{"id":6295,"date":"2012-02-18T02:20:32","date_gmt":"2012-02-18T07:20:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/slacktivist\/?p=6295"},"modified":"2012-02-18T02:20:32","modified_gmt":"2012-02-18T07:20:32","slug":"different-stages-of-an-inevitable-justice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/slacktivist\/2012\/02\/18\/different-stages-of-an-inevitable-justice\/","title":{"rendered":"Different stages of an inevitable justice"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

A first step, a set-back, and a triumph.<\/p>\n

The Rev. Nadia Bolz Weber: \u201cMy testimony at the Colorado Senate Judiciary hearing on civil unions<\/a>\u201c<\/strong><\/p>\n

Much of the early church were convinced that gentiles could only become Christians if they changed into being Jews first (which, for the record, involved a rather unpleasant process), and much like our first century brothers and sisters there is a segment of the church today who thinks that if we extend the roof of the tent to include \u201cthe gays\u201d then the whole thing will come crashing down around us.<\/p>\n

And some will say that if we allow gay couples to have equal status under the law, the institution of marriage will come crashing down.<\/p>\n

So there are some who see it as their job to stalwartly guard the boundaries of the tent to keep it from crashing, and some who think it our job to be bravely inclusive and stretch the tent.<\/p>\n

Either way, it\u2019s misguided because \u2026 it\u2019s not our tent. It\u2019s God\u2019s tent. The wideness of the tent be it the church or society, should only concern me insofar as it points to the great mercy and love of a God who welcomes us all as friends. And of Jesus who welcomes all to his table.<\/p>\n

You think I like that? You think I want to sit at the heavenly banquet next to Ann Coulter? Not so much.<\/p>\n

But that\u2019s what I\u2019m stuck with because I\u2019m in the Jesus business. And in the Jesus business there is not male or female, Jew or Greek, slave or free, gay or straight, there is only one category of people: children of God. Which means nobody gets to be special and everybody gets to be loved.<\/p>\n

People born in this country aren\u2019t special. Men aren\u2019t special. Christians aren\u2019t special. Straight people aren\u2019t special.<\/p>\n

And if the laws of our great land make it seem so, then Shame<\/em>. On<\/em>. Us<\/em>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Steven Goldstein, Garden State Equality: \u201cStatement on the governor\u2019s veto of the marriage equality bill<\/a>\u201d <\/strong>(via<\/a><\/em>)<\/p>\n

Because I do know [New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie], I also know he is not some anti-LGBT nut. He is no Rick Santorum. Frankly, I don\u2019t think Chris Christie has an anti-gay bone in his body, however much I cannot say the same about his impending veto. His veto will be a brutally anti-gay act, pure and simple.<\/p>\n

The Governor keeps calling for a referendum, which everyone knows will never happen in New Jersey. To borrow the Governor\u2019s words, it\u2019s time for him to stop engaging in political theater. Our lives are not La Cage Aux Folles<\/em>: LGBT people fall in love, raise families, often children whom the rest of society shuns, and pay taxes in what is still one of the most heavily taxed states in the country.<\/p>\n

Our Governor knows our contributions to society. He won\u2019t veto the bill because he\u2019s anti-gay. He\u2019ll veto the bill because the 2016 South Carolina Republican Presidential primary electorate is anti-gay. \u2026<\/p>\n

Governor, rest assured that even though I came of political age in an era where political adversaries could be friends \u2013 and if you\u2019re game, we\u2019ll continue that good relationship \u2013 Garden State Equality and I will continue to fight you on marriage equality with every bone in our bodies. You would expect no less.<\/p>\n

For us, this is not about politics. This is about our fundamental American right to conduct our lives with a full life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Equality.<\/p>\n

And until we achieve it, we will fight with our every last breath. And we will win, so help me God.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire: Remarks at Marriage Equality Bill Signing<\/a>, Feb. 13, 2012<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019m about to sign into law a bill making us the seventh state in the nation to give our gay and lesbian citizens marriage equality.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll explain and sign the bill in a few minutes, but first let me say that as governor for more than seven years, this is a very proud moment. \u2026<\/p>\n

\u2026 Most surely it is a proud day in the history of the Legislature and the state of Washington.<\/p>\n

It is a day historians will mark as a milestone for equal rights. \u2026<\/p>\n

A day when we did what was right, we did what was just, and we did what was fair.<\/p>\n

We stood up for equality and we did it together \u2013 Republicans and Democrats, gay and straight, young and old, and a number of religious faiths.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m proud of who and what we are in this state.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m proud that our same-sex couples will no longer be treated as separate but equal. They will be equal.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m proud that children in our schools and neighborhoods will not have to wonder why their loving parents are considered different than other loving parents.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m proud of parents who have fought so fiercely for the rights of their much-loved gay and lesbian children. \u2026<\/p>\n

I\u2019m proud that children who discover they are gay and lesbian can feel good about themselves.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A first step, a set-back, and a triumph. The Rev. Nadia Bolz Weber: \u201cMy testimony at the Colorado Senate Judiciary hearing on civil unions\u201c Much of the early church were convinced that gentiles could only become Christians if they changed into being Jews first (which, for the record, involved a rather unpleasant process), and much […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":141,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[17],"class_list":["post-6295","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-equality"],"yoast_head":"\nDifferent stages of an inevitable justice<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A first step, a set-back, and a triumph. The Rev. 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Jesus loves Fred far more than Fred loves Jesus, but he at least has the decency to recognize the unfairness of that lopsided relationship and he has long wished that he were better at maybe kind of sort of doing something more to correct that some day. A Baptist, an amateur, a Gen-Xer, a Gemini and a Mets fan, Fred lives in Southeastern Pennsylvania with his wife and two teenage daughters. You can reach him via email at slacktivist at hotmail dot com.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/slacktivist\/author\/fredclark1\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Different stages of an inevitable justice","description":"A first step, a set-back, and a triumph. The Rev. 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