-28T15:28:02.109+01:00

When the California Catholic Daily objects to something in the news, I often find it's a good reason to track down the source.In this case, their outrage was at an opinion piece in the Oakland Tribune by a local priest, Fr Tim Stier, who has placed himself in what he calls "voluntary exile", protesting weekly outside the Oakland cathedral at the failures of the church, and its treatment of

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-81124712782484154312011-04-28T15:21:00.000+01:002011-04-28T15:21:35.685+01:00

Religious leaders are far too often more eager to oppose than promote civil protection or inclusion in faith for sexual minorities. There are an increasing number now speaking up for lesbian and gay rights - but not usually for the trans community. In Massachusetts, there is an exception (particularly welcome in this (Transgender Faith Action Week), as the Boston Globe reports: Bishop M. Thomas

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-40505513904550841662011-04-28T15:20:00.000+01:002011-04-28T15:20:04.094+01:00

In Trans/formations (Scm Controversies in Contexual Theology Series), Virginia Ramy Mollenkott reflects on the gifts of the three magi who brought their gifts to the infant Jesus, and recalls Nancy Wilson's thesis that they were more likely to have been women or eunuchs. (Mollenkott's own guess is that they were people who would no be called transwomen). She goes on to describe the seven

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-68527029232171100642011-04-28T15:18:00.000+01:002011-04-28T15:18:15.124+01:00

Stand up!Recently, the Irish LGBT support organisation BeLonGTo produced what is, to my mind, a simple yet pointed awareness video against homophobic bullying. Stand up! Don’t stand for homophobic bullying has been doing the rounds on the internet, but if you haven’t seen it yet, then here it is: What really struck me in the advert is the simple gesture of holding hands. Simple, that is, if

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-32216405992225581852011-04-28T15:13:00.000+01:002011-04-28T15:13:30.087+01:00

You may not be immediately familiar with his name, but if you've ever browsed the gay shelves of a decent bookshop, you've almost certainly seen it, and his title "The Celluloid Closet: Homosexuality in the Movies".  At The Cutting Edge,  Douglas Ireland has a tribute and review of a recent biography by Michael Schiavi," Celluloid Activist: The Life and Times of Vito Russo". I am not a

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-8611747456402533342011-04-28T15:09:00.000+01:002011-04-28T15:09:58.136+01:00

A 2nd Century Hymn of Praise to the Trinity is so rich in genderqueer imagery, that it cries out for sharing again,  during Transgender Faith Action Week. When I first posted it in January last year, the whole concept was completely new to me. Since then, I have found some impressive modern, scholarly articles which confirm the fluidity of gender in conceptions of the Trinity. Today, I simply

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-9982515169000163282011-04-28T15:08:00.000+01:002011-04-28T15:08:37.034+01:00

Wounded listeners It must have been pure coincidence that, over the past days, my attention was twice drawn to the effect our words  (as priests) have on those who hear them. The first of the two instances refers to the recent report by the Public Religion Research Institute on “Catholic Attitudes on Gay and Lesbian Issues.” One of the most relevant results was, in my opinion, that regarding the

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-83804094746092147552011-04-14T13:45:00.001+01:002011-04-14T13:45:28.598+01:00

Since I last updated the status of the Presbyterian process for ratification of last year's vote permitting the ordination of openly partnered and lesbian or gay clergy, prospects have brightened even more. There are now 16 regional presbyteries that have switched from No to Yes -  compared with just two that have switched the other way, from Yes to No. This makes a net gain of 14 - against only

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-36043527744424996132011-04-03T14:19:00.000+01:002011-04-28T15:02:30.570+01:00

At Religion Dispatches, Paul Gorrell says nobody should be surprised that Catholics collectively favour LGBT equality. He writes about the recent study by the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI), which shows that Catholics do so in greater numbers than the population at large, and are increasing that support, and observes that..on every LGBT rights question, including DADT and job

