Seriously? Religious Liberty means Thowing over Women's Reproductive Health and Freedom?

This is one of those issues that's really pissing me off. So much so I'm imposing the "You don't get to use my blog as a forum for your opinion".  That's right.   I don't want any comments about how this is about the constitution or religious freedom. You can spout that drivel somewhere else. Not here. And forget about trying to tell me how bad birth control is and how it's led to the objectification of women. If I could I'd make software that would smack you if you try to write that on my blog.

So this is the deal. The Roman Catholic church wants to run businesses, engage and yes profit in the world, but it wants to have special rules for itself, in that it doesn't want to have to include contraception coverage in their insurance for it's employees, like everyone else does.   And this is supposed to be about "religious liberty" and for that reason all us non-Catholics who care about religious liberty are supposed to say "SORRY WOMEN YOU LOSE AGAIN" and take up their cause. I call bullshit and say screw that.

I have no problem with making an exception for the church itself. I think if the Catholic Church doesn't want to provide condoms for their priests, then they should not have to. But if they want to venture out of the church and run a business in the world, then you play by the world's rules and you get your hands dirty. You can't have it both ways. And I say that for all churches who want to run businesses.

To me that is the bigger theological question. Not religious freedom. (and where in scripture are we told to force the State to give us rights?). It's about engaging in the world and how it can mean getting your hands dirty. And you can't engage in the world, profit from it or even help it and say "well I want to do this but I want you to make certain exceptions for me so I can be in business with you but can still claim that I'm better than you because I don't do these terrible things you do" .  Like provide reproductive healthcare for women.

But the fact that women are AGAIN the collateral damage from this is really what makes my head explode.

Gaudete Sunday and that Pesky Pink Candle

I've spent most of my advent career arguing with ushers about the pink candle on the Advent wreath. 

 It has been my joy and pleasure to have been the only pastor who ever told them that we light the pink candle on the THIRD, not the fourth Sunday in Advent.  Or so they tell me. All the while knowing I would undoubtedly be followed by a pastor who didn't give a flying fig what candle they lit.

I thought I had made progress and settled into the pew to enjoy the Children's Christmas Program which was all about decorating the church for Christmas.  Imagine my dismay as a little 9 year old girl reads from her script about how the pink candle is lit on the fourth Sunday in Advent.   

Originally Advent was a time of fasting and preparation, similar to Lent and purple in color like Lent.  

The Third Sunday, with its readings emphasizing joy, became a break in the fast.  "Gaudete" meaning "Rejoice" was the first word of the introit for the Mass that day. Rose colored vestments were used for that day and still are in the Catholic church and some Lutheran churches that still have some regard for tradition.


I can't find any reference to it online or where I read it but I swear I read somewhere that when we moved from purple to blue, we made the whole rose colored "Gaudete Sunday" irrelevant.  

The change to blue for Advent signified a change in mood for somber repentance to subdued hope.  

Nobody got that memo though and once when we needed to order new candles for the advent wreath I tried to avoid the whole pink candle conundrum by ordering 4 blue candles.  That was not an option at Augsburg-Fortress.  

I wonder how much of our congregational liturgical practice is really dictated to us by our publishing house?


Silly me to think that being part of a liturgical tradition means we actually FOLLOW liturgical traditions, not make up our own or do whatever we please.  I don't know why it matters to me, but it does. 


Ah well.  It will still be Christmas.  The baby will be born.  The angels will sing.  The shepherds will rise up and follow.  

And all will be well. 

Respecting Bound the Consciences of All

“...the ELCA commit itself to bear one another’s burdens, love the neighbor, and respect the bound consciences of all”

This was the very first resolution that was passed on Friday morning of the ELCA Churcwide Assembly as they took up the four policy recommendations from the task force on sexuality. It was a covenent that whatever changes were made in the polcy, we committ ourselves “to bear one another’s burdens, love the neighbor, and respect the bound consciences of all”

It's a beautiful idea and I couldn't imagine how anyone on any side could object to it and in fact, after a little discussion (that often veered off into discussion of other resolutions about homosexuality) it passed by 77%

I was really really happy for that resolution. That is the resolution that is going to make it easier for me to talk about what happened this week with my conservative congregation. That is the resolution that I am going to cling to when some will inevitably bring up the question as to whether or not the congregation should leave the ELCA. (That and my favorite "Well I would be very sorry if you did that because I would no longer be able to be your pastor")

By now you should have heard that we have gone and done it. The assembly voted to find ways for those congregations who choose to do so, to recognize life long committed monogamous same sex relationships and to accept as rostered leaders those who are in such relationships. As you may remember, I predicted they would pass.

