National faith leaders hold vigil in D.C. to challenge Kansas City evangelist headed to Uganda with anti-gay message

National Faith Leaders on Uganda

WASHINGTON, April 27 — The Bishops and Elders Council of the National LGBTQ Task Force convened this week in Washington, D.C., to support lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in Christian traditions. In response to a call to action from LGBT leaders in Uganda, they held a noontime vigil, Tuesday, April 27, at the National City Christian Church, to support Ugandan lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people who are facing increasing persecution.

Ugandan LGBT people have experienced threats and violence while their national Parliament considers a proposed “Anti-Homosexuality Bill” which would make homosexuality punishable by life imprisonment or even death. Political and religious leaders across the globe have condemned the proposed legislation but it remains under consideration.

Into this volatile situation, Lou Engle, a Kansas City evangelist is planning a stadium evangelism rally in Uganda. Engle has a track record of referring to gay people as having demons and preaching a message of God’s wrath.

Last week, leaders of Sexual Minorities of Uganda (SMUG) issued an action alert which asked leaders in the United States “to take action to ensure that Lou Engle and his associates do not set foot in Uganda….the inflammatory preaching of Lou Engle and his associates is likely to incite further violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) people in Uganda.”

Bishop Yvette Flunder, Presiding Bishop of The Fellowship, said, “Christians are called to share a message of love and inclusion, not fear and rejection. Lou Engle is stuck in old-fashioned judgmentalism when the true call is to love our neighbors—whether in Kansas, Washington, D.C. or Uganda.”

Rev. Roland Stringfellow, United Church of Christ minister said, “It is wrong and dangerous to dehumanize anyone by saying they are demon possessed. Lou Engle needs to preach God’s love and acceptance, not God’s wrath and vengeance.”

“Increasingly, Christians in the United States are accepting their lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender family members. It is wrong for US evangelists to now go to Uganda and ask them to reject and condemn their own family members—their church members—their neighbors—because of who they love or their gender identity,” said Rev. Nancy L. Wilson, Moderator, Metropolitan Community Churches.

“The Bishops and Elders Council is made up of leaders in over twenty communions and networks that represent over five million Christians who support the core values of our faith—love of God and neighbor—including lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people,” said Rev. Rebecca Voelkel, Faith Work Director, National LGBTQ Task Force. Harry Knox, Director of Religion and Faith for the Human Rights Campaign said, “The whole world needs to see another face of Christianity from the United States. We need to say loudly and clearly that persecution of LGBT people in Uganda is wrong. In Malawi, in Brazil, in Iran, in Eastern Europe, in Jamaica, in the USA and the whole world, when sexual orientation and gender identity are used to imprison, execute or persecute people, it must stop. As people of faith, we can come to no other conclusion.”

Pictures from the trip to the White House

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The Bishops & Elders Council Gathers in Sarasota, FL
September 7-9, 2007

Christian Leaders Call for Passage of National U.S. Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA)

September 13, 2007 -- The Bishops and Elders Council, a network of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) affirming churches and organizations touching the lives of 98 million Americans, has called on the U.S. Congress to pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) and on President Bush to sign it into law.

ENDA would prohibit discrimination in employment based on sexual orientation or gender identity. It remains legal in 31 states to fire or deny employment to someone based solely upon sexual orientation. In 39 states, it is legal to fire or refuse to hire someone for being transgender.

Meeting in Sarasota, Florida, from September 7-9, the Bishops and Elders Council noted the hundreds of scriptures in the Bible on economic justice. Deuteronomy 24:14 says, "You shall not withhold the wages of poor and needy laborers..." According to Rev. Rebecca Voelkel, program director for The Institute for Welcoming Resources and a convener of the Bishops and Elders Council, "Jesus crossed lines of all social divisions to include people in the realm of God. His opening sermon in the Gospel of Luke 4:18 proclaimed good news for the poor and to release the oppressed."

