Rev. Dr. Chuck Currie

Personal Statement from Rev. Dr. Chuck Currie on Judge Brett Kavanaugh

The elevation of Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court will have a deleterious effect on American democracy. His nomination has been opposed by the National Council of Churches, along with other faith bodies, and hundreds of religious leaders have urged the U.S. Senate not to confirm his appointment. For those of us concerned about true religious freedom, voting rights (and other civil rights), protection of the environment, and the epidemic of gun violence, this is a sad day. What makes this a tragedy are the serious and credible allegations of sexual assault against Judge Kavanaugh. A majority of U.S. Senate members, not to mention President Trump (himself accused of sexual assault), have chosen to place ideology over the voices of women. People of faith have a special obligation to continue the hard work of building up the ideal of the Beloved Community. I believe that work becomes more difficult but more urgent still with Brett Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court.

#FourthOfJuly2018: #MAGA vs the #BelovedCommunity

This Fourth of July it is worth pausing – perhaps for longer than we usually might – to consider this moment of history in the life of the United States of America. These are not ordinary times for our nation.

The “Make America Great Again” (#MAGA) movement has turned back the clock to darker periods of our history and given voice to hatreds that not long ago were considered too unacceptable to speak.

We have long battled against institutional racism, of course. Now, however, our fellow Americans and new immigrants to this nation must endure more open misogyny, racism, xenophobia, and religious bigotry.

The Enlightenment midwifed our Revolution into being. Hard questions were asked about religion and the divine right of kings. Scientific discoveries gave birth to the industrial revolution. Other nations fighting off the yoke of colonialism looked to the United States for inspiration as first fascism, and later communism darkened vast swaths of the globe.

Hope has long been found in the American Creed: E Pluribus Unum. Right now the bedrock American principle of pluralism is under attack. Donald Trump’s white nationalist movement to make America great again stands in direct opposition to the call by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to build up the Beloved Community.

If we love our country, we will fight for it. We need not replicate the actions of the Nazis who marched in Charlottesville or the white supremacist group Patriot Prayer that rally in Oregon. Violence and hatred cannot be our tactics because violence begets violence and hatred consumes the soul. This fight does require non-violent direct action, however, as the instruments of our government are now in the hands of those who identify with white nationalism.

Our most potent weapon is still the vote. The majority of Americans do not actively participate in democracy (you can understand why when change comes so slowly or not at all). Progressives must advance an agenda that both challenges the politics of our time and hears the fears and insecurities of those who are both suffering and susceptible to fear mongering.

Christian nationalism plays a significant role in the difficulties we face today. For people of faith, it is critical that we confront religious leaders who preach a message of hate and make common cause with the white nationalist movement. Their religion is sick. God stands with the oppressed and calls on us to break the bonds of injustice. Faith should be about love, justice, and humility.

It is difficult to celebrate the Fourth of July as immigrant children are separated from the parents and as so much of what makes America exceptional is under attack. Still, I, like you, love this nation, and I celebrate all those who have shown that love by being part of a resistance movement that challenges all of us to live up to the best ideals of our country.

#FourthOfJuly2018: #MAGA vs The #BelovedCommunity - Thread -

1. This #FourthofJuly it is worth pausing – perhaps for longer than we usually might – to consider this moment of history in the life of the United States of America. https://t.co/x2j7GuotI2 pic.twitter.com/nXH3k2AQjE

— Rev. Dr. Chuck Currie (@RevChuckCurrie) July 4, 2018

Religious Leaders Back Obama Administration On Transgender Protections

Leading religious leaders from across the nation have sent a letter to President Obama welcoming the decision by the Obama Administration to expand Title IX discrimination protections on the basis of "gender identity, including discrimination based on a student's transgender status" to public schools across the country. Over three hundred people of faith have signed on as endorsers of the letter.

“We recognize that this is a confusing and even unsettling issue for many, while for others who have faced discrimination this has been a harmful experience long ignored. From our perspective, however, you have simply taken another step toward creating a nation where the basic civil rights of all are protected,” reads the letter.

Among the prominent religious leaders to sign the letter include: Rev. Dr. Chuck Currie, Rev. Dr. Traci D. Blackmon, Sister Simone Campbell, Rev. Dr. Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite, and the Rev. Dr. Derrick Harkins.

“Too many LGBTQ youths are lost and abandoned. Many of these young people end up living in poverty and on the streets. None of these children should face discrimination at school or barriers in getting an education. We believe that protecting young people from discrimination is consistent with our faith. Love – not fear – should be our guiding principle. We challenge those who might respond to this decision to open their hearts and listen to the stories, particularly of transgender students, who are so often marginalized,” write the faith leaders.

Text of full letter:

President Obama:

As people of faith with a deep and abiding concern for the welfare of all children, we want to applaud you and your administration for the recent decision to interpret and enforce Title IX — a statute, written in 1972, that prohibits sex discrimination — as also prohibiting discrimination on the basis of "gender identity, including discrimination based on a student’s transgender status.”

We recognize that this is a confusing and even unsettling issue for many, while for others who have faced discrimination this has been a harmful experience long ignored. From our perspective, however, you have simply taken another step toward creating a nation where the basic civil rights of all are protected.

Too many LGBTQ youths are lost and abandoned. Many of these young people end up living in poverty and on the streets. None of these children should face discrimination at school or barriers in getting an education. We believe that protecting young people from discrimination is consistent with our faith. Love – not fear – should be our guiding principle. We challenge those who might respond to this decision to open their hearts and listen to the stories, particularly of transgender students, who are so often marginalized.

Thank you for showing us a better path.

Rev. Dr. Chuck Currie, Director, Center for Peace and Spirituality & University Chaplain, Pacific University

Rev. Dr. Alice Hunt, President and Associate Professor of Hebrew Bible & Theological Education, Chicago Theological Seminary

Rev. Dr. Traci D. Blackmon, Executive Minister, Justice & Witness Ministries, United Church of Christ

Sister Simone Campbell, SSS, Executive Director, NETWORK, A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby

Rabbi Michael Z. Cahana, Senior Rabbi, Temple Beth Israel | Portland, Oregon

Rev. Dr. Deborah Krause, Academic Dean and Professor of New Testament, Eden Theological Seminary

Rev. Dr. Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite, Professor of Theology and President Emerita, Chicago Theological Seminary

Rev. Michael Neuroth, Policy Advocate for International Issues, United Church of Christ, Justice and Witness Ministries

Rev. Dr. Derrick Harkins, Senior Vice-President for Innovations in Public Programs, Union Theological Seminary in New York City

* titles are used for identification purposes only

A Review Of Ferguson and Faith By Leah Gunning Francis

Ferguson and Faith, the new book from Leah Gunning Francis, takes us through the tragic death of Michael Brown in Missouri and how the faith community responded.

For me, it is a story of hope. A common frustration that many of us who are Christian share is that our churches and leaders are absent when they are most needed. We concern ourselves with issues such as divorce and personal morality but ignore larger social issues such as racial injustice.

Ferguson and Faith documents how interfaith leaders in the larger St. Louis community responded with courage, wisdom and a prophetic voice to the death of Brown and the protests that followed.

Francis tells the different stories of individual clergy and protest leaders in their own words. The interviews are compelling and emotionally charged. You read firsthand how people who never expected to find themselves in leadership roles at the front lines of a new and emerging civil rights struggle learned by walking through the fires how to engage difficult issues and to fight for systemic changes in our society.

Many of those profiled are people who are colleagues and friends to me from my days at Eden Theological Seminary, where I earned my Master of Divinity degree in 2005. It comes as no surprise to me that clergy such as Starkey Wilson, Nelson Pierce, Traci Blackmon, Heather Arcovitch and Deb Krause, Eden's academic dean, became such important voices in the days,  weeks and months after Michael Brown's death. They each responded to the call to ministry with courage and humility. That much and more comes out very clearly in this book. Those of us in other communities can learn from their example.

