The Rev. Chuck Currie

United Church of Christ Leaders Hail Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crime Prevention Act

Rev. Chuck Currie's Blog | United Church of Christ Leaders Hail Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crime Prevention Act.

Portland Should Take Responsibility For James Chasse Death

Portland City Commissioner Randy Leonard should be applauded for his recent comments concerning the death of James Chasse. As one of the clergy who participated in Mr. Chasse’s memorial, I have been appalled at how the city of Portland has handled this issue. I urge the city to settle the case immediately without further review or study. Then-Mayor Tom Potter acted appropriately at the time in calling for additional training for police officers on how to successfully interact with people suffering mental illness but for far too long the Police Bureau and the City Council have dragged their feet by hiding the city’s guilt in the death of Mr. Chasse behind bureaucratic walls. Mayor Sam Adams and the council should take ultimate responsibility for the malpractice of injustice inflicted on Mr. Chasse by the Portland Police Bureau.

"Take Lou Dobbs off the air"

This important message from J. Richard Cohen came today from the Southern Poverty Law Center:

Lou Dobbs is at it again.

We've told you about how the CNN host has used his platform to spread hateful propaganda that demonizes Latinos.

Now, Dobbs is supporting the bizarre claims of so-called "birthers" who insist that President Obama isn't really a citizen of the United States and that his presidency, therefore, is not legitimate.

The truth about Obama's birth in Hawaii is not in dispute. It has been verified by many reputable journalists, including CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin, who called the claims "a joke," and even a reporter on Dobbs' own show. Yet Dobbs continues to fan the flames.

It's important to note that this conspiracy theory was concocted by an anti-Semite and circulated by racist extremists who cannot accept the fact that a black man has been elected president. Among those who helped disseminate the lie was the neo-Nazi who killed a security guard at the Holocaust Memorial Museum in June.

Respectable news organizations should not be peddling propaganda that supports the agenda of radical extremists who are only interested in stirring up hate and fomenting violence. But Dobbs continues to do just that. And it's irresponsible for CNN to let him continue trading in falsehoods.

Enough is enough. Today, I've written to the president of CNN urging that Dobbs be removed from the air.
I encourage you to contact CNN yourself. If enough of us speak up, the network will listen.

Thank you for standing strong against hate.

In response, I wrote a short message myself to CNN asking that they take Dobbs off the air.

Jon Stewart took on Dobbs this week on this very subject:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
The Born Identity
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Joke of the Day

Dobbs responded (ala Joe McCarthy) by attacking "limp-minded, lily-livered lefties."

Where Does Obama Really Stand On Gay Rights?

I'm deeply concerned about news today that the Justice Dept. under President Obama went to court to defend DOMA and in their brief compared homosexuality to incest.

 

This is a complete betrayal of the values and ideals articulated by the president during the campaign.

 

The White House must immediately apologize and the Justice Department should immediately fire the attorney involved.  

 

The president cannot claim to be supportive of gay rights and continue a pattern that started in the campaign and that continues today of lifting up prominent anti-gay activists at public events - such as Rick Warren - and outright opposing civil rights for the gay and lesbian community, as the administration has done in court this week.

Reaction to California Proposition 8 Court Decision; Oregon Implications

My prayers today are with the people of California as they deal with the impact of a court decision that takes away fundamental rights that should be guaranteed to all citizens. The General Synod of the United Church of Christ called for full marriage equality in 2005 and many of our churches in California and around the nation are actively working toward that goal. As an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, I condemn discrimination against gays and lesbians, affirm that God’s love is for all, and pledge to continue working to overturn the 2006 Constitutional Amendment voters passed in Oregon outlawing gay marriage. Scripture has been misunderstood and misused in the debate over equality for gays and lesbians but the gay and lesbian community should know that many Christians have repented of that sin and now stand shoulder to shoulder with their cause.

Related Link:  California's Proposition 8 upheld, proponents of marriage equality vow to continue efforts (United Church News)

Update: The Oregonian has published this statement as a Letter to the Editor in their May 28, 2009 edition.

Virginia Foxx: Nutty Congressperson Makes Nutty Claims

U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx claimed today on the House floor during debate over the victorious Hate Crimes Bill (supported by the United Church of Christ and many other religious organizations) that the clear evidence that Matthew Sheppard was killed due to his homosexuality was a hoax. Listen to this:

I understand she later went on to claim that the deaths of Jews during the Holocaust were exaggerated, that NASA never really landed a ship on the moon, that George W. Bush was the winner of the popular vote during the 2000 election, and that Jesus was just kidding when he said love your neighbor.

Odetta Dies at 77

Her voice was an accompaniment to the black-and-white images of the freedom marchers who walked the roads of Alabama and Mississippi and the boulevards of Washington in quest of an end to racial discrimination.

Rosa Parks, the woman who started the boycott of segregated buses in Montgomery, Ala., was once asked which songs meant the most to her. She replied, “All of the songs Odetta sings.”

Odetta, Voice of Civil Rights Movement, Dies at 77

"Anti-gay group no match for Silverton"

Good for the people of Silverton, Oregon.  This election cycle they voted into office Stu Rasmussen, a transgender person.  Silverton is no hotbed of liberalism.  Sarah Palin would have even called this community part of her "real America" - though I suspect she would have resended the remark.  But the people of Silverton saw a good and decent public servant and voted to make Stu Rasmussen their mayor.  Now he can be judged on his effectiveness in office instead of anything else. 

Gay Agenda Exposed

I knew gay people and their allies were up to something but even I could have never thought them possible of this.  It turns out they're looking for - wait for it - acceptance (according to a breath-taking e-mail sent out by the Religious Right's own James Dobson-run political group).  What's next?  Love?  Tolerance?  It sure is a radical agenda they've embraced.   

Oregon Churches To Sizemore: We'll Oppose Your Anti-Immigrant Agenda

This weekend the Central Pacific Conference of the United Church of Christ took action by putting our conference on record opposing to two anti-immigrant ballots measures Oregon voters will consider this fall.  Any sacred conversation on race needs to include our national response to the struggles of Hispanic people.

RESOLUTION for Central Pacific  Conference Annual Assembly

—Spring 2008

OPPOSE OREGON ANTI-IMMIGRANT BALLOT  INITIATIVES.

Signed by: Catherine Rolling, Ainsworth; Rev. Susan  Leo, Bridgeport; Rev. Chuck Currie, Parkrose

Our immigration system is broken and needs  comprehensive reform.  We, as people of faith, want an opportunity to support  proposals that include legalization with a path to citizenship and family  unification.  However, legislative proposals making their way to the November  2008 ballot in Oregon will further divide our communities and increase hate,  fear, and racism, thus contributing to anti-immigrant sentiment, by attacking an  already vulnerable people, known by people of faith as children of the  Creator.

Whereas:  Oregon ballot initiative petition (IP) #19  proposes to add a section to the Oregon Revised Statutes requiring English  immersion in public schools as proposed by Bill Sizemore and Alan Grosso and  filed in the Secretary of State’s office on April 18, 2006:

• prohibits teaching public school students in  languages other than English for more than two years. 
• would have a severe impact on immigrant children's  opportunities for quality education. 
• would take away local control and classroom  decisions about individual learning levels and special needs of students,  thereby punishing immigrant and refugee children, regardless of their legal  status, and

Whereas:  Oregon ballot initiative petition (IP)  #112 named “Respect for Law Act” proposed by Mehran Smith and Shahriyar Smith of  Oregonians for Immigration Reform and filed in the Secretary of State’s office  on July 10, 2007:

• effectively forces undocumented immigrants further  into the shadows. 
• diverts local government resources away from  community safety, health and education needs. 
• moves police, fire fighters, teachers, social  workers, and health care workers to act as immigration officers. 
• encourages racial profiling, unreported crime,  school dropouts, and public health and safety calamities. 
• imperils public safety by restricting driver’s  licenses forcing immigrants who must drive to maintain their employment and care  for their households to continue driving as unlicensed motorists. 
• offers new voter registration restrictions which  are unnecessary since there is no evidence that non-citizens are voting—and  discourages registration by other marginalized populations, such as low-income,  elderly and people of color, and

Whereas: These measures are an affront to the  dignity, safety, livelihoods, and opportunities of our immigrant neighbors,  and

 

Whereas: Jesus instructs us to welcome strangers -  not mistreat them, and

Whereas: As Christians, our actions should reflect  Jesus’ teachings, and

Whereas: As a nation of immigrants, our laws should  reflect compassionate action toward those who come into our country for safety  and opportunity;

Be it resolved: that the Central Pacific Conference  of the United Church of Christ declares its opposition to Oregon ballot  initiative petitions #19 and #112 and calls on local UCC affiliates and other  faith communities to do the same.

I was proud to be a co-sponsor of the resolution and look forward to working with churches all across Oregon in defeating these measures.

A Christian Reaction To Domestic Partnership Decision

I want to applaud U.S. District Judge Michael Mosman’s decision validating the Oregon Legislature’s courageous decision to allow domestic partner benefits for same-sex couples.  As a minister in the United Church of Christ, a mainline Christian denomination that supports marriage equality, I look forward to providing the full range of pastoral services – including weddings – that should be available by all.  Domestic partnerships are a step in the right direction.  Gay and lesbian couples should have the same civil rights that my wife and I enjoy as a heterosexual couple.

Oregon's Anti-Gay Campaigns Helped State (In Their Own Way)

Good news to mention: opponents of two new state civil rights laws here in Oregon – one banning discrimination in the work place against gays and lesbians and the other extending civil union benefits to same sex couples – have failed in their effort to collect enough signatures to force a vote on recalling the measures.

Over the last two decades the Religious Right has placed ballot measure after ballot measure before the voters attempting to curtail civil rights for the GLBT community.

The fights have always been ugly and cost millions.  It is a relief that this time we won’t have to spend energy here in Oregon debating once again the merits of providing basic civil rights for all people. 

On the other hand, I have to give credit where credit is due.  Without these ballot measures Oregonians would have never have been forced to confront the issue of civil rights for gays and lesbians so directly.  Our churches, for example, might never had to wrestle with the theological implications of saying to another “your life is not deserving of equal protection under the law.”

Most people know that these anti-gay campaigns have been waged by Christians.  Fewer know that these campaigns have also been opposed by Christians – Christians who have come to an understanding that God’s justice, love, mercy, and grace is available to all.  Without these anti-gay campaigns over the years fewer congregations in the Christian community would have ever declared themselves to be “Open and Affirming” or “Welcoming” or “Reconciling.”

No one knows the full extent of the damage done to people over the years as the initiatives have been debated.  The stress has to be enormous on people who know their rights are actually going be voted on.  That takes a toll, no question.

But the Religious Right never anticipated that one result of their efforts would be to extend the openness of many churches.  The anti-gay movement in Oregon has helped many to reject the more narrow impulses of Christian tradition and to shine a light of hope where before for many there was only darkness and emptiness in our sanctuaries.

Members of the Community of Welcoming Congregations

Our Member Congregations

• Buddhist
  • The Dharma Center, Klamath Falls ⇒
    9669 Highway 140 E.

    Klamath Falls, OR 97601 map
• Catholic
  • Journey/ Koinonia Catholic Community, Portland ⇒
    St. Stephens Episcopal Church
    SW 13th and Clay

    Portland, OR 97225 map
  • St. Andrew's Catholic Church, Portland ⇒
    806 NE Alberta St.

    Portland, OR 97211 map
  • St. Francis Of Assisi Catholic Church, Portland ⇒
    330 SE 11th Ave.

    Portland, OR 97214 map
  • St. Philip Neri Catholic Church, Portland ⇒
    2408 SE 16th Ave.

    Portland, OR 97214 map
• Catholic / Lutheran
  • Mission Of The Atonement, Beaverton ⇒
    7400 SW Scholls Ferry Road

    Beaverton, OR 97008 map
• Christian
  • Abiding Grace Fellowship, Vancouver ⇒
    10637 NE Coxley Drive, Ste. 108

    Vancouver, OR 98685 map
  • Divina Communis Projects, Portland ⇒
    8233 North Syracuse Street, Suite A

    Portland, OR 97203 map
• Church Of The Brethren
  • Peace Church Of The Brethren, Portland ⇒
    12727 SE Market St

    Portland, OR 97233 map
• Disciples Of Christ
  • The View Christian Church, Portland ⇒
    c/o Lynchwood Christian Church
    3815 SE 174th Ave.

    Portland, OR 97236 map
• Episcopal
  • St. Mary's Episcopal Church, Eugene ⇒
    166 East 13th Ave.

    Eugene, OR 97405-0980 map
  • St. Stephen's Episcopal Parish, Portland ⇒
    1432 SW 13th Ave.

    Portland, OR 97201 map
  • Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, Portland ⇒
    ATTN: Open & Welcoming Committee
    147 NW 19th Ave.

    Portland, OR 97209 map
• Jewish
  • Keshet Jewish Group, Portland ⇒
    Call David 503-226-7079 x14
    If no answer, call 503-684-1900 leave message

    Portland, OR  map
• Jewish (conservative)
  • Congregation Neveh Shalom, Portland ⇒
    2900 SW Peaceful Ln.

    Portland, OR 97201 map
• Jewish (liberal)
  • Congregation Shir Tikvah, Portland ⇒
    Bridgeport Community Church
    621 NE 76th

    Portland, OR  map
• Jewish (reconstructionist)
  • Havurah Shalom, Portland ⇒
    825 NW 18th Ave.

    Portland, OR 97209-2333 map
  • Temple Beth Israel, Eugene ⇒
    42 W 25th Ave.

    Eugene, OR 97405 map
• Jewish (reform)
  • Congregation Beth Israel, Portland ⇒
    1972 NW Flanders

    Portland, OR 97209 map
• Jewish (renewal)
  • P'nai Or, Portland ⇒
    9750 SW Terwilliger Blvd

    Portland, OR 97219 map
• Lutheran ( E L C A )
  • Augustana Lutheran Church, Portland ⇒
    2710 NE 14th Ave.

    Portland, OR 97212 map
  • Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Portland
    1244 NE 39th Ave

    Portland, OR 97232 map
  • Central Lutheran Church, Portland ⇒
    1820 NE 21st Ave.

    Portland, OR 97212 map
  • Mt. Carmel Lutheran Church, Portland ⇒
    515 SW Maplecrest Dr.

    Portland, OR 97219 map
  • St. James Lutheran Church, Portland ⇒
    1315 SW Park

    Portland, OR 97219 map
• M C C
  • Metropolitan Community Church Of Portland, Portland ⇒
    2400 NE Broadway

    Portland, OR 97232 map
• Mormon
  • Affirmation ( Queer Mormons ), Portland ⇒
    Call for meeting times and locations.
    (971) 409-3463

    Portland, OR  map
• New Thought
  • New Thought Ministries Of Oregon, Beaverton ⇒
    Kingstad Conference Center
    15450 SW Millikan Way

    Beaverton, OR 97006 map
  • Portland Center For Spiritual Growth, Portland ⇒
    11307 NE Fremont Ct

    Portland, OR 97220 map
• Pagan
  • Sister Spirit, Portland ⇒
    Portland, OR 
• Presbyterian Church ( U S A )
  • Rose City Park Presbyterian Church, Portland ⇒
    1907 NE 45th Ave.

