Rev. Dr. Chuck Currie

A Prayer Of Healing For The Coronavirus

God of many faiths,

A new virus has emerged.
With it comes grief, suffering, and fear.
Heal the sick, we pray.
Comfort the afflicted, we pray.

God of all nations,

Your people are quarantined in cities and on ships.
Help those impacted find hope.
Help relieve fear.
Spark courage in all your people.

God of all people,

Help us to reach out with compassion.
Remind us to reject bigotry.
Encourage us to lift up reason.
Demand that we respond with love to those in need.

Healing God,

We ask for your blessings on scientists.
We ask for your blessings on doctors and first responders.
We ask for wisdom for government officials the world over.
Bring comfort to all.

We pray all this and more to a God who knows no borders, who loves all people, and who heals the sick and broken-hearted.

Amen.

A prayer written by The Rev. Dr. Chuck Currie, a minister in the United Church of Christ, and director of the Center for Peace and Spirituality and university chaplain at Pacific University.

Donald Trump Is Not The Chosen One

When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice;
when the wicked rule, the people groan.—Proverbs 29:2

Donald Trump is the ”chosen one” has been the theological defense used by white evangelical Christian leaders to defend their support of Donald Trump since 2016. Just listen to Jerry Falwell, Jr., Franklin Graham, Paula White, Robert Jeffress, and now Rick Perry. It’s also their defense against impeachment. How can Congress remove a man God has ordained to be president? This is theological malpractice. God does not pick presidents. Ultimately, the Electoral College does. For those of us who are Christian, we should understand that God wants leaders who will seek a just society and stand with the vulnerable over those who would oppress God’s people. Still, the ”chosen one” defense is powerful. It turns the election and the impeachment inquiry into a Holy War. Good people of faith must oppose this and use the democratic framework of the United States to advance the rule of law, the idea of pluralism, and the belief freedom - including religious freedom for all - can only exist when even powerful leaders are help accountable for their actions. 

Guest Preaching

I’m sometimes asked if I’m available to guest preach. The answer is yes (though generally not during the summer months). If you are interested in having me speak at your church or conference, please email [email protected] If this would be outside of the Portland-area, which I’m happy to do, all expenses need to be covered. I do not accept payment for guest preaching, but do ask that an honorarium be given to the Pacific University Center for Peace and Spirituality. For more information on my work, please visit www.chuckcurrie.com.

A Prayer and Meditation for Commencement at Pacific University

As director of the Center for Peace and Spirituality and university chaplain at Pacific University, I have the privilege of offering prayers such as the invocation at Commencement. Yesterday, we held both the undergraduate and professional and graduate Commencement exercises.  Below is the prayer and meditation I shared:

Good morning.

In 1849, members of what is now called the United Church of Christ founded what would become known as Pacific University. The United Church of Christ, the church of the Pilgrims, has over the centuries evolved into an open and affirming denomination that values diversity, religious pluralism, education, and a just society.

The mission of Pacific University embodies these same principles: to inspire “students to think, care, create, and pursue justice in our world.”

As we gather, let us first begin with a moment of silence for those we have lost in our Pacific family this past year…

Now please join me in a time of prayer and meditation:

Will you please join me in a time of prayer and meditation:

Loving God,

As we gather today, we do so in a moment of celebration.

We celebrate the accomplishments of graduates, who have given their all in the pursuit of higher education.

We celebrate the faculty, staff, alum, and donors, who have done everything possible to mentor a new class of scholars.

We celebrate the families and friends gathered here, whose support have meant the difference between failure and success.

There is much to be thankful for today. Not only do we give thanks for all the academic accomplishments that are being recognized, we give thanks for the friends made, for love we have found, and for the support this community has given to one another in difficult moments.

Commencement represents an ending, but also a new beginning. The Pacific University mission of helping to create a more just world does not end with a diploma; it is a charge given to all who are part of the Pacific community to propel us into the future.

We ask for strength and wisdom in this task, as the challenges before all the world are as complex as any moment in human history.

Help us to listen for voices which call us to support the common good over voices that demand walls between us.

Help us to be voices for justice and reconciliation, even as other voices are lifted up that preach messages rooted in racism, xenophobia, sexism, and homophobia.

We face a political crisis in the United States and an unparalleled ecological crisis across the globe. Racism, bigotry, and inequality plague us. It would be easy and even understandable to surrender to the complexity and difficulty of it all.

If we did, however, we would betray those who came before us at other moments of crisis to demand that the realities of their time bend. The 19th-century Unitarian minister and abolitionist Theodore Parker once offered this wisdom:

”I do not pretend to understand the moral universe. The arc is a long one. My eye reaches but little ways. I cannot calculate the curve and complete the figure by experience of sight. I can divine it by conscience. And from what I see I am sure it bends toward justice.”

That belief - that the universe bends towards justice - propelled the abolitionist movement that ended slavery, the suffrage movement that won women the right to vote, and the Great Civil Rights Movement.

The world needs movement leaders today who are ready to bend the moral arc of the universe. Help us to be those leaders.

We know that this generation represented among graduates today have been dealt a terrible hand, but we recognize these same young people have the moral and intellectual capacity to change the course of history.

Let us close this time of prayer and meditation with these words from the Book of Isaiah.

If you remove the yoke from among you,
the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil,
if you offer your food to the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the afflicted,
then your light shall rise in the darkness
and your gloom be like the noonday...
Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt;
you shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
you shall be called the repairer of the breach,
the restorer of streets to live in.

May we be repairers of the breach, the restorer of streets.

Amen.

What The NRA’s Dana Loesch Gets Wrong About Jesus And Christmas

1. The #NRA’s @DLoesch is Tweeting Christian theology & history. But poorly. Perhaps, as the @NRA has said to others, she should stay in her lane? Maybe I can help. I’m a minister and religious studies professor. I've studied this. https://t.co/ndVJamrK5v

— Rev. Dr. Chuck Currie (@RevChuckCurrie) December 21, 2018

2. Despite what @DLoesch Tweets, Jesus was never safe in the Roman Empire. To find him, a genocide was launched. In the end, the Romans crucified him for preaching God’s love over Empire; for preaching non-violence over conflict. https://t.co/VCpIZi8zJ9

— Rev. Dr. Chuck Currie (@RevChuckCurrie) December 21, 2018

3. Ask yourself as we approach #Christmas, would @DLoesch & the @NRA have stood with #Jesus or Caesar? Empire, every time. They put guns before children and bigotry before justice. They follow the platform of Trump over the Greatest Commandment. Russia is their patron saint. pic.twitter.com/C1RdLlUQKX

— Rev. Dr. Chuck Currie (@RevChuckCurrie) December 21, 2018

Trump Midterm Campaign Rhetoric Incompatible With Christianity

Donald Trump speaking at CPAC 2011 in Washington, D.C. Photo by Gage Skidmore.

Donald Trump has an election message that faith leaders can reasonably say is incompatible with Christianity.

“President Trump has settled on a strategy of fear — laced with falsehoods and racially tinged rhetoric — to help lift his party to victory in the coming midterms,” wrote Ashley Parker, Philip Rucker and Josh Dawsey in The Washington Post(Trump and Republicans settle on fear — and falsehoods — as a midterm strategy, Oct. 22, 2018).

That fear has encouraged violence: mail bombs to national political leaders and the largest anti-Semitic act of violence in U.S. history when a gunman armed with an assault rifle opened fire on a synagogue in Pittsburgh.   

We see racism and bigotry in many forms coming out of the Trump White House.  The president has called Stacey Abrams, the first African-American major party nominee to become governor of Georgia, “crime loving”in one of his many dog-whistle Tweets.

