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Here I am, Mr. President

18 Jan 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

Samuel invites the Lord to speak in Sunday's first reading. President-elect Barack Obama has invited Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson, the first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church, to speak at an inaugural event at the Lincoln Memorial. The announcement follows weeks of criticism from Robinson and gay-rights groups over Obama's decision to tap Rev. Rick Warren, who's likened committed gay relationships to incest and polygamy, to pray on inauguration day. Robinson, an early Obama supporter, said last month the choice of Warren left him feeling as if he'd been slapped in the face. In a telephone interview this weekend, Robinson, of Weare, Massachusetts, said he doesn't believe Obama has included him in response to the Warren criticism. But he said his inclusion won't go unnoticed by the gay and lesbian community. "It's important for any minority to see themselves represented in some way," Robinson said. "Whether it be a racial minority, an ethnic minority, or, in our case, a sexual minority. Just seeing someone like you up front matters." Warren, author and high-profile pastor of a California megachurch, will still give the invocation at the January 20 inauguration, shortly before Obama delivers his much-anticipated inaugural address. Robinson will offer his invocation prayer Sunday afternoon on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during an inaugural kick-off event. Source: Articles by Ann Marie Timmins for the Concord (N.H.) Monitor and FoxNews.com

barack obama gene robinson rick warren inauguration day gays lesbians
Shifting attitudes toward same-sex relationships

04 Sep 2011 - Preaching the News for Sunday

Our culture has grown increasingly polarized, and many of those fomenting divisiveness use the mantle of religious righteousness to justify their efforts. Jesus' message Sunday is a radical departure from and critique of the status quo, says PrepareTheWord’s “Who’s Listening?” reflection this week. Few contemporary issues generate as much divisive rhetoric as that of gay and lesbian rights, especially the charged issue of same-sex marriage. Differences of opinion are often explained away along religious lines: Nonreligious folks support its legalization, while the devout are against it. But that generalization glosses over some real differences in the way religious groups perceive the issue, according to a new Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) survey. The study finds that all major religious groups support employment discrimination protections for gay and lesbian Americans. But even on the more contentious issue of same-sex marriage, these groups are on both sides of the debate. The nation as a whole is evenly divided on the issue of gay marriage, finds the survey: 47 percent favor its legalization while another 47 percent oppose it. Two-thirds of those who aren't affiliated with any religion or who are affiliated with one other than Christianity support same-sex marriage. What is surprising is that 52 percent of Catholics and 51 percent of white mainline Protestants also support gay marriage. In contrast, 60 percent of black Protestants and 76 percent of white evangelicals are against its legalization. Official Catholic Church teaching opposes gay marriage and the social acceptance of homosexuality and same-sex relationships but teaches that homosexual persons deserve respect and pastoral care. Explanations for variances between official teaching and rank-and-file opinion can be found in nonreligious factors, observers argue. Catholics, for example, are more likely to live in urbanized states than evangelicals, predisposing them to adopt more socially liberal ideologies. The support gap between black and white mainline Protestants might be attributed in part to differing cultural pressures within those racial communities. Overall, nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of Americans agree that gay and lesbian relationships should be accepted by society, including majorities of all major religious groups except white evangelicals. Religious differences may not matter much in several generations: The main theme of the PRRI study, “Generations at Odds: The Millennial Generation and the Future of Gay and Lesbian Rights,” is that younger people are supporting gay rights at much higher rates than their elders. Sources: Postings by Dino Grandoni for TheAtlantic.com and on PublicReligion.org and AmericanCatholic.org

same-sex marriage gays lesbians christians public religion research institute
Scouting out the moral high ground

26 May 2013 - Preaching the News for Sunday

This Sunday’s second reading speaks of how endurance in faith produces “proven character.” Since its founding in 1910, the Boy Scouts of America has focused on character-building. Now that the organization is preparing to vote on whether to accept openly gay scouts, Catholic dioceses and churches along with other religious denominations that sponsor scout troops are debating whether this decision will encourage or undermine their relationship with the organization. The proposal, which would allow gay Scouts but continue to exclude gay adults as leaders, has the unanimous support of Boy Scouts’ top officials and will be voted on by the group’s 1,400-member national council on May 23. But elsewhere in the scouting ranks, there is dissension, particularly from faith-based groups that sponsor more than 70 percent of Boy Scout troops in the country. The Boy Scouts’ leadership said it considered input from faith-based groups when shaping its policy. “We believe that this policy remains true to the virtues, the core principles of Scouting, not of any one religion, but of Scouting,” said BSA executive committee member Nathan Rosenberg in a webcast urging support for the plan.Leaders from the Scouts’ largest faith-based sponsoring organization—the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—have said they will accept the new policy if it is implemented. But within the Scout’s second- and third-largest sponsors—the United Methodist Church and the Roman Catholic Church—reaction has been mixed.As many as a quarter of the 273,000 Boy Scouts connected to Catholic-run troops could leave, some leaders estimate. Still, many Catholic parishes welcome the move to allow openly gay scouts into their troops. “If it changes, that’s fine with us. In fact, I’m hoping they do change it,” said Monsignor Donald Romito of St. John Neumann Catholic Church in Irvine, Calif. “We’re welcoming to everybody, and everybody’s welcome to join the Scouts. It wouldn’t impact our relationship with the troop at all.”So far the group dedicated to preserving the church’s relationship with the Boy Scouts—the National Catholic Committee on Scouting—has been vague in its public statements regarding the proposed membership policy.Homily hint: Does your faith community sponsor scouting? If so, how are the proposed changes viewed by members of the community? Though opinions may be divided, preparing the ground by discussing the issues and values involved will allow for a more informed and measured reaction. Source: An article by Aaron Schrank for Religion News Service

gays church of jesus christ of latter-day saints homosexuality boy scouts of america nathan rosenberg national catholic committee on scouting