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-7093904555928478962011-04-03T14:06:00.002+01:002011-04-28T15:05:16.350+01:00

I am astonished that much as the religious right waxes apoplectic at the idea of lesbian or gay inclusion in church, or secular equality in marriage, family or employment law, what really gets them going is the notion of the trans community being met with basic human dignity. Their pretence that this is based on "religious" principle is beyond my comprehension: from the story of Philip the

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-23044005422133411472011-04-01T14:18:00.002+01:002011-04-28T15:01:04.846+01:00

Queer Christians are familiar with being told by religious leaders that they must repent. Recently though, I have been seeing a number of stories of a different kind of repentance: of pastors, theologians and Biblical scholars who are beginning to repent for the error and harm done in their previous preaching against homoerotic love. One British pastor has engaged on an extended walk of

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-16959594653018415332011-03-04T13:37:00.000Z2011-03-04T13:37:56.756Z

The Filipino website GMA News has an intriguing report that two Archbishops, Paciano Aniceto of San Fernando and Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Emeritus Oscar Cruz have urged to “come out in the open", because they have nothing to be ashamed of. Their full message does not depart from the formal position of Vatican doctrine, as it repeats the standard distinction between "homosexual persons" and  "

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-73765259049810459392011-03-01T22:09:00.000Z2011-03-01T22:09:36.217Z

You'd never guess it if your only knowledge of the churches and homosexuality came from Focus on the Family, NOM or California Catholic Daily in the US, or from Christian Voice or the rule-book Catholic blogs in the UK, or from breakaway groups in the Anglican communion worldwide, but we are in the midst of a dramatic, wholesale transformation of the Christian churches' response to homoerotic

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-22030514057540572812011-03-01T13:39:00.001Z2011-03-04T13:42:04.565Z

In just 10 days since I first noted that Presbyterian ratification for the ordination of partnered gay and lesbian clergy looked promising, the prospects have improved further. Last week I observed that if all the remaining presbyteries were to vote as they did on the correspondin resolution last year, the result would be a narrow loss. Victory looked promising, only because the chances are that

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-16263394286932786112011-02-28T13:47:00.002Z2011-03-04T13:53:36.750Z

Gay Priest, "Bart", discusses the importance of breaking the silence in the Catholic Church, continuing his weekly series at "Queering the Church": I ended my last post by asking: will our silence [forced as it so often is] be judged as complicity in the Church’s deceptive ways? It’s a question that has been troubling me for quite some time now, not only as a gay priest who is going through a

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-37413617793631628522011-02-27T13:43:00.000Z2011-03-04T13:47:06.325Z

You'd never guess it if your only knowledge of the churches and homosexuality came from Focus on the Family, NOM or California Catholic Daily in the US, or from Christian Voice or the rule-book Catholic blogs in the UK, or from breakaway groups in the Anglican communion worldwide, but we are in the midst of a dramatic, wholesale transformation of the Christian churches' response to homoerotic

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-55934612703176580812011-02-26T13:55:00.009Z2011-03-04T13:58:11.289Z

Father Matthew Kelty, OCSO, was a monk at the Abbey of Gethsemani in Kentucky, where he was the last confessor to Thomas Merton. He also came out as gay at the age of 90.The full obituary is worth reading at Religion Dispatches - I want to reflect only on the coming out story, and Fr Matthew's assertion that gay is a gift - especially in the pursuit of monastic celibacy. Charles Richard Kelty

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-25642864305777467422011-02-23T15:58:00.000Z2011-02-23T15:58:30.071Z

Fr Joseph O'Leary has a useful short post at his blog, on the eruption of opposition by the English bishops to the (very modest) proposed amendments to the UK civil partnership provisions. He makes the point I have done before, that the Church has itself participated in the constant redefinition of marriage over the centuries, but adds an important observation that I had not realised: that

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-41854775241185820682011-02-17T22:36:00.002Z2011-03-01T22:45:25.138Z