The latest example was his openly racist campaign video release on Twitter.

There are the president’s latest attacks on immigrants. He has charged that immigrants, mostly families, and children fleeing violence and poverty in Central America, are actually violent gang members and “unknown Middle Easterners” without any evidence.

Finally, at a rally this week in Texas, Trump claimed the title of a nationalist.

"A globalist is a person that wants the globe to do well, frankly, not caring about our country so much. And you know what? We can't have that. You know, they have a word. It sort of became old-fashioned. It's called a nationalist. And I say, really, we're not supposed to use that word. You know what I am? I'm a nationalist, OK? I'm a nationalist.”

Few would disagree with the president, his is plainly a nationalist, but Christians, along with other people of faith, should reject Trump’s racism and nationalism. 

The late Rev. William Sloane Coffin, the long-time Yale University Chaplain, once said:

“For Christians to render everything to Caesar—their minds, their consciences—is to become evangelical nationalists. That’s not a distortion of the gospel; that’s desertion.”[1]

Nationalism is a desertion of the faith because the Christian faith belongs to the world, not any one nation. Christians can love their country, I love mine to be sure. Our prayers and concerns, however, should be for all the world.  We must recognize that our nation can only do well if the world does well.  The impact of climate change, a global crisis, stands as Exhibit A. “It’s wonderful to love one’s country, but faith is for God. National unity too is wonderful—but not in cruelty and folly,” Coffin continued. To be sure, Trump’s agenda offers cruelty and folly in the name of nationalism. 

Racism and bigotry are debilitating sins that tear at the social fabric of the United States and moves us further away from God.  With on-going attacks on African-Americans, Hispanic-Americans, and LGBTQ Americans, Trump embraces hate more effectively as a political strategy than even the late George Wallace, the segregationist governor, and two-time presidential candidate.

Leaders in the United Church of Christ have noted that racism is a sin because it “destroys God’s likeness in every person and thus repudiates creation and its goodness.”Connected to the president’s racism is his misogyny and bigotry toward women, Muslims and other people of faith, including Christians, who are not part of Trump’s conservative white evangelical base. 

Hate was not opposed in November 2016 when the majority of white Christians voted for Trumpdespite his long record of racism and his campaign of division. If faith leaders do not speak out against hate, or worse endorse the rhetoric and policies that Trump advocates (as evangelical leaders like Jerry Falwell, Jr. and Franklin Graham have without apology), many will rightfully equate faith leaders today with those who stood in silence or support of the rise of nationalism in Germany during the 1930s.  Such a comparison would be apt.     

This November, all Americans should support candidates and ideas that promote justice and the common good. If a candidate supports Donald Trump, his philosophy or politics, that ought to be disqualifying for people of faith.

Christianity and Abortion: My Faith Calls Me to Oppose Ballot Measure 106

 

Religious leaders and elected officials are speaking out against Measure 106 because they believe no one should be denied access to critical reproductive healthcare, including abortion, simply because they are low-income or rely on the state for their health insurance. #NoCuts2Care

I am pro-choice not in spite of my faith, but because of it.

My faith supports the moral capacity and the human right to make choices about whether and when to become a parent.

Abortion is a complex, deeply personal decision for a woman to consider if she needs it. Ultimately, this decision should be left to a woman, her family, her faith and her physician — not politics. No matter how you feel about abortion, no one should be denied health care because they can’t afford it.

One of my bottom line beliefs is that people of good faith can come to different conclusions on difficult issues.

Still, as an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, I personally believe the decision to oppose Ballot Measure 106 is an easy one. This dangerous constitutional amendment unfairly discriminates against Oregon families who are struggling with poverty and imposes even greater burdens on them by denying them essential reproductive health care. Measure 106 will reduce health coverage for more than 350,000 Oregonians.

People must not be forced to act contrary to their conscience, nor must they be prevented from acting in accordance to their conscience.  In Christian terms, we recognize that Jesus affirmed the moral agency of women. We should all follow that example.

As a faith leader, I want to help foster a world where all women are trusted to make moral decisions about their bodies and their lives. Where the decision to start a family is thoughtful and planned. Where policymakers and advocates are free to support policies that create a more just and compassionate society. Where lifesaving health care is not blocked by religious special interests.

It is also our responsibility to provide every support system possible to help women and families raise children in our society. No one should be forced into making the decision to have an abortion because of economic factors. We need to move past this political distraction and focus on the health and well-being of children and families.

Our state should reflect a culture of justice and equality where the dignity of all women is acknowledged through policies that support their moral choices. Ballot Measure 106 is a backdoor ban on abortion that takes away a woman’s choices, based on her income or healthcare coverage.

Faith and reproductive freedom are not enemies. According to 2017 research from Pew, nearly two-thirds of Protestants and nearly half of evangelicals say the U.S. Supreme Court should not overturn Roe v Wade. The General Synod of the United Church of Christ has called for reproductive choice since the 1960s.

Roe even sees strong support even from Catholic Americans. More than 60 percent of Catholics believe abortion should be legal; in addition, 6 in 10 voters say abortion can be a moral choice. According to Catholics for Choice, Catholic women access abortion at similar rates as women of other faiths or no faith.

We have a duty to protect the well-being of our families. Voting NO on Measure 106 upholds our shared moral responsibility to ensure that every Oregonian has the full range of reproductive care, by removing obstacles and by providing equitable access for all.

Personal Reaction From Rev. Dr. Chuck Currie To Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Report

Climate change is humanity’s ultimate test. We cannot claim to love our neighbors or God at this point in history without massive changes to protect our children and the future of Creation. As the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has concluded in their just-released report, the changes needed will require an abrupt reordering of the world economy. Still, this is not just an economic or environmental crisis. We also face a spiritual crisis. Climate change now forces us to rethink our relationships with Creation as a whole. Christianity and other faith traditions teach that humans are called to be stewards of Creation; not exploiters of it. Recognition of this sacred role will now determine what the future of all Creation will be. The stakes could not be higher.

Read the report: http://www.ipcc.ch/report/sr15/

Read The New York Times story: https://nyti.ms/2Cw5MF8

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.

Ban Assault Weapons In Oregon

Lift Every Voice Oregon held a rally at the State Capitol on Tuesday to call on the governor and Legislature to ban assault weapons.

It was my privilege to share a few words alongside clergy colleagues, victims of gun violence, students, and other advocates.

Please consider signing the petition created by Lift Every Voice Oregon calling on our political leaders to act.

No one should have to fear gun violence in worship, in a classroom, shopping at the mall, or watching a movie in a theatre.  We can do better. 

Couldn't make our rally? Sign our petition! Help #banassaultweapons in #Oregon: https://t.co/scPNp1P3ga #orleg #orpol #Enough #GunControlNow @shannonrwatts @MomsDemand @CeasefireOregon @RevChuckCurrie @TheCrossLobby @trinitycathpdx @march4portland @AMarch4OurLives pic.twitter.com/Aa3oq2Dylk

— Lift Every Voice Oregon (@LiftEveryVoice_) September 26, 2018

Open Letter To ICE Agents: Resign To Protect U.S. Values

We live in political times where the president of the United States challenges basics norms of compassion and support for human rights.

Agents of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) see this first hand.

The president, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, and U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen have asked ICE agents to enforce laws, many issued by executive order, that diverse religious leaders in the United States have deemed immoral.  

"The Administration continues to take significant and dangerous steps that are eroding the foundations of the immigration system and the international law that upholds access to asylum for those fleeing danger and violence. These practices of separating families, increasing immigrant detention, and redefining access to asylum are abhorrent and undermine our values," states the national offices of the United Church of Christ.