    Portland, OR 97213 map
  • Southminster Presbyterian Church, Beaverton ⇒
    12250 SW Denney Rd

    Beaverton, OR 97008 map
  • St. Mark Presbyterian Church, Portland ⇒
    9750 SW Terwilliger Blvd.

    Portland, OR  map
• Quaker
  • Fanno Creek Worship Group, Beaverton ⇒
    Catlin Gabel School - Dant House
    8825 SW Barnes Road

    Beaverton, OR  map
  • Freedom Friends Church, Salem ⇒
    2425 13th St. SE

    Salem, OR 97302 map
  • Multnomah Monthly Meeting, Portland ⇒
    4312 SE Stark

    Portland, OR 97215 map
• Unitarian Universalist
  • Atkinson Memorial Church, Oregon City ⇒
    710 Sixth St.

    Oregon City, OR 97045 map
  • Eastrose Fellowship Unitarian Universalist, Gresham ⇒
    1133 NE 181st Ave.

    Gresham, OR  map
  • First Unitarian Church, Portland ⇒
    1011 SW 12th Ave.

    Portland, OR 97205 map
  • Michael Servetus Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Vancouver ⇒
    4504 E. 18th St.

    Vancouver, WA 98661 map
  • Mid-Columbia Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Hood River ⇒
    Mid-Columbia Center for Living
    1610 Woods Ct

    Hood River, OR 97031 map
  • Unitarian Universalist Community Church Of Washington County, Hillsboro ⇒
    22785 NW Birch St

    Hillsboro, OR 97124 map
  • Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Of Corvallis, Corvallis ⇒
    2945 NW Circle Dr.

    Corvallis, OR 97330-3937 map
  • Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Of Klamath County, Klamath Falls ⇒
    9669 Highway 140 East
    P.O. Box 391

    Klamath Falls, OR 97601 map
  • Wy'east Unitarian Universalist, Portland ⇒
    3300 SE Woodstock Blvd.

    Portland, OR 97202 map
• United Church Of Christ
  • Ainsworth United Church Of Christ, Portland ⇒
    2941 NE Ainsworth

    Portland, OR 97211 map
  • All People's United Church Of Christ, Bend
    Bend, OR 
  • Beavercreek United Church Of Christ, Beaver Creek ⇒
    23345 S Beavercreek Rd.

    Beaver Creek, OR 97004 map
  • Bridgeport United Church Of Christ, Portland ⇒
    621 NE 76th Ave.

    Portland, OR 97213 map
  • Christ The Healer United Church Of Christ, Beaverton ⇒
    5150 SW Watson

    Beaverton, OR 97005 map
  • Clackamas United Church Of Christ, Milwaukie ⇒
    15303 SE Webster Rd.

    Milwaukie, OR 97267 map
  • Congregational United Church Of Christ, Klamath Falls ⇒
    2154 Garden Ave.

    Klamath Falls, OR 97601 map
  • First Congregational Church Of Vancouver, Vancouver ⇒
    1220 NE 68th

    Vancouver, WA 98665 map
  • First Congregational United Church Of Christ, Corvallis, Corvallis ⇒
    4515 SW West Hills Rd.

    Corvallis, OR 97333 map
  • First Congregational United Church Of Christ, Portland, Portland ⇒
    1126 SW Park Ave.

    Portland, OR 97205 map
  • First Congregational United Church Of Christ, Salem, Salem ⇒
    700 Marion St. NE

    Salem, OR 97301 map
  • Forest Grove United Church Of Christ, Forest Grove ⇒
    2032 College Way

    Forest Grove, OR 97116 map
  • Hillsdale Community United Church Of Christ, Portland ⇒
    6948 SW Capital Hwy

    Portland, OR 97219 map
  • Kairos - Milwaukie United Church Of Christ, Milwaukie ⇒
    4790 Logus Rd.

    Milwaukie, OR 97222 map
  • Lake Oswego United Church Of Christ, Lake Oswego ⇒
    1111 SW Country Club Rd.

    Lake Oswego, OR 97034 map
  • Meridian United Church Of Christ, Wilsonville ⇒
    6750 SW Boeckman Rd.

    Wilsonville, OR 97070 map
  • Parkrose United Church Of Christ, Portland ⇒
    4715 NE 106th Ave.

    Portland, OR 97220 map
  • United Church Of Christ Congregational Of The Dalles, The Dalles ⇒
    111 E 5th St.

    The Dalles, OR 97058 map
  • Waverly Heights United Church Of Christ, Portland ⇒
    3300 SE Woodward

    Portland, OR 97202 map
  • Zion United Church Of Christ, Gresham ⇒
    2025 NE 23rd

    Gresham, OR 97030 map
• United Methodist Church
  • First United Methodist Church, Corvallis ⇒
    1165 NW Monroe Ave.

    Corvallis, OR 97330 map
  • First United Methodist Church, Portland ⇒
    1838 SW Jefferson St.

    Portland, OR 97201 map
  • Metanoia Peace Community United Methodist Church, Portland ⇒
    2116 NE 18th Ave.

    Portland, OR 97212 map
  • Micah's Village - Christ The Reconciler UMC, Clackamas ⇒
    Sunnyside Grange
    SE 132nd and SE Sunnyside Road

    Clackamas, OR  map
  • Morningside United Methodist Church, Salem ⇒
    3674 12th St. SE

    Salem, OR 97302-3459 map
  • University Park United Methodist Church, Portland ⇒
    4775 N Lombard St.

    Portland, OR 97203 map
  • Vancouver Heights United Methodist Church, Vancouver ⇒
    5701 MacArthur Blvd.

    Vancouver, WA 98661 map

Affiliated Members

• Act for Action - Theater for All, Portland ⇒
  PO Box 14162

  Portland, OR 97293
• Interfaith Spiritual Center, Portland ⇒
  4619 N. Michigan
  enter on Going Street

  Portland, OR 97217
• Justice and Witness Ministry Team - CPC UCC, Portland ⇒
  c/o Aleita Hass-Holcombe
  0245 SW Bancroft Suite E

  Portland, OR 97239
• PFLAG Clackamas County, Oregon City ⇒
  Meetings at Atkinson Memorial Church
  710 Sixth Street

  Oregon City, OR 97045
• PFLAG Pendleton, Pendleton ⇒
  P.O. Box 755

  Pendleton, OR 97801
• PFLAG Portland, Portland ⇒
  P.O. Box 8944

  Portland, OR 97207

Campus Ministers and Chaplains

• Rev. Dr. Karen Wood, Willamette University ⇒
  Willamette University, 
• Rev. Gwen Morgan, Legacy Salmon Creek Hospital ⇒

             

"Anti-immigrant sentiment is 'racism' declares Edgar"

Press release from the National Council of Churches

New York City, August 9, 2007--"Immigrants have become the contemporary scapegoat," writes the Rev. Bob Edgar. "It's time we call it for what it is -- racism."

The General Secretary of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA (NCC), writing in a guest commentary carried by the Religion News Service (RNS) yesterday, contends the "fearmongers among us are devilishly clever. They have used nearly every scare tactic they can think of to reduce us to a highly suspicious lot all too willing to not love the alien as ourselves and to evict them from their homes, get them fired, separate them from their families, in an all out rampage of oppression and prejudice."

In the commentary, which RNS entitled, "White Immigrants Get a Pass; Brown Ones Do Not," the Rev. Edgar points to conservative blogs and certain radio and television talk show hosts who are "trying to scare us."

The RNS commentary points to the numerous verses in the Bible about how to treat immigrants.

"When an alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien. The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God," Edgar writes, quoting Leviticus 19:33-34. Similar verses appear in the books of Exodus, Numbers and the Prophet Jeremiah.

"Demagogues keep preying on post-9/11 fear to whip up hatred and suspicion of people who have come here in search of the same thing my northern European ancestors were seeking," writes Edgar. "They want a better life for their families, more opportunities for their children and to learn English. They already pay millions in taxes and contribute to their communities."

Edgar concludes his RNS commentary incorporating words of the Prophet Jeremiah who warned against oppressing the resident alien: "It seems before God will dwell with us in this land we had better change our ways and 'truly act justly one with another' regardless of where we were born or the color of our skin."

The RNS commentary is available to more than 100 major daily and weekly newspapers including The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, The New York Times and USA Today. In addition, hundreds of magazines, television stations, religious publications and websites subscribe to RNS.

The National Council of Churches USA is the ecumenical voice of 35 of America's Orthodox, Protestant, Anglican, historic African American and traditional peace churches. These NCC denominations have 45 million faithful members in 100,000 congregations in all 50 states.

Related Post: Deep Ties Between The Minutemen Project And White Supremacists

Related Link: The Bible as the Ultimate Immigration Handbook: Written By, For, and About Migrants, Immigrants, Refugees, and Asylum Seekers

My Response To Concerned Oregonians

Parkrose Community United Church of Christ (www.parkroseucc.org) in Northeast Portland received a letter today from Mr. David Crowe with Concerned Oregonians asking that I, as the church’s pastor, distribute petitions to church members calling for HB 2007 and SB 2 to be over turned.

HB 2007 and SB 2, both of which had wide support from religious leaders in Oregon, provide domestic partner benefits and outlaw discrimination against gays and lesbians in areas such as employment.

I e-mailed Concerned Oregonians immediately after receiving their letter:

Your letter states that that 'marriage and morality are under attack.' Mr. Crowe, it is your actions in support of legal discrimination that damage the moral fabric of our state. Jesus calls on us to be a people of justice and reconciliation. Discrimination is incompatible with Christianity.

As a minister in the United Church of Christ, I was proud to stand with religious leaders from across Oregon in support of HB 2007 and SB 2. While Parkrose Community United Church of Christ has not taken a stand on these issues as of yet we are an "Open and Affirming" church that celebrates the gift of human diversity given to us by God. Furthermore, the General Synod of the United Church of Christ has called for full legal equality for our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters.

I will work and pray for the defeat of your efforts.

Copies of the letter from Concerned Oregonians and my full response are available here . 

Update: Portland City Council Votes 3-2 To Postpone Enforcement Of Sit-Lie Ordinance

After a sometimes heated and protracted debate the Portland City Council voted 3-2 to delay enforcement of the sit-lie ordinance. The ordinance would have given police the authority to arrest people (mostly homeless) for sitting on sidewalks. For years the business community has pushed for such an ordinance but Portland Mayor Tom Potter, a former police chief, would only go along with the proposal if extra services were provided for those on the street (including a new day center) and if 45 extra benches were put up in the downtown core area where homeless people or others could rest without fear of being cited by the police and fined.

Enforcement of the ordinance began this week but the promised services, including the new benches, have not yet all been delivered despite some important progress being made. Portland City Commissioner Randy Leonard proposed holding off on enforcement until all the services were online and after much debate (including a vigorous defense of the process that enabled the "more services for more enforcement" compromise) commissioners Sam Adams and Erik Sten joined Leonard in voting to postpone enforcement.

I appreciated that despite the council agenda running long (and none of the members getting lunch) most of them gave their full attention to the debate. My sense is that all the members of this council are committed at varying levels to fighting the root causes of homelessness in Portland and for that we can be thankful.

However, Commissioner Dan Saltzman, in voting against the delay and for immediate enforcement, suggested that advocates for the homeless were never willing to compromise on issues and were themselves obstacles to progress. As one of the only advocates to testify in favor of the delay, and as one who argued for a compromise proposal where the city simply delay enforcement until mid-August but allow police to issue warnings, I was frustrated with his comments. The commissioner seemed to be detached from the debate going on around him.  His vote and comments were a personal disappointment to me.

Letter To Portland City Council On Sit-Lie

Update:  I've made it to City Council and chambers are packed - but not to talk about homelessness.  Instead, folks are lined up to discuss a local controversy over whether or not people can use tape to save places for families and friends along the Rose Festival Parade route.  Yes, the really important stuff brings out the crowds.  Even the media is here.  The room will empty out when it comes times to discuss the sit-lie ordinance.  What's more important?  Homelessness and poverty or where you sit when the parade comes by?  The answer seems clear.

Letter To Portland City Council On Sit-Lie

Mr. Mayor and City Commissioners:

I hope to be at council today to support Commissioner Randy Leonard's proposal to delay implementation of the sit-lie ordinance.  However, if I am unable to make it on time I wanted to have my concerns on record with you.

Under the leadership of Mayor Potter there has been much progress to bring compromise and compassion to the long controversy over how best to treat people living on our streets. I appreciate very much the approach taken by the mayor and, of course, I applaud the long-time and steadfast commitment to these issues made by Commissioner Sten.

However, I cannot find the logic or – with all due respect – the moral justification for moving forward with the sit-lie ordinance, which allows our police the authority to arrest or cite people sitting on the street, until such time as other alternatives are permanently in place that provide people with opportunities to be off sidewalks.

Commissioner Leonard has brought forth a common sense plan that simply asks for a delay in the enforcement of the ordinance. Delay can sometimes seem like a step back but in this case it would help afford some of Portland's most vulnerable citizens with their basic civil rights. Delay in this instance is the best moral choice. 

After decades of moving in the wrong direction on this issue our Mayor has shown leadership that brings us in the right direction.  Commissioner Leonard's approach does not take the city off course but rather corrects an unfortunate detour.

Finally, I appreciate that all of your offices have been directly in contact with me on this issue over the last week.  I know that all the members of the council want solutions that help end homelessness in our city.

Sincerely,

Rev. Chuck Currie

U.S. House Votes For Hates Crimes Bill; Religious Right Goes Wild

Another step forward for civil rights:

WASHINGTON — The U.S. House of Representatives today voted to pass the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act, H.R. 1592, in a vote of 237 to 180. The proposed legislation, which has the endorsement of 230 law enforcement, civil rights, civic and religious organizations and the support of 73 percent of the American people, was introduced in March by Reps. John Conyers, D-Mich., and Mark Kirk, R-Ill., along with more than 100 other members of Congress. The Senate will soon consider an identical companion bill called the Matthew Shepard Act.

“This is a historic day that moves all Americans closer to safety from the scourge of hate violence,” said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. “Today, legislators sided with the 73 percent of the American people who support the expansion of hate crimes laws to include sexual orientation and gender identity.

Take a look at the huge list of supporters of this legislation – including the United Church of Christ and other religious bodies. The Religious Right did every thing in their power to stop the House from voting on this bill – and I mean everything. Take a look at this list put together by the Human Rights Campaign:

• Concerned Women for America Embraces White-Supremacist Filmmaker

Last week, Stephen Bennett, a spokesman for the Concerned Women for America, used his action network to promote the anti-gay videos of John Smith, a white-supremacist filmmaker with numerous videos posted on YouTube.com. The filmmaker’s hateful online video collection includes such titles as “Keep America White,” “Black Intelligence” (a video about how blacks are mentally inferior to whites) and “Hitler” (an homage to Hitler on the occasion of his birthday).

