yes, i have been silent lately.
it is reflective, because, honestly friends...
i am unsure of what to say.
i hurt so deeply. i want to give up.
i know i can't.
a friend gave me a card and thanked me for being real, for my authenticity.
i can't give up.
i'm less than 2 weeks away from freedom from the institution which keeps me silent. silences me. and i will be leaving it knowing i have not been completely silent. that i have touched lives. that i have brought change. that i am leaving it better than i found it.
then i will be silent for a moment. so i can hear the sound of out. the sound of no forced secrets. the sound of me.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Friday, November 5, 2010
value(s)
i was thinking last night about an argument against gay marriage
the statement that the majority of people in the united states of america are against it
and the second statement that usually follows
the one that goes something like, "america was founded on judeo-christian values"
i was thinking about some problems i have with this line of thought
it is a sad world when a majority in-power group dictates the rights and freedoms of the not-in-power minority.
it is an even sadder world when those who profess to follow Christ join in the discrimination and contribute to the error.
especially when Christ challenged authority figures more than he challenged anyone...
even prostitutes and tax collectors...
he certainly didn't challenge women for being women. even though they were not in power. even though they were considered less than. even though their rights and freedoms were limited by the in-power group.
instead, he elevated them...
Christ did that a lot actually... elevated the people who most of society considered riff-raff, ragamuffins, to borrow a term from brennan manning. some of these people he elevated were sick. some of them were in deep sin, living lives that wounded themselves and others. some of them were simply born the "wrong" gender.
i say all of this because i realize non-gay people tend to put us in one of the above categories. some believe we are sick and just need treatment or healing to become non-gay. some people think we choose to live a lifestyle of sin, while others think we are prone to a sinful nature but do not have to act on it. some believe we were just born this way.
for those who profess to follow Christ, i humbly submit a request to please follow his example. that the judeo-christian value is valuing others. to give value to those who are different than us. to those who have not been valued. to elevate them. no matter which category they are perceived to be in.
it's christian duty. to value. and never to use "values" as a tool for oppression. that is devaluing.
here i am, typing all of this on a computer at an institution that stands against me. an institution that claims to be a place where Christ is king.
certainly, Christ is king. he is king of those of us who are broken. king of us outcasts.
for we who are black sheep,
he
is
our
shepherd...
i wish for Christ's kingdom to be made known. so that we are valued. for the body to begin to value. and elevate.
what if lesbian and gay people were loved, cherished, and respected by the church? what if the church led the fight for equality and condemned hate instead of staying silent or perpetuating it through the church's own brand of hatred?
i know this might seem like an optimistic, against all possibility hope beyond hope...
but i don't think so.
if the very God of the universe can touch a leper,
my professor who uses the word "flamer" in class can hug a gay person.
if the One who is able to keep us from falling can have lunch with a tax collector or let a prostitute wash his feet and wipe them with her hair,
my classmate who says "God made adam and eve not adam and steve" can share a meal with a lesbian... (and some of them have without knowing it).
if Jesus chose mary magdalene as a disciple,
the president of my university can listen to me or people like me with an open heart and mind
i pray for that day. i wait and hope.
i have to keep believing.
surely...
goodness and mercy
and love, the ultimate value, will win.
the statement that the majority of people in the united states of america are against it
and the second statement that usually follows
the one that goes something like, "america was founded on judeo-christian values"
i was thinking about some problems i have with this line of thought
it is a sad world when a majority in-power group dictates the rights and freedoms of the not-in-power minority.
it is an even sadder world when those who profess to follow Christ join in the discrimination and contribute to the error.
especially when Christ challenged authority figures more than he challenged anyone...
even prostitutes and tax collectors...
he certainly didn't challenge women for being women. even though they were not in power. even though they were considered less than. even though their rights and freedoms were limited by the in-power group.
instead, he elevated them...
Christ did that a lot actually... elevated the people who most of society considered riff-raff, ragamuffins, to borrow a term from brennan manning. some of these people he elevated were sick. some of them were in deep sin, living lives that wounded themselves and others. some of them were simply born the "wrong" gender.
i say all of this because i realize non-gay people tend to put us in one of the above categories. some believe we are sick and just need treatment or healing to become non-gay. some people think we choose to live a lifestyle of sin, while others think we are prone to a sinful nature but do not have to act on it. some believe we were just born this way.
for those who profess to follow Christ, i humbly submit a request to please follow his example. that the judeo-christian value is valuing others. to give value to those who are different than us. to those who have not been valued. to elevate them. no matter which category they are perceived to be in.
it's christian duty. to value. and never to use "values" as a tool for oppression. that is devaluing.
here i am, typing all of this on a computer at an institution that stands against me. an institution that claims to be a place where Christ is king.
certainly, Christ is king. he is king of those of us who are broken. king of us outcasts.
for we who are black sheep,
he
is
our
shepherd...
i wish for Christ's kingdom to be made known. so that we are valued. for the body to begin to value. and elevate.
what if lesbian and gay people were loved, cherished, and respected by the church? what if the church led the fight for equality and condemned hate instead of staying silent or perpetuating it through the church's own brand of hatred?
i know this might seem like an optimistic, against all possibility hope beyond hope...
but i don't think so.
if the very God of the universe can touch a leper,
my professor who uses the word "flamer" in class can hug a gay person.
if the One who is able to keep us from falling can have lunch with a tax collector or let a prostitute wash his feet and wipe them with her hair,
my classmate who says "God made adam and eve not adam and steve" can share a meal with a lesbian... (and some of them have without knowing it).
if Jesus chose mary magdalene as a disciple,
the president of my university can listen to me or people like me with an open heart and mind
i pray for that day. i wait and hope.
i have to keep believing.
surely...
goodness and mercy
and love, the ultimate value, will win.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)