Trauma caused to children separated from their parents in support of these policies may be irreversible.  The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) notes that "studies of detained immigrants, primarily from abroad, have found negative physical and emotional symptoms among detained children, and posttraumatic symptoms do not always disappear at the time of release."

Even though a U.S. court has ruled that children be reunited with their parents, the Trump Administration has failed to meet their obligations.

On March 8, 2017, on the website HuffPost, I argued ICE agents should resign rather than enforce immoral laws. Since that time the administration's disregard for the fundamental human rights of immigrants has only grown.

Today I repeat that call and ask all ICE agents to prayerfully consider whether or not your work on behalf of the federal government is consistent with your own faith beliefs – along with the underlying commitment all law enforcement officers should have to the rule of law and human rights.

"Too often individuals respond to moral conflict by denying responsibility with excuses such as ‘following orders,' ‘no choice,' or ‘not my job.' The existence of the option to resign prevents them from exculpating themselves with such excuses," wrote J. Patrick Dobel in his paper The Ethics of Resigning. "The option to resign means that the theoretical linkage of personal responsibility and position is real."

More and more clergy from various faith backgrounds have been risking arrest at ICE facilities to demonstrate the fierce urgency of reuniting children with their parents, ending unjust policies, and promoting comprehensive immigration reform that reflects America's best principles.  

As the enforcers of unjust laws, I say as a minister ordained to preach and teach the Gospel that to be on the side of true justice ICE agents must take personal responsibility and resign or take other tangible action consistent with principled resistance to end the suffering ICE's enforcement is causing.  

Oregon Interfaith Leaders Express Concern Over Franklin Graham Decision America Tour #DecisionAmerica #Portland

Photo credit: Wikipedia

Franklin Graham is speaking in the Portland-area on Sunday night as part of his “Decision America Tour,” and that has many interfaith leaders in Oregon concerned. Over the years, Graham has called Islam “a very wicked and evil religion,” praised the oppressive anti-LGBT policies of Vladimir Putin, and tied himself firmly to Donald Trump. 

Graham’s “Decision America Tour,” according to Graham himself, is meant to engage evangelical Christian churches and voters in the conservative political movement. Graham told pastors in California during the first leg of the tour that they should preach about their preference for political candidates.

“Diverse faith leaders in Oregon have been meeting this summer to discuss Graham’s visit and the impact it might have,” said Rev. Dr. Chuck Currie, university chaplain, and director of the Center for Peace and Spirituality at Pacific University.  “No one in Oregon needs a sermon from Franklin Graham about faith. Rev. Graham talks about America as red and blue. We want to build up the Beloved Community for all.”

“Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon believes in the value of love and the inherent dignity of every human being. As people of faith, we are called to love justice and to stand with the most vulnerable in our society, as we seek to build bridges of understanding where there is division,” Jan Elfers, executive director of Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon (EMO). EMO is statewide association of Christian, ecumenical & interfaith partners working together to improve the lives of Oregonians. “We are committed to transcending the political divides that prevent us from working together to address suffering and brokenness. EMO extends a welcome to Franklin Graham in the hope that his mission will also transcend the political divisions of our day to bring healing to a hurting world.”  

Graham was invited to meet with interfaith leaders while in Oregon. The invitation was not accepted.   

“We clergy of Portland, Oregon understand the motivation for Franklin Graham’s visit to our area, for we also have a message we are driven to convey in the name of G*d. We hope that Pastor Graham’s visit will be in the spirit of his father’s work: radical love toward all G*d’s creation. Anything less might be misunderstood as supporting social intolerance, an evil which we feel that certainly, a Christian like Pastor Graham would never seek to do,” remarked Rabbi Ariel Stone, convener of Portland Interfaith Clergy Resistance: Bearing Moral Witness In Times of Turmoil.

The Rev. Cecil Charles Prescod, minister of faith formation at Ainsworth United Church of Christ, said he had hoped to meet with Graham: “to share the interfaith cooperation in witness and work for justice and wholeness in Oregon. In our state people of faith join with people of good will to pray and work for a nation where we welcome our refugee and immigrant sisters and brothers into our communities; work to restore our creation; and advocate with our houseless neighbors, the unemployed, communities of color, LGBT communities for economic and social justice. We pray that Rev. Graham will join us in striving for the beloved community."

#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

I Am Not Afraid To Walk The More Difficult Path

I am not not afraid. These are worrisome and fearful times but I am not afraid. Recognize that I come from a place of privilege that others do not. Still, I am confident that God is our "our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. (Psalm 46 NRSV)."

We are in trouble and every day I am reminded at that by those that send their cowardly threats and taunts meant to dehumanize my existence and the humanity of those I serve as an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ with a mandate to preach and teach the gospel.

The gospel of Jesus at the core is love, and though many have tried that ideal has never been diminished. It is the central organizing principle of all the great faith traditions of the world. What is divine is not limited to one religion or another. Love, justice, humility (Micah 6:8) are a summons to action that we all share.

As a follower of the Prince of Peace, my call is to preach peace. Does the anger and vitriol directed my way - and at all those who preach justice and inclusion - worry me? It is a sign of a spiritual sickness. When I respond in kind that sickness infects me and I pray to Jesus for healing. But I am not afraid.

I am resolved to continue speaking out against the powers and principalities that allow hate and violence to fester. My heart breaks because I think about the people of Chicago, the people of Newtown, the people of Roseburg, the people of Charleston, the people of Orlando and so many other places - inside the United States and around the world - but giving into bigotry and fear is giving into evil. This is not the time for building walls. We must walk the more difficult path. I am not afraid.

So I share this prayer from Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, as inspired by Phillips Brooks of the Episcopal Church in the 1800s, as we steal ourselves for another season of struggle. My you find truth and inspiration in the words whatever faith or philosophy that might guide you.

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. Each day you will wonder at yourself and the richness of life which has come to you by the grace of God. Amen.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

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 Theology Lesson For Donald Trump: Hatred Is Not Christian

Getting lots of anonymous tweets today from ‪Donald Trump‬ supporters, like the one pictured here, rejecting ‪pluralism‬ and embracing ‪Islamaphobia‬. So many of them have white supremacist sayings and photos in their profiles. It should be frightening that people like this have taken over the GOP. Democrats should not crow. This is not good for America.

They're upset that I was critical about a Hood River, Oregon church which has posted anti-Islamic messages. But Christians are called to love our neighbors. Muslims are our neighbors. So are Jews. And atheists. Gays and lesbians are our neighbors. Immigrants are our neighbors. Hatred is not Christian.

If Donald Trump was a member of a church, maybe someone could tell him.

 

White House Easter Prayer Breakfast 2016

Was it worth a 36-hour round trip from Portland to DC and back again to attend the White House Easter Prayer Breakfast. Absolutely. Here's why.

First, it provided the opportunity to thank President Obama personally for the kindness he and his staff have shown me since 2007. It took amazing moral courage to get the Affordable Care Act passed. The Iran Deal moved us off the path toward another war in Middle East. Saying thank you in person was important and this could be my last chance before President Obama leaves office.

It also gave a chance to see many friends - both White House staffers and religious leaders - who I've come to know and care about. There was a sense of nostalgia today. The president said so in his remarks. This will be his last Easter in The White House.

I was able to briefly share with Vice-President Biden my support for his cancer "moonshot." I'm a cancer survivor. But the wound of my mother's death from cancer is still raw. He understands this as well as anyone. We also got a few seconds to talk about our friend Les AuCoin.