"Would Jesus discriminate?" asked Rev. Dr. Cindi Love, executive director of Metropolitan Community Churches (MCC). "Jesus was condemned for eating with people that religious leaders labeled as "˜sinners,"™ but he called them friends and children of God. Jesus would not discriminate!"

The Bishops and Elders Council ministers to tens of thousands of LGBT Christians, including many who have been fired or denied employment because of sexual orientation or gender identity. The Bishop and Elders Council pledged to work for the passage of ENDA in the coming months in partnership with the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the National LGBTQ Task Force (NGLTF), the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), and the National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC).

Rev. Troy Plummer, executive director of the Reconciling Ministries Network, which works within the United Methodist Church, commented, "In a time of economic uncertainty for many Americans, LGBT people in most states face the added burden of being at risk for being fired at any time, or not being hired at all, simply because of their perceived sexual orientation or gender identity."

Bishop Yvette Flunder, presiding bishop of The Fellowship, said, "ENDA is also a family issue and a health care issue. Discrimination against LGBT people in employment hurts not only the individuals directly involved, but their children, other family members, and communities. Since most people gain access to health insurance through their jobs, entire families lose not only their primary source of income but their health insurance when a breadwinner is fired or cannot find a job for completely unjustified reasons." The Bishops and Elders Council was founded September, 2006, in Dallas, Texas, and stated, "We are a unified body of followers of Christ who are committed to speak boldly in our own communities and the larger culture as those who have been both oppressed and oppressor. We will communicate God's consistent call for justice, wholeness and peace and work to equip ourselves and others to take concrete action to achieve God's loving shalom. We are committed to work on behalf of all people oppressed or marginalized by poverty, immigration policies, HIV/AIDS, addictions, classism, sexism, ageism, or violence."

The member organizations and churches of the Bishops and Elders Council are:

• Affirm United
• Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists
• Brethren Mennonite Council for LGBT Interests
• Conference of Liberation Congregations and Ministries
• DignityUSA
• The Evangelical Network
• The Fellowship
• Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation
• Human Rights Campaign
• Institute of Welcoming Resources, a program of the National LGBTQ Task Force
• Lutherans Concerned/North America
• Metropolitan Community Churches (MCC)
• More Light Presbyterians
• National Black Justice Coalition
• National LGBTQ Task Force
• New Ways Ministry
• New York State Pride Agenda
• Pride in the Pulpit
• Reconciling Ministries Network
• Room For All
• Ruach Fellowship of Christ Centered Churches World-Wide
• Soulforce
• That All May Freely Serve
• United Church of Christ Coalition for LGBT Concerns
• Unity Fellowship
• The Universal Anglican Church

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The Bishops & Elders Council Gathers in Dallas, TX
September 9-11, 2006

Photo: Bishops & Elders Council at Thanks-Giving Plaza, Dallas, Texas
With a Shower of Stoles Project Display

Remembering September 11, Twenty-five national Welcoming & Affirming lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and same-gender loving (lgbtsgl) Christian leaders made history convening this ecumenically diverse pro-welcoming Christian gathering--Bishops and Elders Council.

It was Convened by the Institute for Welcoming Resources (of which Reconciling Ministries Network is a founding and sponsoring organization); Dignity/USA; The Fellowship; and the worldwide Metropolitan Community Church. I participated on behalf of the welcoming movement in the United Methodist Church.

Bishop Yvette Flunder (The Fellowship), Elder Nancy Wilson (Metropolitan Community Church) and Rev. Rebecca Voelkel (Institute of Welcoming Resources) provided extraordinary leadership and inspiration for our Council. In addition to the creation of our 9/11 Anniversary Statement and Call to End Homophobia & Heterosexism, we are committed to faith-based community organizing to expand the welcoming church movement, training and conferences with special efforts to resource pastors and to support LGBTSGL youth and young adults.

On September 9-11, 2006, Christian leaders whose organizations touch the lives of 98 million Americans gathered in Dallas, Texas, for the Bishops and Elders Council to end the homophobia and heterosexism in churches and to reaffirm Jesus' message of love, welcome, and acceptance of all people.