When the German theologians last week released their declaration calling for far-reaching reform of the Catholic Church culture, structures and teaching on sexual morality, it had been signed by 143 leading theologians from Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The publication of the declaration on Friday coincided with the resignation of the Egyptian President, Hosni Mubarak, in the culmination of

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-38894549654747545112011-02-11T17:28:00.000Z2011-02-11T17:28:00.447Z

It's official. I now have confirmation that somewhere in the depths of the Vatican, someone (indeed, more than one) has a dossier on me. More accurately, the dossier is on the nefarious doings of the Soho Masses, in which I am infamously involved, and the "homosexualist bloggers" (c'est moi!) that it includes and shelters. These dossiers (there seem to be multiple copies of one original) were not

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-4759976437800584292011-02-08T22:12:00.001Z2011-03-01T22:14:39.721Z

At Enhanced Masculinity, I came across a post which reported on an address by Pope Benedict about the martyrdom and later canonization of St Joan of Arc. I was pleased to see this, as I have written before of the importance of Joan as a queer saint who was first martyred by the church, and later rehabilitated and honoured. Much the same will surely occur in time to those modern queer heroes who

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-90130238251242004312011-02-07T22:15:00.019Z2011-08-30T16:58:00.042+01:00

Within hours of my post earlier today on the Catholic silent revolution, came news of a dramatic corroboration, with a solid band of German academic theologians in open revolt.In September this year, Pope Benedict will make his first papal visit to Berlin. This will be worth watching: there have been numerous indications that the German Church has been transformed by public anger and

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-63067050823436945772011-02-07T22:15:00.007Z2011-03-01T22:30:52.738Z

German Theologians Call For Radical Reforms.Within hours of my post earlier today on the Catholic silent revolution, came news of a dramatic corroboration, with a solid band of German academic theologians in open revolt.  In September this year, Pope Benedict will make his first papal visit to Berlin. This will be worth watching: there have been numerous indications that the German Church has

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-46598450835338406152011-02-06T15:49:00.006Z2011-02-06T15:49:00.358Z

Barbara Bush's public support for gay marriage has garnered a lot of press attention over the past week. Reporting on this the Washington Post has drawn my attention to another finding that should have drawn more attention. Alongside the number of Republican politicians and Evangelical Christians who are breaking ranks with their traditional opposition and starting to support equality, the

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-85756651794763376152011-02-04T10:33:00.001Z2011-02-04T10:33:00.371Z

Formal Catholic teaching is clear: in developing moral norms, it is right that we consider  the findings from social science and social statistics. On moral norms around sexuality, however, the Vatican simply ignores its own guidelines. Whenever I refer to the evidence from social statistics on real - world Catholic belief, and the challenge they present to the sensus fideii on Vatican doctrine,

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-30320742395918639742011-02-01T10:09:00.000Z2011-02-01T10:09:25.694Z

In "The Sexual Person", the Catholic lay theologians Todd Salzmann and Michael Lawler give a useful historical review of the substantial shifts in the orthodox doctrine on sex and marriage - while also illustrating how much of that teaching is stuck in the fourth century thought of Augustine, and that of Aquinas from the thirteenth century. (Is there any other field of human thought that is so

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-21352792746356418682011-02-01T10:02:00.000Z2011-02-01T10:02:45.770Z

The Catechism is clear: 2352 Both the Magisterium of the Church, in the course of a constant tradition, and the moral sense of the faithful have been in no doubt and have firmly maintained that masturbation is an intrinsically and gravely disordered action." "The deliberate use of the sexual faculty, for whatever reason, outside of marriage is essentially contrary to its purpose." For here sexual

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-91766453298371840222011-01-28T23:33:00.000Z2011-01-28T23:33:56.636Z

I have just completed a first reading of "The Sexual Person: Toward a Renewed Catholic Anthropology (Moral Traditions) ", by the Catholic theologians Todd A. Salzmann and Michael G. Lawler.  I stress here, "a first reading", as I have no doubt that this will be for me one of those foundational texts that I return to again and again.  After just an introductory acquaintance, I have no intention of