When YouTube pulled the videos for violating its terms of service, another former employee of both Concerned Women for America and the Family Research Council, Peter LaBarbera, continued to promote the white supremacist’s anti-gay videos, now posted on a religious right website in Massachusetts.

• Tony Perkins, President of Family Research Council, and Matthew Barber, Spokesman for the Concerned Women for America, Invoke Virginia Tech Massacre

In an action alert to members nationwide, Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, incredibly used the memory of the Virginia Tech massacre to argue against H.R. 1592, the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act.

Perkins wrote:

“Under this legislation, the crimes at Virginia Tech, which some are calling one of the deadliest rampages in U.S. history, would not be punishable to the level of these so-called ‘hate crimes.’ If the House approves H.R. 1592 and the Senate follows, a homosexual would have more federal protection under the law than the 32 victims of last week’s massacre.”

Barber wrote:

“The FBI’s latest statistics show that there were zero ‘hate crimes’ murders committed against homosexuals or those perceived to be homosexual in 2005; yet we already know of 32 so-called ‘hate crimes’ murders committed against perceived ‘rich kids’ in a single day. But under H.R. 1592, those ‘rich kids’ would shamefully be denied the same protections and justice as homosexuals. The whole ‘hate crimes’ concept really places logic and reason on its head.”

• Traditional Values Coalition Manufactures False Judiciary Committee Record

The Traditional Values Coalition created and disseminated a fake transcript of last week’s House Judiciary Committee hearing on the hate crimes bill to “prove” that the legislation would punish anti-gay thoughts. The falsified transcript doesn’t even remotely resemble the official transcript of the proceeding.

A full accounting, complete with the Traditional Values Coalition’s forged transcript alongside the real transcript of the hearing, can be viewed at: http://tinyurl.com/yvncxp 

• Jesus Christ ‘Wanted Poster’

The Traditional Values Coalition produced a “wanted poster” in which Jesus Christ, wearing a crown of thorns, is wanted for violating the proposed hate crimes bill. The poster states that Christ is “wanted for revealing the truth about homosexuality in ‘The Bible’ and encouraging his followers not to offend God by committing such behavior.”

A former lawyer for the American Family Association, Joe Murray, explained:

“How could a group purporting Christian values denigrate the image of their, and my, savior, by placing Him in the same category as Willie Horton? When did it become acceptable to turn a man who preached ‘love thy neighbor’ into a biblical billy club? Christ is a source of salvation, not spin.

“This is how far separated Christian activists, possessed by a deep-seeded hatred of homosexuals, have become from Christian principles.”

link: http://tinyurl.com/3dj7r7 

To view the poster go to: http://traditionalvalues.org/pdf_files/tvc_jesus_wanted_poster.pdf

• James Dobson, Tony Perkins, Concerned Women for America, Etc. Falsely Claim Hate Crimes Bill Would Make Anti-Gay ‘Thoughts’ Illegal

One of the most frequently promoted lies by the opposition is that the hate crimes law will make anti-gay bigots criminally liable for their hate speech. While it is certainly un-American and un-Christian to embrace the message of white supremacists and hate groups, the religious right has nothing to fear from the hate crimes bill as it applies only to acts of violence. Nothing in this act would prohibit the lawful expression of one’s deeply held religious beliefs. As hurtful as these comments can be, people will remain free to say things like: “Homosexuality is sinful,” “Homosexuality is an abomination” or “Homosexuals will not inherit the kingdom of heaven.”

The truth is that neither the current hate crimes law nor the expanded measures criminalize thoughts or speech; they only criminalize violentacts. The hate crimes statute is only invoked to allow a federal investigation and the prosecution of bias-motivated violence if — and only if — it is necessary to achieve an effective and just result. That only happens after a violent crime is committed, which debunks their “thought crimes” talking point.

James Dobson:

“There’s a vote coming up on some insidious legislation in the United States Congress that could silence and punish Christians for their moral beliefs,” he said on his radio broadcast yesterday. “That means that as a Christian — if you read the Bible a certain way with regard to morality — you may be guilty of committing a ‘thought crime.’”

Andrea Lafferty, executive director of the Traditional Values Coalition:

“Most Christians might as well rip the pages which condemn homosexuality right out of their Bibles, because this bill will make it illegal to publicly express the dictates of their religious beliefs.”

The ultimate proof: The federal hate crimes law has been on the books for 40 years and not a single person has ever been charged with having “illegal thoughts.” The claim is absurd.

Today we can be proud that the House took action that will protect the lives of gay and lesbian Americans. This was a defeat for the Religious Right and a victory for progressive religious voices and all those concerned about civil rights.  But now the Senate and the President have to decide where they stand on this issue.  The president has so far threatened to follow the orders of the Religious Right and veto the bill.

"Wal-Mart Denies Workers Basic Rights"

Next time you want to shop at Wal-Mart consider this from Human Rights Watch:

Wal-Mart’s relentless exploitation of weak US labor laws thwarts union formation and violates the rights of its US workers, Human Rights Watch said in a new report released today.

In the 210-page report, “Discounting Rights: Wal-Mart’s Violation of US Workers’ Right to Freedom of Association,” Human Rights Watch found that while many American companies use weak US laws to stop workers from organizing, the retail giant stands out for the sheer magnitude and aggressiveness of its anti-union apparatus. Many of its anti-union tactics are lawful in the United States, though they combine to undermine workers’ rights. Others run afoul of soft US laws. 

“Wal-Mart workers have virtually no chance to organize because they’re up against unfair US labor laws and a giant company that will do just about anything to keep unions out,” said Carol Pier, senior researcher on labor rights and trade for Human Rights Watch. “That one-two punch devastates workers’ right to form and join unions.” 

As the world’s largest company, Wal-Mart’s conduct is especially troubling. Wal-Mart had $351.14 billion in revenue and $11.3 billion in profits in the fiscal year ending January 2007. It is the largest private US employer, with more than 1.3 million US workers and close to 4,000 stores nationwide. None of those workers is represented by a union. Human Rights Watch found that this is no accident. 

Human Rights Watch’s investigation revealed that, in most cases, Wal-Mart begins to indoctrinate workers and managers to oppose unions from the moment they are hired. Managers receive explicit instructions on keeping out unions, many of which are found in the company’s “Manager’s Toolbox,” a self-described guide to managers on “how to remain union free in the event union organizers choose your facility as their next target.” 

If workers try to organize, store managers must report it to Wal-Mart’s Union Hotline at headquarters. The company responds by sending out its Labor Relations Team almost immediately to squash the organizing effort. 

Most of the Labor Relations Team’s tactics comport with weak US law. Team members hold small- and large-group “captive audience” meetings, which workers are strongly urged to attend. Workers hear of the terrible consequences of union formation and see videos dramatizing the message. Wal-Mart envelops workers with its anti-union mantra and allows little space for union supporters and organizers to respond – under US law, it does not have to. 

“Employers can make their anti-union case loud and clear in the workplace, while banning union reps from company property,” said Pier. “That’s hardly a free and democratic election climate, and it would be unfair in any political contest.” 

Wal-Mart’s relentless anti-union drumbeat creates a climate of fear at its US stores. Many workers are convinced that they will suffer dire consequences if they form a union, in part because they do not hear pro-union views. Many are also afraid that if they defy their powerful employer by organizing, they could face retaliation, even firing. 

Human Rights Watch found that Wal-Mart heightens this fear with its arsenal of unlawful anti-union tactics. Wal-Mart has sent managers to eavesdrop on employees. According to former workers and managers at one store, it has even ordered the repositioning of surveillance cameras to monitor union supporters. It has told workers they will lose benefits if they organize. The company has discriminatorily banned talk about unions and prohibited union flyer distribution, while allowing discussion of other issues and circulation of non-union materials. It has disciplined union supporters for policy violations that it has let slide for union opponents. And it has illegally fired workers for their union activity. 

Penalties under US labor law are so minimal that they have little deterrent effect, and Wal-Mart only receives a slap on the wrist when found guilty of illegal conduct. In most cases, offending employers must simply post in-store notices promising to abide by the law in the future and must restore the status quo before the illegal acts, for example by rehiring wrongfully fired workers and paying them lost earnings. They face no fines or punitive sanctions. 

Denied the right to form unions, Wal-Mart workers have been unable to join forces to raise their concerns that the company may be forcing out long-term employees, address their struggles to make ends meet on Wal-Mart wages, or call for an end to high healthcare costs. 

A key way to improve protections for worker organizing would be for the US Congress to pass the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) and the Bush administration to sign it into law. The EFCA, which passed the US House of Representatives in March and is now under consideration in the Senate, would increase penalties for labor law violations. And it would help restore a democratic union selection process by requiring employers to recognize a union if a majority of workers signs cards showing their support. Currently, employers can force union elections and then intimidate workers with their aggressive anti-union message during the campaign period. 

Human Rights Watch also urged the National Labor Relations Board, charged with enforcing US labor law, to seek more court injunctions when allegations of serious employer misconduct arise, particularly against repeat offenders such as Wal-Mart. 

Human Rights Watch called upon Wal-Mart to cease all tactics, both legal and illegal, that undercut workers’ right to organize and to go a step further as an industry leader and pledge neutrality on union formation. 

For its report, Human Rights Watch interviewed 41 current and former Wal-Mart workers and managers from US stores where organizing had occurred since 2000. Some supported the union; some were opposed; others were ambivalent. Human Rights Watch also contacted Wal-Mart three times in writing to request meetings and obtain the company’s views. Wal-Mart refused to meet and provided only very limited responses. 

“Wal-Mart should change its anti-union behavior,” said Pier. “When companies like Wal-Mart can regularly violate US workers’ right to organize, they threaten a fundamental right and one that the government is duty-bound to uphold.” 

Americans ought to demand moral leadership from the corporate community.  And all of us - myself included - need to really think about where we shop and invest our money in.  As William Jennings Bryan would have said: Every great economic question is in reality a great moral question. 

Equality For Gays & Lesbians In Oregon Is The Christian Position

Two important civil rights bills are being debated in the Oregon Legislature and they have my support as a Christian, a minister in the United Church of Christ, a citizen, a husband and a father:

The Oregon Family Fairness Act (HB2007) would create a new Oregon law to legally recognize the committed relationships of same-sex couples and their families.

The Oregon Equality Act (SB2) would prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in housing, employment and public accommodation.

My friend and colleague The Rev. Gene Ross recently wrote in The Oregonian:

Most Oregonians believe that discrimination is wrong. What many don't know, however, is that it's perfectly legal. Some Oregonians -- our neighbors who live and work here, pay taxes and contribute to their communities -- can be denied a job, refused housing or turned away from a restaurant for no other reason than that they are homosexuals.

That kind of discrimination is hurtful, but it doesn't end there. Oregonians in committed same-sex partnerships lack the most basic protections for themselves and their children -- the right to make medical and end-of-life decisions, to access a child's school or medical records, to sue for wrongful death or to access state-provided services for families.

In 2005, the General Synod of the United Church of Christ adopted a statement in support of full marriage equality. Neither one of the bills under consideration here in Oregon goes that far but both would bring use closer to a place of justice and compassion – two central concepts in the Christian tradition.

As our General Synod said so well nearly two years ago:

The message of the Gospel is the lens through which the whole of scripture is to be interpreted. Love and compassion, justice and peace are at the very core of the life and ministry of Jesus. It is a message that always bends toward inclusion. The biblical story recounts the ways in which inclusion and welcome to God’s community is ever-expanding – from the story of Abraham and Sarah, to the inclusive ministry of Jesus, to the baptism of Cornelius, to the missionary journeys of Paul throughout the Greco-Roman world. The liberating work of the Spirit as witnessed in the activities of Jesus’ ministry has been to address the situations and structures of exclusion, injustice and oppression that diminish God’s people and keep them from realizing the full gift of human personhood in the context of human communion.

The biblical call to justice and compassion (to love one’s neighbor as one’s self) provides the mandate for marriage equality. Justice as right relationship seeks both personal and communal well being. It is embodied in interpersonal relationships and institutional structures, including marriage. Justice seeks to eliminate marginalization for reasons of race, gender, sexual orientation or economic status.

Building up the Kingdom of God here on earth means fully extending freedom to all God’s people. Many gays and lesbians still live in forms of bondage and the Christian responsibility in such moments is to set the captives free. Christians can and do come to different conclusions about where homosexuality fits into the church - and I respect that different churches might not come to the same conclusions that I do - but no one should use the Bible as an excuse for opposing civil rights for others.  And so I join with my gay and lesbian brothers and sisters in urging the Oregon Legislature to adopt HB2007 and SB2.

Ted Wheeler Needs To Hear From You So That Homeless Kids Get The Very Best Education

Multnomah County is right now debating how best to educate homeless children. The choices are stark. Should the county continue to support with tax-payer money a private program that cannot met the educational needs of homeless students or should the county support efforts to integrate homeless kids into public school systems where they can benefit from the full range of education opportunities available.

In The News: Questions raised about educating kids out of the mainstream

Right now Multnomah County is giving over $52,000 a year to the Community Transitional School instead of supporting programs like Project Return, a program that last year worked with over 1,500 homeless students in the Portland Public Schools. Other school districts, like Parkrose, also receive no support from the county. Studies have shown that homeless kids in separate schools like the Community Transitional School fare much worse than homeless kids in public schools. The Community Transitional School does not test their students to determine academic achievement and thus this tax-payer funded program has no accountability for their work.

Background: Multnomah County Should Pull Funding From The Community Transitional School

Tell Multnomah County Chair Ted Wheeler that you want the county to support efforts like Project Return that integrate students into the public school system and oppose the use of tax-payer funds on programs like the Community Transitional School that are unaccountable. Chair Wheeler needs to know that you believe that homeless children deserve the very best our community has to offer.

And thank Chair Wheeler for his long-term involvement with homeless youth.

Click here to contact Chair Wheeler

Questions?  Direct them to The Rev. Chuck Currie at chuck.currie@gmail.com

Hear the The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. tribute which started off the debate over how best to serve students:

A Podcast Sermon On Isaiah 5:1-7 and Luke 4:16-19: Celebrating The Life & Ministry Of The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Disclaimer: Views expressed here are Chuck Currie's and unless otherwise stated do not reflect the opinion of any UCC congregation, related body or any other organization.

Support Voting Rights

Action Alert from People for the American Way

Today, Senator Barack Obama from Illinois introduced the Deceptive Practices and Voter Intimidation Act to ensure civil and criminal penalties for those who engage in voter suppression through disinformation and dirty tricks.

Click here to contact both your senators and ask them to cosponsor Sen. Obama’s Deceptive Practices and Voter Intimidation Act.

If passed, Sen. Obama’s bill would do the following for ALL federal elections starting in 2008:

• Make it a federal crime to communicate false information about the time or place of voting, the voting eligibility of any voter, or the party affiliation or endorsements of any candidate
• Allow any person or voter who has been harmed by false statements immediately preceding a federal election to obtain an injunction stopping the deceptive practices
• Require the U.S. Attorney General to investigate every claim of deceptive practices, and submit a public report on all claims to Congress
• Require the Attorney General to ensure the immediate release of corrective information in affected communities

Since its original introduction in 2005, PFAW staff and our allies have worked closely with Sen. Obama’s office to make sure this bill is as effective as possible at stopping voter disenfranchisement though deceptive practices.