Other conversations were just as important. I spoke with a senior State Department official about my hope that the president take a resolution before the United Nations outlining a path toward peace between Israel and Palestine. It was an opportunity for me to share my belief - shared widely - that the Palestinian people need hope and relief from suffering. Nothing justifies terrorism. I strongly support the right of Israel to exist. But I also strongly believe the human rights of the Palestinian people are not being met.

Many conversations dealt with the ugly rhetoric of this campaign season. If you're thinking that those gathered were a bunch of progressive Christians, well, you'd be wrong. Evangelicals and Roman Catholics, some of them conservative, were in attendance. They were just as upset as me regarding the Islamaphobia and misogyny evidenced in this campaign. As religious leaders, I think we are all struggling within our own contexts with how to best offer a prophetic word this election year.

President Obama said this morning:

...in light of recent events, this gathering takes on more meaning. Around the world, we have seen horrific acts of terrorism, most recently Brussels, as well as what happened in Pakistan -- innocent families, mostly women and children, Christians and Muslims. And so our prayers are with the victims, their families, the survivors of these cowardly attacks.

And as Joe mentioned, these attacks can foment fear and division. They can tempt us to cast out the stranger, strike out against those who don’t look like us, or pray exactly as we do. And they can lead us to turn our backs on those who are most in need of help and refuge. That’s the intent of the terrorists, is to weaken our faith, to weaken our best impulses, our better angels.

And Pastor preached on this this weekend, and I know all of you did, too, as I suspect, or in your own quiet ways were reminded if Easter means anything, it’s that you don’t have to be afraid.

Bringing light to dark places. That has always been a central understanding of what it means for me to be a Christian.

So I talked with faith leaders today working to assist refugees. I talked with faith leaders working to combat climate change. I talked with faith leaders working for civil rights and police accountability. I talked with people who disagree with me on important theological and social issues and asked where we could find common ground and work together. You better believe I invited all of these people to visit Pacific University.

Yes, it was worth the trip. I'm a little bit tired typing this out on my iPad while flying back to Portland (a very first world problem to have) but my own hope is restored after breaking bread this morning with a group of faithful Americans who, like President Obama, are trying in difficult and conflicting times to bring light to dark places.


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#OregonUnderAttack: Siege at Burns

Militia members - white anti-government terrorists - have taken over a federal building in Burns, Oregon.

"Harney County Sheriff David Ward on Sunday afternoon said a group of militants that seized an eastern Oregon wildlife refuge is trying to overthrow the local and federal governments," reports The Oregonian.

This event should come as no surprise but it will for many. GOP presidential candidates, congressional leaders and right-wing activists have been trying to fan the flames of fear about Islamic terrorists - making all Muslims suspect - while ignoring the growing reality of domestic terrorist groups.

Terrorism experts noted last summer:

Despite public anxiety about extremists inspired by Al Qaeda and the Islamic State, the number of violent plots by such individuals has remained very low. Since 9/11, an average of nine American Muslims per year have been involved in an average of six terrorism-related plots against targets in the United States. Most were disrupted, but the 20 plots that were carried out accounted for 50 fatalities over the past 13 and a half years.

In contrast, right-wing extremists averaged 337 attacks per year in the decade after 9/11, causing a total of 254 fatalities, according to a study by Arie Perliger, a professor at the United States Military Academy's Combating Terrorism Center. The toll has increased since the study was released in 2012.

Ammon Bundy, the out-of-state militia leader who came to Oregon to begin this siege, did so because the "Lord was not pleased" with an on-going criminal case involving ranchers convicted of arson on federal lands. The national media would be calling this a case of radical Islamic terrorism if just one Muslim were involved in this crisis. There would be calls for drone strikes to end the siege, internment camps and the closure of Mosques (the last two ideas have actually been advanced by leading GOP presidential candidates this election cycle). Few are saying the obvious: these militia groups are Christian fundamentalists with strong ties to the GOP. Cliven Bundy, the father of Ammon Bundy, has himself been involved with an armed standoff with federal law enforcement.

Cliven Bundy, the father of Ammon Bundy, has himself been involved with an armed standoff with federal law enforcement. Ted Cruz came to Cliven Bundy's defense in that episode, saying, "we have seen our liberty under assault" since President Obama came to office and that Bundy's armed standoff with the federal government was simply "the unfortunate and tragic culmination of the path that President Obama has set the federal government on." The Bundy's have cited their

The Bundy's have cited their Mormon beliefs as justification for their actions.

On Monday, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints issued this statement:

While the disagreement occurring in Oregon about the use of federal lands is not a Church matter, Church leaders strongly condemn the armed seizure of the facility and are deeply troubled by the reports that those who have seized the facility suggest that they are doing so based on scriptural principles. This armed occupation can in no way be justified on a scriptural basis. We are privileged to live in a nation where conflicts with government or private groups can - and should - be settled using peaceful means, according to the laws of the land.

There is nothing Christian about any attempt to overthrow the American government with violent means. Christians have and should seek justice by the use of non-violent social change.

As a United Church of Christ minister in Oregon, I applaud the leadership of federal, state and local officials who are offering a restrained response to the siege in Burns. Too often non-violent protests, fighting for changes in our economic system that allow for growing inequity or those calling for racial justice, have not been shown the same restraint - even as these other protests have been largely, and appropriately, non-violent.

What is happening now is, in reality, a culmination of the support too many in the GOP - as it moves further and further into the fringes of right-wing ideology - and from some Christian fundamentalists, have given to anti-government groups. All political leaders and Christians should condemn what is happening in Burns.

At some point, the siege in Burns will end. If it ends with dead law enforcement officers or militia members, the blood will be on the hands not of the government but of those that give legitimacy to these anti-government groups that seek to undermine American principles of pluralism and justice for all.

#ParisAttacks and #SyrianRefugees

My oped in The @HuffingtonPost: Terrorism Is Not A Religious Act https://t.co/9SaYnONExU #Prayers4Paris #ParisAttacks #MuslimsAreNotTerorist

— Rev.Dr. Chuck Currie (@RevChuckCurrie) November 14, 2015

Hurricane Patricia, Climate Change And God's Call To Protect Creation

Two historic events collided this past week: Hurricane Patricia, the most dangerous hurricane in recorded history hit Mexico, and diplomats from around the world gathered in Bonn for UN climate talks meant to produce a new accord to be signed this December in Paris.

Faith leaders, with one eye on Hurricane Patricia and another on Bonn, have been worried about both.

ACT Alliance is "a global network of churches and faith-based NGOs, working with development and relief, in 140 countries around the world." In emergencies, ACT Alliance partners with groups like Church World Service to provide critical aid. Mattias Söderberg, the head of the ACT Alliance's delegation to the Bonn talks, said Friday in a press statement:

"Everybody knows that these negotiations are serious; they are not only about our own future, but also about the lives of poor and vulnerable people who are affected by climate change already today. I am deeply concerned about the slow progress and I urge negotiators to make a final effort to change their approach. All parties need to leave their comfort zones and start to look for agreeable solutions, which can foster a fair and ambitious agreement in Paris."

Söderberg continues:

"There is no agreement about climate finance, the major questions of who should provide the finance, how much, and to who remain unanswered. The poor and vulnerable community remain confident that these questions will be answered in their favour, considering the fact that they are already affected by the impacts of climate change."

We know that hurricanes occur in nature. They are not new. Hurricanes, even very powerful storms, have occurred long before the impact of climate change was felt across the globe. What is new is the size and intensity of the storms faced today. The Washington Post reports:

While one storm is only one storm and can never substitute for a comprehensive statistical analysis, the fact remains that the link between warm seas and strong storms -- the theoretical reason for believing hurricanes will worsen due to climate change -- is starkly apparent in this case...