One of the concluding chapters notes that "There is a Ferguson Near You." We know that here in Portland, Oregon as over the years we have struggled with the deaths of unarmed and mostly African-American citizens who have died at the hands of Portland Police.  The US Department of Justice investigation of the Ferguson police department, in fact, uses tools that were developed first here in Portland after it was determined that police in our city engaged in a pattern of discrimination against people with mental illnesses. Where the DOJ in Portland failed wasn't recognizing that almost all of those killed were African-American and that the issue of race was linked with police shootings. We know this is true in many other communities. So yes, there is work for all of us to do across the nation.

My hope is that church members and students across the country will read the stories and hear the accounts of the faith leaders and young activists who demanded that racial injustices be addressed in Ferguson when others told them to go home and be quiet. Silence, as Francis illustrates so well, is not an option in these times.

We should not debate the reality of racism and it's impact on our nation anymore than we should be debate the reality of climate change.  This is settled science. Racism is well documented in sociological studies and in the findings of the Department of Justice as they look at practices undertaken by police bureaus across the country. We know that our system is not fair and is in places quite broken.

All who have argued in the aftermath of Ferguson that "Black Lives Matter" should read this book, learn from the stories that it tells, and look for opportunities in all of our different communities to address racial injustices. Otherwise, we are doomed to repeat the mistakes that have been made in the past. The civil rights struggle did not end with the Voting Rights Act of the 1960s. Ferguson and Portland both remind us that there is a great need to address racism so that all of our people are more free. It is heartening to read in the pages of this book how faith leaders in the Ferguson area have boldly proclaimed that this is not the world that God has intended for us and that we can and must do better.

My Confederate Flag

My oped today in The @HuffingtonPost: My #ConfederateFlag http://t.co/iwPU0AqJj6 #RacismInAmerica #CharlestonShooting

— Rev.Dr. Chuck Currie (@RevChuckCurrie) July 17, 2015

Darkness Invades a Sanctuary -- But the Darkness Will Not Overcome It

My oped this AM: Darkness Invades a Sanctuary -- But the Darkness Will Not Overcome It #CharlestonChurchShooting http://t.co/lYHOoKKTky

— Rev.Dr. Chuck Currie (@RevChuckCurrie) June 18, 2015

My oped in The Portland Mercury: How All Christians Can Be More Christ-like About #MarriageEquality

My oped in The @PortlandMercury: How All Christians Can Be More Christ-like About #MarriageEquality http://t.co/1W7OvpubDp #PrideMonth

— Rev.Dr. Chuck Currie (@RevChuckCurrie) June 10, 2015

The Journalistic Ethics Of Lars Larson

Lars Larson is a Washington State resident who hosts a Portland-based radio show that focuses on how much he dislikes Oregon.  You can often see him on FOX News.

Long ago, before turning to talk radio, he was a television reporter who interviewed me numerous times, and I would sometimes go on his radio show in the early days until his rhetoric became so extreme it was clear going on The Lars Larson Show only provided legitimacy to someone who didn't deserve it (I have, however, offered to debate him on the issues facing my state in a neutral setting).  

That doesn't stop him from talking about me on air or sending random Tweets to me (he follows my account but I don't bother to follow his).  

Still, I came across one of his tweets this weekend that stuck me as odd:

in good journalism, you mention personal characteristics (race, sex pref, gender or religion) when it matters in the story.

— Lars Larson (@LarsLarsonShow) April 8, 2015

What was the context of this tweet? I'm not entirely sure. But I do know that Larson doesn't just mention personal characteristics when it matters to a story and I tweeted so:

.@LarsLarsonShow You gave up journalism long ago - about the time you decided it was okay to call Barney Frank "Barney Fag" on air.

— Rev. Chuck Currie (@RevChuckCurrie) April 19, 2015

As you might imagine, that made Lars a bit upset:

@RevChuckCurrie a lie...but from rev chuckle nothing new

— Lars Larson (@LarsLarsonShow) April 19, 2015

But here's the rub: I'm right.

@LarsLarsonShow Lars, the Internet keeps your homophobia online for all to see: http://t.co/oIS9mVUDpW #truth matters

— Rev. Chuck Currie (@RevChuckCurrie) April 19, 2015

Here is what Media Matters reported:

On the October 31 broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio show, Lars Larson played a spoof "Barney Frank for President" advertisement, in which a person said: "Hi, everybody. I'm Barney Frank and I'm running for president of the United States. Why? Well, because Nancy Pelosi pissed me off. Harry Reid pissed me off, and so did ol' Barack. Ol' Barack himself pissed me off too. I'm pissed at the Repubicans and the Democraps, and I'm going to run as an independent sort of fellow." The ad concludes: "Now remember, this Erection Day -- Election Day, vote for Barney Frank for President. I'm Barney Fag -- uh, Frank and I approve this massage -- message."

Just don't call Lars Larson a journalist. He is a longtime crusader against equality for all Americans. Larson is a talk show host. A Tea Party activist. Someone who calls gay people "fag." But nothing close to an ethical journalist.

I Called A State Representative A Bigot. It Wasn't Right.

This week a state representative sent me a couple of Tweets regarding the controversy surrounding Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber that seemed disingenuous.  These tweets echoed my own calls for prayers (though the representative felt the need to call on the governor to accept Jesus as his personal savior...I know nothing about the governor's faith nor is it my business...nor is it the business of one public official to tell another how to worship).  

I finally responded to these tweets by telling the representative that he was a bigot and a bigger embarrassment to Oregon than the governor.  Why?  There is a long record of this representative, a Tea Party leader and radio talk show host, of making bigoted statements against African-Americans, gays and lesbians, people of faith who disagree with his own very conservative evangelical faith, and even all Portlanders (as if all people in Portland live and believe the same).

Still, it was wrong of me to respond in the way I did and I apologized this morning.  My apology wasn't based on the feedback from this representative's fan base - which came quickly on Twitter:

I heard that @RevChuckCurrie is douchebag. Anyone know the clown?

— Josh Shoob (@ShoobJosh) February 13, 2015

and on Facebook where the representative sought to stoke the fire:

Mike Broberg Well he is from the same church as "the reverend" Jeremiah Wright so it's not all that surprising that he feels that way...a little surprised he was dumb enough to put it on twitter. Btw who are you a big got for wanting governor Coruptionhaber to get right with Jesus

Like · Reply · 3 · 14 hrs · Edited

 

Karen Darnell United Church of Christ. The man is a communist to the core. 

No, these comments and more didn't force me to apologize.

 

Oregon faces a crisis right now - one caused by the actions of our governor.  I've asked the governor, as many have now, to resign after first believing it would be better for the stability of Oregon if he stayed in office.

I agree based on the news that @GovKitz attempted to destroy emails that he must resign from office at this time. #orpol

— Rev. Chuck Currie (@RevChuckCurrie) February 13, 2015

I've also been encouraging the people of Oregon this week to pray for the bi-partisan leadership of this state.  Whatever happens in the next hours or days the state’s bi-partisan political leadership could best serve the public by working in a spirit of cooperation with an eye to reconciliation and reform of any broken institutions. These are difficult days for Oregon. We can lessen the hurt by offering compassion as Oregon moves forward.

Regardless of whether or not this elected official is a bigot it was wrong in the context of this moment to make the claim.  I inflamed tensions instead of lowering them. That was a failure on my part.  We need to be careful with our words so that Oregon can find healing after too long a winter.

What Oregonians need now is to look to the future:

Oregon can be thankful @OregonSoS Kate Brown is ready to take over governor's office. Let's hold her in prayer. #orpol #KitzControversy

— Rev. Chuck Currie (@RevChuckCurrie) February 13, 2015

Unfulfilled Dreams: A Sermon Remembering The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

This morning people gathered in the chapel of Old College Hall on the campus of Pacific University for an Interfaith Service to remember to life and legacy of The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  We also gathered to consider the "UnFulfilled Dreams" of King's movement for social justice and how we from our various faith traditions and different backgrounds might continue to further the work of building up the Beloved Community.  View some of the photos from the service on Facebook.