Sen. Obama’s bill addresses a top-tier priority of PFAW’s 2007 Democracy Initiative -- an aggressive election reform agenda to put safeguards in place by the 2008 elections that could mean the difference between hundreds of thousands of eligible voters being disenfranchised or being able to vote and have their votes counted.

Remarks From The Memorial Of James Chasse, Jr.

This evening over 500 people gathered at Portland's First Congregational United Church of Christ to mourn the death of James Chasse, Jr.  My written remarks and a podcast of those remarks are below.  There were numerous media outlets and local bloggers in attendance.  Tomorrow, I'll link to some of the other coverage.  But let me say that all the speakers brought James to life for those who were there.  His family and friends did James a great honor with their comments.       

Update: Coverage from The Portland Mercury

Update: Coverage from The Oregonian

If your heart is broken and anger stirs your soul you are not alone. We gather tonight as a community in grief but committed to peace. And we demand both as Portlanders and as the people of God the justice that James Chasse, Jr. deserved in life and still requires in death. We should not be in this place tonight. But here we are.

Our responsibilities to the Chasse family and to all those in our city are clear: we must be Christ-like in our compassion. It really is not fair to ask for compassion when that would seem to be the last thing that James received the night he died. Yet broken hearts need healing… and compassion – and compassion’s twin which is love – has the power to mend that which is broken.

We hear throughout the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament God calling us to be a people of justice. Our God is the one that freed the slaves from the Pharaoh and the God that declared that the least of these – the widow, the orphan, the poor and the sick – should come first. Where was God the night that James died? God was with James and as our hearts break, God’s breaks, and as we cry, God cries along side us.

There are no easy answers. Reform, yes! Justice, yes! Compassion and love, yes!

Is it possible that we can even in the midst of such deep and profound grief ask of ourselves hope? Hope for a world where every human is treated with dignity and respect? Hope for new treatments for those who suffer from mental illness? Hope that as a city we turn this great tragedy around and use it as a moment to accomplish great things in loving memory of James?

“Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning” reads the Psalm (Psalm 30:5 NRSV).

Let tears flow freely tonight. But tomorrow and the next day and the next day:

….let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream (Amos 5:24 NRSV)

Use the below link to download the podcast of these remarks for your iPod or personal computer.

Download JamesChasse.m4a

(click with the RIGHT mouse button on the hyperlink and choose “Save Target As” and save to your desktop or other folder – once downloaded click on the file to listen).

A Candlelight Memorial Vigil For James Chasse Jr.

A candle light memorial service for James Chasse, Jr., who died while in the custody of the Portland Police Bureau, will be held this Friday, October 27th, at 7 pm at First Congregational United Church of Christ (1126 SW Park Avenue).   

A Portlander, Mr. Chasse suffered from schizophrenia.  On September 17th, he was arrested during what began as a traffic incident.  Mr. Chasse suffered 26 broken bones and other injuries while in custody.  The officers involved - in conflicting accounts - said they were trying to restrain him when the injuries that took his life occurred.  A grand jury declined this past week to bring charges against the officers but an internal police investigation is on-going. 

Mayor Tom Potter has apologized to Mr. Chasse's family and has said that this tragedy must be used as an opportunity to increase services to people in Portland suffering from mental illness. 

There is terrific grief in Portland over this death and justifiable anger.  No one should have to die this way and our legal system does not appear to be providing the kind of accountability required in a situation such as this. 

Mr. Chasse's death raises questions about how police in every city interact with people suffering from mental illnesses and reminds us how people with mental illnesses are often abandoned by our society and government. 

I have agreed to participate in the memorial service.  The Chasse family has asked that this be a public event and so I invite you to join me there.  It will be an important moment for the people of Portland to share their solidarity and grief with the Chasse family as the entire city mourns the loss of a son.

The service is being coordinated by members of the Chasse family, First Congregational Church United Church of Christ, the Mental Health Association of Portland, Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, Parkrose Community United Church of Christ, Oregon Advocacy Center, Portland Copwatch (a grassroots group promoting police accountability through citizen action), and others.    

Church Offers Sanctuary

A United Methodist Church in Chicago is providing sanctuary to a single mother facing deportation.  The AP reports:

CHICAGO -- Immigration activists around the country are taking up the cause of a single mother who invoked the ancient principle of sanctuary and took refuge in a Chicago church rather than submit to deportation to Mexico.

Elvira Arellano, 31, was holed up for a second day Wednesday at Aldalberto United Methodist Church with the support of the congregation's pastor. With her was son Saul, 7, a U.S. citizen.

Federal officials said there is no right to sanctuary in a church under U.S. law and nothing to prevent them from arresting her. But they would not say what they planned to do, or when.

"She is the face of the movement," said Emma Lozano, executive director of the Chicago immigration-rights group Centro Sin Fronteras, who was at the church with Arellano.

National United Methodist leaders, including Bishop Minerva Carcaño, are also providing support.  From the United Methodist News Service:

"Here is an opportunity for a country that says they care about children to care for a child," said United Methodist Bishop Minerva Carcaño, on CNN's "Lou Dobbs Tonight" show Aug. 16.

Carcaño, bishop of the denomination's Phoenix Area, was in Chicago for the 2006 International Clergywomen's Consultation. She has been a spokesperson for the United Methodist Council of Bishops in calling for immigration reform.

"The United Methodist Church stands with families like Miss Arellano," she said. "It is an issue of justice that she be allowed to stay with her young son."

Carcaño, along with Bishop Hee-Soo Jung, Chicago Area, and the Rev. James Preston, Chicago Northwestern District superintendent, visited Arellano in the church Aug. 16.

"You could see the burden in her eyes," Carcaño said. "It was a very moving moment to see her surrounded by others in the community. She is acting out of the motives of a mother and her Christian convictions."

Jung released a statement that Arellano was invoking "the centuries-old Christian tradition of sanctuary" and "the tradition of civil disobedience."

"While as Christians we may disagree over the best way to fix the nation's broken immigration system, we affirm that the Bible directs us to care for foreigners in our midst (Exodus 23:9) and reminds us that we too are sojourners (Leviticus 25:23)," Jung said.

The church has said the current immigration bill in Congress is "unjust," Carcaño told Dobbs. "We are not talking about partisan politics; this is matter of moral justice."

Federal authorities have threatened to take Arellano by force but news reports now suggest they are backing off such plans.  The president of the United States of America would be well served if he gave orders forbidding federal agents from forcibly entering a Christian church.

Let us offer prayers for all those involved.   

Andrew Young's Fall

When Andrew Young, the United Church of Christ minister and civil rights icon who served as mayor of Atlanta and U.N. Ambassador, signed on as a spokesman for Wal-Mart his allies in the church and civil rights community were dismayed.  How could a man so committed to justice take on a client with a record of fighting the unionization of workers?  How could a man so committed to taking care of the poor work for a company that pays such low wages?

Now Young has resigned from his position with Wal-Mart after making truly bigoted comments about Jews, Koreans and Arabs.  The New York Times reports:

The civil rights leader Andrew Young, who was hired by Wal-Mart to improve its public image, resigned from that post last night after telling an African-American newspaper that Jewish, Arab and Korean shop owners had "ripped off" urban communities for years, "selling us stale bread, and bad meat and wilted vegetables."

In the interview, published yesterday in The Los Angeles Sentinel, a weekly, Mr. Young said that Wal-Mart "should" displace mom-and-pop stores in urban neighborhoods.

"You see those are the people who have been overcharging us," he said of the owners of the small stores, "and they sold out and moved to Florida. I think they've ripped off our communities enough. First it was Jews, then it was Koreans and now it's Arabs."

Mr. Young, 74, a former mayor of Atlanta and a former United States representative to the United Nations, apologized for the comments and retracted them in an interview last night. Less than an hour later, he resigned as chairman of Working Families for Wal-Mart, a group created and financed by the company to trumpet its accomplishments.

"It's against everything I ever thought in my life," Mr. Young said. "It never should have been said. I was speaking in the context of Atlanta, and that does not work in New York or Los Angeles."

His remarks drew forceful condemnation from Arab, Jewish and Asian leaders.

Rev. Young, bigotry shouldn't work in Atlanta either.

Our religious and political leaders ought to be finding ways to reconcile the American people instead of fostering further division.  Young has done what many good people have done before him:  bow down to the false God of wealth while turning away from the real God's call for us to be a people of justice. Come home, Rev. Young.      

Related Site:  Wal Mart Watch

"United Church of Christ leaders decry Washington State court ruling on gay marriage"

Press Release from the United Church of Christ

United Church of Christ leaders are denouncing a Washington State high court ruling on July 26 that upholds a ban on same-gender marriage. Nineteen couples, including a UCC clergy couple, were challenging the constitutionality of the state's ban on same-sex marriage equality.

The Rev. Peter Ilgenfritz and The Rev. Dave Shull, pastors of University Congregational United Church of Christ in Seattle since 1994, have been in a committed same-sex relationship for more than 20 years. They also have been leaders in the fight to overturn a 1998 law passed by the state legislature that limits legal marriage to one man and one woman.

The Rev. Catherine Foote and the Rev. Don Mackenzie, who are also pastors at University Congregational UCC, issued a joint statement today saying UCC members ? both locally and nationally ? are offering support and prayers for Ilgenfritz and Shull during a time of personal disappointment. However, they emphasized, the church will continue its work in support of lesbian,
gay, bisexual and transgender people, including full marriage equality.

"We were dismayed to hear this morning's ruling that effectively denies marriage rights to homosexual couples," Foote and Mackenzie said. "We know Peter and Dave to be wonderful, sensitive, faithful people of God, and a committed couple, and we have supported and affirmed them as they entered into the lawsuit process which led to today's ruling."

Formed in 1891, Seattle's University Congregational UCC has nearly 1,000 members. Throughout Washington State, the UCC has about 80 congregations, with more than 10,500 members. Thirty seven UCC congregations in the state have publicly declared themselves to be "open and affirming" of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. University Congregational UCC became "open and affirming" about 16 years ago.

"People of faith differ on their response to this ruling," Foote and Mackenzie wrote. "We celebrate that University Congregational UCC has joined with other local congregations and other settings of our denomination in advocating for justice and equality for all people, as children of God, regardless of sexual orientation. We will continue to affirm the lives and relationships of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. We will continue to welcome all people into our life and ministry, and especially at this time those who have been wounded by painful, judgmental and condemning words."

In July 2005, the 1.2-million-member United Church of Christ became the largest Christian denomination to support marriage equality, when the UCC's General Synod, meeting in Atlanta, endorsed a resolution calling for full equal marriage rights for same-gender couples. The non-binding General Synod action encourages other settings of the church, including local congregations, to study the issue.

"My heart and prayers go out to Peter and Dave and to all the plaintiffs in this case, as well as all those affected by this unjust ruling," said the Rev. Mike Schuenemeyer, the UCC's national minister for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender concerns. "Today's ruling makes no sense. The court has apparently chosen not to rely on the state's constitution, but on one particular religious view of
marriage."

"In this decision, the majority failed to respect the freedom of religion, equal protection under the law and the right to privacy," said Schuenemeyer, from the UCC's national offices in Cleveland. "They have denied justice and placed couples and their families seeking the right to marry in harm's way."

In its 5-to-4 decision, the Washington Supreme Court stressed that it was ruling on the constitutionality of the law, not on the question of gay marriage itself, which the court said could be legalized through a state ballot initiative.

The UCC, formed in 1957 with the union of the Congregational Christian Churches in America and the Evangelical and Reformed Church, has more than 5,600 churches throughout the United States.

Tell Congress Thank You

All Americans should applaud the bi-partisan leadership in Congress which worked this week to ultimately pass The Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks, and Coretta Scott King Voting Rights Act Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 2006.  This was a solid victory for civil rights.  It was unfortunate that many House Republicans, in an effort to weaken civil rights, fought to amend the Voting Rights Act.  But wisdom and decency carried the day.  Take a moment and send your Congressional leaders a message thanking them for this vote.  The only "no" votes were cast by the following House members:

Richard Baker, J. Barrett, Roscoe Bartlett, Joe Barton, Jo Bonner, Dan Burton, John Campbell, Michael Conaway, Nathan Deal, John Doolittle, John 'Jimmy' Duncan, Terry Everett, Virginia Foxx, Trent Franks, Scott Garrett, Phil Gingrey, Joel Hefley, Jeb Hensarling, Wally Herger, Sam Johnson, Steve King, John Linder, Patrick McHenry, Gary Miller, Charles Norwood, Ron Paul, Tom Price, Dana Rohrabacher, Edward Royce, John Shadegg, Tom Tancredo, Mac Thornberry, Lynn Westmoreland

Warnings That Gay Marriage Would Make Civilization Collapse Turn Out To Be Wrong

When the Massachusetts courts ruled that gays and lesbians could not be denied the same legal rights related to marriage as straight couples there was a predictable outcry from the Right.  Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and one of the most prominent leaders of the Religious Right, compared the court's decision to the terrorist attacks of 9/11.

The most basic argument against granting gays and lesbians marriage equality has been that in doing so the institution of marriage itself would be harmed.  What has been the impact thus far in Massachusetts?  Bruce Wilson provides the answer:

Divorce rates in the US have been declining steadily since the early 1980's.  Massachusetts has shared in the trend and traditionally has had a divorce rate considerably lower than the national average. In fact, for several years now the Commonwealth has had the lowest divorce rate of any state in the union.

In 2004 the Massachusetts divorce rate, at 2.2 per 1,000 residents per year, was considerably lower than the US national average rate for that year, 3.8 per 1,000. Indeed, it was lower than the national average rate for 1950 (2.6 per 1,000) and even approached the national rate of 1940 (2 per 1,000).

In 2003, total divorces in Massachusetts declined 2.1% relative to 2002. But in the first two years of legal same sex marriage in the Bay State, Massachusetts showed a more rapid decline and will very likely hold on to its title as the US state with the lowest divorce rate in the nation. The field is hotly contested -- divorce rates have fallen dramatically in the last few decades.

The institution of marriage in Massachusetts, as measured by the rate of divorce, has not been healthier in at least half a century regardless of dire predictions of Christian Right leaders and Catholic Bishops.  But the states that have taken aggressive action against same sex marriage, have not done nearly as well during the two year period of legal same sex marriage in Massachusetts.

This month marks the one year anniversary since the overwhelming decision of the General Synod of the United Church of Christ to support marriage equality.  The resolution declared:

Ideas about marriage have shifted and changed dramatically throughout human history, and such change continues even today. At different points marriage has been defined in response to economic realities, by the primacy of procreation and by societal understandings of the role of men and women. In the Gospel we find ground for a definition of marriage and family relationships based on affirmation of the full humanity of each partner, lived out in mutual care and respect for one another. Scripture itself, along with the global human experience, offers many different views of family and how family is to be defined. This unfolding revelation and understanding needs to be weighed carefully by people of faith considering the issue of equal marriage rights for couples regardless of gender. Jesus radically challenged his traditional cultural roles and concepts of family life. Jesus boldly declared members of the household/family of God to be whoever hears and follows the will of God.