"As ocean temperatures continue to warm as a result of human-caused climate change, we expect hurricanes to intensify, and we expect to cross new thresholds. Hurricane Patricia and her unprecedented 200 mile-per-hour sustained winds appears to be one of them now, unfortunately," adds Michael Mann, a climate researcher at Penn State University.

For people of faith, this is yet another rally cry for action to combat climate change. Faith leaders have issued a statement to those preparing the Paris accord noting that: "Our religious convictions and cosmological narratives tell us that this earth and the whole universe are gifts that we have received from the spring of life, from God. It is our obligation to respect, protect and sustain these gifts by all means."

Increasingly, the fight to address climate change takes on a sense of urgency as we reach milestones where repair of the environment might be past our ability to control. If this occurs, we fail God and sentence our children and their descendants to a future of hardship that is difficult to imagine.

Standing in our way are those that still deny the science of climate change. "A very solid scientific consensus indicates that we are presently witnessing a disturbing warming of the climatic system. In recent decades this warming has been accompanied by a constant rise in the sea level and, it would appear, by an increase of extreme weather events, even if a scientifically determinable cause cannot be assigned to each particular phenomenon," wrote Pope Francis. Those that deny this solid consensus put the future in jeopardy, often for partisan political reasons, and must be called out by faith leaders for their sin of blocking progress on addressing this great moral issue that impacts all life, God's creation. Religious leaders must also do more to call their communities to take action on climate change. We are all complicit in allowing the present age to unfold as it has.

God is calling us now to restore the natural balance of creation that allows existence.

Public invited to Pacific University for Middle East Peace Forum on Thursday, Oct. 29

By Joe Lang

Monday, October 19, 2015

Pacific University's Center for Peace and Spirituality invites the public to a reception and forum with leaders of The Abraham Fund Initiatives of Israel, an entity that promotes coexistence and equality among Israel's Jewish and Arab citizens.

The events will take place on Thursday, Oct. 29, in rooms 223 and 224 of Jefferson Hall on the university's Forest Grove Campus, with the reception beginning at 6 p.m. and the forum commencing at 7. Admission is free, but seating is limited on a first-come, first-served basis.

The Abraham Fund Initiatives work to "promote coexistence and equality among Israel’s Jewish and Arab-Palestinian citizens. Named after the common ancestor of both Jews and Arabs,The Abraham Fund works toward a prosperous, secure and just society by promoting policies based on innovative social models, conducting large-scale initiatives, advocacy and public education.”

Co-executive directors Amnon Be’eri-Sulitzeanu and Dr. Thabet Abu Rass will be joined Center for Peace and Spirituality director Rev. Dr. Chuck Currie and Dr. Raymond Haija, a member of The Abraham Fund’s U.S. board of directors.  

“This summit will provide an opportunity for the Pacific community to begin an important conversation about the on-going crisis in Israel and will look at effective peace-building models,” Rev. Dr. Currie said.  “Not every issue will be addressed and we will not solve the issue of peace in the Middle East. We will meet two important Jewish and Muslim leaders working toward that end.” 

Pacific University's Center of Peace and Spirituality provides students with the opportunity to engage in meaningful study, reflection and action based on the recognition that inter- and intra-personal peace are inherently connected and that concerns for personal spirituality are intimately related to concerns for one's social, historical, cultural and natural environment.

For more information, please contact Rev. Dr. Currie at [email protected] or call 503-352-2032.

Faith Leaders Respond To Oregon Shooting #UCCShooting

#UCCShooting

Joint Statement on Umpqua Tragedy from Oregon Faith Leaders Jan Elfers (Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon) and Rev. Dr. Chuck Currie (Pacific University Center for Peace & Spirituality)

Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon and the Pacific University Center for Peace and Spirituality join Oregonians and Americans in grief and shock over the mass shooting today at Umqua Community College (UCC). We are in contact with colleagues in ministry in the Roseburg area to see what assistance is needed.

“All of our faith traditions abhor violence, and Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon has joined the National Council of Churches in calling for action to prevent gun violence,” said Jan Elfers, interim executive director of Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon.“Our prayers go out to all those who lives have been impacted by this terrible tragedy; to the victim’s families and friends, and to the entire Roseburg community. We are grateful to those who responded to the emergency and undoubtedly prevented the loss of even more lives.”

A Resolution and Call to Action by the National Council of Churches of Christ, U.S.A.
http://nationalcouncilofchurches.us/comm…/…/gun-violence.php

“Mass shootings like this happen too often and Oregon has not been immune,” said Rev. Dr. Chuck Currie, director of the Center for Peace and Spirituality and University Chaplain at Pacific University. “Today we offer our prayers for those killed and injured. We also lift up the families of those impacted. Still, we must also work to take steps that reduce gun violence this day so that there are no more days like this.”

Dr. Currie is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ.

Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon is a statewide association of Christian denominations, congregations, ecumenical organizations and interfaith partners working together to improve the lives of Oregonians through community ministry programs, ecumenical and interreligious dialogue, environmental ministry and public policy advocacy.

Pacific University’s Center for Peace and Spirituality provides students with the opportunity to engage in meaningful study, reflection and action based on the recognition that inter- and intra-personal peace are inherently connected and that concerns for personal spirituality are intimately related to concerns for one's social, historical, cultural and natural environment.

Founded in 1849, Pacific University offers more than 84 areas of study within its colleges of Arts & Sciences, Optometry, Education, Health Professions and Business.

Views and opinions expressed by Ms. Elfers and Rev. Dr. Currie do not necessarily reflect the position of Pacific University.


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#PopeInUS Finding Common Ground With Pope Francis

My new oped in The @HuffingtonPost: #PopeInUS Finding Common Ground With Pope Francis http://t.co/b67DrBYOTA #PopeInDC #PopeInUSA

— Rev.Dr. Chuck Currie (@RevChuckCurrie) September 24, 2015

Our University Chaplain, Rev. Dr. Chuck Currie, reflected on attending the Welcome Ceremony for #PopeFrancis. http://t.co/qd1JTkfagm

— Pacific University (@pacificu) September 25, 2015

#PopeInUS The Unity and Disunity of the Church Universal: A Sermon On John 17:20-21

The Rev. Dr. Chuck Currie, director of the Center for Peace and Spirituality and University Chaplain at Pacific University, has been invited to attend the arrival ceremony for Pope Francis at the White House on Wednesday, September 23.

Pope Francis, making his first trip to the United States since becoming the world leader of the Catholic Church, will address the the US Congress before visiting Philadelphia and New York City.

Dr. Currie, a long-time advocate for social justice, was invited by the White House earlier this month to join President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama in welcoming Pope Francis to the US.

“It is obviously a great honor to be able to attend this historic event,” said Dr. Currie, an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ. “I have enormous respect for Pope Francis, his welcoming inclusion of all, and his work to bring about peace, economic equality and support for the environment. It is a special gift to be able to represent Pacific University at this gathering."

Prior to the ceremony, Currie will present, "The Unity and Disunity of the Church Universal," on Sunday, September 20 at Ainsworth United Church of Christ in Portland (2941 NE Ainsworth). The service begins at 10 a.m., and his sermon will focus on Pope Francis' visit to the US and where people of faith from different traditions can find common ground.

Pacific University’s Center for Peace and Spirituality provides students with the opportunity to engage in meaningful study, reflection and action based on the recognition that inter- and intra-personal peace are inherently connected and that concerns for personal spirituality are intimately related to concerns for one's social, historical, cultural and natural environment.