You can download a podcast of the sermon here:

Download Rev. Chuck Currie - Unfulfilled Dreams

(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 Pacific University Center of Peace and Spirituality plans to hold future interfaith gatherings - both to promote interfaith worship and to promote interfaith dialogue and understanding.

Rev. Chuck Currie, Pacific University Chaplain

My new op-ed: Will Police Unions Battle Houses of Worship Or Seek Reconciliation?

My new op-ed: Will Police Unions Battle Houses of Worship Or Seek Reconciliation? http://t.co/iW4pjCcYlc #BlackLivesMatter #NYPD

— Rev. Chuck Currie (@RevChuckCurrie) January 4, 2015

Response To PBA president's Daryl Turner Statement

The president of the Portland Police Association, the police union, has released a statement arguing that those protesting for reforms of unjust systems of policing and criminal justice are to blame for the tragic killing of two NYPD officers.

As I said over the weekend, the murders of those two public servants were an attack on all Americans. PBA president Daryl Turner's rhetoric is reckless.

The PBA has been a long-time opponent of reform. The union has protected officers who have dishonored the Portland Police Bureau. There are too many examples of the PBA putting the union before the city of Portland and the civil rights of our citizens.

Officer Turner is free to express his opinions as a union representative. But we need leaders in Portland right now who respect civil rights, respect the citizens of this city, and are willing to begin the hard work of starting a process to bring reconciliation between police and the citizens they are sworn to protect.

I think all Portlanders recognize the sacrifice made by the Portland Police and we honor that. At the same time, we should not be disrespected as a city by the PBA president who is willing to tear Portland further apart when we need to be brought together to fix serious issues that impede justice in Portland.

Rev. Chuck Currie

Our Obligation Is To Build A Better America

It is generally a good assumption that any attack on a public servant is an attack on all of us.  That was certainly the case yesterday when NYPD officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos were shot dead by an assailant who earlier shot his ex-girlfriend.  Liu and Ramos represented the diversity and promise of America.  Ismaaiyl Brinsley claimed to be killing in revenge for police misconduct.  Proponents of reform of America's dysfunctional criminal justice system have argued during mostly non-violent demonstrations for legislative changes and court remedies.  Violence has no place in this movement.

Sadly, NYPD Patrolmen's Benevolent Association president Patrick Lynch laid blame for the deaths of Liu and Ramos on not just their killer but directly on NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio, who has supported reform, and other conservative voices on Sundays televisions programs have indicted President Obama and AG Holder - along with clergy and non-protesters...anyone who questions the system as it stands.  This is reckless rhetoric.

The system as it stands is broken.  We treat African-Americans differently in the criminal justice system then we do whites.  Women are targets of domestic violence in a society that allows such violence to occur often with impunity.  Cops can be shot down by people that never should have had access to guns because they are so easy to obtain in the NRA's America.

Right now we need to be about the building of a stronger America where the structural injustices of race are addressed and the hard work of reconciliation is engaged.  There is too much violence.  There is too much hatred.  Our obligation is to build a better America.  The deaths of Liu and Ramos will just be two more meaningless murders otherwise.

Remarks at The Oregon League Of Minority Voters Dinner

Remarks delivered by Rev. Chuck Currie at the Oregon League of Minority Voters dinner on October 30, 2014.

It is with great appreciation that I join with you all this evening.

We are, as you all know, near to an election. There is always cause to celebrate the democratic process. We live in a nation where the people decide on those who will occupy elective office.

For all the gifts of our democracy, however, we are a nation not fully free. A broken system allowed the loser of the popular vote to take the presidency in 2001. Our political system has never fully recovered.

Since then we have given corporations the rights of people and taken away from certain people the right to freely vote. We are not fully free.

The United States keeps company with nations like Russia in incarcerating large numbers of our fellow citizens, and in America those jailings are disproportionally based on skin color and not on crime.

We are not fully free in Missouri or New York or California or Oregon when unarmed African-Americans are killed by uniformed police officers and we know the process of investigation will be neither fair nor balanced.

We are a little less free in Portland, Oregon this month after the Portland City Council decided to fight a judge’s oversight of reforms of the Portland Police Bureau that have been mandated by the federal government which would make us a little more free.

Ours is a disconnected reality. We live in an age where an African-American can be elected president of the United States. We live in an age where a Latino can serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. We live in an age where a lesbian woman can serve as the Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives. All of these people serve based on the content of their character.

These victories are a reality because of the work undertaken by many of you in this room here today.

But we are less free when our people are hungry. We are less free when our children are homeless. How can we make the claim that we are the “greatest nation on Earth" when 20,000 or more students will experience homelessness just in Oregon this year? Neither political party pays enough attention to poverty and economic inequity but the harshest judgment must rest with those who have fought investments in jobs, expansion in health care…and with those who have simply turned a blind eye to the people Jesus called the least of these.

The crisis of Ferguson is not an isolated incident but indicative of larger social ills that infect the whole body of our nation.

Only when we recognize the common humanity that we all share will we all be free. We cannot treat one another as if we can do without the other. We are too interconnected.

In his letter 1 Corinthians, Paul wrote about the church being the body of Christ. These are the words his used, as translated by Eugene Peterson:

For no matter how significant you are, it is only because of what you are a part of. An enormous eye or a gigantic hand wouldn’t be a body, but a monster. What we have is one body with many parts, each its proper size and in its proper place. No part is important on its own. Can you imagine Eye telling Hand, “Get lost; I don’t need you”? Or, Head telling Foot, “You’re fired; your job has been phased out”? As a matter of fact, in practice it works the other way—the “lower” the part, the more basic, and therefore necessary. You can live without an eye, for instance, but not without a stomach. When it’s a part of your own body you are concerned with, it makes no difference whether the part is visible or clothed, higher or lower. You give it dignity and honor just as it is, without comparisons. If anything, you have more concern for the lower parts than the higher. If you had to choose, wouldn’t you prefer good digestion to full-bodied hair?

This is a good message for us as the election nears. We are not fully free because we do not treat the “other” as necessary, as integral, when there is no one, not a soul, that can be left behind. If we do not love neighbor as ourselves, we have no hope.

So I leave you with this prayer, one based on a prayer organically penned by Phillips Brooks, that we often share in the United Church of Christ:

Jesus said, "You ought always to pray and not to faint." Do not pray for easy lives; pray to be stronger women and men. Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers, but for power equal to your tasks. Then, the doing of your work will be no miracle - YOU will be the miracle, and every day you will wonder at yourself and the richness of life that has come to you by the grace of God. Amen.

Rev. Chuck Currie with OLMV director Promise King and members of the Muslim Educational Trust

Houston, We Have A Religious Freedom Problem

@AnniseParker As a pro-#LGBT rights pastor, I see your actions as violating basic religious freedoms & playing into hands of LGBT opponents.

— Rev. Chuck Currie (@RevChuckCurrie) October 16, 2014

Stunning #Huston demanding copies of sermons. The political issue is irrelevant. Separation of church & state, folks. http://t.co/yNVWA55QNK

— Rev. Chuck Currie (@RevChuckCurrie) October 15, 2014

Houses of worship have every right to preach on social issues and to take part in advocacy campaigns. Politicians cannot - no matter where you stand on the central issue involved in this case, LGBT-rights - subpoena sermons from clergy. This is a clear effort by a progressive politician to intimidate conservative clergy. It cannot be allowed, as the Interfaith Alliance has rightfully said. What if an anti-gay mayor demanded by court order to see copies of sermons given by United Church of Christ clergy on behalf of marriage equality? This reprehensible effort by Houston Mayor Annise Parker must be halted to protect the religious freedom of all. I fully support the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance (HERO) as an important civil rights victory. In defense of HERO, however, Mayor Parker has crossed a line no politician in America should cross.

