Another week with the BWF
What is most striking is the manner in which the second of these ads equates the aftermath of General Synod last July with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. It reads: "Summer 2005 - Katrina/General Synod - Still cleaning up" Before I write about how utterly offensive and callous that is, let me give you all a word about General Synod and the work of the renewalist/activists. On July 4th last summer, the United Church of Christ overwhelmingly supported at its Biennial gathering a resolution calling for an Equality of Marriage rights. There has been a great deal of misunderstanding about this resolution in terms of what it did and did not say. In essence, the resolution supported the notion that the civil rights of no person should be denied by our government based on the sexual orientation of any citizen of the state or union. It asked local churches to seriously discuss the matter of civil rights, and to consider amending their marriage rights to reflect language inclusive of all. It would be naïve of anyone in this climate - in which Dominionists, Christian Nationalists, and IRD trained activists of all stripes have enflamed the passions of homophobes across this land by pushing to the limit this wedge issue - to believe that even such a tame resolution could pass without some turmoil and uproar. And to be sure, the work of the BWF and others within the United Church of Christ has kept this issue on the front burner for almost a year now. Some churches have fought mighty battles over this. Some have voted out. Some have heeded the challenge of the resolution and had mature conversations about it and agreed to disagree. Some have even moved to declare themselves Open and Affirming (a designation in the UCC that signals your complete welcome of all regardless of sexual orientation). The UCC has received into its fellowship churches that have voted to affiliate since Synod of last year (any my own St. Louis Association is one of those). Each of these things has happened. What has not happened as a result of this is the demolition of an entire city. Countless tens of thousands have not had their homes and lives destroyed. An entire coastland's inhabitants are not still a year later scrambling to put back to fragments of their lives. To write on your website what is meant to be a clever jab at a covenantal partner in faith in a way that equates the deliberations of a church over an ecclesial matter to the aftermath of one of the worst natural disasters in this nation's history is an astounding and egregious affront that belies this `renewal groups' deeper, and more sinister, intentions. I have no doubt that in their minds what happened at Synod with an over 80% MAJORITY favorable vote felt like a hurricane to them. That they would have the audacity after witnessing what happened to an entire city and coastline to compare what those people are still suffering through to what they felt after they lost a vote at Synod says more about how out of touch with reality they are and how offensive they can be than anything I can write. So, why go on?
Another week with the BWF | 8 comments (8 topical, 0 hidden)
Another week with the BWF | 8 comments (8 topical, 0 hidden)
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