On September 11, 2001, some leading Christian extremists portrayed the tragedy of 9/11 as God's judgment on America for the presence of gays and lesbians. The intervening years have witnessed an alarming escalation of religion-based, anti-gay attacks by both political leaders and religious groups.

Today, on the fifth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, we, as leaders representing organizations that touch the lives of 98 million Americans, are united in our rejection of all forms of fear-based religion, all political manipulation in the name of Jesus, and governmental hostility toward gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender persons, especially that hostility that uses Christianity as an excuse to divide society and demonize minorities.

Today, as Christian leaders who have gathered in Council in Dallas, Texas, we proclaim that discrimination, rejection, scapegoating, and oppression of gay people and their families are incompatible with the Christian ethic of love - and are not spiritual, democratic, patriotic, or fair.

Today, we announce that the anti-gay agenda against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender is effectively over. Thanks to a rapidly growing movement of churches and faith leaders in communities across the United States, thousands of churches now embrace Jesus' message that "whosoever will may come," and open their doors in welcome to same-gender-loving people of faith. Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Christians, along with their families and allies, now have the option of nurturing their spiritual lives in faith communities that celebrate and welcome all of God's creation.

Motivated by our Christian faith and to further our nation's founding goals of justice and equality for all, we call upon all people of goodwill to work actively for an end to discrimination against gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender persons by:

• Realizing that the relationships of same-gender loving couples are equal in every way to heterosexual couples and are worthy of both the right to civil marriage and the rites of Christian marriage;
• Reaffirming the rights of gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgender persons to full equality under the law, including adoption rights, employment and housing protections, and the right to openly serve in the U.S. military;
• Refusing to cooperate with or support political or religious leaders who caricature and condemn the lives of gays and lesbians;
• Refuting the ex-gay notion that sexual orientation and gender identity can and should be changed.

As unified followers of Christ, reclaiming our faith, we commit to speak boldly with our own communities and the larger culture from out of our experience as those who have been both oppressed and oppressor. We will communicate God's incessant call for justice, wholeness and peace and work to equip ourselves and others to take concrete action to achieve God's loving shalom.

The Bishops and Elders Council further commits to continued work on behalf of all people oppressed or marginalized by poverty, immigration policies, HIV/AIDS, addictions, classism, sexism, ageism, or violence.

Bishops and Elders Council, September 9 - 11, 2006 Dallas, Texas

• Dr. Michael J. Adee, More Light Presbyterians
• Bishop Craig Bergland, The Universal Anglican Church
• Reverend Jim Birkitt, Metropolitan Community Churches
• Reverend Shari Brink, Room For All of the Reformed Church in America
• Emily Eastwood, Lutherans Concerned/North America
• Todd Ferrell, The Evangelical Network
• Bishop Yvette Flunder, The Fellowship
• Reverend Ruth Garwood, United Church of Christ Coalition for LGBT Concerns
• Dr. John Harris, National Baptist Conference of Welcoming and Affirming Churches, USA
• Bishop Zachary Jones, Unity Fellowship Church
• Harry Knox, Religion and Faith Program of the Human Rights Campaign
• David Lohman, Institute for Welcoming Resources
• Reverend Dr. Cindi Love, Metropolitan Community Churches
• Reverend Dámaris Ortega, Pride in the Pulpit
• Reverend Kenneth Pennings, Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists
• Reverend Troy Plummer, Reconciling Ministries Network of the United Methodist Church
• Sylvia Rhue, National Black Justice Coalition
• Pernessa Seele, The Balm in Gilead
• Bishop John Selders, Inter-Denominational Conference of Liberation Congregations & Ministries
• Sam Sinnett, DignityUSA
• Reverend Janie Spahr, That All May Freely Serve
• Reverend Rebecca Voelkel, The Institute for Welcoming Resources
• Reverend Mel White, Soulforce
• Reverend Elder Nancy Wilson, Metropolitan Community Churches
• Carol Wise, Brethren Mennonite Council for LGBT Interests
• Archbishop Philip Zimmerman, Reformed Catholic Church

