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February 2013

JPANet: Act to end gun violence!

This week I'm at Chicago Theological Seminary where not far away Hadiya Pendleton was killed on Tuesday as we sat in a doctor of ministry course. One of my CTS classmates, U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush, lost his son to gun violence in 1999. How many more kids? Now is the time to act.

Action Alert from the Justice and Witness Minitries of the United Church of Christ  

Crossandgun1Despite the unrelenting and terrible toll taken by gun violence year after year in the United States, Congress has done distressingly little to address what has become a major public health threat.  While tragic incidents of gun violence like the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School, Aurora, Colorado and Oak Creek, Wisconsin draw national headlines, in many communities across the country, the impact of gun violence is a day-to-day reality.

Members of the faith community have long advocated for sensible, responsible policies to end gun violence. The 20th UCC General Synod spoke prophetically on this issue with a resolution entitled “Guns and Violence,” which invited UCC members and congregations to advocate for legislation to strengthen licensing and registration of gun sales, strengthen regulations of gun dealers and ban semiautomatic assault weapons and high capacity ammunition clips.

The faith community has come together many times in the aftermath of gun tragedies to urge lawmakers to pass laws that prevent gun violence and this week we do so once again. Tested by our grief, resolute in our faith we remain committed to continuing this drumbeat.

Take action! Write or call your elected officials and tell them that it is time to take concrete steps to address gun violence.

God, Guns And The Church - The Darkest Valley from The Rev. Chuck Currie on Vimeo.


I'm Not Mark Driscoll

I'm not Mark Driscoll.

You'd think that would be obvious.

Driscoll is the Seattle mega-church preacher (with a Portland satellite right down the street from Sunnyside Church, one of the two congregations I pastor) who tweeted out on Inauguration Day:

"Praying for our president, who today will place his hand on a Bible he does not believe to take an oath to a God he likely does not know."

It is hard to imagine a minister being so hateful.  Driscoll doesn't even represent most conservative evangelical Christian thinkers.  Back in 2010, I joined Christian leaders in releasing a letter that read in part:

As Christian leaders— whose primary responsibility is sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with our congregations, our communities, and our world— we are deeply troubled by the recent questioning of President Obama’s faith. We understand that these are contentious times, but the personal faith of our leaders should not be up for public debate.

President Obama has been unwavering in confessing Christ as Lord and has spoken often about the importance of his Christian faith.  Many of the signees on this letter have prayed and worshipped with this President.  We believe that questioning, and especially misrepresenting, the faith of a confessing believer goes too far.

This is not a political issue. The signers of this letter come from different political and ideological backgrounds, but we are unified in our belief in Jesus Christ.  As Christian pastors and leaders, we believe that fellow Christians need to be an encouragement to those who call Christ their savior, not question the veracity of their faith.

Yesterday morning I attended the National Prayer Service that President Obama, Vice President Biden, the First Lady and Dr. Biden participated in. Many of the people who signed this letter where in attendance as well.  Not all of the people at the service voted for President Obama but none question the president's faith and all of us, regardless of important differences, believe that faith should bring us together in the pursuit of justice.  Faith shouldn't be used to tear us apart.

Twice in recent months people looking for Driscoll's Portland church have attended Sunnyside Church by mistake.  One woman demanded a rebuttal to the sermon.  Another man walked out yelling obscenities.

My theology is very different from Driscoll's. God's love for us is radical and God's hospality great.  We are called to build up the Beloved Community. Driscoll reads Scripture differently.

If you're looking for a place to worship in Portland where all are welcome - where you are encouraged to think for yourself and not bound by the leadership of a minister who preaches what you must believe - visit Sunnyside Church or University Park Church anytime.


Building The Beloved Community: A Sermon To Celebrate The Ministry of The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

This sermon was deleived by The Rev. Chuck Currie at a special joint service of Sunnyside Church and University Park Church in Portland, Ore. on Sunday, January 20, 2013.  Our Scripture readings were Amos 5:21-24 and Isaiah 11: 1-9. 

You can download the audio of the sermon here:

Download MLKRevChuckCurrie

(some browsers - like Firefox or Google Chrome - will allow you to simply click on the link and listen...otherwise 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).

The text is below:

This Sunday – this special day when we celebrate the life and ministry of The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. – we have cause to celebrate.

Tomorrow our nation will witness the inauguration of Barack Obama to a second term as President of the United States of America, the first African-American to hold that position.  He lives in the White House, a grand symbol of freedom, but a building created with slave labor.  How far we have come.