Gay marriage is not threat to America.  What is truly threatening to our society are those politicians and advocacy groups that seek to divide our nation in an attempt to achieve political gain.  Those who seek to deny civil rights to gays and lesbians are the political and theological heirs of those who fought against racial integration (including interracial marriages).  Our nation needs political and religious leaders who put the goals of reconciliation and justice ahead of personal ambition. 

In Debate Over Immigration Christians Are Called To Welcome The Stranger

Politicians often seek votes by diving Americans along racial, economic and gender lines.  That has certainly been the case this year as conservative Republicans in Congress have sought to make Hispanic immigrants the scapegoats for America's economic problems. 

Among Christians, there is nearly universal agreement that harsh anti-immigrant legislation should be opposed.  Roman Catholic bishops and priests, mainline denominational leaders, and evangelical Hispanics have forged partnerships to oppose efforts that would both classify illegal immigrants as felons and punish church-based health and welfare agencies for serving the needs of immigrants. 

For the most part only the hard-line leaders of the Religious Right have spoken out in favor of anti-immigrant legislation.  Many of the groups pushing such legislation have ties with racist organizations and the Religious Right has been historically outspoken in their opposition to civil rights in America for racial minorities, women and the gay community.  It should come as no surprise that today the Religious Right finds common cause with groups such as the so-called Minutemen.

The Christian Century, in their most recent issue, offered a strong theological case for why Christians have an obligation to support immigrants:

All of us in this country are, except for Native Americans, immigrants or the descendants of immigrants. That fact is often cited, and rightly so, by those in favor of providing immigrants who have been living and working in this country a straightforward path to citizenship. Those who want to clamp down on the illegal immigrants (as many as 12 million) complain that the immigrants are driving down wages and overwhelming American culture. The hardliners reveal signs of xenophobia or even racism. The concern that new immigrants stick to themselves, aren't learning English and are threatening American culture was voiced in earlier eras about the Irish, the Italians and the Jews--who at the time were considered members of a different race from Anglo-Saxon Americans.

George W. Bush's experience in Texas, a state that has always had a sizable Mexican population, may explain why he takes a moderate position on immigration, whereas representatives who come from areas that have not historically been home to large numbers of Hispanics use the issue for political demagoguery.

One hardliner, Representative Dana Rohrabacher (R., Calif.), has this response to those who say the economy would suffer without the immigrant laborers to pick and pack the nation's fruits and vegetables: "Let the prisoners pick the fruits." The notion that people in jail could replace immigrant labor in agriculture is absurd....

Jews and Christians share this scripture: "You shall not wrong or oppress a resident alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt" (Exod. 22:21). Scripture says that God's people are to regard sojourners not with fear, indifference or loathing, but with love and respect. Movements to criminalize millions of individuals, break up families and destabilize industries are bad enough. The notion that the alien among us is anything other than beloved elicits some of scripture's strongest condemnations: "'Cursed be anyone who deprives the alien, the orphan, and the widow of justice.' All the people shall say, 'Amen!'" (Deut. 27:19).

Click here to read the full editoral.

There are many who hope to use this issue in the mid-term elections to further divide the American people.  Our job must be to educate our fellow church members about the issues involved and to seek reconciliation among God's people.  One way to start is to share this editorial with your family and friends.

Salem, Oregon Church Leaders Address Immigration

From the Salem Statesman Journal:

Religious leaders from the Salem area took a first step Friday toward educating the community about immigration.

A group of about a dozen clergy from various faiths came together during a press conference at First Congregational United Church of Christ.

The faith leaders issued a statement signed by 20 pastors outlining actions that they will take to address the emotionally charged issue.

"As people of faith, we feel called to express a message of hope and justice that leads to action," the statement read.

The group also highlighted concerns about what they say is an upheaval in the community about immigration.

"We should not let the debate degenerate into an issue of racial tension," Francisco López, a member of Queen of Peace Catholic Church, told a group of about 50 people who attended the meeting.

The leaders also detailed plans to send a diverse delegation to the Arizona border, Oaxaca, Mexico, and El Salvador.

This is the kind of leadership so desperately needed from our churches.

Related Post:  Religious Leaders Speak Out On Immigration

Republican Group Stops Voting Rights Act Reauthorization

A small group of Southern Republicans today blocked the reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act.  Tyler Lewis reports on civilrights.org: 

The nation's most successful civil rights law, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA), which has enjoyed bipartisan support in Congress for over 40 years and has been reauthorized four times by both Democratic and Republican presidents, was derailed today in the House.

A small group of House Republicans, including Lynn Westmoreland, R.Ga., hijacked an important vote to renew key protections in a law that has changed the face of American politics. The group claims that the VRA is punitive.

Civil rights groups said that despite significant progress made during the last four decades, there is no question that barriers to full and equal minority voter participation remain.

"Many of those trying to derail the Voting Rights Act represent states with the most egregious records of discrimination in voting-- discrimination that continues to this day," said Wade Henderson, executive director of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights.

RenewtheVRA.org, a collaborative of national organizations with strong experience protecting minority voting rights, which includes LCCR, the NAACP and NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, and the ACLU, commissioned a series of reports that detail continuing threats to voting rights in the states covered by the VRA's expiring provisions.

The House has an extensive record of past and current voter discrimination, which includes the RenewtheVRA.org reports, from hearings they have held since October

The bicameral, bipartisan introduction of the VRA reauthorization bill, named "The Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks, and Coretta Scott King Voting Rights Act Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 2006," on May 2nd was hailed by civil rights groups as "historic."

In the weeks since the introduction, the House version has amassed 153 cosponsors and was headed toward swift enactment.

The House vote was held up after the Republicans in the GOP caucus meeting today objected to extending provisions in the law that require language assistance for voters who do not speak English very well, according to The Associated Press.

Civil rights groups say that such efforts to stall largely popular civil rights laws have not been used since the 1960's when the laws were first being enacted. Mark Morial, president of the National Urban League said, "Those tactics didn't succeed then and they won't succeed now."

"Those members who held up today's vote represent retrogressive forces that America hasn't seen at this level since the 1960s," said Henderson. "We expect the leadership to move this bill past this small group of saboteurs. The nation's continued progress toward equality demands it."

You would think that after all these years whether or not African-Americans should be given every opportunity to fully participate in our democratic society would be a closed issue.  Not for some in the Republican Party.

Click here and send a message to Congress supporting the Voting Rights Act.

National Call-In Day for Comprehensive Immigration Reform, Monday, June 19, 2006

Action Alert from Church World Service

Your help is urgently needed. Comprehensive Immigration Reform opponents are deluging the House and Senate with calls in favor of HR 4437, an enforcement only bill that seeks to criminalize undocumented immigrants and anyone who assists them. The Senate has passed a bill, S 2611, that begins to humanely address the needs of the 12 million undocumented persons, who are connected to over 50 million American families. The two bills will soon be “conferenced” and brought together into one bill for approval by both the House and the Senate.

Action Needed:
Be a part of the national call in day! Please call Capitol operator at 202 224-3121 on Monday, June 19, and ask for your Congressperson. For talking points and more info, visit the CWS Speak Out website.

Related Post:  "The Gospel vs. H.R. 4437"

"Suicides at Guantanamo Bay prison lead to renewed calls to close the facility"

Statement from the National Council of Churches USA

New York, June 11, 2006 -- The suicides of three prisoners at the Guantanamo Bay detention center in Cuba have prompted a renewed call by the National Council of Churches USA that the facility be closed.

The suicides are "another milestone in a sordid history of human rights denial and crimes against humanity," said the Rev. Dr. Bob Edgar, NCC General Secretary.

"Americans who love their country and its historic ideals are mortified by this continuing blot on our honor, on our steadfast defense of freedom, and on our commitment to democracy and the rule of law," Edgar said.

Edgar also repeated a plea he made in February to Secretary of State Condoleeeza Rice that the NCC be allowed to send a small interfaith delegation to Guantanamo "to monitor the physical, mental and spiritual condition of the detainees."

Rice has not responded to the request. Similar requests were turned down by former Secretary of State Colin Powell in 2003 and 2004.

Last February, Edgar praised a United Nations report that called upon the U.S. to close Guantanamo, to refrain from "any practice amounting to torture," and either bring detainees to trial or "release them."

The NCC Governing Board, composed of representatives of the council's member communions, has warned that the denials of human rights and freedoms "are not simply a crime against humanity; they are a sin against God."

The full text of Edgar's statement follows:

The deaths by suicide of three prisoners of the Guantanamo Bay detention facility are another milestone in a sordid history of human rights denial and crimes against humanity. As the Governing Board of the National Council of Churches USA made clear in February 2004, the denial of rights and freedoms are not simply crimes against human beings: they are sins against God.

We urgently renew our call, made most recently on February 16, 2006, that the United States close its Guantanamo Bay detention facility without delay.

We also renew our request to the Secretary of State that the National Council of Churches USA be allowed to send a small interfaith delegation to Guantanamo to monitor the physical, mental and spiritual condition of the detainees.

It has been four months since the United Nations Commission on Human Rights called upon the U.S. to close Guantanamo, to refrain from "any practice amounting to torture," and either bring detainees to trial or "release them." The National Council of Churches USA immediately endorsed the U.N. report, and called upon the U.S. government to accept its recommendations.

Since then, 75 detainees have staged hunger strikes to protest conditions in the jail. Amnesty International has described the facilities as "a legal black hole" where detainees are denied access to any court, legal counsel or family visits. "Denied their rights under international law and held in conditions which may amount to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment," Amnesty reports, "the detainees face severe psychological distress."

Americans who love their country and its historic ideals are mortified by this continuing blot on our honor, on our steadfast defense of freedom, and on our commitment to democracy and the rule of law. We appeal again to the President and to the Secretary of State: bring this cruel and humiliating chapter to an end. Close the Guantanamo Bay facility immediately.

See also: http://www.ncccusa.org/news/060216gitmo.html and http://www.ncccusa.org/news/04boardonguantanamo.html

The National Council of Churches USA is composed of 35 Orthodox, Protestant, Episcopalian, historic African American and peace church traditions representing 45 million Christians in 100,000 congregations in the United States.

Deep Ties Between The Minutemen Project And White Supremacists

You shall not wrong or oppress a resident alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt. - Exodus 22:21 (NRSV)

Last year I wrote a piece outlining ties between the anti-immigrant group The Minutemen Project and white supremacists using information from the Southern Poverty Law Center.  The so-called Minutemen are responsible for armed vigilante patrols of the US-Mexican border and are busy now trying to build a wall between our two nations.  Even President Bush has condemned their actions. 

Many people wrote in on behalf of the Minutemen to criticize my comments.  Right-wing extremist Devvy Kidd wrote on a website associated with Alan Keyes that "Currie's statement that the Minutemen Project has "ties to white supremacist groups" has no truth to it whatsoever, but truth isn't the agenda. Since Mr. Currie is so in favor of allowing hordes of terrorists, murderers, rapists and other assorted criminals smuggling themselves across the border, perhaps he'd like to extend an invitation to house a few thousand of them - in the name of Christ, of course!"

Just today another e-mail came in from someone upset with my statement.

You have the balls to call americans who belive a country  must  controll its border white supremacists and then ask others to be respectfull of "your views" . FYI the southern poverty law center is a political organization with a far left perspective they are NOT a credible Objective source. perhaps you should educate yourself about some of the other hate groups in this country to get a balanced view start with the brown power fascists in the aztlan movement  who state they want to reclaim the entire west southwest  thru first breeding out the whites, blacks and jews to a managable number and then the final solution is extermination or forcing the survivors back to europe. whites do not have a patent on the cancer of racial supremicy and the minutemen are NOT white supremacists.  your ignorance is staggering to the informed ,yet saleable to those who hold their beliefs based on emotion rather than empirical  evidence. In closing it is you my freind who should learn that  slandering those who with you disagree is never 'respectfull".  your entire artical is a "personal attack" get a clue Rob corporalpunishmentllc@comcast.net

Comments like Rob's and Devvy Kidd's only serve to confirm observations that racism is at work in the immigration debate now being exploited by conservatives during the 2006 midterm elections.  The Rev. Bob Edgar, general secretary of the National Council of Churches, recently weighed in on this issue in an op-ed piece.

And in the year since I first outlined the concerns raised by the Southern Poverty Law Center about ties between the Minutemen and white supremacists the evidence has deepened.  SPLC reports that the founder of the Minutemen, in a failed race for Congress late last year, relied on help from known Neo-Nazi members:

Neo-Nazis volunteered for Jim Gilchrist's recent congressional campaign and distributed racist propaganda at Gilchrist rallies with the full knowledge of the Minuteman Project co-founder and his campaign managers, according to a former Gilchrist campaign volunteer whose account is supported by photographs, video footage and postings on the white supremacist Web site Stormfront.

The political and Religious Right - contrary to Biblical teachings - continues to divide our people on issues related to race in an effort to gain power.  These groups - like the Minutemen and the Family Research Council (whose founder has ties to Nazi leader David Duke) - are the ideological heirs of George Wallace and others who sought to exploit fear and bigotry.  Our churches must do more to expose the links between the anti-immigrant movement and white supremacists and to proclaim the Biblical ethic of welcoming the stranger into our midst.      

"UCC official applauds Senate vote against Federal Marriage Amendment"

Reprinted from United Church News

The Rev. Mike Schuenemeyer, Minister for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Concerns for the United Church of Christ, today (June 8) released a statement supporting the outcome of the Senate vote June 7 against the Federal Marriage Amendment.

Here is the text of Schuenemeyer's statement:

    "I applaud the U.S. Senators who voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment (FMA) for the courage they demonstrated and urge the members of the House to demonstrate similar courage and conviction if and when the FMA comes before them. In yesterday's 49-48 vote, the U.S. Senate acted to respect the U.S. Constitution and its long history of expanding rights, rather than restricting them. They respected the American people -- all Americans -- by not moving forward a Constitutional amendment that would have established one particular religious view of marriage as the law for every person in America.
    "Proponents of the FMA have tried to make this a populist issue, pointing to the several states which have successfully passed various ballot initiatives to limit marriage to one man and one woman. But opponents of the FMA recognized that the nation is deeply divided on marriage equality and that a hallmark of the U.S. Constitution is its respect for the rights of minorities, whom it seeks to protect from the tyranny of the majority. 
"Many of the Senators who spoke on the FMA acknowledged that it is being used as a wedge issue in a midterm election year, just as it was in the 2004 election, and that playing politics with real people's lives is wrong. They realized that the FMA would not serve the welfare of the people -- discrimination never does -- and that there are many more pressing concerns before them, such as the war in Iraq and the economy.
    "The General Synod of the United Church of Christ clearly expressed its opposition to the FMA on July 4, 2005, at the 25th General Synod meeting in Atlanta. The General Synod supported the separation of church and state, recognizing the right of each religious institution to make up its own mind on marriage, calling on state and federal governments to respect and protect that religious liberty. They also called on state and federal governments to establish marriage equality without regard to gender, thereby providing equal protection under the law for every member of American society."