National LGBTQ Task Force

Thursday, September 14, 2006

Task Force praises Christian leaders' courage in standing against fear-based religion and political manipulation in the name of Christianity

Council of Bishops, Elders and Christian Leaders calls for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender inclusion in the church and full equality under the law

WASHINGTON, Sept. 14 — The National LGBTQ Task Force today strongly praised the statement put forth by the Council of Bishops, Elders and Christian Leaders denouncing hostility that uses Christianity against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and opening the doors of their faith communities to all. On the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, the Council denounced the “portrayal by Christian extremists of the tragedy of Sept. 11 as God’s judgment on America for the presence of gays and lesbians and all political manipulation in the name of Jesus.” The statement was adopted at the national gathering of more than 25 Christian leaders who represent organizations that reach 98 million Americans, including leaders from conservative groups such as the Evangelical Network.

“This historic statement from the faith community proclaims that discrimination against and rejection and oppression of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and their families are incompatible with the Christian ethic of love,” said Matt Foreman, the Task Force’s executive director. “The religious right's tactics of using Christianity to divide and oppress lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people are unpatriotic, anti-democratic and unfair. We applaud the courage of the many faith leaders who in this powerful statement reject bigotry and discrimination veiled in the false cloak of piety. We reaffirm our commitment to working with welcoming faith communities to create a more just and peaceful world for all.”

The resolution adopted at the Council of Bishops, Elders and Christian Leaders calls for five critical steps to end discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people:

• Realize that the “relationships of same-gender loving couples are equal” and are worthy of both the right to civil marriage and the rites of Christian marriage.
• Reaffirm the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people to full equality under the law, including adoption rights, employment and housing protections, and the right to serve openly in the military.
• Refute the “ex-gay notion that sexual orientation and gender identity can and should be changed.”
• Refuse to cooperate with or support political or religious leaders who condemn the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
• Reclaim faith and speak boldly on “God’s call for justice, wholeness and peace,” working on behalf of all oppressed people.

National LGBTQ Task Force

Monday, September 18, 2006

Article of Faith: Religious leaders praise statement calling for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender inclusion in the church

WASHINGTON, Sept. 18 — The National Religious Leadership Roundtable today strongly praised the joint statement put forth by the Council of Bishops, Elders and Christian Leaders on Sept. 11, 2006 denouncing hostility that uses Christianity against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. They deplored the “portrayal by Christian extremists of the tragedy of Sept. 11 as God's judgment on America for the presence of gays and lesbians and all political manipulation in the name of Jesus.”

The statement was adopted at the national gathering of more than 25 Christian leaders, who represent organizations that reach over 98 million Americans. They included delegates from a wide spectrum of groups, ranging from liberal and moderate groups such as More Light Presbyterians and Soulforce to conservative groups such as the Evangelical Network.

The resolution adopted at the Council of Bishops, Elders and Christian Leaders calls for five critical steps to end discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people:

• Realize that “the relationships of same-gender loving couples are equal” and are worthy of both the right to civil marriage and the rites of Christian marriage.
• Reaffirm the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people to full equality under the law, including adoption rights, employment and housing protections, and the right to serve openly in the military.
• Refute the “ex-gay notion that sexual orientation and gender identity can and should be changed.”
• Refuse to cooperate with or support political or religious leaders who condemn the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
• Reclaim faith and speak boldly on “God’s call for justice, wholeness and peace,” working on behalf of all oppressed people.

Responses from National Religious Leadership Roundtable Members:

I rejoice over the strength of the marvelous statement by the Bishops and Elders Council. The clear commitment to advance the central message of welcome found in the Gospel is encouraging to all who seek authenticity in their faith. Release of this inclusive message will undoubtedly inspire the growth of additional worship spaces that “nurture spiritual lives in communities that celebrate and welcome all of God’s creation.”