Founded in 1849, Pacific University offers more than 84 areas of study within its colleges of Arts & Sciences, Optometry, Education, Health Professions and Business.

Pacific University Chaplain to Attend Pope Francis Arrival Ceremony at the White House

I'm deeply honored and excited to attend this event at The @WhiteHouse next week. #PopeinUS #PopeFrancis #orpol https://t.co/KPr2aV4YJR

— Rev.Dr. Chuck Currie (@RevChuckCurrie) September 16, 2015

.@PacificU Chaplain to Attend #PopeFrancis Arrival Ceremony at the White House | Pacific University http://t.co/GO05FwNHKH #PopeinUS

— Pacific U. CPAS (@PacificuCPAS) September 16, 2015

President Trump And Sec. Palin Vs People Of Faith On Care Of Creation

Sarah Palin wants a cabinet position in any future Donald Trump administration. Specifically, she'd like to be secretary of the Department of Energy. The former half-term Alaska governor and 2008 GOP vice-presidential candidate said this week:

"I think a lot about the Department of Energy, because energy is my baby, oil and gas and minerals, those things that God has dumped on this part of the earth for mankind's use instead of us relying on unfriendly foreign nations, for us to import their ... resources."

Palin has long argued that the world's resources are a gift from God to be plundered. Climate change? Palin doesn't believe that humans could impact the climate. When world leaders gathered in Copenhagen in December 2009 to discuss ways to better protect the environment Palin famously tweeted:

Copenhgen=arrogance of man2think we can change nature's ways.MUST b good stewards of God's earth,but arrogant&naive2say man overpwers nature

— Sarah Palin (@SarahPalinUSA) December 19, 2009

This puts Palin at odds with the scientific community, Pope Francis, the World Council of Churches, the World Jewish Congress, the National Association of Evangelicals in the United States, and Islamic scholars across the globe. All argue that humanity has a role - no, an obligation - to protect the environment and to do everything possible to reverse the impact of human caused climate change. Pope Francis recently wrote:

"We are not God. The earth was here before us and it has been given to us. This allows us to respond to the charge that Judaeo-Christian thinking, on the basis of the Genesis account which grants man 'dominion' over the earth (cf. Gen 1:28), has encouraged the unbridled exploitation of nature by painting him as domineering and destructive by nature. This is not a correct interpretation of the Bible as understood by the Church. Although it is true that we Christians have at times incorrectly interpreted the Scriptures, nowadays we must forcefully reject the notion that our being created in God's image and given dominion over the earth justifies absolute domination over other creatures. The biblical texts are to be read in their context, with an appropriate hermeneutic, recognizing that they tell us to 'till and keep' the garden of the world (cf. Gen 2:15). 'Tilling' refers to cultivating, ploughing or working, while 'keeping' means caring, protecting, overseeing and preserving. This implies a relationship of mutual responsibility between human beings and nature."

Palin's views on the environment might not be in line with the thinking of world religious leaders but she does share a common philosophy with Donald Trump and nearly all the GOP contenders for president. Trump believes that climate change is a hoax.

Ice storm rolls from Texas to Tennessee - I'm in Los Angeles and it's freezing. Global warming is a total, and very expensive, hoax!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 6, 2013

People of faith, regardless of politics, need to be at the forefront of a world-wide movement that makes action on climate change not just politically possible but political suicide for those who would oppose such action. This is not about partisanship or party. We can and should applaud President Obama's overall climate change proposals, which move us in the right direction, but oppose President Obama when he takes such counter productive steps as allowing drilling for oil in the Arctic Ocean. Too many Democrats are timid on this issue while too many Republicans deny there is an issue to be concerned about.

We fail God if we do not respond to the crisis of climate change. After all, we created this crisis. The gift of creation is at stake. We leave for those who are younger a world in peril that will only become more dangerous and fractured over time without corrective action. All the people of the Earth have a responsibility to be - to borrow a term from the Hebrew Scriptures - restorers of the breach.

God did not "dump" the wonders of this planet on us to be exploited.

People of faith have a special responsibility here because we are charged by God to be stewards of creation and thus far we have failed to live out our responsibilities. Our sins will most certainly be visited on our children and their children. Still, action taken now to repent of those sins by doing whatever is necessary to restore the earth to the balance which God created would be a gift for future generations that would prove our worth as a species.

As for Palin:

"I think a lot about the Department of Energy. And if I were head of that, I'd get rid of it. And I'd let the states start having more control over the lands that are within their boundaries and the people who are affected by the developments within their states."

No one with her philosophy should be allowed during these times to hold public office. The world is literally at risk.

Ashley Madison and the Clergy

Some are predicting that over 400 clergy and religious leaders will resign their positions this Sunday after their names appeared on the Ashley Madison list. As many of you know, this website facilitated affairs.

Many will be understandably frustrated and hurt by the news that their pastor appeared on this list. This will be particularly true for those clergy who have preached monogamy and who have attacked gay marriage as an assault on traditional marriages. Clearly, this will be seen as hypocrisy and unfitting for those serving churches.

So what do we do and where do we go from here? As a minister and as a husband, I believe that the marriage relationship is one that is a kin to a covenantal relationship. We are to be supportive of one another and in the words of Scripture we are to be subject to one another.

Still, clergy are human and prone to human error. That does not mean, however, that all clergy are having affairs or misusing their positions for financial gain or other purposes that are in conflict with their call to ministry.

The real tragedy is the hypocrisy that so many clergy engage in. Clergy often present themselves as somehow more perfect or more holy than the average parishioner. This is a terrible mistake. We are all flawed.

President Jimmy Carter, a born-again Christian, was openly mocked decades ago when he declared that he had sinned in his heart. But it was a deeply honest answer from a Christian struggling with his faith and trying to be the best husband that he could be. In retrospect, I hope that people see his openness as a demonstration of what it means to be an authentic Christian.

We need more of this from our church leaders. We need to be able to admit that we are not perfect people and that our lives are a journey and that none of us has reached perfection. We need to be humble and to embrace our flawed humanity as we seek through our faith and experience to better ourselves.

It is also a mistake, if not a sin, to point other people (such as gays and lesbians) and suggest that they are a threat to the institution of marriage. Straight people have been messing up the institution of marriage as we now understand it for as long as it has been around.

Ultimately, families and individual churches will have to wrestle with how to respond if their church pastor is found to be on this list. My sincere hope is that whenever possible we seek to offer appropriate forgiveness and to look for ways to bring reconciliation to broken relationships.

Spouses should be given the space to determine what that best means for them under these difficult circumstances. Yes, sometimes that will mean separation or divorce and there is nothing unChristian about responding in such away. We can never know all the dynamics involved in a marriage that is not our own. Nor should we judge if a couple decides to stay together and repair the breach that has been broken.

As for the rest of us, we should not take glee in the Ashley Madison leak. We shoud seriously contemplate the words uttered by Jesus that are recorded in Matthew 7:3 (NRSV):

"Why do you see the speck in your neighbor's eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye?"

Who among us can say that we have not stumbled or fallen in one way or another over the course of our lives?


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A Prayer For Students, Teachers, Staff and Parents At The Start of A New School Year

A Prayer For Students, Teachers, Staff and Parents At The Start of A New School Year (click to enlarge)

Read more: http://goo.gl/Ad5uXJ

“Do The Nations Belong To Caesar or God?” - A Podcast Sermon Based Mark 12:13-17

A real treat for me this month was preaching on Sunday at Ainsworth United Church of Christ, my home congregation here in Portland.  A four-way covenantal agreement between myself, the church, the Central Pacific Conference of the United Church of Christ and Pacific University allows my work at the university to be possible.  