I do understand how difficult this is for some people. For many years I experienced something of a cognitive dissonance between the way I had been taught to believe what the bible said about homosexuality and all the gay people I knew who were faithful, gifted people who had much to share with the church.

But let me just share this between you and me (and God knows who else reads this blog) I'm getting a little annoyed and and fed up and not wanting to respect the bound consciences of all. I believe there are ELCA members in real pain and confusion over this. But I just am not buying all the tears of those who are more public about it. I commented about how annoyed I was to hear people take up assembly time at the mike yesterday to share their pain. I was frankly disgusted with Pr. David Glesne from Minneapolis who, after Bishop Anderson gave some very graceful and wise pastoral remarks, claims personal privilege and gets up to tell us all what a terrible thing we have done and how much we've hurt him. In other words, "the hell you with bishop and everyone else I disagree with - I do not respect your bound conscience" But we are supposed to be compassionate and respect his bound conscience.

WELL I DON'T WANNA! I don't want to respect the bound conscience of people who are going to throw that phrase which they don't believe in and will not adhere to back in my face to constantly tell me how hurt they are. I do not want to respect the bound conscience of people who have publicly compared gays and lesbians to dog poop and cattle who have gotten out of the gate. I do not want to respect the bound conscience of people who think a mild tornado that did very little damage was some kind of judgment of God.

But my church has committed itself to do so. And more importantly, Christ bids me do so. That's what it means to be part of the church. And so I will take a deep breath and forgive them. And continue to pray for us all.

"Right Side of History"? Oh Please!

I joined Twitter just in time to get in on the Twitter protest in Iran. It really was quite exciting. You felt you were actually part of it. I changed my avatar to green and everything. I felt like Neda was my best friend. Power to the People!

But the reality is that I am not part of it. This is a fight for the Iranian people. And I'm getting a little weary of the pompous rantings of the Republicans against Obama for not taking this opportunity to "be on the right side of history" When you ask these people just what EXACTLY do they expect him to do, I have yet to hear an clear answer. We don't have a really good track record when it comes to US interference in the Middle East. Or South America. Or Southeast Asia. Or central America.

Of course we should support free elections. But the way the Republicans are going on you would think Mousavi was a western loving Baptist! Um. No. And frankly recent news of the country's clerics joining the protest makes me fear the whole thing is being co-opted and even if Ahmadinejad is toppled, we will not see much difference in US-Iran relations or even human rights in Iran.

The Republican cry for American support in this annoys me too because why now and why Iran? What about Darfur and the reluctance to use the G word? What about China? I cannot tell you how pissed off I was when China was chosen to host the Olympics and I thought AT LEAST Bush should NOT be at the opening ceremonies. Oh no. We can't offend China. They might stop buying our debt. Oh the hypocracy!

So I think we need to just shut up about this right side of history crap.

My Body is NOT Community Property!

Peace Bang tells a story over at Beauty Tips for Ministers about how a parishioner patted her and made some comment about her extra weight. Most of the comments are about the comment. I am rather more appalled that someone feels free to "pat" her.

I am very uncomfortable when people I don't know touch me without my permission. This seems like a reasonable attitude but I lived through the huggy touchy feely 80s and 90s and so realized that I tend to be more "uptight" about this than most.

I remember being at some continuing ed event when to my horror the leader told us to stand up and begin massaging the shoulders of the person in front of you! These were men I barely knew! I consider back and neck massages rather intimate activities. I made a beeline for the bathroom.

I was a voting member of the 93 Churchwide Assembly and by the end of it I was so tired of what seemed to me like assaults on my personal space that at one of the last worship services I just plain did not want to hold sweaty hands with the stranger next to me. I tried to beg off saying "oh my hands are so sweaty" so she pushed me aside and took the hand of the person next to me. So that I was out of the line. And I thought "Well this is interesting. If you do not play the game exactly by the rules, you are excluded"

At this year's Synod assembly we had the ELCA Bishop Mark Hanson tell us all to put our hands on our neighbors head while we prayed. The thought horrified me. I looked at the man next to me (we had not even met!) and said "I really HATE this sort of thing" "So do I" he grumbled. Whew. No head touching while we prayed, thank you Jesus!