    The 1.3-million-member United Church of Christ, with national offices in Cleveland, was formed by the 1957 union of the Congregational Christian Churches and the Evangelical and Reformed Church. Its biennial General Synod speaks to, but not for, the almost 6,000 local UCC churches in the United States and Puerto Rico.

Related Post:  Attempt To Divide America Fails 

Related Post:  Throwing Gays To The Wolves To Gain Votes This November

Attempt To Divide America Fails

The attempt by the Religious Right and their supporters in Congress to amend the US Constitution and allow discrimination against gays and lesbians failed today.  The Republican leadership in the Senate could not even come up with 50 votes.  Everyone knew the attempt would fail.  But President Bush - his poll numbers falling lower and lower - needed to make his political base happy and so he used this issue to divide Americans in the same way George Wallace and others used race to divide Americans.  We should thank those who voted against this attempt - Republicans and Democrats - and remember those who failed to stand up for America's better nature.

Grouped By Vote Position

YEAs ---49
Alexander (R-TN) Allard (R-CO) Allen (R-VA) Bennett (R-UT) Bond (R-MO) Brownback (R-KS) Bunning (R-KY) Burns (R-MT) Burr (R-NC) Byrd (D-WV) Chambliss (R-GA) Coburn (R-OK) Cochran (R-MS) Coleman (R-MN) Cornyn (R-TX) Craig (R-ID) Crapo (R-ID)	DeMint (R-SC) DeWine (R-OH) Dole (R-NC) Domenici (R-NM) Ensign (R-NV) Enzi (R-WY) Frist (R-TN) Graham (R-SC) Grassley (R-IA) Hatch (R-UT) Hutchison (R-TX) Inhofe (R-OK) Isakson (R-GA) Kyl (R-AZ) Lott (R-MS) Lugar (R-IN) Martinez (R-FL)	McConnell (R-KY) Murkowski (R-AK) Nelson (D-NE) Roberts (R-KS) Santorum (R-PA) Sessions (R-AL) Shelby (R-AL) Smith (R-OR) Stevens (R-AK) Talent (R-MO) Thomas (R-WY) Thune (R-SD) Vitter (R-LA) Voinovich (R-OH) Warner (R-VA)

NAYs ---48
Akaka (D-HI) Baucus (D-MT) Bayh (D-IN) Biden (D-DE) Bingaman (D-NM) Boxer (D-CA) Cantwell (D-WA) Carper (D-DE) Chafee (R-RI) Clinton (D-NY) Collins (R-ME) Conrad (D-ND) Dayton (D-MN) Dorgan (D-ND) Durbin (D-IL) Feingold (D-WI)	Feinstein (D-CA) Gregg (R-NH) Harkin (D-IA) Inouye (D-HI) Jeffords (I-VT) Johnson (D-SD) Kennedy (D-MA) Kerry (D-MA) Kohl (D-WI) Landrieu (D-LA) Lautenberg (D-NJ) Leahy (D-VT) Levin (D-MI) Lieberman (D-CT) Lincoln (D-AR) McCain (R-AZ)	Menendez (D-NJ) Mikulski (D-MD) Murray (D-WA) Nelson (D-FL) Obama (D-IL) Pryor (D-AR) Reed (D-RI) Reid (D-NV) Salazar (D-CO) Sarbanes (D-MD) Schumer (D-NY) Snowe (R-ME) Specter (R-PA) Stabenow (D-MI) Sununu (R-NH) Wyden (D-OR)

Not Voting - 3
Dodd (D-CT)	Hagel (R-NE)	Rockefeller (D-WV)

Related Post:  Throwing Gays To The Wolves To Gain Votes This November

Throwing Gays To The Wolves To Gain Votes This November

This weekend the president will use his Saturday radio address to campaign for a constitutional amendment restricting the civil rights of gays and lesbians (in this case by amending the Constitution to restrict their ability to marry). President Bush will then join leaders of the Religious Right in a pep-rally at the White House on Monday before a scheduled Tuesday vote by the US Senate. Will the amendment pass the Senate? It does not appear the Republican leadership has the votes. That’s the good news. The bad news: this entire issue is being brought up to rally the political base of the Republican Party before the mid-term elections later this year. President Bush and his allies have chosen once again to run campaigns based on division instead of reconciliation. Homosexuality is not a sin but working to restrict the rights of an entire class of Americans in an effort to gain votes surely is.

Letter to the United States Senate from Religious Leaders

As leaders representing many of the diverse perspectives on religion in our nation, we are writing to urge you to oppose passage of the “Federal Marriage Amendment.” Although we have differing opinions on rights for same-sex couples, we believe the Federal Marriage Amendment reflects a fundamental disregard for individual civil rights and ignores differences among our nation’s many religious traditions. It should be rejected.

Few decisions by religious bodies are more central than who can take part in important religious rituals or services, including marriage. Fortunately, the Constitution bars any court or legislature from requiring any religious institution or person to perform marriage ceremonies for anyone. Indeed, the Constitution protects houses of worship in their freedom to limit marriages on whatever theological grounds they choose. The First Amendment already protects religious organizations from governmental interference in such matters, and constitutional definitions of marriage therefore are unnecessary.

Regardless of judicial and legislative decisions defining the legal rights of gay couples, religious marriage will justly remain the prerogative of individual faith traditions in accordance with their doctrinal beliefs. And this is as it should be. It is not the task of our government and elected representatives to enshrine in our laws the religious point of view of any one faith. Rather, our government should dedicate itself to protecting the rights of all citizens and all faiths.

For over two hundred years, the Constitution has had no provision on marriage, the matter being left to the states and the teachings of various religious groups. Our nation’s founders adopted the First Amendment precisely because they foresaw the dangers posed by allowing government to have control over religious decisions. The religious freedom protected by the First Amendment has allowed religious practice and pluralism to flourish. Respecting the rights of those in the faith community who deem sacred text consistent with the blessing of same-sex relationships protects and ensures that freedom.

We are particularly concerned that this proposal to amend the Constitution would, for the first time, restrict the civil rights of millions of Americans. That concern alone merits rejection of the Federal Marriage Amendment. We strongly believe that Congress must continue to protect the nation’s fundamental religious freedoms and continue to protect our nation’s bedrock principle of respecting religious pluralism. Congress should soundly reject any attempt to enshrine into the Constitution a particular religious viewpoint on a matter of such fundamental religious importance.

Sincerely,

Alliance of Baptists
American Friends Service Committee (Quaker)
American Jewish Committee
Anti-Defamation League
Association of Humanistic Rabbis
Central Conference of American Rabbis
Christians for Justice Action
Disciples Justice Action Network
Episcopal Church, USA
Friends Committee on National Legislation (Quaker)
Guru Gobind Singh Foundation (Sikh)
Jewish Reconstructionist Federation
National Council of Jewish Women
National Sikh Center
Metropolitan Community Churches
Protestant Justice Action
Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association
Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF)
Sikh Council on Religion and Education (SCORE)
The Interfaith Alliance
Union for Reform Judaism
Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations
United Church of Christ Justice & Witness Ministries
Women of Reform Judaism

Send a message to your Senators.

Clergy For Fairness: Defend The U.S. Constitution

I've signed on to the Clergy For Fairness letter to the United States Senate expressing opposition to the "Marriage Protection Amendment."  You can too:

As clergy from a broad spectrum of religious traditions we hold diverse views regarding marriage. However, we are united in our opposition to amending the U.S. Constitution to define marriage.

The Marriage Protection Amendment raises alarming constitutional concerns. We do not favor using the constitutional amendment process to resolve the divisive issues of the moment. Loading down the Constitution with such amendments weakens the enormous influence it holds as the key document that binds our nation together.

We are concerned that the Marriage Protection Amendment would mark the first time in history that an amendment to the Constitution would restrict the civil rights of an entire group of Americans. Misusing our nation’s most cherished document for this purpose would tarnish our proud tradition of expanding citizens’ rights by Constitutional amendment, a tradition long supported by America’s faith communities. These concerns alone merit rejection of the Marriage Protection Amendment.

We also share a serious concern that the proposed Marriage Protection Amendment would infringe on religious liberty.

Thoughtful people of faith can and do disagree on the issue of marriage. America’s many religious traditions reflect this diversity of opinion, as do we who sign this letter. But we respect the right of each religious group to decide, based on its own religious teachings, whether or not to sanction marriage of same-sex couples. It is surely not the federal government’s role to prefer one religious definition of marriage over another, much less to codify such a preference in the Constitution. To the contrary: the great contribution of our Constitution is to ensure religious liberty for all.

Some argue that a constitutional amendment is necessary to ensure that clergy and faith groups will never be forced to recognize marriages of same-sex couples against their will. This argument is unfounded. Such coercion is already expressly forbidden by the First Amendment’s “establishment” clause, its guarantee of the right to “free exercise” of religion, and the Supreme Court’s doctrine of religious autonomy that is rooted in both religion clauses. These, and only these, are all the protection of religious autonomy – and of religious marriage – our nation needs.

Our nation’s founders adopted the First Amendment precisely because they understood the dangers of allowing government to have control over religious doctrine and decisions. It is this commitment to religious freedom that has allowed religious practice and pluralism to flourish in America as nowhere else. If this freedom is to be maintained, we must respect the rights of faith communities to apply their own religious teachings and values to the issue of same-sex relationships. It is surely not the business of politicians to assert control over the doctrine and practice of our faith communities.

The Marriage Protection Amendment would dignify discrimination and undermine religious liberty. America’s religious communities do not support this amendment. As leaders of these communities, we urge you to vote against any attempt to pass this Amendment.

Don't let the Religious Right use our faith to divide America.

Andrew Young Has It Wrong On Wal-Mart

Advocates for workers, the poor and our environment have all become critics of Wal-Mart.  There are many reasons to be concerned with the practices of this business and many reasons to be concerned with Andrew Young's decision to be a spokesperson for Wal-Mart.  First, the issues:

HEALTH CARE
Wal-Mart fails to provide health insurance to over half its employees. Who pays for it? We all do. Wal-Mart workers top Medicaid rolls in at least 16 states. Read more.

WOMEN
Wal-Mart is the subject of the largest class action lawsuit in history by current and former female employees who were paid and promoted at significantly lower rates than their male co-workers. Read more.

OUTSOURCING
If Wal-Mart were an independent nation, it would be China's eighth-largest trading partner. Is Wal-Mart trading away America's future to fatten its corporate bottom line? Read more.

LOCAL ECONOMIES
For every new Supercenter that Wal-Mart opens, two local supermarkets will close. How will this affect your town? Big box stores like Wal-Mart spend nearly four times less within local and state economies as local businesses do. Read more.

WORKERS
The average pay for a Wal-Mart sales associate is $1,000 below the poverty line for a family of three. Business as usual? Not necessarily. Retail rival Costco pays its workers 65% more on average than Wal-Mart, yet earns more profits per employee. Read more.

DISCRIMINATION
Two recent lawsuits by minority employees and customers have brought to light a disturbing pattern of racial discrimination by Wal-Mart. Read more.

ENVIRONMENT
Wal-Mart has a long history of breaking environmental laws that its high-priced green-washing campaign can't hide. Its record of environmental abuse was described by one top law enforcement official as "widespread, systematic, repeated" and has incurred millions in fines from state and federal agencies. Read more.

UNCHECKED GROWTH
Think Wal-Marts are everywhere you turn today? Just wait five years. Wal-Mart plans to nearly double its retail outlets in the U.S. by 2010 and has already demonstrated its willingness to play hardball with anyone who stands in its way. Read more.

Young is no ordinary pr flack.  He is a clergyperson in the United Church of Christ, the former Mayor of Atlanta, the former US Ambassador to the United Nations, and worked as an aide to The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during the civil rights struggle.  He recently signed on as a spokesperson for Wal-Mart.  His decision to do so has left many in the religious / civil rights community concerned and confused.  Many of his fellow clergy - including leaders from the United Church of Christ - issued a statement this week to express those concerns about Young's involvement:

The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., often referred to war, poverty, and racism as the triple evils of our society. It is imperative that those of us who worked closely with Dr. King and who have followed in his footsteps tread carefully as we ponder our actions when interacting with Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. and taking into account its harmful effects on our communities.

We are a group of religious leaders who have endured one civil rights struggle after another faced by brothers and sisters home and abroad. We are united in our concern about a new organization, which we believe serves no other purpose other than to act as a front for Wal-Mart and its unethical business practices. Regrettably, this organization is now headed by one of our own, Reverend Andrew Young.

Wal-Mart's behavior in the community has confirmed our suspicions with regard to their exploitative practices. Consequently, Wal-Mart has begun to feel the pressure and we are aware of its history of breaking child labor laws and its failure to adopt a zero-tolerance policy on the exploitation of illegal child labor across the globe. To avert our attention from their illegal activities, they have chosen a respected African-American leader to support the mission of their organization and in doing so hinders our ability to pose/raise questions or critique the business practices that ultimately affect the African-American community and beyond.

Several of us have made statements about Young's position, including Rev. Jeremiah Wright, pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ, who said, "It is unfortunate that Rev. Andrew Young is so out of touch with his own denomination's position on Wal-Mart that he has ended up on the wrong side of the issue. Dr. King would have disagreed with Mr. Young on this issue. King sided with the poor; he took a stand against the rich who oppressed the poor. The night before he was assassinated, King was standing in solidarity with the sanitation workers in Memphis, Tennessee. Young, however, is taking a stand that is diametrically opposed to everything Dr. King stood for. Young is taking a stand against the poor and is siding with the filthy rich who are oppressing the poor."

"I am disappointed that he has chosen to defend the wayward ways of Wal-Mart. I thought that he was seeking to help them change and become a positive force, not to justify their negatives with `voodoo' economic theories and excuse their exploitative practices which swell the ranks of the working poor here and abroad," says the Rev. Joseph Lowery, former head of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

We also know that there is hope for Wal-Mart workers and the communities which have been negatively impacted by Wal-Mart. We know from first hand experience in the struggle against apartheid internationally and in the fight for civil and economic rights here at home that Wal-Mart workers can and will someday rise above poverty, provide their families with health care, and work free of discrimination and exploitation. We stand in support of these 1.8 million Wal-Mart workers worldwide.

We call upon our colleagues, including Ambassador Young, to stand up against Wal-
Mart and the front groups they create to divide our community. We also call upon those who care about economic and civil rights to join us and stand up with millions of Americans who want Wal-Mart to make real, substantive changes to its harmful business practices rather than giving us public relations smokescreens.

Click here to see the long list of US religious leaders who signed the letter.  The Rev. John Thomas, general minister and president of the United Church of Christ, sent Young a private letter on this issue.