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Rev. Chuck Currie and Speaker Tina Kotek
This morning Oregon House Speaker Tina Kotek joins us in worship.  We are proud she is from North Portland.  But it cannot go unrecognized that in a state that has been Ground Zero in the debate over gay rights for the last 25 years that Speaker Kotek is the first lesbian to lead a legislative body in our nation.  How far we have come.

What political party Barack Obama and Tina Kotek represent is unimportant to us this morning. 

It is unimportant what political party Tim Scott of South Carolina belongs to. What is important is that this month he becomes the first African-American to represent a Southern state since Reconstruction in the United States Senate. 

The walls of injustice are tumbling down.  Frances and Katherine, my daughters, can dream any dream thanks to Harriett Tubman, Susan B. Antony, Hilary Clinton and Tina Kotek.  Our children have opportunities that once seemed impossible because of discrimination of all kinds.  Change has come. 

We read in Scripture today that what impresses God is not the grandness of our buildings or the pomp and circumstance of worship but the boldness of our vision, and the focus of our actions in building up the Kingdom of God, which Dr. King called the Beloved Community.

Whatever progress we have made has been hard won and while we have every reason to celebrate we also have every responsibility as the church to bring light to dark places and there is still too much darkness in this world.

6a00d8341c5f6253ef012876e8557b970c-320wiDr. King was more than just a civil rights leader. That would by itself be an honorable legacy. But he was a Christian minister, a prophet even, who challenged the church to build up the Kingdom of God. That's radical. That's transformational. And for those of power and privilege it was terrifying because in the Kingdom the last come first. The Holy Spirit worked through King to break-up the evil of white supremacy and to lift up the needs of those oppressed by economic systems that failed to address the condition of poverty. The task of the church, in this day, is to continue that ministry in new ways and to continue -- as Jesus did himself -- to confront oppression wherever we find it: to set the captives free.

The Civil Rights Movement was grounded in the teachings of the Hebrew Prophets who remembered when the people were slaves in Pharaoh’s land, and both their escape from captivity and deliverance to the Promised Land. 

When Africans were ripped from their homeland and brought into the colonies, and later the United States, their masters often forced them to convert to Christianity.  We have in our history books a copy of a baptismal rite used for slaves in South Carolina that shows slaves were forced to vow obedience to God but told not to take the stories of God’s liberation from captivity seriously.  But it is impossible not to hear the stories from the Hebrew Scriptures and the promises of Jesus and not be transformed.  The Holy Spirit worked in the hearts of slaves and within the Christian faith they found hope and promise – a hope that sustained and guided them through the Civil War - and their decedents into the great Civil Rights Movement.  This was not what the slave owners of South Carolina, my ancestors, assumed would happen but God is more powerful than any human system of oppression.

In what is commonly called Jesus’ inaugural sermon he quoted from the Prophet Isaiah:

18 ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

   because he has anointed me

     to bring good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives

   and recovery of sight to the blind,

     to let the oppressed go free,

19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.’ (Luke 4 NRSV)

That is still the task of the church today. 

Too many people live in captivity:  caught up in on-going systems of racial oppression that still exist despite our progress, kept down by gender discrimination that allows us to place limits on what women earn or what jobs they might hold, trapped in broken immigration systems that don’t “welcome the stranger” but imprison and deport.

Children are captives of underfunded schools that ought to be cathedrals.  Sick people are captives of a system that puts profits before people.  All of us are captives of human caused climate change, gun violence and violence of every kind, along with oppressive poverty that stains our land.  And if we truly believe that war is contrary to the will of God we need to be peacemakers in our time.    

We are still not the Beloved Community that Dr. King dreamed of.

The church universal is not doing enough to build up the Kingdom.

This isn’t new. 

Dr. King preached just a year before he died that:

"... when the church is true to its guidelines, it sets out to preach deliverance to them that are captive. This is the role of the church: to free people. This merely means to free those who are slaves. Now if you notice some churches, they never read this part. Some churches aren't concerned about freeing anybody. Some white churches face the fact Sunday after Sunday that their members are slaves to prejudice, slaves to fear. You got a third of them, or a half of them or more, slaves to their prejudices. And the preacher does nothing to free them from their prejudice so often. Then you have another group sitting up there who would really like to do something about racial injustice, but they are afraid of social, political, and economic reprisals, so they end up silent. And the preacher never says anything to lift their souls and free them from that fear. And so they end up captive.”