From Ferguson To Forest Grove: A Forum Exploring The Intersection of Racism and Law Enforcement

Special forum with panel, "#Ferguson to Forest Grove" held on 8/28 at 7 p.m. in Marsh 216 http://t.co/yltvnmiPMs pic.twitter.com/Lu8lFf4ZDt

— Pacific University (@pacificu) August 27, 2014

Statement On Portland Police Captain Mark Kruger

July 16, 2014

This is what the city of Portland has come to: an attempt to erase Mark Kruger's Nazi past from history. Capt. Kruger must see this as a victory. But his worship of SS troops might be erased from a city file as part of some bizarre move after he harassed a female colleague - another incident he has not been held fully accountable for - but Portlanders will remember this police officer who dressed as a Nazi and built a shrine in honor of Hitler's most fearsome troops. We won't forget. And our trust of the Portland Police Bureau and the Portland City Council will be further diminished because of this day. The U.S. Department of Justice investigation of the Portland Police, which found a pattern of civil rights abuses by Portland officers, didn't go far enough. There is a cancer in our bureau and no effective civilian control of this entity whose employees can get away with literally anything.

- Rev. Chuck Currie

Religious Freedom Is Under Attack -- But Not How You Think

My latest on The Huffington Post:

Is religious freedom actually under attack? http://t.co/Q4X2lr2mCX

— Huffington Post Blog (@HuffPostBlog) July 9, 2014

Pacific University's Rev. Chuck Currie talks about emotional experience of performing same-sex wedding ceremonies

Pacific University's Rev. Chuck Currie talks about emotional experience of performing same-sex wedding ceremonies. http://t.co/J4uaH1IFuY

— The Oregonian (@Oregonian) May 21, 2014

Marriage Equality Comes To Oregon; Be Joyful

My latest: Marriage Equality Comes To Oregon; Be Joyful via @HuffPostRelig #GayMarriageOR #marriageequality #orpol http://t.co/dIHSWXrgec

— Rev. Chuck Currie (@RevChuckCurrie) May 19, 2014

World Vision Slams Door; Ejects Gays And Lesbians #WorldVision

It's simple: World Vision caved to Christian bigotry today. Yesterday the relief aid agency announced they would no long discriminate against gays and lesbians in employment. After a firestorm of criticism - fostered by men such as Russell Moore of the Southern Baptist Convention - they reversed their decision. It's a tragedy.

The General Synod of the United Church of Christ has said:

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.

More and more Christian denominations and affiliated faith-based organizations are coming to understand that discrimination can no longer be embraced in the name of Jesus - whose ministry broke down walls.  

One day we can hope that World Vision gets on the right side of the Gospel.  Sadly, it will not be today.

Update: Some are advocating a boycott of World Vision. I'm not. But I do hope people of faith consider making a donation to Global Ministries' Child Sponsorship Program. Global Ministries is a joint program of the United Church of Christ & Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and supports LGBT rights.

Is gay marriage coming to Oregon?

My latest op-ed in The Forest Grove Leader / The Oregonian:

Good people of faith can have differences of opinion on marriage equality – and the proposed measure making marriage equality legal in Oregon also writes into law that no clergy or religious institution can ever be forced into performing a same sex marriage – but anyone who uses religion as a shield for arguing that gays and lesbians should be subject to discrimination in the marketplace is committing theological malpractice.

Is gay marriage coming to Oregon?

Churches Still Ejecting Gays and Lesbians

Bigotry in churches is keeping young people from the pews.

Some are staying away because they don't want to participate in institutions that offer hate in place of God's love.  Others are literally being ejected from their churches because of their sexuality. 

Bobbie Pierce is an example. His congregation, Ambassador's Bible Chapel in Newberry Township, has removed him from membership and refused him communion because he's gay. Their leadership says this is an act of love meant to force Mr. Pierce to change his sinful ways but homosexuality is not a sin: bigotry is.

It is vital that progressive communities of faith continue to preach God's message of radical love for all to counter act those that preach hate. This debate has implications not just for who attends church but how gays and lesbians are treated in the public square. Anti-gay hate laws continue to be justified, in a form of theological malpractice, with Christian teachings.  We know better.  God calls us to be a just society filled with grace and not judgement.  Bobbie Pierce and others like him need to know he is welcome in God's house.

There Are No Strangers In God's House: A Homily on Matthew 25:31-46 by Rev. Chuck Currie from The Rev. Chuck Currie on Vimeo.

Arizona's SB1062 Is A Matter Of Sin

Arizona's SB1062, a law which would allow religious people to discriminate against LGBT people, is a legal decedent of Jim Crow. This is not about religious freedom but about bigotry. A generation ago people used the Christian faith to justify discrimination against African-Americans and interracial couples. That was a misuse of the faith and only possible because white supremacists superimposed their beliefs over those taught by Jesus. Using faith today to justify discrimination against gays and lesbians is just as twisted. This law is sin and the GOP legislators who voted for the law - no Democrat supported SB1062 - have made themselves the political heirs of George Wallace. Gov. Jan Brewer (R-AZ) can still veto the bill but has voiced her personal belief that businesses and individuals should have the freedom to discriminate against anyone they wish. I applaud faith leaders in Arizona, like The Rev. Dr. John Dorhauer, conference minister of the Southwest Conference of the United Church of Christ, who have spoken out against this moral travesty. Love your neighbor, taught Jesus. Discrimination is not love nor is it a hallmark religious freedom. Reach out to friends and family in Arizona and tell them that as a person of faith you oppose discriminate and embrace God's love - a love that extends to God's gay and lesbian children.

- Rev. Chuck Currie


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Church Stops GOP Gun Raffle "Honoring" King, Lincoln

Earlier this week, news broke that the Multnomah County GOP would hold a gun raffle in honor of President Lincoln and The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. As I wrote in The Huffington Post, with this a truly dishonorable act the GOP aligned themselves with voices of hatred and racism, and against all that Lincoln and King stood for. I am glad to report that Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral has cancelled the event.

When I learned the event would be held at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral my assumption was that the leadership there new nothing about the event or the controversy. Churches often rent out space to community organizations. Sometimes those organizations do not fully disclose their intentions. So I reached out and asked that the cathedral consider cancelling the event and that by doing so they could send a powerful message that the planned raffle was inappropriate and immoral. My understanding is many others reached out to the Cathedral’s leadership.

The Greek Orthodox Church, like the United Church of Christ and the United Methodist Church, is part of the National Council of Churches. Together we have worked to curb gun violence in our nation. Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral is an important community leader in Portland. We can all be thankful they see the world with deep moral clarity.

- Rev. Chuck Currie

The Oregonian: Portland church says it will no longer allow Republican fundraising dinner tied to gun raffle

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Time to Come Out as People of Faith for Marriage Equality

My latest today on The Huffington Post:

"Most Christians once opposed the fight for equality for gays and lesbians. Today many Christians and other people of faith are at the forefront of the fight to end discrimination against the gay and lesbian community -- even working to support marriage equality."

Time to Come Out as People of Faith for Marriage Equality

Coming Out As A Person Of Faith

The people of Sunnyside Church and University Park Church invite you to a special reception and exhibit viewing on Monday, October 14th at 7pm at Sunnyside Church (3520 SE Yamhill) in support of marriage equality.

View this event on Facebook (please share on your timeline, invite your Facebook friends and those you think might be interested in attending…all are welcome).

Coming Out as a Person of Faith is a multi-media project revealing the experiences, stories, and perspectives of clergy, parents of gay and lesbians, and LBGT couples of faith who support the freedom to marry. The intention is to share with Oregonians how persons from a wide spectrum of Jewish and Christian faith traditions support the freedom to marry and how their faith informs their support of this issue.

Through film, audio, photographs and writing, the exhibit shows how people from a variety of Jewish and Christian traditions are on a journey of understanding, reconciling what they had been taught about gay and trans people with what they have seen to be true about their friends, family, peers and loved ones.