And make sure you visit Wal-Mart Watch to learn more about this issue.

"Immigration Showdown This Week in Senate"

Action Alert from the United Church of Christ Justice & Witness Ministries

This week the Senate is considering amendments to proposed immigration reform bills. The Senate will either pass a bill that addresses the real needs of this nation's 12 million undocumented immigrants or will follow the punitive enforcement-only approach proposed by Senator Frist. This approach includes criminalizing immigrants and service providers, militarizing the U.S./Mexico border, and closing off avenues to citizenship for hard-working, undocumented immigrants. The alternative, the Senate Judiciary Committee’s bill, establishes a path to citizenship for immigrants and authorizes a guest worker program that allows undocumented immigrants to work in this country without fear, while building up credit toward eventual citizenship. It does not include provisions criminalizing migrants or service providers. Send a message to your senators supporting the Senate Judiciary Committee’s more humane bill.

Related Post:  Senate Judiciary Committee Bill On Immigration Far Better Than House Bill

Related Post:  Religious Leaders Speak Out On Immigration

Senate Judiciary Committee Bill On Immigration Far Better Than House Bill

Religious groups have been at the forefront this year in the battle to defeat draconian anti-immigrant legislation passed in the US House.  The battle has now turned to the Senate.  This week the Senate's Judiciary Committee passed a pretty decent bi-partisan bill which attempts to deal with immigration in a fair and ethical way.  People for the American Way reports:

"This bill provides a ray of light and hope for hardworking, law-abiding immigrants who seek a path to citizenship and the promise of the American dream. It was a victory for the men and women who poured onto the streets of American cities seeking justice, and a victory for bipartisan leadership. The Senate Judiciary Committee demonstrated what is possible when our political leaders cast aside mean-spirited tactics meant to divide our country and work together in good faith to solve a vexing problem."

"This bill demands compromise from all quarters in the debate over immigration. It's not perfect, but it holds out the hope of finally achieving lasting, positive reform of our broken immigration system.

"It contains many of the most crucial elements of comprehensive reform. It offers citizenship to deserving immigrants. It does not needlessly punish Good Samaritans who provide food and shelter to the needy. And promising students who lack citizenship could put themselves on the path to permanent residency and a good education. I'm proud that People For the American Way supporters and activists poured thousands of messages into Capitol Hill to support the improvements in this bill.

"We still have concerns over portions of the bill, especially regarding the rights of immigrants to due process, and judicial review of their cases. Nevertheless, this bill is an enormous improvement over other proposals, and a rebuke to Senator Frist's attempt to force a punitive, enforcement-only bill to the Senate floor.

"We hope this spirit of bipartisan debate and compromise will continue as the bill proceeds to the Senate floor. We will not slow our advocacy efforts."

Unfortunately, Republican Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, trying to gain ground with conservatives for his 2008 presidential race, is pushing his own version of the House legislation and keeping the bi-partisan bill from being debated. 

Send a message to your Senator asking that the Judiciary Committee bill get a full debate on the floor of the Senate.   

Update: Church World Service Action Alert

Religious Leaders Speak Out On Immigration

It has been truly stunning (and inspiring) to see massive protests erupt across the United States in opposition to draconian immigration legislation being proposed in the United States Congress.  Over 500,000 people marched in Los Angeles this weekend. 

Like with Iraq, there is great unity in the Christian community opposing these moves in Congress.  HR 4437, the anti-immigrant legislation passed in the US House of Representatives, is opposed by both leading Protestant and Roman Catholic leaders.  Click here to learn more about this legislation and click here for an action alert from Church World Service asking the US Senate to oppose the House legislation. 

Many conservative political leaders hope to use immigration as a wedge issue in the 2006 and 2008 elections.

Here are a few of the statements issued by religious leaders on immigration in recent weeks:

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops:

There are several reasons the Catholic Church is involved in the immigration debate. The Old and New Testaments, as well as the encyclicals of the Popes, form the basis for the Church's position. In Gospel of Matthew, Jesus calls upon us to "welcome the stranger," for "what you do to the least of my brethren, you do unto me. " (Mt. 25-35, 40). The Church also is involved in the issue because many of the Catholic faithful are immigrants who need the support and assistance of the Church. Finally, the U.S. bishops believe that our current immigration system is not good for our nation and contributes to the human suffering of migrants. Thus, they seek to point out the moral consequences of a broken system.

The Rev. Bob Edgar, general-secretary, National Council of Churches:

In our policy on immigration, the National Council of Churches USA -- which represents 35 member denominations with more than 45 million adherents -- clearly states that under God, persons and nations are responsible to each other and for the welfare of all humanity. God mandates the Israelites in the Book of Exodus to "neither mistreat a stranger nor oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt."

As Christians we believe that we are called to advocate for policies and mindsets that do not foster hate and perpetuate fear and discrimination. That is why we strongly urge Congress and the President to pass comprehensive immigration reform that upholds the dignity of all people and reflects the principles for which our nation was founded. Except for Native Americans, who were here when the boat landed, and African Americans who were brought here on slave ships, and Mexicans who were the original inhabitants of most of the Southwest, once, we, too, were strangers in this land.

The Bible teaches us that we have all been created in the image of God and God expresses love and concern for all of humanity -- the condition of our lives as well as the condition of our souls. Developing policies based on hate and fear of those who do not look like us -- but, are nevertheless created in the image of God -- is contrary to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and bad public policy.

National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference:

The Hispanic Coalition for Comprehensive Immigration Reform calls upon President George W. Bush and Members of the Senate to enact legislation that will address all facets and dimensions of the immigration issue. Our concerns stems from the immigration legislation recently passed by the House of Representatives and the subsequent proposals currently in the Senate.

As Hispanic Evangelical leaders we are concerned with the security of our nation and the simultaneous well being of our immigrant families of which the majority is of Latin American descent. We support immigration reform based on our Judeo/Christian value system that empowered this nation of immigrants to thrive while preserving standards of compassion and humane treatment to all who seek a better life

The Hispanic Evangelical church consists of approximately 20 million Hispanics in America. We wholeheartedly understand the legal, moral and political juxtaposition surrounding this issue. However, we believe that we can protect our borders, implement current immigration laws and present a viable solution to the undocumented immigrants currently in our nation within the framework of Biblical mandates and our Judeo/Christian Value System.

Rabbi Scott Sperling, Director of the Union for Reform Judaism's Mid-Atlantic Regional Council:

As American Jews, we recognize the need for a generous, fair and non-discriminatory immigration policy. For over 350 years, Jews have sought freedom and opportunity on America's shores, and many continue to do so today. As a community, we are especially aware that generous immigration policies have benefited Jews fleeing persecution and economic hardship, and we remember painfully the times when these policies have been unfairly restrictive. Having struggled to adjust to a society that did not always welcome our arrival, we understand some of the challenges faced by today's immigrants as well as the need for a firm commitment to our nation's security.

In addition to our historic experience, our tradition also demands of us concern for the stranger in our midst. The Torah contains over 36 references to this principle, including Leviticus' command, "When strangers sojourn with you in your land, you shall not do them wrong. The strangers who sojourn with you shall be to you as the natives among you, and you shall love them as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt" [19:33-34]. Throughout two millennia of diaspora and disenfranchisement, Jews have clung to this principle, which permeates not only our religious tradition but the American legal tradition as well.

As both Americans and Jews, we keep this principle in mind as we face the reality of the eight to twelve million undocumented migrants currently living in the United States, and the hundreds of thousands attempting to come each year. Experience has shown that tightening security at the border alone will not work, as long as thousands of people are still desperate to enter this country to work or to be reunited with loved ones. We need real solutions to the problems that plague our nation's immigration system, not just cosmetic fixes.

What would those solutions entail? Like many others in the faith community, as well as members of the labor, business, and legal communities, we believe that a program of earned legalization for undocumented migrants already living in the U.S. would provide an appropriate alternative to programs aimed primarily at detaining and deporting eight to twelve million people.

Add your voice to this growing chorus.   

National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the Institute for Welcoming Resources join forces

Press Release from the National Gay / Lesbian Task Force

Program is umbrella for more than 1,300 lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender welcoming congregations, seminaries and campus ministries

Unprecedented joining of secular and faith-based organizing efforts

WASHINGTON, March 13 — The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force announced today that the Institute for Welcoming Resources (IWR), an umbrella organization for leading Protestant lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) welcoming church programs, has merged with and will become a program of the Task Force. The move, an unprecedented joining of LGBT secular and faith-based organizing, is designed to provide new resources, training and strategies that will increase the number of people of faith supporting equality for LGBT people.

"We are extremely proud the Institute for Welcoming Resources, an essential leader in the effort to win support for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in key denominations, is joining forces with us," said Task Force Executive Director Matt Foreman. "The more than 1 million individuals in the 1,300 congregations supported by IWR are some of our movement's most valuable allies in the fight to reclaim 'moral values' from those who try to justify anti-gay bigotry as 'deeply held religious beliefs.'"

IWR works with the welcoming church movement in eight mainline Protestant denominations: the Presbyterian Church USA, United Church of Christ, United Methodist Church, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Community of Christ, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), the American Baptist Churches and the Alliance of Baptists. Through this movement, congregations decide — through a formal vote — to offer an unconditional welcome to people of all sexual orientations and gender identities and their families. To date, more than 1,300 congregations — with more than 1 million congregants — have adopted statements that explicitly welcome LGBT people to full inclusion in the life and ministry of their congregations.

"Those of us in the welcoming church movement see it as our job to proudly claim the witness and language of our faith traditions," said the Rev. Rebecca Voelkel, executive officer of IWR. "Unfortunately for those of us who are Christian, some of that language has been hijacked by the radical right and used to attack and abuse LGBT folk. We are determined to change that." Voelkel, a minister in the United Church of Christ, will continue to lead the IWR program as a member of the Task Force staff.

With new resources and expertise resulting from this move, IWR expects to place faith-based field organizers across denominations in strategic locations around the country; produce new resources for welcoming congregations, seminaries and other settings; train clergy and lay leaders to work for LGBT equality; and exchange lessons learned between faith-based organizing in the mainline Protestant churches and progressive people of faith in other religious traditions. As part of the Task Force, the IWR program will continue to organize the "Witness Our Welcome (WOW)" conference as the national convening of welcoming people of faith. It will also continue the outreach work of the Shower of Stoles project, a visual and liturgical representation of the leadership gifts of LGBT people of faith and the loss that occurs when they are banned from leadership.

"We are confident our becoming part of the Task Force will help us grow this critical movement and take us to a new level of participation and effectiveness," said Voelkel.

Faith-based LGBT activism — a parallel stream

Like the Task Force, which was founded in 1973, many of the organizations with which IWR works have been in existence since the early 1970s, with a substantial history of LGBT organizing. This "parallel stream" of faith-based LGBT activism has grown alongside the secular political movement. For instance, Lutherans Concerned/North America, an organization of LGBT and allied Lutherans, has been working within the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada since 1974. Over the years, these faith groups have given spiritual strength to LGBT people, bound up wounds caused by religious abuse, and advocated for full inclusion of LGBT people within their denominations and in society as a whole. In the process, they have won hundreds of thousands of dedicated heterosexual allies in their churches and achieved significant institutional change.

While extraordinary progress has been made within Protestant denominations, including the United Church of Christ's recent General Synod resolution endorsing marriage equality for same-sex couples, it has been done with comparatively few resources. A recent report released by the Task Force National Religious Leadership Roundtable, David v. Goliath: A Report on Faith Groups Working for LGBT Equality (and What They're Up Against) found that pro-LGBT faith organizations were out-spent by their anti-gay opponents by an average of 8 to 1.

"Much of the most important and heroic work to win hearts and minds on LGBT issues has been within religious denominations," Foreman said. "It's long past time for the secular and faith-based wings of our movement to share resources and expertise and advance as a united movement."

IWR as part of the continuing interfaith outreach of the Task Force

Working with faith leaders is not new for the Task Force. Since 1998, the Task Force has convened the National Religious Leadership Roundtable, an interfaith collaboration of more than 40 faith organizations from across the spectrum of American religious traditions. National Religious Leadership Roundtable members act as spokespeople, educators and citizen advocates in order to change the public dialogue on religion and LGBT issues. In addition to the denominations represented in the IWR, the National Religious Leadership Roundtable includes Episcopal, Metropolitan Community Church, Catholic, Jewish, Hindu, Muslim, Missionary Baptist, Unitarian, Quaker, Mormon, Seventh-Day Adventist, Eastern Orthodox and spiritualist representation.

A Muslim member of the Roundtable, Imam Daayiee Abdullah, spoke about the value of the Task Force working more closely with the Institute for Welcoming Resources. "A rising tide lifts all boats," Abdullah said. "As churches become more welcoming, there becomes less of an idea that all 'people of faith' oppose LGBT equality. I'm glad to work with my brothers and sisters in the welcoming congregations and learn from them, and I think they, too, will learn something from me."

To find out more about the IWR, including a comprehensive and geographical list of all the welcoming congregations around the country, visit www.welcomingresources.org.

IWR partner organizations include:

• More Light Presbyterians (Presbyterian Church USA)
• Open and Affirming Program(United Church of Christ)
• Reconciling Ministries Network (United Methodist Church)
• Reconciling in Christ (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America)
• Gay and Lesbian Acceptance (Community of Christ)
• Open & Affirming Ministry (Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
• Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists (American Baptist Churches and the Alliance of Baptists)

Democrats Exploited Fear, Racism In Port Controversy

It looks like the controversy over a Bush Administration plan to allow an Arab-owned company to manage American ports is coming to an end.  The company apparently plans to transfer operations to an American-run entity (though everyone seems a little unclear what that means). 

The debate over this issue has been heated and unfair. 

I've appreciated that the president has often since 9/11 reminded people that not all Muslims are to blame for the terrorist attacks.  His comments in this area are a rare bright spot in his otherwise lousily conduct as president. 

Unfortunately, this president has also stoked fears of terrorism and then exploited those fears for political gain at every opportunity.  Those fears came back to haunt him this month as Democrats and Republicans joined in claiming that allowing an Arab-run company to operate American ports would not be safe.

Senator Frank Lautenberg summed up the opposition to Bush's plans at a New Jersey rally:

"We wouldn't transfer the title to the devil, and we're not going to transfer it to Dubai."

Lautenberg has been a great senator but his comments smacked of racism toward Arabs.

All Democrats showed us on this issue was that they could be as exploitive as the president and campaign just as dirty.  Partisans will cheer the Democrats and congratulate themselves over defeating Bush.  But the cost of this victory was too high.  Lautenberg, at the very least, owes Arabs everywhere a clear apology.    

Related Link:  American Public Opinion About Islam and Muslims

"Mexico: Rape Victims Denied Legal Abortion"

Human Rights Watch has a new report out concerning the difficulties faced by rape victims in Mexico who seek to obtain an abortion:

Mexican officials actively prevent rape victims from gaining access to legal and safe abortion, and they fail to punish rape and sexual violence inside and outside the family, said Human Rights Watch in a report released today.

