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12 Sep

Submit Sermons that Spew Hate: Help us to expose hate and respond to such with love.

Posted September 12, 2010 by queerfaithnews in Baha'ism, Buddhism, Christianity, Gay Marriage, General, Hinduism, Interfaith Studies, Islam, Judaism, Religion, Religious Law and Civil Law. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

Have you sat in a worship or prayer service that has included anti-gay statements? Let us know.

Queer Faith News (QfN) invites you to submit anti-gay statements that you hear at religious services for us to post on Queer Faith News. This will provide an on-going means of sharing anti-gay statements with the masses so as to expose hate. It will give us an opportunity to respond in love. This is only the beginning of this new campaign to end hate with love.

Click here to open the form to submit a hate sermon.

5 responses to this post.

  1. Posted by Natassia on September 12, 2010 at 7:10 pm

    Actually, my pastor gave a very good sermon this morning…about traditions, and the fact that many times we place tradition above Truth in importance.

    And towards the end of the sermon he mentioned how a couple of people in the congregation had actually come up to him and asked if it was okay that they invite their _____ (friend, coworker, neighbor, etc) to the church since he/she was a homosexual.

    The pastor was dismayed that his congregation felt the need to even ask him that because everyone is welcome as a guest at the church. He said that he would not compromise the truth (for example, if a sermon that day happened to involve scripture condemning homosexuality), he would not avoid preaching about it for fear of offending someone.

    But he said the main thing is leading people to Christ. Personal transformation could not begin until people accepted Jesus as their Savior. At that point, they’d begin the journey of living their life for Christ.

    I thought it was a very good message.

    Reply

    • Posted by queerfaithnews on September 12, 2010 at 7:46 pm

      I respect the pastor’s invitation for friends, family, co-workers, etc.

      I will pray for the continued discernment of the pastor, both for his vocation and for his finding a means by which to discover the beauty and love found in same-sex relationships and how they enrich the church (ekklesia), even if not his, as a worldwide body. At the same time, I respect the rights of individual places of worship to define their own doctrine and thereby establish who they will welcome and affirm.

      On your point regarding accepting Christ as the Savior and “living their life for Christ,” as an openly gay man, I live my life for Christ everyday. I live my life for Christ by being who he created me to be. We are all called to be priests, prophets, and intercessors in living our lives and I am confident that God has sought nothing less in creating GLBT people. Christ is my Savior, I am a human being, I am a gay man, and I am someone who affirms the bold creativity of a Creator who none of us have the power to question or judge His creation.

      You should check out St. Francis Xavier Church in New York City (www.sfxavier.org) and The Church of the Village (http://www.churchofthevillage.org/) to witness the power and grace found in an LGBT-friendly church.

      I offer this prayer…

      Dear Lord,

      By your grace and guidance, may our world come to embrace your creation. May all humanity respect your creation in a way that affirms their being and welcomes their soul. May your love imbue not only the soil we walk on, but also the innermost parts of our beings. May we, your creation, be moved to act on behalf of the silent, on behalf of the marginalized, and on behalf of the persecuted. Lord, may we, your people, collect our hopes, dreams, and love so as to work on behalf of those who are in need of justice.

      Lord Jesus Christ, may your Church always be a beacon of hope linked by unity, but not uniformity. May we always welcome those of different colors, races, sexual orientations, genders, religions, political affiliations, abilities, and those who are afflicted by disease. As we pray this evening, may our prayer be united in its hopes and fulfilled by our actions.

      We are but people, your creation, yet by your love we can accomplish great things. Let us hope and enjoin our prayers to you, that one day our world may be but one fabric that is not defined by labels, but rather only by love. May we one day not only envision, but also see the beauty found in being truly welcoming, in being truly affirming, in being truly in love with your creation.

      Lord Jesus Christ, we offer you this prayer with humble heart, but with a spirit that is both steadfast and contemplative. By our prayer, may the world be moved to action on behalf of all humanity without exception.

      Amen.

      Reply

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