Clergy and people of faith from various Jewish and Christian faith traditions will discuss what they were taught growing up, how they reconciled their beliefs, how they came out—in some cases as a gay or trans person, and in other cases as a faith ally—and how their core religious beliefs inform their support of the freedom to marry.


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The Courts Failed Trayvon Martin: Can the Church Step Up?

My latest in The Huffington Post:

"As a minister, I want both reconciliation and justice. If you think there is no racism in this nation, you are willfully blind. If you believe there has been no progress towards racial justice, your eyes are not open. But we are still far from being the Beloved Community and the fact that a boy with iced tea and candy could die while doing nothing illegal, and his killer walk free, is evidence of that."

The Courts Failed Trayvon Martin: Can the Church Step Up?


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From @ThePortlandTrib To @CNN: How The Media Ignored Progressive Faith Voices On #DOMA

The Portland Tribune asked yesterday: What’s the Rev Running for? Well, nothing.  Jim Redden put forth the question in this context:

The Rev. Chuck Currie must be glued to his computer. The liberal minister of Sunnyside Church and University Park Church is frequently the first to email a comment to the press about breaking social news. He did it again on Wednesday when the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the federal Defense of Marriage Act.

Currie’s remarks supporting the court’s ruling were the first to reach Portland Tribune, arriving just 10 minutes after the breaking news alert from the Washington Post and more than 45 minutes before those from Gov. John Kitzhaber, who also supported the ruling.

It took more than another hour for Mayor Charlie Hales to email his support for the ruling, followed by praise from Oregon Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian 20 minutes later — slightly more than two hours after Currie’s email.

Like millions of Americans, I was glued to my computer yesterday morning – watching SCOTUS Blog, actually – to hear what decisions the court might make.

The United Church of Christ, the denomination in which I am ordained, became the first mainline Christian denomination to endorse marriage equality back in 2005, noting:

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.

My two current churches, reconciling congregations in the United Methodist Church, are strong supporters of the LGBTQ community.

It is important for clergy to speak out on moral issues.  Otherwise, we leave a void filled by the religious right.  The Portland Tribune’s own coverage of the reaction to the SCOTUS decision on DOMA quotes no religious leaders supporting the decision.  Instead, they quoted the Oregon Family Council, a conservative body that claims to articulate Christian values while operating a political action committee that gives 100% of their money to GOP candidates.  My churches don’t get involved in partisan politics (though as an individual I have sometimes made personal endorsements in races). 

What we do is take an active role in advocating on social issues – from marriage equality, to immigration reform, to voting rights, to ending gun violence.  We do this from our deepest understandings of what it means to be faithful people in a democratic society.   

It is important to know that faith leaders across Oregon and the nation are speaking out in favor of marriage equality.  That story got missed yesterday by a lot of the media, including CNN.

DOMA Ruling One Christians Can Support

As a minister ordained to preach and teach the Gospel, I support the Supreme Court ruling today invalidating the Defense of Marriage Act. Homosexuality is not a sin. It is a sin to discriminate -- against gays, people of color, women, children, immigrants... It is a sin to exclude whereas Jesus welcomed. The Greatest Commandment is to love. Christians and other people of faith should welcome this decision even as we should work to undue the damage inflicted on the civil rights of Americans by the court’s decision yesterday to dismantle the heart of the Voting Rights Act. Truly, this Supreme Court has a very mixed record where civil rights are involved.

- Rev. Chuck Currie, Minister, Sunnyside Church and University Park Church, Portland, Ore.

There Are No Strangers In God's House: A Homily On Matthew 25: 31-46

This morning the people of University Park Church and Sunnyside Church had a special joint worship service before members and friends took part in the Portland Pride Parade.

You can watch the video of my sermon homily on Matthew 25:31-46 here.  The text is below the fold.

There Are No Strangers In God's House: A Homily on Matthew 25:31-46 by Rev. Chuck Currie from The Rev. Chuck Currie on Vimeo.

A Pre-Portland Pride Parade Worship Service: There Are No Strangers In God's House

The people of University Park Church and Sunnyside Church invite you to “A Pre-Pride Parade Worship Service” - a special joint worship service of the two congregations, which will be held at University Park Church (4775 N. Lombard) on Sunday, June 16th at 9:30. 

View this service on Facebook. Invite family, neighbors and friends.

Directly after the service the members from the two churches will head downtown to join the Community of Welcoming Congregations in marching in the annual Portland Pride Parade. All are welcome. 

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 (except June 16th- when there will be no service at Sunnyside) 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, an affordable day care program, and Camp Fire’s summer program. Sunnyside is located at 3520 SE Yamhill. 

Marriage Equality Campaign In Oregon Kicks Off At Sunnyside Church

U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley talks marriage equality at Sunnyside Church.

Today volunteers across Oregon fanned out to begin talking to neighbors about marriage equality – one of the great civil rights issues of our time.  In Portland, supporters of marriage equality gathered at Sunnyside Church to hear U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and Air Force Lt. Col. Linda Campbell tell the tragic – but ultimately victorious story – of how Campbell’s partner died of cancer, but because they were not married the couple was at first denied the right to be buried together until Senator Merkley won a battle, but not a precedent, to let them rest together for eternity when the time comes in a national cemetery.

Rev. Chuck Currie has endorsed marriage equality.

Homosexuality is not a sin but bigotry and discrimination are.  Holy Scripture is used to deny gays and lesbians the most basic of civil rights protection in many communities, including employment protections, but such use of Scripture is theological malpractice.  I was honored to host today’s Portland group at Sunnyside Church and to offer a welcome.  Just a generation ago people used the Bible to oppose inter-racial marriages in the United States.  Today the same theological arguments are employed to oppose marriage equality for gays and lesbians.  But Jesus never spoke of this issue.  What he did command was that we love our neighbor as we love God.  Legal discrimination against gays and lesbians is not consistent with the teachings of Jesus.   

This is an issue being faced by people all across our nation.  In the past, opponents of equality for gays and lesbians could count on religious leaders as allies.  Not anymore.  The United Church of Christ, where I am an ordained minister, became the first mainline denomination to endorse marriage equality back in 2005.  Many Christian leaders have followed since.

Sunnyside Church and University Park Church, the two Reconciling Congregations in the United Methodist Church that I serve in ecumenical partnership, will be holding a joint worship service on Sunday, June 16th at 9:30 am at University Park Church (4775 N. Lombard) before the Portland Pride Parade.  Our churches will then be marching with the Community of Welcoming Congregations in the parade.  We invite all in area to join us in worship and for the parade.     

To learn more about Oregon’s campaign for marriage equality visit: http://www.oregonunitedformarriage.org

Listen to the story about today's event from Oregon Public Broadcasting:

Thank The Religious Right For Marriage Equality

The Washington Post's Chris Cillizza argued this week that support for gay marriage is surging because more people know gay folks and because of the influence of television (and popular culture in general).  I think we should give credit to the Religious Right. 

In Oregon, we have been forced to debate a series of anti-gay ballot measures put forward by conservative Christian organizations since 1988. Those conversations – perhaps more than any other factor – have forced Oregonians to consider what it means to discriminate against those who are neighbors and family members. People “came out” to oppose these measures and that meant for the first time many of us met gay people (or realized we already knew them). It forced churches and other faith bodies to reconsider traditional teachings on marriage in the much the same way the Civil Rights Movement forced many churches to reevaluate Scripture – which had been used to justify slavery and Jim Crow, by some – and that process has lead many to conclude that God’s overarching call for love and compassion trumps ancient understandings of relationships (or even misinterpretations of Scripture). In a very real sense, part of the surge in support for marriage equality comes as direct – but obviously unintended result – of the anti-gay marriage movement (and anti-gay movement more generally).

Jerry Falwell, Pat Roberton and Albert Mohler may be America's greatest advocates for marriage equality - though I'm sure they didn't mean it to turn out this way.

