On the Right Side of History on Gay Marriage

May 14, 2013 By 6 Comments

John Stumme, left, kisses his husband Kyle Hanson in the state capitol’s rotunda immediately after the Minnesota Senate passed a bill making Minnesota the 12th state in the country to legalize gay marriage May 13, 2013. (Courtney Perry)

I realize that it is a grandiose claim to say that, regarding marriage equality, I stand on the right side of history. But that’s exactly what I felt as I stood in the rotunda of the Minnesota State Capitol and held vigil with thousands of others as the State Senate debated HF 1054, extending the right to marry to same sex couples. At 4:19pm, it passed 37-30, and today at 5pm, Governor Mark Dayton will sign it into law.

I stood alongside Doug Pagitt, Jay Bakker, and Russell Rathbun, fellow (straight, white, male) Minnesota clergymen who also support marriage equality. Dozens of clergy were in the crowd, based on the number of clerical shirts I saw. Many of them stood in the middle, leading songs — we were along the edge of the crowd, greeting people we know. Also there were Courtney with her camera (see above), Wendy Johnson and her daughter, our friends Bryan and Scott, and other friends and acquaintances. We were receiving news about the speeches inside the Senate chambers via text message and Twitter.

Marriage equality is a civil rights issue.

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Filed Under: glbt, minnesota, same sex marriage Tagged With: , , , , , 6 Comments

Marriage Equality and a Day of Celebration

May 13, 2013 By 7 Comments

 

Last night, Courtney and I were on hand to help our dear friend, Jay Bakker, launch the new Minneapolis site of Revolution Church.  You can hear Jay’s inaugural sermon, “Vulgar Grace Throws the First Stone.”

The photo above is a detail shot by Courtney of the rainbow communion bread that we contributed to the service. We baked that loaf — the same loaf that Courtney baked with our friends Rachel and Rachet for our (sacramental) wedding — in support of marriage equality. Jay has been an outspoken proponent of marriage equality and has performed several same-sex weddings. When he broke the bread last night, Jay told us to remember not just the broken body of Jesus, but also the broken bodies and spirits of many GLBT persons who have been persecuted for their non-heterosexuality.

Today, Jay and Courtney and I and several other friends will be going to St. Paul to hold vigil as the Minnesota Senate debates and votes on a bill opening marriage in our state to same-gendered couples. It is expected to pass easily (my senator has already emailed me to assure me that she will be voting for its passage), and to be signed into law by Governor Mark Dayton tomorrow.

Our gay and lesbian friends will be able to marry in Minnesota beginning on August 1.

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Filed Under: books, glbt, minnesota, same sex marriage Tagged With: , , , 7 Comments

Atheist Undergrad to Christian Pastor: Don’t Be a Dick

April 29, 2013 By 85 Comments

A student at St. Cloud State University protests the preaching of John Chisham on campus on April 23, 2013. (Photo by Molly English)

When I first arrived on the campus of St. Cloud State University in January to teach Introduction to the New Testament, a couple of the students mentioned the preachers who come to campus. It seems that, as a Christian minister myself, they thought I should know how Christians are seen on campus.

Last Thursday, as class was about to begin, they asked if I’d been around the previous day to see the traveling preachers make their annual appearance. I hadn’t, so one student began showing me photos she’d taken on her phone.

You can imagine my surprise when I recognized one of the preachers: John Chisham, aka, “Pastorboy.”

Longtime readers will remember Pastorboy. He used to comment on this blog regularly (he was banned from commenting by me in 2009), and to post about me and others on his various blogs. He allowed me to interview him on video when my book, The New Christians, was coming out. And he was the lone protestor outside of JoPa’s event, Christianity21 – we had 21 women preachers speak at that conference, and he preached 21 sermons on the sidewalk outside (since, of course, women are not capable of preaching the gospel in his twisted theology).

Chisham is a Christian and Missionary Alliance (C&MA) pastor in Marshall, Minnesota at River of Life Alliance Church. But he regularly travels to preach his hate-filled “gospel” message at gay pride parades and college campuses. The StarTribune covered him at a gay pride parade here, and when he preached at Mankato State University in 2010, a bunch of students took him up on his invitation for them to come to his church — they came, and stood silently in front of the church bearing signs of their own. Of course, Chisham did not take this in stride but called on the university to sanction the professor who advised them.