He went on to preach:

You know this often happens in the Negro church. You know, there are some Negro preachers that have never opened their mouths about the freedom movement. And not only have they not opened their mouths, they haven’t done anything about it. And every now and then you get a few members: 'They talk too much about civil rights in that church.' I was talking with a preacher the other day and he said a few of his members were saying that. I said, 'Don't pay any attention to them. Because number one, the members didn't anoint you to preach. And any preacher who allows members to tell him what to preach isn't much of a preacher.'

If we want to be true to our calling as Christians we need to address the challenges of our time with courage and conviction, unafraid of whether or not we are winning any popularity contest.  

So we have to say to those in power that it is morally unacceptable that 20,000 children were homeless in our school system last year.  No one should live a third world life in a first world nation. 

We need to stand up to the NRA and rouge sheriffs doing their best Bull Connor imitations by saying that federal laws don’t apply to them when we need laws that protect us from gun violence. 

Our political leaders need to know that growth cannot come at the expense of our health – and so as people of faith we must challenge policies that will negatively impact our environment, including those that disproportionally impact communities of color.

And I want Sunnyside Church and University Park Church to be leaders in the fight for marriage equality in Oregon because until everyone has their civil rights protected none of us is truly free.  

Dr. King said:

"More and more I feel that the people of ill will have used time much more effectively than have the people of good will. We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people. Human progress never rolls in on wheels of inevitability; it comes through the tireless efforts of men willing to be co workers with God, and without this hard work, time itself becomes an ally of the forces of social stagnation. We must use time creatively, in the knowledge that the time is always ripe to do right."

What was true then is true now.  We are the inheritors of the dream.  But the dream is not yet fulfilled.  So God calls us to action.  Dr. King died the year before I was born.  But his words are for every generation.  As we leave this place let it be in a spirit of social action that keeps the building of the Kingdom front and center in our lives.  Faith without action is empty.  Faith combined with action can transform the world.

Amen.      


Live Tweeting The Inaugural @RevChuckCurrie #inaug2013

Safe_image.phpI'll be arriving Sunday night in Washington, D.C. for the Inauguration on Monday of Barack Obama and Joe Biden.  I've also been invited to attend Tuesday morning's National Prayer Service with the president and vice-president.  You can keep track of the visit at http://twitter.com/RevChuckCurrie. This will be only my second inaugural (the first was for Bill Clinton in 1993).  I'm deeply honored to have been invited by the Presidential Inaugural Committee to attend. And I look forward to seeing what the American people can accomplish with President Obama in this term to create jobs, decrease poverty, confront global climate change, reduce gun violence - and bringing our troops home from Afghanistan in a way that uplifts the human rights of the Afghan people, particulary women.  There is a big agenda ahead of us.  President Obama and Vice-President Biden have my prayers as they prepare for Monday.   

Response to Multnomah County Sheriff Dan Staton On Gun Violence Prevention #orpol

I am deeply concerned that Multnomah County Sheriff Dan Staton  and other law enforcement officers are informing the public they will not enforce laws meant to reduce gun violence enacted by Congress or executive order of the president.  Most concerning is that some local sheriffs have promised to prevent federal officials from enforcing laws in their respective counties.  In a democracy our government has a system of checks and balances.  No where does the constitution provide Sheriff Staton authority to determine the constitutionality of a law.

The Multnomah County Board of County Commissioners should immediately pass a resolution that cuts off funding for Sheriff Staton's salary if he refuses to do his sworn duty and uphold the Constitution.  Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum should also investigate whether or not carrying out these threats is a breach of law. These threats certainly undermine our democracy.      

President Obama's common sense proposals to reduce gun violence are supported by the National Council of Churches and other faith bodies, along with many law enforcement officials who respect the rule of law and want to keep police officers safe from well armed and dangerous criminals.  Our schools, malls and houses of worship should be safe from violence, and Sheriff Staton should run for or seek appointment to a judgeship if he wants to interpret the law (though without a law degree he does not have the most basic qualification for such a position).

Rev. Chuck Currie

Oregon Sheriff Tim Mueller Undermines Democracy; Response Required #orpol #p2

Linn County, Oregon Sheriff Tim Mueller says that he won't enforce U.S. laws he deems unconstitutional, specifically laws that meant to reduce gun violence, and that he'll stop federal officials from doing their sworn duty in Linn County as well.  That's a threat to democracy which requires a response from the state of Oregon.  I'm hopeful that Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum will defend the people of Oregon in this matter.