"Ainsworth is a multi-cultural, multi-racial, open & affirming, Just Peace and accessible church. We celebrate that God is still speaking in our world today and that God’s extravagant welcome and love is for everyone. We hope that your journey of faith will lead you to us and that you experience God’s love through us."  Those words have meaning.

It seemed appropriate the Sunday following the 4th of July - on a blistering hot Sunday - to consider the role of church and state. Conservative voices often say it is the role of the church to address social ills but churches like Ainsworth UCC, that help address the AIDS crisis, cannot do it alone.  What does Jesus teach us?

Mark 12:13-17 was our focus text for the service.  You can download a podcast of the sermon here:

“Do The Nations Belong To Caesar or God?”

(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). 

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

Personal Testimony Before Portland City Council On Pembina Propane Terminal

Good morning.

My name is Rev. Dr. Chuck Currie. I am a resident of NE Portland and serve as a minister in the United Church of Christ, currently in the capacity of the Director of the Center for Peace and Spirituality and University Chaplain at Pacific University.

I can share with you this morning theological concerns to projects such as this one under consideration. Like the Audubon Society of Portland, I believe this project is inconsistent with Portland’s Climate Change Action Plan.

In 2005, I joined over 1,000 religious leaders across the United States in signing a document called “God’s Earth is Sacred: An Open Letter to Church and Society in the United States.” We declared:

Rev. Dr. Chuck Currie & Rev. Kate Lore at Council hearing

The imperative first step is to repent of our sins, in the presence of God and one another. This repentance of our social and ecological sins will acknowledge the special responsibility that falls to those of us who are citizens of the United States. Though only five percent of the planet’s human population, we produce one-quarter of the world’s carbon emissions, consume a quarter of its natural riches, and perpetuate scandalous inequities at home and abroad. We are a precious part of Earth’s web of life, but we do not own the planet and we cannot transcend its requirements for regeneration on its own terms. We have not listened well to the Maker of Heaven and Earth.

The second step is to pursue a new journey together, with courage and joy. By God’s grace, all things are made new. We can share in that renewal by clinging to God’s trustworthy promise to restore and fulfill all that God creates and by walking, with God’s help, a path different from our present course. To that end, we affirm our faith, propose a set of guiding norms, and call on our churches to rededicate themselves to this mission. We firmly believe that addressing the degradation of God’s sacred Earth is the moral assignment of our time comparable to the Civil Rights struggles of the 1960s, the worldwide movement to achieve equality for women, or ongoing efforts to control weapons of mass destruction in a post-Hiroshima world.

In that spirit, I urge you to reject the proposal before you.

* as prepared for delivery

 

A Prayer For Memorial Day 2015

Creator of us all,

This weekend we remember those who have given their lives for our nation.
May their sacrifices not be in vain.
Help us to live up to America’s highest ideals.
Give us the wisdom to seek peace over conflict.

Lift up family members grieving.
Lift up military personnel who have lost comrades.
Lift up military and civilian leaders who make difficult commands.
Lift up communities hurting from the absence of young men and women.

We too lift up those civilians killed in conflict.
Too many die unintentionally in the fog of war.
Too many die at the hands of those who do not value human life.
Lift up the families and communities where civilians have died.

War is a failure of human imagination even under the most just of reasons.
War is contrary to what we understand your will to be.
Help us lift up a vision of a just peace for the world.
Help us to lift up a vision of Shalom in broken places.

Let us beat our swords into ploughshares,
Our spears into pruning-hooks;
let nation not lift up sword against nation,
let all the people of Earth learn peace over war. (Isaiah 2:4)

In memory of those who have laid down their lives for us, we pray.

Amen.

- Rev. Dr. Chuck Currie

 

Chicago Theological Seminary Commencement 2015

Liz Smith Currie, Katherine, Rev. Dr. Chuck Currie, and Frances

It wasn't long ago that I shared that I'd passed my oral defense and had completed all the requirements for the Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) degree at Chicago Theological Seminary.  This weekend eight members of our family traveled to Chicago for the Commencement.  

As noted, my D.Min. work focused on researching, developing and evaluating models to teach progressive clergy how to engage in theologically grounded social action that employees social media as a vehicle for organizing.

It is vital that Christians address important social issues - such as climate change and economic inequality - using a theological framework. Otherwise, we allow conservative fundamentalists to shape the debate over the future of Christianity.  Hopefully, my work will contribute to this cause in some small way.

Chicago Theological Seminary is a unique institution.  The vision of the seminary is to "be an international force in the development of religious leadership to transform society toward greater justice and mercy."

Already CTS is offering a free online class on Just Peacemaking that offers an alternative to the theology of Just War.

My time working with the faculty, staff and students has been rewarding.  I'm looking forward to reconnecting with the CTS family in January 2016 when I join a planned CTS-sponsored interfaith study tour of Israel and Palestine.

Clergy Letter to Senator Ron Wyden On Iran

April 9, 2015

The Honorable Senator Ron Wyden
Sent via email

Dear Senator Wyden:

We are writing to both congratulate you on being named the winner of the 2015 Vollum Ecumenical Humanitarian Award from Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon (EMO) and to personally take this opportunity to urge you to oppose S.615, the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015.

Both of us have been deeply honored in the past to have our ministries recognized by EMO. Rev. Lore was given the 2013 Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon Award for Justice and Rev. Currie was given the 2003 Vollum Ecumenical Humanitarian Award. We agree you are deeply deserving of your award for opposing torture and standing up for human rights.

As for Iran, we strongly agree with J Street, which has stated:

“With the critical details of a comprehensive agreement yet to be worked out, it is more important than ever that Congress not take actions that will undermine America's negotiators at the table. There must also be no question that, if a final agreement ultimately cannot be reached, the United States is not to blame. We therefore continue to oppose new sanctions legislation currently before the Senate, and remain committed to working with Senators and Members of Congress toward legislation that provides for robust and responsible Congressional oversight of Iranian compliance with any agreement reached.

The diplomatic path being pursued by the United States and its international partners remains better than all the other alternative approaches to dealing with Iran. Military action would delay but not completely destroy the Iranian program, while dragging the United States and Israel into a costly and bloody war.”

S.615 would undermine President Obama’s diplomacy. We have already seen U.S. Senator Tom Cotton publically argue for a bombing campaign against Iran, despite wisdom from current and former military advisors to both political parties who state such action would fail and provoke a larger conflict.

The National Council of Churches “has long advocated for engagement with the Iranian Government, especially with regard to the nuclear question, as engagement is the best means to achieve lasting peace and reconciliation.” We concur. 

How members of the Senate vote on this issue may determine whether or not we go to war with Iran – a war that is avoidable if diplomacy is given every chance, as the president has asked. 

As clergy in Oregon deeply committed to peace, we urge you to publically oppose S.615 in the strongest possible terms.

Sincerely,

Rev. Kate Lore
Minister for Social Justice
First Unitarian Church, Portland

Rev. Chuck Currie
Director, Center for Peace and Spirituality
University Chaplain
Pacific University | Oregon

A Nun on the Bus: Sister Simone Campbell at Pacific University

You've seen her on 60 Minutes, The Colbert Report, and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart as she travels across the country with "Nuns on a Bus" advocating for the least of these in society. The Pacific University Center for Peace and Spirituality is excited to announce that Sister Simone Campbell will be on Pacific's Forest Grove campus at the Taylor-Meade Performing Arts Center on Monday, April 6, 2015 for a 7 pm public lecture. Her talk will focus on the role faith can play in promoting public policies that advance the common good.

