Resources that support the unconditional welcome of people of all sexual orientations, gender identities & their families in the church home of their choice.
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Resources that support the unconditional welcome of people of all sexual orientations, gender identities & their families in the church home of their choice. | |
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 Gay and Lesbian 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:
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