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You can read the text of this letter below:

Continue reading "Oregon Sheriff Tim Mueller Undermines Democracy; Response Required #orpol #p2 " »


A Prayer For Our Oregon #orpol

Invocation as prepared for delivery by The Rev. Chuck Currie for the January 14, 2013 opening session of the Oregon House of Representatives and swearing-in of new Oregon House Speaker Tina Kotek.

Sealsprk3Let us pray.

Gracious God,
we come to you this day as Oregonians of different faiths, traditions, and political beliefs.
Our communities are both large and small
but our love for this place is great.

In a house divided we know failure is possible
but we ask for wisdom this day and for unity in the midst of division.
We ask for help in letting our love for Oregon overcome our differences
and for guidance in forging a future that lifts up the common good.

On this day we lift up to you all those who will take oaths to serve Oregon
in the midst of difficult times, both Republicans and Democrats.
We especially lift up new Oregon House Speaker Tina Kotek, and her wife Aimee Wilson.
Give Speaker Kotek, her family, and the families of all those elected to serve the strength to endure the challenges of public life.

In deliberations both big and small, we ask, O God, that the Oregon House and Speaker Kotek place the needs of the “least of these” first.
Let us lift up those who are homeless, particularly our children, families and veterans.
Let us protect our environment, the creation we are stewards over, and make our communities safe from violence of all kinds.
And let this work be undertaken in the spirit of compromise and reconciliation.

In this House Chamber are women and men of great diversity who will serve with honor.
Give them the patience to hear the people’s voices.
Let them envision a future for our Oregon that includes everyone, not just the powerful.
Help all Oregonians to appreciate their service and sacrifice as they make common cause to build a future that benefits all our people.

Lord, hear our prayer.

Amen.

- The Rev. Chuck Currie is the minister of University Park Church and Sunnyside Church in Portland.

(c) The Rev. Charles S. Currie, Jr., M.Div.

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Rev. Chuck Currie and Speaker Tina Kotek, 1/14/13



Memo To Cross Lobby: Contact Kurt Schrader And Tell Him To Put People Before NRA

2012-07-26_ec_0022No one should be surprised but Oregon Democrat Kurt Schrader is backing the NRA and saying there is no need for additional laws to reduce gun violence. The congressman needs to hear from people of faith (and all Oregonians) who believe otherwise. You can call Rep. Schrader at (202) 225-5711 or visit http://schraderforms.house.gov/contact/ to send a polite e-mail.

Rep. Schrader is an NRA-backed Democrat. Blinded by their support and influence he fails to see the crisis we face in America today – a crisis where over 100,000 are injured by gun violence each year and over 30,000 die.

People of faith are calling on the president and Congress to act. Rep. Schrader needs to put the people of Oregon and the United States before the special interests of the NRA.

Rep. Schrader's bio lists him as an Episcopalian.  It is worth noting that the Episcopal Church USA is asking members to take a "Pledge to Break the Cycle of Violence" which reads:

As an Episcopalian committed in baptism to seeking justice and peace and promoting the dignity of every human being, I commit to being part of the solution to the violence in our culture that claimed the lives of 26 people at Sandy Hook Elementary School and that claims the lives of 2000 innocent children through gun crimes each year. I commit to the pursuit of laws that keep guns out of the hands of criminals, prioritize the needs of at-risk children, provide care for mental illness, and address the many ways in which our culture both celebrates and trivializes violence. I commit to holding my lawmakers, my community, and my own household accountable. I commit to accomplishing these things in 2013. I commit to being the change we need.

Right now Rep. Schrader's views fall far short of this pledge. Let's encourage him to take the pledge and to support meaningful action to prevent gun violence in our nation.

Photo credit: House.gov


President Obama's Inclusive Inauguration & The Rev. Louie Giglio

Update: Rev. Louie Giglio's decision to withdraw from the inauguration seems approrpriate considering the circumstances.  I'm concerned, however, that in the age of You Tube and Twitter and we are judged on our worst moments and not the fullness of our work.  

Questions today concerning a sermon given sometime in the mid-1990s by The Rev. Louie Giglio broke because he'll be giving the benediction at President Barack Obama's inauguration.  My only concern in regards to these matters continues to be what views the President holds.  

As president (informed by his Christian faith), President Obama supports gay marriage, ended "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," and has fought hard to end hate crimes and to expand civil rights for the LGBTQ community. That's what matters.  

What are Rev. Giglio's views today?  I don't know but he should be provided at some point the opportunity to explain them.  He certainly does not appear to be an anti-gay zealot. Instead he has focused his ministry on ending human trafficking - the forced slave labor of young women and girls into the sex industry.  People of good faith often come to different conclusions on difficult issues but on ending human trafficking we stand united.   