P.S. Live in Oregon? Join the people of Sunnyside Church and University Park Church for Easter in Portland.  All are welcome.

What Does Albert Mohler Have In Common With Al Qaeda?

My latest on The Huffington Post:

Mohler is no Osama bin Laden but clearly there is a place where Mohler's Christian fundamentalism and the Islamic fundamentalism of the late bin Laden find common ground.

What Does Albert Mohler Have In Common With Al Qaeda?

Praying For Change With The Portland Police

My latest on Blue Oregon:

The shooting of a patient at Portland Adventist Hospital by members of the Portland Police Bureau, a shooting that cost the patient his life, deserves a careful review. Portland police may have been 100% justified in their actions but Portlanders have every reason to be suspicious of a bureau in constant chaos.

Praying for Change With The Portland Police

People Of Faith Stand Up For Marriage Equality #OU4M

Oregon voters will be asked to consider marriage equality in 2014 - and this time people of faith will be leading the charge.

This morning Oregon United for Marriage launched a campaign to qualify a measure to make marriage equality the law of the land.  A packed church hall was the site of a diverse faith leaders breakfast where clergy and others became some of the first to sign the petetion.

"As religious leaders, we stand in solidarity with Oregon United for Marriage," said the Rev. Tara Wilkins, pastor of Bridgeport United Church of Christ and executive director of the Community of Welcoming Congregations. "Many of our religious traditions support the freedom to marry, and we believe the time is now to make it legal for gay and lesbian couples to marry in Oregon." Rev. Wilkins notes that the proposed initiative protects religious freedom, and no religious community will be forced to marry same-sex couples. Over 250 clergy and faith leaders have already signed on in support of the Freedom to marry in Oregon. "Marriage is about families and the freedom to marry reflects our values of treating all of our congregants the same, said Rev. Wilkins".

When the General Synod of the United Church of Christ endorsed marriage equality in 2005, they noted:

Rev. Chuck Currie signs the petition for marriage equality.

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.

In that spirit, I signed my name to the petition this morning as a United Church of Christ minister serving two Reconciling Congregations in the United Methodist Church.

Some religious leaders in Oregon will obviously oppose marriage equality.  But they can no longer claim to speak for God or for the church universal.  A generation ago many churches used the Bible to oppose interacial marriage.  They were wrong then.  Many Christians today believe it is wrong to use to Bible and the teachings of Jesus, which call for inclusion and justice - to oppose marriage equality today.  

The Rev. Dr. Walter John Boris of the Central Pacific Conference of the United Church of Christ speaks out in support of marriage equality.

Sweet Cakes Bakery: The Great Wedding Cake Controversy

A Portland-area bakery recently refused to sell a wedding cake to a lesbian couple based on their religious objections to same-sex marriage. As I told KOIN-TV this weekend, the response wasn't Christian but discriminatory.  

Let's be clear: homosexuality is not a sin.  Bigotry is.  A generation ago - when Barack Obama's parents were married - interracial marriage was illegal in many states and businesses refused to accommodate interracial couples.  These private businesses often used the Bible to justify their discriminatory acts.

This incident is no different.  Oregon law protects gays and lesbians from discrimination.  A private business has no right to discriminate against someone based on their sexual orientation.  The Oregon Department of Justice is now investigating.  They will determine whether or not a crime has been committed.

But certainly a sin has been committed by the owners of Sweet Cakes Bakery.  Their website says they make cakes for "any occasion."  Unless you are gay, apparently.  What they have done is no different from those who a generation ago turned away interracial couples.  As a minister ordained to preach and teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ, I find no place in Holy Scripture that justifies such discrimination.  My hope is that the owners of the bakery have an opportunity to prayerfully reflect on this issue and repent. 

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.

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.

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.

Dr. 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.      

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

The 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.”

Wal-Mart's MLK

My latest oped in The Huffington Post:

Is Wal-Mart trying to burnish their image by tying their company to the image of America's great champion for civil rights and workers?

Wal-Mart's MLK

Portland Police Reform Effort Already Off Track

The U.S. Department of Justice recently found that the Portland Police Bureau has engaged in a pattern of abuse that has denied people their basic civil rights and resulted in the deaths of several Portlanders, mostly those suffering from mental illness.  Willamette Week notes this morning that the DOJ has not called for an independent monitor to oversee reforms in Portland but instead will “create a body to ensure increased community oversight of reforms.”  That's an effort doomed to failure.

Local communities always oppose advances in civil rights when pressed.  That's the sad reality of our history.  We would never have had civil rights in our nation without the intervention of federal authorities and monitors.  Mayor Sam Adams and Portland Police Chief Mike Reese have already said they don't agree with the DOJ's findings.  So what is there to reform?  And how will this body make head-way if Portland authorities are busy protecting turf instead of protecting rights?

Most disappointing in the article today in Willamette Week were the comments by the two candidates hoping to replace Sam Adams as mayor in January when his scandal plagued term ends.  Both said they oppose independent oversight.  So does the police union, naturally.  This is all a recipe for more failure, more inaction, and more deaths of innocent Portlanders.

Statement On DOJ Investigation Of Portland Police

We have learned this morning that the U.S. Department of Justice has found that the Portland Police have engaged in a pattern of force that has violated the civil rights of Portlanders and resulted in the deaths of too many of our fellow citizens. I have not yet read the full report but applaud the DOJ for their work. As one of the clergy who called for this investigation and who took part in the memorial service for James Chasse, I continue to be outraged at the crisis in management that has developed in the Portland Police during the last several years. It will take a new mayor and new leadership at the Police Bureau to regain the full trust and faith Portlanders should have in their police. I am deeply appreciative of the many members of the Portland Police who have come forward to report violations and to work with integrity with the DOJ during this period. I'll look forward to reading the full report and hearing of the DOJ's recommendations to make Portland a safer community for all. - Rev. Chuck Currie


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Marriage Equality On HuffPost Live

This afternoon I took part in a discussion about marriage on HuffPost Live.  You can watch the archived video here. (It was a surprise to learn later I had relocated to Santa Rosa...)

Will You Marry Me? A Sermon on John 2:1-11, 15: 9-17 | Marriage Equality and the Bible

Read Will You Marry Me? Marriage Equality and the Bible on The Huffington Post

Summer is wedding season and while I'm not overwhelmed with wedding requests I've had a few and there is one that I'm really looking forward to in September. Weddings are, of course, special events. At their best, weddings bring not just two people together but families and even communities in a union bonded together in love. There is a simple joy in all that - even if the reality is that marriage itself is complex and sometimes difficult, just ask anyone who has been married longer than an hour. As we reflect on our reading from Scripture this morning, I want to discuss marriage a bit with you as we understand it in Christian terms, what marriage means as a legal institution, and to share with you some decisions that I have made about my role as a minister as it relates to marriage that have been helped along by my doctoral studies on this issue.

Let me begin by noting the reality that within the United States it is illegal for a minister or any other officiant to marry a gay or lesbian couple, much as it was illegal a generation ago to marry interracial couples. Oregonians voted to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman in 2004 - it is part of our state Constitution - thus banning marriage equality. This state Constitutional amendment plus the federal Defense of Marriage Act will both have to be overturned for gays and lesbians to receive true marriage equality. Federal law does not recognize gay marriages that are legal in states such as New York.

As a minister, I am asked to be an agent of the state when it comes to marriage. One way for a marriage to become legal is for an ordained minister to sign a marriage certificate. The United Church of Christ and the Episcopal Church USA are the only two mainline Christian denominations to support marriage equality, and that allow their clergy to perform such ceremonies. However, my religious freedom to provide pastoral care to gay and lesbian couples is curtailed by the government which says that I cannot legally marry same-gender couples - thus denying these parishioners the same care I can provide to straight couples. It does not seem the proper function of the government to tell me as a minister whom I can and cannot provide pastoral care to. That should be a decision of the church. The United Methodist Church, of course, forbids not just gay marriages but commitment ceremonies that the General Assembly of the church has deemed incompatible with Christianity. I look forward with great anticipation to the day this deeply flawed policy of this faithful denomination is overturned.