 

"It is an honor to host this nationally known advocate," said Rev. Chuck Currie, director of the Center for Peace and Spirituality and university chaplain at Pacific University. "Sister Simone is an inspiring leader in the effort to create a more just nation.  More people would be living in poverty without her leadership."

 

Sister Simone has served as Executive Director of NETWORK: A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby since 2004. She is a religious leader, attorney and poet with extensive experience in public policy and advocacy for systematic change. In Washington, she lobbies on issues of peace building, immigration reform, healthcare and economic justice. Around the country, she is a noted speaker and educator on these public policy issues. Her latest book is A Nun On the Bus.

 

A ticket is required to attend. Seating is limited. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.

 

Contact Rev. Currie at 503-352-2032 or at [email protected] for additional information.  

When Republicans Go Wild

Like most Americans (hopefully), I was bewildered to learn that GOP Senate members sent a letter to Iran trying to undermine U.S. foreign policy.  Even other Republicans are stunned.  Trying to sabotage a sitting U.S. president, as Barack Obama is (see election results, 2008, 2012), is hard to imagine.  Who would do such a thing?  Thus, my op-ed today in The Huffington Post:

People of Faith to GOP Leaders: Support Negotiations With Iran

#VaccinesWork: Open Letter to Parents & Families From Faith Leaders

#VaccinesWork: Open Letter to Parents & Families From Faith Leaders | By @RevChuckCurrie & @Sbthistle http://t.co/DK5sx89qhK

— Rev. Chuck Currie (@RevChuckCurrie) February 6, 2015

Oregon Minister Responds to President’s State of the Union Address

Oregon Minister Responds to President’s State of the Union Address

Rev. Chuck Currie, chaplain at Pacific University (Ore.) and director of the institution's Center for Peace & Spirituality, is available to discuss President Obama's State of the Union speech (503-208-6521, [email protected]).

His initial thoughts: "Having read President Obama’s State of the Union Address and spoken today with White House officials about the proposals the president is making, I can report without hesitation that the president has put forward an agenda people of faith concerned about families, poverty and education can support.

We need a tax system that benefits all Americans and not just the wealthiest. Tax cuts now for middle class families will help those struggling during the recovery. Paid family leave will help create new opportunities for healthily communities. Free community college will help a generation move into higher education and we all know education is the best way to escape poverty.

Diverse faith leaders across the United States have been calling on President Obama and Congress to pass many of the initiatives announced by the president. There has already been strong support from the faith community for the president’s executive action on immigration and climate change. As a minister in the United Church of Christ deeply concerned about the future of America, I support President Obama’s vision and call on members of Congress to work with President Obama."

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

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

Merry Christmas

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. (John 1:5 NRSV)

Dear friends,

We note during this difficult time for our nation and the world that there is hope. Let this Christmas be remembered as the time that good people of faith gathered with together with others - regardless of their faith tradition - to set the captives free, as Jesus taught. Too many people are held captive today by poverty and hunger, racism and oppression, war and human caused changes to our environment. In this season of darkness we must summon new hope, and shine a light that brings justice to places where sin thrives on darkness and indifference.

In Peace,

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.

Set aside #immigration politics for common good

New op-ed by CPAS director @RevChuckCurrie: Set aside #immigration politics for common good http://t.co/Z1Sxcmrkdm #ExecutiveAction

— Pacific U. CPAS (@PacificuCPAS) November 26, 2014

Welcoming the Stranger With #ExecutiveAction

My op-ed | Welcoming the Stranger With #ExecutiveAction http://t.co/KV5LoWxMEh | #ImmigrationReform #ImmigrationAction via @HuffingtonPost

— Rev. Chuck Currie (@RevChuckCurrie) November 21, 2014

Brittany Maynard Made A Moral Choice

My latest op-ed in The Huffington Post:

Brittany Maynard made a moral choice http://t.co/A9jphW3YdE

— Huffington Post (@HuffingtonPost) November 3, 2014

Statement on Possible Oregon Ebola Case

News that there is a person possibly with Ebola undergoing treatment in Oregon should not be reason for panic or great concern. Using best public health practices, the Obama Administration and Center for Disease Control and prevention has put into place policies to protect the health of Americans. No one is at risk of Ebola unless you come into contact with body fluids of an infection person. We are all at greater risk of the flu (get a flu shot). Oregonians should offer compassion to the person now under care, we should offer our thoughts and prayers, and we should do the same for those providing treatment. Health care workers deserve every ounce of respect. During this last week of the election campaign it would be a tragic mistake for any politician to use this issue as an attempt to divide Oregonians. Our attention should be focused most on efforts to stop Ebola in Africa where there has been untold human suffering. Faith leaders have been in direct contact with federal officials as this international crisis has unfolded. Fear should not define our reaction.

- Rev. Chuck Currie

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

SC Church Leaders Must Condemn GOP Leader's Ebola Remarks

SC GOP figure Todd Kincannon wants to execute Ebola victims. He claims a Christian faith but betrays God and seemingly has lost his humanity. His comments, fueled by racism, are a deep embarrassment to South Carolina, a state I love. SC church leaders should take the opportunity to condemn his beliefs and ask that he repent from his sins. We should all seek to show love and compassion for those across the world with Ebola, and not stigmatize those who are ill and suffering. Jesus stood with outcasts, including the sick. He offered healing, justice and reconciliation. There is nothing Christian about Mr. Kincannon's hatred.

SC GOP figure @Todd__Kincannon wants to execute #Ebola victims. He claims a Christian faith but betrays God and seemingly lost his humanity.

— Rev. Chuck Currie (@RevChuckCurrie) October 21, 2014

Is Peace Possible? A Sermon On Isaiah 2: 1-5 and Luke 6:20-26

This morning I had the pleasure of preaching at Portland's First Congregational United Church of Christ. Our Scriptures readings were Isaiah 2: 1-5 and Luke 6:20-26. My sermon - Is Peace Possible? - dealt with the complex realities of peace, justice and conflict.

Thinking about the pursuit of peace is enough to cause one to get a headache. This is true, in part, because defining peace is so complicated. Is it the absence of war? That is one understanding but the absence of war does not mean the conditions for war don't exist and that a new conflict is not just around the corner. We talk a lot in the United Church of Christ about creating “just peace.” This is the idea that for real peace to exist we must create conditions that make war impossible.

Still, peace is not just about war. Is there peace in Ferguson? Clearly, the answer is no. What about Portland? In this very church my colleague Patricia Ross and I conducted the memorial for James Chasse, a Portlander suffering from mental illness, who was beaten by the police so severely that officers left him with fractures in 16 of his ribs, a total of 26 broken bones, as well as a punctured lung. Still today, Mayor Charlie Hales is fighting federal oversight of police reform mandated by the U.S. Department of Justice after a series of people, mostly African-American, died at the hands of our police force. Is there peace in Portland?

Peace is absent as long as there is domestic violence and sexual assaults on college campuses. Peace is absent as long as there are federal and local policies that promote economic violence that leave our people homeless and hunger in a nation of abundance. Peace is absent so long as we pollute the air and seas and threaten God’s very creation. Peace is absent as long as there is gun violence and a lack of police accountability.

Is there a baseline understanding of Jesus’ teachings that, at the very least, mainline Christians might share, particularly in a world so broken by war and suffering from the lack of a just peace that threatens to destabilize all of creation? Walter Rauschenbusch offered a foundational argument regarding whether or not Jesus took sides in an analysis of Luke 6:20-26, one of our reading for this morning, in 1916’s The Social Principles of Jesus.

Listen to the audio of the full sermon here:

Download Is Peace Possible?

(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).

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.