The Canadian Supreme Court declared federal same-sex marriage rights ten years ago (which these people discovered yesterday, much to their chagrin). At the time, I was deep in denial about my sexuality, and I was not in a theological framework to celebrate the decision. I barely remember it at all. Fortunately, I'm half American, so I figured yesterday could be my do-over. I made sure to be at my computer at 10:00 am, logged into the Supreme Court live blog, ready to witness history in the making.
For many LGBTQ+ Christians like me, the day was a roller coaster of emotions. Joy, relief, gratitude... followed all too quickly by disappointment, frustration, and anger at the hateful and fearful social media responses of many of our siblings in Christ....
While riding transit, I pass time by reading books about LGBTQ+ theology. My wife Danice is usually happy for me to summarize them for her afterward so she doesn’t have to read them herself, but having witnessed my frequent laughter and eager underlining as I devoured Eve Tushnet’s book, Gay and Catholic, Danice now wants to read it too. That in itself may be enough of a review...
Middle section, second pew from the front, left side.
That's where my family sat every Sunday morning. It provided easy access to the stage for my pastor dad, who was always positioned closest to the aisle. It gave me a sense of being under the watchful gaze of the whole congregation: significant, but scrutinized...
One of my heroes passed away today at the tender young age of 99.
I feel so far away from the community that mourns her in Vancouver. As I was searching for ways to connect and remember, I found an article I wrote about her five years ago. I hope it gives you a window into the life of this woman who so inspired me...
Just as I was congratulating myself, I recalled a question that had burned itself into my memory while listening to one of my favorite podcasts, The Liturgists... “Is there anyone you would refuse go to the Table with?” The previous morning, members of the infamous Westboro Baptist Church had traveled all the way to Portland to picket our gay Christian conference and demonstrate their impressive ability to each hold four offensive signs with two hands. Thankfully, a crowd of local Christians had kindly stood in front of them, in the pouring rain, creating a wall of love to buffer us from that hatred. As one of these Portlanders remarked, “It was Christians protecting Christians from Christians.” But suppose all these Christians, in all three categories, were invited together to the Table...
I can't help it; I'm a sucker for new year's resolutions. I know January 1st is really no different than any other 24-hour day. I know I can "start my best life now," whenever "now" happens to be. But there's something about New Year's Day that feels like the first crisp page of a journal. Plus it's a memorable marker in time. So here I raise my Ebenezer...
Two years ago, I was co-pastoring a little church in inner-city Vancouver. That Advent season, my co-pastor was leading us in imaginative storytelling: we'd take turns choosing a person from the Christmas narrative and telling the story from that character's viewpoint. I enjoyed listening to other people's reflections, but I whenever I tried to decide which character from the story I could best identify with, I lost focus.
My brain kept getting snagged on the fact that this would be my last closeted Christmas...