The United Church of Christ has developed an inclusive wedding liturgy, in which we pray for couples being married that:

...we come together in the presence of God to witness the marriage of the couple, to surround them with our prayers, and to share in their joy. The scriptures teach us that the bond and covenant of marriage is a gift of God, a holy mystery in which two become one flesh, an image of the union of Christ and the church. As the couple give themselves to each other, we remember that at Cana in Galilee our Savior Jesus Christ made the wedding feast a sign of God's reign of love. (So we pray that we) enter into (the wedding) celebration confident that through the Holy Spirit, Christ is present with us... We pray that (the) couple may fulfill God's purpose for the whole of their lives.

It is this idea of covenant that is so central, so important to marriage and there is no Biblical reason the marriage covenant should not be available to gay or lesbian couples.

Last fall, as I was taking a course in Biblical theology at Chicago Theological Seminary for my doctoral degree program, I wrote a piece for The Huffington Post about Chick-fil-A and their opposition to marriage equality. I note this mostly to brag that I wrote about this issue nearly a year before most anyone else was talking about it. ☺

I said then and I'll say now that I love Chick-fil-A. Their plain old chicken sandwich and a sweet tea can send me to heaven. I've always known they were owned by a Christian family and, frankly, I like that they close on Sundays. I'm old enough to remember when more stores did (of course, that often was enforced by law) and I think a (voluntary) day off from shopping and commercialism isn't a bad thing. But I was sad to hear then that the company had donated food to an anti-gay marriage group. Chick-fil-A president Dan Cathy said the contribution was made because the company believes in a "Biblical definition of marriage." Mr. Cathy has since become even more vocal in his opposition to marriage equality.

What I suggested in my piece in The Huffington Post was that Mr. Cathy ought to read Unprotected Texts: The Bible's Surprising Contradictions About Sex and Desire, a book from Boston University's Jennifer Wright Knust. This American Baptist pastor and scholar notes that: "When it comes to marriage, biblical laws are almost entirely contradictory." In short, the one "Biblical definition of marriage" that Chick-fil-A wants to promote doesn't exist.

I'm guessing Mr. Cathy never took my advice.

As I've preached, how we read the Bible matters. It is not to be taken literally. John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, argued that Christian faith required one to bring Scripture, reason, experience and tradition to the table when trying to discern the will of God. Chick-fil-A is offering fast-food theology to a world that needs more than a bumper sticker understanding of the divine.

In a post for The Washington Post's "On Faith" blog, Knust wrote:

If we do take the time to read the Bible, we are likely to discover that the biblical writers do not agree with us, whatever version of sexual morality we are seeking to promote. Written more than 2,000 years ago at a significant historical and cultural distance, the Bible gathers together a diverse collection of ancient books, edited over time, not a coherent, divinely inspired set of instructions that can easily be applied. Tracing even a few, limited topics from one biblical book to another can make the point: If one book forbids marriage between foreigners and Israelites, the next depicts such marriages as a source of blessing, not only to Israel but to all of humankind. If one insists that women are saved by childbearing, the next recommends that women avoid childbearing altogether in order to devote themselves more fully to God. If one suggests that sex with a relative, the wife of another man, or with a male lover will certainly lead to the nation's downfall, the next depicts heroic kings engaging in precisely these forms of sex. And these are just a few examples.

Knust offers the same argument in her book. Knust writes: "The Bible is complicated enough, ancient enough, and flexible enough to support an almost endless set of interpretive agendas."

That may be true, in part. Taken as a whole, the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament offer (for me) a vision of covenant. My sense is that covenant includes within our relationships between one another and with God that we should - in Paul's words - be subject to one another out of love. That doesn't mean we have an anything goes faith without rules or boundaries. In fact, the opposite is true. You cannot, for example, abandon your family and remain in covenant with God or your relatives. Justice and compassion are central to Christianity. Yet, not all teachings from scripture should be practiced today (if they were, we'd still own slaves, as sanctioned in some parts of the Bible).

We must use an interpretative process to discern God's will for us - and do not think for a moment this isn't just what the different authors of the Bible did during the many centuries it was transformed from oral tradition to the written word. Using Wesley's criteria for discernment, it is important that we open ourselves to the power of the Holy Spirit - God's own breathe - to help guide us and for us to undertake this enterprise with humility.

A generation ago, as I have mentioned, interracial marriage was outlawed. This was justified by the use of Scripture. Genesis 28:1 reads: "Then Isaac called Jacob and blessed him, and charged him, 'You shall not marry one of the Canaanite women." In the past, this piece of Scripture was interpreted by some Christians to mean that Hebrews and Canaanites were of different races and therefore no races should inter-marry.

We may think this silly today but when Barack Obama was born his father - a black man - and his mother - a white woman - were barred from being legally married in many states and the justification was often Biblical. We have discerned over time, led by the power of the Holy Spirit, to understand not only our own error in interpretation but also the reality that some of what is written in Scripture has no moral authority over us today. Or should I quote from 1 Tim 2:11-12? "Let a woman learn in silence with full submission. I permit no woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she is to keep silent."

You see, I'm willing to make the faith claim right here and now that God has no problems with interracial marriages, wants women to speak boldly with the voice of Sophia (the embodiment of God's wisdom), and that those who use Scripture to justify discrimination against gays and lesbians are making the same mistake in interpretation that we have made as a people over and over again.

So will I marry gay and lesbian couples?

Right now I'm a United Church of Christ minister serving two Reconciling Congregations in the United Methodist Church. The United Church of Christ affirms marriage equality. The United Methodist Church says homosexuality is incompatible with Christianity. And both Sunnyside Church and University Park Church have pledged to welcome all, and are faithfully engaging the larger United Methodist Church to change the rules and truly become a church with open hearts and open doors and open minds.

So yes, I will marry any gay and lesbian couple that I believe is ready to make that commitment, using the same criteria to make that call that I would for any heterosexual couple. To respect the rules of the United Methodist Church, I will conduct those services at Ainsworth United Church of Christ, my home congregation.

Is there a risk is making this announcement?

I remember the words of Martin Luther King, Jr. who told his church:

No member of Ebenezer Baptist Church called me to the ministry. You called me to Ebenezer, and you may turn me out of here, but you can't turn me out of the ministry, because I got my guidelines and my anointment from God Almighty. And anything I want to say, I'm going to say it from this pulpit. It may hurt somebody, I don't know about that; somebody may not agree with it. But when God speaks, who can but prophesy? The word of God is upon me like fire shut up in my bones, and when God's word gets upon me, I've got to say it, I've got to tell it all over everywhere. And God has called me to deliver those that are in captivity.

So if you're gay or you're lesbian or bi-sexual or transgendered or questioning, I want to make it clear today: I am your pastor too. I am your pastor if you're straight, if you're a Democrat or a Republican, if you're black, white, Latino. And no rulebook or law will prevent me from providing you with the pastoral care I am called to provide.

What I will no longer do after September is sign wedding licenses. Until the day comes when marriage equality is the law of the land I will no longer act as an agent of the state in an institution that is discriminatory. In this, I join a small but growing number of clergy. I will offer you the religious rites of the church but will invite you to have your marriage license signed by a judge or other official of the state.

When the General Synod of the United Church of Christ endorsed marriage equality in 2005, they noted:

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.

I find truth in this statement and have love for the United Methodist Church, United Church of Christ and the church universal - not as institutions, but as part of the body of Christ. We are all one in Christ. It is in that spirit of love, that I come forth today to share with you God's call to us to love all people in ways that honor and continue the ministry of Jesus. It is a ministry, as we heard this morning in our text from John, that is joyful and where the Disciples - and by extension us - are commanded once again simply to love as Jesus has loved us - without condition or judgment, and centered on God's desire for us to be free from oppression or captivity, in covenant with one another and with God. Amen.

