Saturday, July 22, 2017

Once More, Into the Breach


Many of us who haven't bailed out of Christianity altogether are way beyond agonizing over the "clobber passages"--the six Biblical references to homosexuality that the religious right continues using to justify its hatred and discrimination. Still, it's gratifying to hear yet another  voice that refutes the fundamentalists on their own terms.
 
It's begging for disappointment to hope that yet another cogent argument can overcome bigotry, any more than it was dispelled  decades ago by John Boswell or John McNeill. But a British evangelical theologian, the Rev. Canon Steve Chalke, has this to say about misreadings of Paul on the subject of male sexuality in the Roman Empire:
 
 “Our poor understanding of the New Testament has brought misery, persecution, oppression and rejection to countless hundreds of thousands and millions of LGBT people. It’s time to apologize for the mistakes we’ve made and move on.”

You can watch his eloquent and energetic talk via Huffington Post.  

Thursday, July 6, 2017

108 Breaths in the Morning


 
 
Black, yellow, white and red stones for the four directions of the earth.
 
The Shiva Lingam for the holiness of our erotic energy.
 
The Cross for the radical solidarity of the Divine with our flesh.
 
A tiny Buddha for the joyful impermanence of all that arises.