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-56039321504996895472011-01-18T14:14:00.018Z2011-02-01T14:18:43.123Z

Last Sunday, I picked up a little book at the Soho Masses bookstall called "Christians and Sexuality in the Time of AIDS", a useful little book, which I bought at a ridiculously low bargain price. Some of the insights have little to do directly with the main theme, and it is one of these that is relevant here, an observation made by James Alison in his introduction, writing about Pope Benedict

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-7501754448619945822011-01-15T13:30:00.001Z2011-01-15T13:30:02.166Z

Last year, two US dioceses came under fire for decisions to exclude children of lesbian parents. In Boulder, Colorado the decision was widely condemned, but stayed in place. In Boston, the specific decision was rapidly revoked, with accompanying promises to formulate a new formal policy on admissions that would apply to Catholic schools in the diocese. That policy has just been unveiled - and is

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-29330620026453692532011-01-15T10:27:00.009Z2011-08-30T16:54:23.115+01:00

For years, there has been evidence that major sections of the US Mainline Protestant churches, and Protestant denominations in Europe, have been substantially reconsidering their attitudes to same - sex relationships. The evangelical churches on the other hand, like the Vatican oligarchs,  have seemed much more monolithic in their continuing opposition. Appearances can be deceptive. I have noted

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-34554228972881873402011-01-15T10:03:00.044Z2011-02-02T10:25:23.265Z

For years, there has been evidence that major sections of the US Mainline Protestant churches, and Protestant denominations in Europe, have been substantially reconsidering their attitudes to same - sex relationships. The evangelical churches on the other hand, like the Vatican oligarchs,  have seemed much more monolithic in their continuing opposition. Appearances can be deceptive. I have noted

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-28390801604527150472011-01-13T15:09:00.000Z2011-01-13T15:09:38.791Z

One of the features of last year's extensive publicity over sexual abuse and Catholic clergy, was the appallingly inadequate preparation that priests received in their training for matters of sexuality - their own, or that of others in their pastoral care. To some extent, the attention given to sexual abuse over the past few years has dramatically improved the position for those currently in

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-67193934397127364722011-01-05T14:39:00.000Z2011-01-05T14:39:00.093Z

When Massachusetts introduced same sex marriage in 2003, it as alone among American states. Since then, a steady trickle of others have followed, either with meaningful civil unions or with full marriage equality. More will follow this year, and is increasingly obvious, as VP Biden has observed, that full marriage equality for gay and lesbian couples is now "inevitable" across the country. It is

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-12572124071637574142010-12-24T16:25:00.002Z2010-12-24T16:25:00.521Z

Absolutely fundamental to the Christian religion is the belief that God, as the second person of the Trinity, took on human form and became man. Jesus Christ, whose incarnation we celebrate at this time, was fully divine - and also fully human.I want to stress here that word "incarnation", not just the nativity, so familiar from Christmas cards and Nativity plays. Yes, like all other humans he

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-30385306887659358522010-12-23T16:33:00.000Z2010-12-23T16:34:46.099Z

A remarkable feature of the CDF's core document on homosexuality is the almost total absence of any reference to the words or example of Jesus Christ.  The CDF "Letter to the bishops of the Catholic Church on the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons" is the almost total absence of any reference to the example or words of Jesus Christ, on whom the Christian message is based. In the letter's 18

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5593099445366916133.post-54377123587763723552010-12-23T16:32:00.000Z2010-12-23T16:32:46.263Z

In her account of the historical development of gay and lesbian/ queer theology, Elisabeth Stuart says that the weakness of both the gay liberationist and the feminist/lesbian approaches is that by working from the basis of real life experience of gays and lesbians, they are not easily accessible by others who do not share than experience. They also, she says, have in practice placed so much

Terencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07504439119402756448noreply@blogger.com0