I'm thrilled that civil rights hero Myrlie Evers-Willams will offer the invocation. Few in America symbolize better the fight for justice and equality.  

Like President Obama, my Christian faith calls me to fight for the full inclusion of all people, regardless of their sexual orientation, into the full promise of America.

In the end, the only vision that will really matter on Inauguration Day is the one presented by President Barack Obama.  I'm fully confident it will be a inclusive vision all Americans can be proud of. 

For The Love Of All Creation: A Sermon On Genesis 1:1-2:4a for Pride Month 2011 from The Rev. Chuck Currie on Vimeo.


The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Sunday Celebration

6a00d8341c5f6253ef012876e8557b970c-320wiThe people of University Park Church and Sunnyside Church invite you to celebrate The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Sunday on January 20th at University Park United Methodist Church (worship begins at 9:30 am). Our special guest that morning will be new Oregon House Speaker Tina Kotek. A reception in Speaker Kotek’s honor will be held following the service where she will make brief remarks about her agenda in the Legislature and will answer questions.

View this event on Facebook.

Sunnyside Church and University Park Church are progressive and Reconciling Congregations in the United Methodist Church. Preaching that morning will be The Rev. Chuck Currie, a minister in the United Church of Christ, who serves as the minister of both congregations in an ecumenical partnership. Rev. Currie is a contributor to The Huffington Post whose ministry has focused on opportunity and hope for those living in poverty, and for the civil rights of all. 

University Park Church, located at 4775 N. Lombard, worships Sunday morning at 9:30 am. The congregation is known as a place of radical hospitality and has been a beacon of justice for the LGBTQ community.

Sunnyside Church, where worship is held each Sunday at 11 am (3520 SE Yamhill Street), is the home of the Common Cup Family Shelter, and has long been involved in the fight to end homelessness. The congregation also hosts a community meal program, a neighborhood “swap shop,” and Camp Fire programs.

The regular worship service at Sunnyside Church will not be held on January 20th so that members can worship at University Park Church. 

Speaker Kotek “will be the first openly lesbian lawmaker to lead a state legislative chamber in the U.S.,” notes The Huffington Post. “We consider this a great victory for the civil rights of all Oregonians,” says Rev. Currie. “As we celebrate the work of Dr. King and reflect on his unfinished agenda for equality of all, regardless of race or creed, along with his work to fight poverty and end war, it is right and proper to honor Speaker Kotek’s accomplishment.”

Rev. Currie is scheduled to deliver the invocation at Speaker Kotek’s swearing-in ceremony at the Oregon State Capitol on Monday, January 14th. University Park Church is located is Speaker Kotek’s N. Portland district. “All of us, regardless of party or politics, can join in giving thanks that the walls of discrimination continue to tumble down even as we recognize work remains before us,” Rev. Currie said. “In a sign of the times, our members are most proud that the Speaker comes from N. Portland before anything else. That is the way it should be. Speaker Kotek is being judged by the content of her character.”


People of Faith Should Back Strong Gun Violence Prevention Measures

Religion

My latest in The Huffington Post:

"In the end, I believe that the NRA will find out that the Rev. Canon Gary R. Hall, Dean of the National Cathedral, was correct when he said: 'I believe the gun lobby is no match for the cross lobby.'"

People of Faith Should Back Strong Gun Violence Prevention Measures


Looking Back On Christmas

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This Sunday - Epiphany Sunday - marks the end of the Christmas season.  At University Park Church and Sunnyside Church we've been blessed the last two Sundays to have wonderful guest preachers fill-in while I've been on vacation.  The Rev. Eugene Ross, former conference minister for the Central Pacific Conference of the United Church of Christ, preached December 30th.  "Christmas - For Children?" is the topic of The Rev. Dr. Patrica Ross' sermon set for this morning at both churches.  Dr. Ross is Pastor Emerita of First Congregational United Church of Christ of Portland.  Both University Park Church and Sunnyside Church are Reconciling Congregations in the United Methodist Church with an ecumenical spirit.

I return to work tomorrow.

Our joint University Park Church - Sunnyside Church "Christmas Eve In Portland" service was a wonderful evening that filled Sunnyside's historic sanctuary.  It was a special joy to see so many young people and families respond to a progressive Christian message.    

You can see photos photos from our "Christmas Eve in Portland" service here:

My homily from the service is also available:

Join us each Sunday for worship: 9:30 AM At University Park Church (4775 N. Lombard) & 11AM At Sunnyside Church (3520 SE Yamhill).