Yes yes yes - I know we are all one Christian family and none of us are strangers. I don't think that means we all have to be physically intimate! I shake hands at the passing of the peace. If a parishioner initiates a hug, I hug back. But strangers don't get hugs. Sorry.

At first I thought I was this way because I grew up with a single mom who was not demonstrative. (In fact, after my son was diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome, I put together a lot of strange things about my mother and I think its very possible SHE has Aspergers) But then I thought it may also very much have to do with the fact that I was beaten and physically abused for many years at a day care center. And I wondered how women who have been sexually abused feel about this mandated touchy feely stuff. Is not the essence of abuse being denied control over who has access to your body?

After that every time there was some required back rub or hug (I guess holding hands is okay) I wrote to complain about it. I always used the "abuse" word. I figured it had more clout but really, whether you've been abused or not, you should not be made to feel like a spoil sport because you don't want some strange man or woman fondling you!

Anyways all that crap pretty much stopped by the end of the 90s. No I don't think it was my complaints. It's probably not a coincidence at the same time we began having a lot of sex scandals and we all went to "Boundary Training" events. So I was a little taken aback by the hands on the head thing from Bishop Anderson. I hope it's not a new trend.

All this to say my body is not public property. And neither is yours.

Two Very Different Men who Need to SHUT UP...

Dick Cheney and Rev. Jeremiah Wright.

Rev. Wright - "Them Jews" keep me from Obama

I'm sure I don't need to explain why Cheney needs to shut up.

Clergy who think they are paid too much

^{, I c34}There's a much better answer than bravely playing the martyr to your congregation by begging them not to give you a raise. GIVE MORE IN YOUR TITHE! I know that doesn't give you all the attention you get when you announce to the council (and synod assembly) what a brave sacrifice you are making for their sake, but you are actually not doing your congregation a favor to allow them to get so far behind in their salary. Because when you leave (yes there is life in the congregation after you) they will have to face the harsh reality that they need to come up with a big increase to attract another pastor. And you will have put the next pastor (who maybe doesn't have a working spouse, or has more children or seminary debt or need than you) who cannot magnanimously and publicly give up their raise at a disadvantage. Because you know, it's not all about YOU!

So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
Matthew 6:2-4

The Beleagured ELCA

I'm really tired of the ELCA bashing. Someone recently said on a public forum that he was embarrassed to be a member of the ELCA. That really pissed me off. I wanted to ask why he doesn't leave. Why doesn't he leave? Because there's no where else to go. He's not going to swim the Tiber. Missouri won't have him because he supports women in ministry and doesn't believe the world was created in seven 24 hour days. So he's stuck with us. And instead of being grateful there is a church that puts up with his constant public whining and put downs, he constantly bashes the ELCA in the name of wanting to reform it. I'm tired of it. I'm tired of these people who are so angry and disgruntled that they pick on and find some sort questionable theology in EVERYTHING the ELCA does or it's leaders say. The nature of theology is such is that if you look for heresy you will find it.

And while I have some (very little) sympathy for their plight, I think there's a lot of bullshit involved and out of gratitude and loyalty to the church and in obedience to the eighth commandment, they ought to be a little more circumspect. And maybe, once in a while, even acknowledge the good that the ELCA does.

It's not that I'm uncritical of everything the ELCA does. I have some critiques. But I am reluctant now days to be open about them because they will be jumped on "AH HA! See --even you agree - the ELCA is corrupt, heterodox, stupid, no good, dying, irrelevant" No I don't think the ELCA is corrupt, heterodox, stupid, no good. It is however, possible we are irrelevant or close to it, like many mainline churches. But most of what I hear these Word Alone and Core people grousing about is not going to make us "relevant" Whatever the hell that mean. (Oooh I am annoyed --look at all the cuss words I'm using) Personally I'd like to see a little more attention payed to Phillipians 2

If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves

.

Oh yea. And I mean applying those words to OURSELVEs - not saying "oh yea and the ELCA needs to be more like that passage"