The 92-page report, "The Second Assault: Obstructing Access to Legal Abortion after Rape in Mexico," details the disrespect, suspicion and apathy that pregnant rape victims encounter from public prosecutors and health workers. The report also exposes continuing and pervasive impunity for rape and other forms of sexual violence in states throughout Mexico. 

"Pregnant rape victims are essentially assaulted twice," said Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch. "First by the perpetrators who raped them, and then by officials who ignore them, insult them and deny them a legal abortion." 

In Mexico, abortion in general is illegal, but rape victims have the legal right to a safe abortion under all state criminal codes. However, women and girls who approach the authorities to exercise this right face multiple obstacles, Human Rights Watch found.

Unfortunately, South Dakota - which just passed a law banning abortions even in the case of rape or incest - is trying to make Mexico's policies look progressive.

Related Post:  Can Christians Be Pro-Choice? Yes.

Religious leaders call for 'comprehensive reform' as Congress debates immigration laws

Interfaith religious leaders spoke out on immigration this week.  The National Council of Churches reports:

Washington, March 2, 2006 -- As Congress prepares to debate changing immigration laws, prominent religious leaders, including National Council of Churches' General Secretary Rev. Dr. Bob Edgar, gathered Wednesday in Simmons Chapel at the United Methodist Building on Capitol Hill to call for comprehensive immigration reform.

The religious leaders, representing the Catholic, Evangelical Christian, Protestant and Jewish communities, expressed their concern for the current system as well as pending legislation that would bring undue harm to legal immigrants, asylum-seekers, and refugees in this country.

The leaders said they would support legislation to legalize illegal workers, institute a program for temporary workers and reunite families separated by immigration laws. The religious leaders said they were opposing a bill, H.R. 4437, the Border Protection, Antiterrorism and Illegal Immigration Act of 2005, that would stiffen enforcement and restrict immigration.

According to Edgar, the U.S. must develop immigration policies that uphold the dignity of all people and demonstrate justice to those who seek a home and a better way of life in our country.

"Throughout history, politicians have tried to convince themselves and others that the biblical call to love, the ministry of hospitality and the Sermon on the Mount are naive, impractical and irrelevant to our complex world," said Edgar. "But one cannot -- dare not -- suspend biblical principles simply to advance a political agenda. It comes from an authority higher than Congress, higher than Immigration and Naturalization Services, higher than the President of the United States, and it cannot be ignored," he said.

Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, the Archbishop of Washington, Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, Jr., President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, and Rabbi Scott Sperling, Director of the Union for Reform Judaism's Mid-Atlantic Council, also participated in the interfaith press event.

You can bet that immigration will be one of the top topics in the 2006 mid-term elections.  It is good to see Protestant and Roman Catholic leaders - along with our interfaith partners - on the same page. 

Related Post:  "The Gospel vs. H.R. 4437"

Related Post:  The Minutemen Project: White Supremacists Gather In Arizona

"A Gospel of Intolerance"

Bishop John Bryson Chane, Episcopal bishop of Washington, wrote an important essay this weekend published in The Washington Post concerning the divide faced by the church over issues related to the inclusion of gays and lesbians in the life of the church.  Bishop Chane writes:

It's no secret that the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion are engaged in a bitter internal struggle over the role of gay and lesbian people within the church. But despite this struggle, the leaders of our global communion of 77 million members have consistently reiterated their pastoral concern for gays and lesbians. Meeting last February, the primates who lead our 38 member provinces issued a unanimous statement that said in part: "The victimization or diminishment of human beings whose affections happen to be ordered towards people of the same sex is anathema to us."

We now have reason to doubt those words.

Archbishop Peter J. Akinola, primate of the Church of Nigeria and leader of the conservative wing of the communion, recently threw his prestige and resources behind a new law that criminalizes same-sex marriage in his country and denies gay citizens the freedoms to assemble and petition their government. The law also infringes upon press and religious freedom by authorizing Nigeria's government to prosecute newspapers that publicize same-sex associations and religious organizations that permit same-sex unions.

Were Archbishop Akinola a solitary figure and Nigeria an isolated church, his support for institutionalized bigotry would be significant only within his own country. But the archbishop is perhaps the most powerful member of a global alliance of conservative bishops and theologians, generously supported by foundations and individual donors in the United States, who seek to dominate the Anglican Communion and expel those who oppose them, particularly the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church of Canada. Failing that, the archbishop and his allies have talked of forming their own purified communion -- possibly with Archbishop Akinola at its head.

Because the conflict over homosexuality is not unique to Anglicanism, civil libertarians in this country, and other people as well, should also be aware of the archbishop and his movement. Gifts from such wealthy donors as Howard Ahmanson Jr. and the Bradley, Coors and Scaife families, or their foundations, allow the Washington-based Institute on Religion and Democracy to sponsor so-called "renewal" movements that fight the inclusion of gays and lesbians within the Episcopal, Methodist, Presbyterian and Lutheran churches and in the United Church of Christ. Should the institute succeed in "renewing" these churches, what we see in Nigeria today may well be on the agenda of the Christian right tomorrow.

Click here to read more from the bishop.

This is at least the second time in recent months that a prominent mainline church official has been openly critical of the Institute on Religion and Democracy (IRD).  The Rev. John Thomas, general minister and president of the United Church of Christ, said this past October:

"Groups like the Evangelical Association of Reformed, Christian and Congregational Churches and the Biblical Witness Fellowship are increasingly being exposed even as they are increasingly aggressive," Thomas said.

"Their relationship to the right-wing Institute for Religion and Democracy and its long-term agenda of silencing a progressive religious voice while enlisting the church in an unholy alliance with right-wing politics is now longer deniable. ... United Church of Christ folk like to be `nice,' to be hospitable. But, to play with a verse of scripture just a bit, we doves innocently entertain these serpents in our midst at our own peril."

Click here to read more about Rev. Thomas' remarks.

Human rights organizations such as the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission have condemned the developments supported by Archbishop Akinola.

In the United States this past summer the Klu Klux Klan was so impressed with IRD's anti-gay statements that they posted those statements on a KKK website.  The Klan - to the embarrassment of IRD - later endorsed an anti-gay protest organized by IRD.  Sadly, the Klan and IRD share similar agendas when it comes to the rights of gay and lesbian people.

As noted recently on this site, IRD has also recently teamed up with political extremist David Horowitz.

Let us offer our prayers for Bishop Chane as he brings light to darkness and names the powers in his church working to tear it apart.  With leaders like Bishop Chane and Rev. Thomas standing with us it will be difficult for IRD and their political task masters to accomplish their ultimate goal of silencing prophetic Christian voices with the hope of furthering the conservative political movement. 

Related Blog Link:  Nigeria Today May Be the Christian Right of Tomorrow

The Marriage Of David Horowitz And The Institute on Religion and Democracy

The Republican Party aligned - Institute on Religion and Democracy (IRD) has teamed up over the last year with the right-wing site FrontPage Magazine to increase the visibility of their on-going campaign to destabilize mainline churches. 

IRD, as a refresher, is a conservative political group set-up in the early 1980s by Republican activists who aimed to silence Christian voices opposed to the Reagan administration's foreign and domestic policies.  The group is funded by extremists such as Richard Mellon Scaife.  Their ongoing goal: to actually take over mainline churches, silence those prophetic voices still speaking out against war and economic injustice, and to use the resources of Christian churches to promote the conservative political agenda.

FrontPage Magazine is operated by David Horowitz.  Horowitz, a former 60s radical who converted to the conservative cause in the 80s, is an icon of the political right and in recent years has had to fight off serious charges of racism and of fabricating events for his stories.  Despite concerns over Horowitz he remains an influential voice among conservatives.

Horowitz's online magazine is now running articles written by IRD spokesman Mark Tooley.  Tooley, who worked for the CIA before joining IRD, has used his columns on FrontPage Magazine to declare that United Methodist Bishops are anti-American for opposing President Bush's policies in Iraq, to attack the National Council of Churches, and to attack the United Church of Christ and the World Council of Churches. 

Tooley's writings opposing gay rights were reprinted on a Klu Klux Klan website this past summer (the KKK even endorsed an IRD anti-gay rally)- a mark of how extremist and anti-Christian his views on moral issues are. 

The marriage of IRD and David Horowitz is one made somewhere besides heaven. 

Related Post:  Republican Party-aligned Institute on Religion And Democracy Attacks United Church of Christ

US and Iran Join Forces In Anti-Gay Cause

At the same time the United States is having an internal debate about whether or not to bomb Iran (or take some type of military action) to stop their nuclear program the US is siding with Iran in a debate at the United Nations to "deny UN consultative status to organizations working to protect the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people," according to Human Rights Watch:

In a letter to Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, a coalition of 40 organizations, led by the Human Rights Campaign, Human Rights Watch, the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, called for an explanation of the vote which aligned the United States with governments that have long repressed the rights of sexual minorities.

"This vote is an aggressive assault by the U.S. government on the right of sexual minorities to be heard," said Scott Long, director of the LGBT rights program at Human Rights Watch. "It is astonishing that the Bush administration would align itself with Sudan, China, Iran and Zimbabwe in a coalition of the homophobic." 

In May 2005, the International Lesbian and Gay Association, which is based in Brussels, and the Danish gay rights group Landsforeningen for Bøsser og Lesbiske (LBL) applied for consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council. Consultative status is the only official means by which non-governmental organizations (NGOs) around the world can influence and participate in discussions among member states at the United Nations. Nearly 3,000 groups enjoy this status.

States opposed to the two groups' applications moved to have them summarily dismissed, an almost unprecedented move at the UN, where organizations are ordinarily allowed to state their cases. The U.S. abstained on a vote which would have allowed the debate to continue and the groups to be heard. It then voted to reject the applications. 

"The United States recklessly ignored its own reporting proving the need for international support for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people," said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. "The State Department's `Country Reports on Human Rights Practices' show severe human rights violations based on gender identity and sexual orientation occur around the world." 

As the U.S. government acknowledged in its 2004 country report on Iran, Iranian law punishes homosexual conduct between men with the death penalty. Human Rights Watch has documented four cases of arrests, flogging, or execution of gay men in Iran since 2003....

The U.S. has reversed position since 2002, when it voted to support the International Lesbian and Gay Association's request to have its status reviewed. Officials gave no explanation for the change.

The US and Iran were joined by nations such as China, the Russian Federation and Pakistan.

The Right Wing Just Hates Martin Luther King, Jr. and Mrs. Coretta Scott King

Conservative talk show hosts, FOX News, and conservative bloggers have been yelling and screaming all day long about the funeral service for Coretta Scott King.  There have been a few nasty comments even on my site.   

Their beef:  the funeral was "political" because the preachers and eulogists had the nerve to talk about the issues Martin and Coretta cared about. 

These right-wing critics are calling the funeral "shameless," "tasteless," and "without class." 

Those are all code words for saying they're mad that black folks got a chance to speak their mind right there in front of the President of the United States - a man who does his best to avoid ever being in crowds of blacks. 

Listen to what Rev. King said about what he'd like spoken at his own funeral:

....Every now and then I think about my own death, and I think about my own funeral. And I don't think of it in a morbid sense. Every now and then I ask myself, "What is it that I would want said?" And I leave the word to you this morning....

I'd like somebody to mention that day, that Martin Luther King, Jr., tried to give his life serving others. I'd like for somebody to say that day, that Martin Luther King, Jr., tried to love somebody. I want you to say that day, that I tried to be right on the war question. I want you to be able to say that day, that I did try, in my life, to clothe those who were naked. I want you to say, on that day, that I did try, in my life, to visit those who were in prison. I want you to say that I tried to love and serve humanity.

Yes, if you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice; say that I was a drum major for peace; I was a drum major for righteousness.

(thanks to AmericaBlog for reminding me of this quote)

Rev. King would have liked his wife's funeral (and since she had a role in preparing it I'm sure Mrs. King would have liked it as well).  King understood that speaking truth to power wasn't political but instead was a religious act of confronting those who oppress or wage war with the word of God. 

What the right-wing is really mad about are the causes the King's advanced.  They hate what Rev. and Mrs. King did in America.

The Kings advanced civil rights and the Right Wing opposed them.

The Kings advanced campaigns of opposition to the wars in Vietnam and Iraq and the Right Wing opposed them.

The Kings advanced campaigns to bring women and gays and lesbians into the mainstream of society and the Right Wing opposed them. 

The Kings advanced campaigns to address poverty in America and the Right Wing opposed them.

The Right Wing in America has always hated the Kings.  Now the Right Wing is thinking that with both of those damn King people dead things should quiet down but their causes keep coming up from the grave.  How can it be stopped!

You can't stop it. 

Jesus didn't die when he died and neither did Martin.  Jesus didn't die when he died and neither did Coretta.  Martin and Coretta can still speak to us.  There lives are eternal and so is their message.  God will even call new prophets who will echo the Kings as they echoed the prophets.

The Right just hoped the message and cause would simply die with the Kings. 

God won't let that happen.  Martin Luther King, Jr. is still preaching today right alongside Amos.  Hear their words:

Seek the Lord and live,
   or he will break out against the house of Joseph like fire,
   and it will devour Bethel, with no one to quench it.
Ah, you that turn justice to wormwood,
   and bring righteousness to the ground!

The one who made the Pleiades and Orion,
   and turns deep darkness into the morning,
   and darkens the day into night,
who calls for the waters of the sea,
   and pours them out on the surface of the earth,
the Lord is his name,
who makes destruction flash out against the strong,
   so that destruction comes upon the fortress.

They hate the one who reproves in the gate,
   and they abhor the one who speaks the truth.
Therefore, because you trample on the poor
   and take from them levies of grain,
you have built houses of hewn stone,
   but you shall not live in them;
you have planted pleasant vineyards,
   but you shall not drink their wine.
For I know how many are your transgressions,
   and how great are your sins--
you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe,
   and push aside the needy in the gate.
Therefore the prudent will keep silent in such a time;
   for it is an evil time.

Seek good and not evil,
   that you may live;
and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you,
   just as you have said.
Hate evil and love good,
   and establish justice in the gate;
it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts,
   will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.

Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of hosts, the Lord:
In all the squares there shall be wailing;
   and in all the streets they shall say, `Alas! alas!'
They shall call the farmers to mourning,
   and those skilled in lamentation, to wailing;
in all the vineyards there shall be wailing,
   for I will pass through the midst of you,
says the Lord.

Alas for you who desire the day of the Lord!
   Why do you want the day of the Lord?
It is darkness, not light;
   as if someone fled from a lion,
   and was met by a bear;
or went into the house and rested a hand against the wall,
   and was bitten by a snake.
Is not the day of the Lord darkness, not light,
   and gloom with no brightness in it?

I hate, I despise your festivals,
   and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.
Even though you offer me your burnt-offerings and grain-offerings,
   I will not accept them;
and the offerings of well-being of your fatted animals
   I will not look upon.
Take away from me the noise of your songs;
   I will not listen to the melody of your harps.
But let justice roll down like waters,
   and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

Amos 5:6-24 (NRSV)

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