It is my hope that all oppressed and marginalized persons will encounter the love, welcome and acceptance in communities of faith so beautifully articulated by the Bishops and Elders Council’s statement and be free of the hostility and rejection too often experienced by gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons in the name of Christianity.

Rev. Cedric A. Harmon
Washington, D.C.

The Institute for Judaism and Sexual Orientation applauds the truth-speaking of the Council of Bishops and Elders for not only proclaiming their support for the basic human rights of LGBT people but also moving further to take action to redress the damage that has been done by the religious right by saying to their many Christian brothers and sisters to stop using fear and hate in the name of God to attack lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. It is a weighty task to sail opposite the tide of years of religious attacks on LGBT people and their families, especially when it means going against members of your own religious family. We thank the Bishops and Elders Council for making this brave proclamation.

Reform Judaism supports the civil rights of same-gender couples to marry, the sanctity of same-gender relationships which are filled with holiness, and the right to then have those relationships affirmed in a religious ceremony. The Bishops and Elders Council lifts up these truths as well as others, saying that it is time to take a stand and shout out these foundations of social justice and God's love.

As an Institute of Hebrew Union College, the seminary of the Reform (Jewish) Movement, we teach these values to rabbis, cantors, Jewish educators and communal professionals who will be future leaders in the Jewish world. It is our hope that the Council's message of support, advocacy and truth will be picked up by other denominations and religious faiths to make it heard around the world by all those who need to hear its critical message.

Dr. Joel L. Kushner
Director
Institute for Judaism and Sexual Orientation
Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion

Catholics welcome this statement so infused with gospel virtues of compassion, justice and reconciliation. Despite negative messages from some in the church’s hierarchy, Catholic people in the pews are willing and indeed eager to welcome and embrace LGBT people in the wide tent of diversity that is the true church.

True and lasting change comes only from the “bottom up,” not the “top down,” and so as Catholic laypeople continue to advance in their acceptance of LGBT people, the hierarchy will eventually have to follow. The process may be slow, but it is the only way to bring change that lasts. It is through these slow and sometimes arduous struggles that God, little by little, changes hearts and even institutions.

Francis DeBernardo
Executive Director
New Ways Ministry

Bigotry, discrimination, hatred, violence and prejudice find no home in any religion worthy of the name. The Council of Bishops and Elders has made it clear that continued oppression of LGBT persons cannot be supported by any who hold sacred the central tenets of Christianity. We join them in calling on all followers of Christ Risen to oppose the false use of scripture and doctrine against LGBT persons.

Emily Eastwood
Executive Director
Lutherans Concerned/North America

On behalf of the Pagan Alliance, a religious interfaith organization devoted to understanding and tolerance, we applaud the Council of Bishops, Elders and Christian Leaders’ call for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender inclusion in the church and full equality under the law.

As a transgender woman who is bisexual and a pagan priestess, rooted in the Wiccan tradition, it is my tradition's understanding that all living beings are blessed creations. There is not room for any ifs, ands or buts. This statement recognizes the affirmation of qualities that create and heal. We do not confuse the harm of fear and discrimination with love and divine life. We oppose any power above and power below, but recognize power between which is cooperative and nurturing.

Those of us in the pagan tradition, in collaboration with the leaders of other faith-based traditions, look forward to a world in which faith-based traditions work arm in arm with each other. We stand in support of this statement with conviction and eternal steadfastness.

Patricia Kevena Fili
Pagan Priestess, The Pagan Alliance
Executive Director, The Lighthouse Community Center

On the fifth anniversary of the September 11, 2001, foreign terrorists’ attacks against the United States in New York City, Washington, D.C., and in the countryside of Pennsylvania, it is appropriate that the Council of Bishops, Elders and Christian Leaders denounce domestic religion-based political attacks against same-gender-loving American citizens. Faith In America, Inc. condemns bigotry against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, especially when it is disguised as religious truth. Such religion-based bigotry has manipulated the American political process in the past to support slavery, racial segregation and the denial of women’s right to vote. Using religion to deny lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people the rights and protections guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution is no less a violation of both the Christian ethic of love and the democratic principles upon which this country is founded. We stand with the Council of Bishops, Elders and Christian Leaders in its rejection of “fear-based religion” and its “commitment to work actively for an end to discrimination against gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender persons.”