As you see in the photo above, and the uncropped version below, this year the students at St. Cloud State also fought back against his hate. [Read more...]

Filed Under: christianity in america, minnesota, Teaching Tagged With: , , , 85 Comments

Can Jay Bakker Redeem Minnesota?

April 9, 2013 By 37 Comments

Jay Bakker (Kyndell Harkness/StarTribune)

A month ago, my friend Jay Bakker and his wife, Karin, arrived in Minnesota. They moved here from Brooklyn, New York, she to start a new job, he to start a new church.

In Sunday’s paper, Rose French profiled Jay and noted the many connections he’s already got with my home state:

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Filed Under: books, christianity in america, minnesota Tagged With: , 37 Comments

Yay Minnesota!

November 19, 2011 By 5 Comments

This infographic map makes me extraordinarily happy and proud.

HT: Andrew Sullivan

Full infographic at Goodreads

Filed Under: christianity in america, minnesota Tagged With: 5 Comments

Should This Be Illegal?

November 15, 2011 By 104 Comments

I encourage you to take 15 minutes out of your day and watch this video.  It’s the wedding video of a gay couple who were “married” this summer in Minneapolis.* (If you need proof that these are Minnesotans of Scandinavian ancestry, hang till the dancing at the end. That’ll prove it to you.)  If you suffer from the “Ick Factor” when same-gendered persons kiss, this will push some buttons for you.

I’m NOT asking you to consider if this is biblical or unbiblical.  I’m asking you to consider whether it is good public policy to outlaw this:

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Filed Under: glbt, same sex marriage Tagged With: , 104 Comments

Anti-Gay-Marriage Booth Glitter Bombed

September 5, 2011 By 10 Comments

Yesterday, at the Minnesota State Fair to appear on Doug Pagitt Radio, Doug, John “the Sidekick” Musick, and I strolled the fairgrounds.  We passed a booth that I’d read about in the paper — it had been outside the fairgrounds in front of a local church, then somehow it got inside the grounds.  There are a couple odd things about this: one is that it’s well known around here that it’s exceptionally difficult to get a booth at the Fair.  Be it food or a cause, people are known to wait on lists for years to get a crack at the Fair.  These folks seem to have made a call and gotten in with little trouble.

Secondly, another group that represented the other side of this contentious issue had asked in the early summer about getting a booth and had been told there was no room this year.

The group that got in is against gay marriage and collecting signatures for our upcoming marriage amendment in Minnesota.

The group that didn’t get in is for marriage equality and against the constitutional amendment.

So, the latter group undertook a bit of non-violent resistance yesterday, glitter bombing the booth of the former group from the Sky Glider ride overhead while shouting, “Where’s our booth?!?”

Video of the glitter bomb below:

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Filed Under: glbt, minnesota, same sex marriage Tagged With: , 10 Comments

Back to School (Amidst Homophobia and Bullying)

September 14, 2010 By 94 Comments

Justin Aaberg, 1995-2010

I’m not much of a reactionary.  In fact, when it comes to public schooling, I tend to take a live-and-let-live posture.  I want my own kids to ride the bus and learn how to navigate that rolling-Lord-of-the-Flies environment.  Same goes for recess.

But when I hear a story like that of Justin Aaberg, recently in the news in the Twin Cities, it reminds me that The Lord of the Flies is, in fact, a cautionary tale.  When left to their own devices, kids can be downright brutal to one another.  And it seems that the bullying that Justin, who was openly gay) received at school may have directly led to his suicide on July 9, at age 15.

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Filed Under: glbt, minnesota, youth ministry Tagged With: , 94 Comments

One Last Fling of Summer

September 4, 2010 By Leave a Comment

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Announcing the JoPa Summer Institute on Life & Ministry

June 3, 2010 By 3 Comments

Doug and I are collecting an outstanding array of faculty — including Stina Busman, Carla Barnhill, Greg Boyd, Andy Root, and Russell Rathbun — to present short courses on all sorts of subjects — from the God of the Old Testament to organic gardening — at our JoPa Summer Institute on Life & Ministry.  It’ll happen this July 19-23 in Minneapolis, and we hope that you’ll consider joining us.

Go to the Institute page for more information and to register.

Filed Under: jopa productions Tagged With: , 3 Comments