Will You Marry Me? A Sermon on John 2:1-11, 15:9-17 | Marriage Equality and the Bible from The Rev. Chuck Currie on Vimeo.

Shooting At Family Research Council Must Be Condemned; Shows Need For New Gun Controls

A shooting took place today outside the D.C. offices of the Family Research Council, a organization recognized as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center for their attacks against gays, lesbians and others.

No motive is known for the attack but it must be condemned by all who love God and seek justice. One guard was injured.

UPDATE: Additional information suggests this may be an act of domestic terrorism.  Before this information was known, LGBT leaders, often the victims of politicals campaigns undertaken by the Family Reseach Council, released a statement that read: "We were saddened to hear news of the shooting this morning at the offices of the Family Research Council. Our hearts go out to the shooting victim, his family, and his co-workers" and that "regardless of what emerges as the reason for this shooting, we utterly reject and condemn such violence. We wish for a swift and complete recovery for the victim of this terrible incident."

We are reminded of the words spoken by The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. a generation ago:

The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it. Through violence you murder the hater, but you do not murder hate. … Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.

The anti-civil rights organization "National Organization for Marriage" is blaming this attack on the Southern Poverty Law Center.  That's irresponsible.  The Southern Poverty law Center has always promoted non-violence and justice.  Regardless of the motive of the shooter, the fact remains that the Family Research Council promotes an agenda of hate and division that must be called out.

But violence is never the way to achieve that goal.  What this does remind of us is the need for senisble gun controls that protect all people.

UPDATE: It is worth noting that the Family Research Council which has opposed sensible gun controls and partnered with the NRA did not issue statements calling for prayers in the wake of the mass shootings in Colorado or the Sikh temple.

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

Churches Should Reexamine Ties To Boy Scouts Over Discrimination Policy

The decision by the Boy Scouts to re-affirm their policy of discriminating against gay and lesbian people should cause churches that host the Boy Scouts to reconsider their relationship with the organization.

As NPR reports, the Boy Scouts have decided after a 2-year review to maintain their policy which states:

"While the BSA does not proactively inquire about the sexual orientation of employees, volunteers, or members, we do not grant membership to individuals who are open or avowed homosexuals or who engage in behavior that would become a distraction to the mission of the BSA."

Discrimination against people who are gay and lesbian is contrary to the Greatest Commandment.

Few would question the overall value of the Boy Scout program.  But if the Boy Scouts are going to maintain that discrimination is a morally valid practice it is time for our churches to determine if the mission of the Boy Scouts is still compatiable with the mission of our churches.   

The Tea Party's Ongoing Racism Problem

We've seen plenty of evidence of the last couple of years that the Tea Party has plenty of racist members willing to put their racism front and center.  That occurred again on the 4th of July - a day thay should unite all Americans - when Tea Party members in New Mexico attached a Confederate battle flag to their float in a local parade.  People of faith must continue to condemn this extremism and demand that no one use race or religion or sexual orientation as a tool to divide people.  My firm belief is that most Americans regardless of political party find this kind of behavior offensive.  Politicians that court the Tea Party vote should make clear they strongly reject racism.  Churches and other faith bodies should use every opportunity to demand that for the common good of our nation that political movements not seek to rip apart our national community but build it up.

Christians Praise President Obama On Immigration

Christians across the United States have been quick to praise President Obama for his decision not to deport certain young immigrants who came to the United States as children.  "As the President has said many times, it makes no sense to remove productive young people to countries where they may not have lived or even speak the language. They have become productive members in our communities. They have grown up swearing allegiance to our flag. Yet they live in the shadows of America, without the possibility to realize their dreams," writes Cecilia Muñoz, Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council.  Mainline Christians, evangelicals and Roman Catholics - often divided - have been outspoken in their support for immigration reform and President Obama's actions. Why is this the case? We are called to "welcome the stranger" in our midst with hospitality.  Laws must be followed and real reform is still needed but the clear Christian response on this issue has always been not to turn away young people trying to better their lives.

“We believe the DHS’s policy that rewards hard working young people sets the right tone.  Evangelicals everywhere affirm that young immigrants can and should be allowed to contribute to our nation’s well-being.”

- Rev. Gabriel Salguero, President of The National Latino Evangelical Coalition (NaLEC)

"The Obama administration’s announcement today that some undocumented youth living in the U.S. will receive temporary relief from deportation and will be able to receive work authorization is an extraordinary way forward for much needed immigration reform. Among the young people who will be blessed by this action are United Methodists with whom we celebrate and give God thanks. This day comes as a result of the diligent efforts of many, including the hard work of Immigration Rapid Response Teams in our annual conferences, the work of several of our general agencies, United Methodist Women, and the clear and steady voice of our Council of Bishops."

- United Methodist Bishop Bishop Minerva G. Carcaño

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops welcomed the action of President Barack Obama today to defer action to all young people eligible under the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act, saying that it would permit young people who were brought into the United States undocumented to come out of the shadows and more fully participate in society.

“This important action will provide legal protection, and work authorization, to a vulnerable group of immigrants who are deserving of remaining in our country and contributing their talents to our communities,” said Archbishop Jose Gomez of Los Angeles, chairman of the USCCB Committee on Migration. “These youth are bright, energetic, and eager to pursue their education and reach their full potential.”

As many as 800,000 young people would be eligible to receive a deferred action on deportation for two years, and a work permit.

Archbishop Gomez said the President’s action is no substitute for passage of the DREAM Act and encouraged Congress to enact comprehensive and humane immigration reform.

- U.S. Conference of Roman Catholic Bishops

Jesus said, "Bring the children to me." Our Christian teachings compel us to welcome the stranger in our midst, many of whom are young people innocent of any wrong doing. As officers of the United Church of Christ, we applaud President Obama's decision to grant categorical relief to almost 1 million young people who were brought to the United States when they were children. 

Until now these young people — who grew up in the United States, attended American schools and stayed out of trouble — were not able to dream of possibilities for personal or professional advancement in this country. Until now, these young people have been unable to work. They are ineligible for government financial aid to go to college, even in circumstances when they are outstanding students who are committed to being productive contributors to their communities and our society as a whole. Worst of all, they have been subject to deportation proceedings, sending them back to countries in which they have little connection or familiarity. 

The Executive Order announced on June 15, 2012, gives undocumented young immigrants, under the age of 30, the ability to apply for deferred action of deportation.  They must meet key criteria outlined in the statement delivered by Janet Napolitano, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security. While this temporary measure contains limiting conditions and gives only two years of reprieve, it is a positive step that we pray will lead to just and compassionate immigration reform legislation that is long overdue. As leaders of the United Church of Christ we call for the President and Congress to enact comprehensive social policies that establish a safe and humane immigration system that is consistent with our core values: Continuing Testament, Extravagant Welcome, and Changing Lives. 

- The Officers of the United Church of Christ

Central Pacific Conference Of The @UnitedChurch Of Christ Marches in #PDXPride Parade

Members of the Central Pacific Conference of the United Church of Christ joined a large contingent of Christian churches and other faith traditions part of the Coalition of Welcoming Congregations (CWC) today at the Portland Pride Parade.  I was glad to be there as a minister in the UCC, along with many colleagues, and to know that the two new congregations I will begin to pastor on July 1st - Sunnyside Church and University Park Church - are both members of CWC and share in the belief that God's love and justice is for all.  There is still much work to do to break down walls of inequality faced by gays and lesbians across the United States and the globe.  Not only are gays and lesbians denied the right to marry - much as interracial marriages were prohibited a generation ago - but hate crimes continue to occur and discrimination based on sexual orientation in employment and housing are still legal in many communities.  Such discrimination is contrary to the will of God and churches have a moral obligation to fight for equality whenever possible.  Tragically, the Christian faith is often used to justify hatred and discrimination against the gay and lesbian community.  That's theological malpractice that comes from a flawed understanding of Scripture.  We still have a long way to go before the Beloved Community is real and available for all.