Rev. Jimmy Creech
Executive Director
Faith In America, Inc.

From The Evangelical Network

Dear TEN friends and family:

For some time The Evangelical Network leaders have been challenged to see TEN develop some sort of voice into the community and social arena. Earlier this year we received and accepted an invitation to attend the Bishops & Elders Council which took place in Dallas recently. The following article, press release and pictures are from that meeting. Anyone with questions or comments are encouraged to either email us or contact us at 415-286-7751.

Having attended the meeting on behalf of The Evangelical Network I have to tell you I was very please with the outcome & the quality of people involved in the meetings. On more than one occasion I had people come up and tell me how thrilled they were that we (the Evangelical) voice was there & being present in the discussion. At least three people came to me and shared with me personal stories of how they had very negative ideas of Evangelicalism coming into the meeting & how after having a chance to speak directly with me, they were able to see that they walked into the meetings with mis-conceptions of what Evangelical Christians were and had lumped all Evangelicals into the radical Evangelicals that are out spewing hatred in the name of Jesus.

I left the meetings very encouraged that we, as an organization, need to be more vocal when we see our community being oppressed. I look forward to speaking with many of you about this trip & about our future opportunities to be light in the midst of so much fear and hatred.

Sincerely,

Todd Ferrell, President
The Evangelical Network

From More Light Presbyterians

More Light Presbyterian members, donors, supporters, allies & friends:

RE: 9/11 Anniversary Statement & Call to End Homophobia and Heterosexism by the Bishops & Elders Council, plus More Light organizing in Grace Presbytery

Hello from Dallas. I am here with 25 National Welcoming & Affirming lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and same-gender loving Christian leaders meeting and constituted as the Bishops and Elders Council. Not only is this new Council making history as it is being formed, it is also the most ecumencially diverse pro-LGBT Christian gathering as well.

Convened by the Institute for Welcoming Resources of which MLP is a founding and sponsoring organization; Dignity/USA; The Fellowship; and the worldwide Metropolitan Community Church, I was invited to participate in the Council on behalf of MLP and the welcoming movement in the Presbyterian Church (USA). Janie Spahr represented TAMFS and we had a special display of the Shower of Stoles Project for our meeting and the Anniversary of 9/11 press conference in downtown Dallas. Ruth Garwood, former pastor of Jan Hus Presbyterian Church, NYC, a More Light Church, now with the UCC Coalition was with us, too.

Bishop Yvette Flunder, Elder Nancy Wilson and Rev. Rebecca Voelkel are providing extraordinary leadership and inspiration for our Council. In addition to the creation of our 9/11 Anniversary Statement and Call to End Homophobia & Heterosexism, we are committed to faith-based community organizing to expand the welcoming church movement, training and conferences with special efforts to resource pastors and to support lgbtsgl/gueer youth and young adults.

In addition to participating in the opening Bishops & Elders Council reception, Jean and John Martin, longtime MLP supporters and organizers in Grace Presbytery, and I met to plan MLP organizing and outreach for northern Texas.

For those of you in Grace Presbytery, watch for an upcoming traveling film series with Shower of Stoles' project display, educational panels, welcoming worship celebrations, etc.

The photo and media statement from the Bishops & Elders Council follows this update on that national effort and More Light organizing and future offerings for you in Grace Presbytery.

with hope and grace,
Michael

Michael J. Adee, M.Div., Ph.D., National Field Organizer
More Light Presbyterians, 369 Montezuma Avenue # 447, Santa Fe, NM
87501 USA, (505) 820-7082, michaeladee@aol.com, http://www.mlp.org

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