Learn how General Synod works and about the resolutions at General Synod 27.
This is an informal discussion with a UCC member who attended General Synod 27 and the United Church of Christ History and Polity Course.
Mondays at 6:30 at the home of Cindi Knox and Mary Dycus.
Please call 815-254-6920 or go to http://cindik.com/contact/ to reserve a space and express your preference of pizza thickness and toppings.
Please bring something to drink.
July 13: How General Synod works
July 20:
July 27: TBA
August 3: TBA
August 10: TBA
August 17: TBA
August 24: TBA
This is an informal discussion with a UCC member who attended General Synod 27 and the United Church of Christ History and Polity Course.
Mondays at 6:30 at the home of Cindi Knox and Mary Dycus.
Please call 815-254-6920 or go to http://cindik.com/contact/ to reserve a space and express your preference of pizza thickness and toppings.
Please bring something to drink.
July 13: How General Synod works
July 20:
1. Toward Unified Governance for the National Setting of the United Church of Christ - Substitute Resolution - Approved
2. Amendment to the Proposed Changes to the Constitution and Bylaws - Approved
July 27: TBA
August 3: TBA
August 10: TBA
August 17: TBA
August 24: TBA
Continue reading Pizza and Polity.
How much longer should we wait for gay, Lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people to be able to serve honorably in the military?
"These things take time", we are told. In the 1990's William Jefferson Clinton talked about lifting the ban, but instead settled on a compromise that requires dishonesty. "Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Don't Pursue" has become "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" as the military aggressively removes people from service because they were at a Pride event or posted something on a website.
Nearly two decades later, people are still being separated from service because of who they are rather than how they perform as soldiers. This is an unacceptable way to treat these brave individuals who voluntarily serve our country by putting their lives on the line. This is an unacceptable way to treat those people with whom they serve by breaking up teams that have worked together for months or years. This is an unacceptable way to treat Americans who rely on these trained individuals to protect them.
How much longer should we wait? This change is past due. Every second of delay is merely adding to the tardiness of the required action.
The President has said it requires legislative action, and Harry Reid has said the President should take action. They're both right. The President should take action immediately to protect our soldiers by suspending action under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" while the Congress immediately moves to pass legislation that prevents the military from using sexual orientation or gender identity as criteria for removing servicemembers.
Now.
Today.
This hour.
This minute.
The lives of GLBT soldiers depend on it.
The lives of all soldiers depend on it.
The lives of all Americans depend on it.
"These things take time", we are told. In the 1990's William Jefferson Clinton talked about lifting the ban, but instead settled on a compromise that requires dishonesty. "Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Don't Pursue" has become "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" as the military aggressively removes people from service because they were at a Pride event or posted something on a website.
Nearly two decades later, people are still being separated from service because of who they are rather than how they perform as soldiers. This is an unacceptable way to treat these brave individuals who voluntarily serve our country by putting their lives on the line. This is an unacceptable way to treat those people with whom they serve by breaking up teams that have worked together for months or years. This is an unacceptable way to treat Americans who rely on these trained individuals to protect them.
How much longer should we wait? This change is past due. Every second of delay is merely adding to the tardiness of the required action.
The President has said it requires legislative action, and Harry Reid has said the President should take action. They're both right. The President should take action immediately to protect our soldiers by suspending action under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" while the Congress immediately moves to pass legislation that prevents the military from using sexual orientation or gender identity as criteria for removing servicemembers.
Now.
Today.
This hour.
This minute.
The lives of GLBT soldiers depend on it.
The lives of all soldiers depend on it.
The lives of all Americans depend on it.
1.Full civil rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals must be enacted now. Delay and excuses are no longer acceptable.
- The Dallas Principals
Autumn Sandeen, in her post on Pam's House Blend, has a good point about opposition to hate crimes laws based on free speech.
If you think hate crimes are thought crimes, and that hate crimes laws attack freedom of speech, you may want to look at what you're trying to protect.
You're protecting a man who murdered a 15 year old girl for being Lesbian.
You're protecting two men who murdered a young man for being gay.
You're protecting two men and two teens who repeatedly gang raped a 28 year old woman because she was Lesbian.
You're protecting a man who murdered a young transgender woman.
Hate crime legislation does not prevent your pastor from saying "homosexuality is a sin". It doesn't even make it a crime for Westboro Baptist Church to march with signs that say "God Gates Fags" and "Matthew Shepherd Is In Hell".
Hate crime legislation enhances penalties for those crimes where the victim was selected because of race, national origin, gender, or sexual orientation - whether actual or perceived - and which were committed to cause fear in a group of people.
References:
If you think hate crimes are thought crimes, and that hate crimes laws attack freedom of speech, you may want to look at what you're trying to protect.
You're protecting a man who murdered a 15 year old girl for being Lesbian.
You're protecting two men who murdered a young man for being gay.
You're protecting two men and two teens who repeatedly gang raped a 28 year old woman because she was Lesbian.
You're protecting a man who murdered a young transgender woman.
Hate crime legislation does not prevent your pastor from saying "homosexuality is a sin". It doesn't even make it a crime for Westboro Baptist Church to march with signs that say "God Gates Fags" and "Matthew Shepherd Is In Hell".
Hate crime legislation enhances penalties for those crimes where the victim was selected because of race, national origin, gender, or sexual orientation - whether actual or perceived - and which were committed to cause fear in a group of people.
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
References:
- Was Allen Ray Andrade Expressing The Kind Of Christian Free Speech That FOTF Is Talking About? [Pam's House Blend]
- Ryan Skipper [Wikipedia]
- Man Charged With Bias Crime for Girlâs Killing in Newark [NY Times]
- Lesbian Rape Called Hate Crime by Police [LA Criminal Defense Blog]
- Transgender murder, hate crime conviction a first [CNN]
I live in Joliet, and am a member of a UCC church near Joliet.
I have met a lot of progressive Christians, so I know we exist. Yet we're not seen or heard as often as conservatives. I wondered why.
Continue reading A Call for Progressives to Reclaim Christianity.
Yes, you read that correctly.
April 23, there was a genderqueer celebration at Chicago Theological Seminary. There was also an auction - a fundraiser for "top surgery" for an FTM seminarian.
It was an evening of prayer, drag performances, music, and personal testimonies.
There were at least three trangender seminarians in attendance, and many other LGB seminarians and seminary faculty and staff, not to mention straight-but-supportive seminarians, faculty, and staff.
Most of the big-ticket (read $400-700) auction items went to faculty and staff.
For every heavily funded institution like Bob Jones University, there is a liberal seminary like CTS struggling to prepare progressive religious leaders.
They can use your support.
Ten years ago today, Mary and I promised ourselves to each other in
Holy Union in a church in Oak Park, IL. Twenty years ago, we met in a
bar named Suzy B.'s in Chicago. In those two decades, we dealt with a
lot of things:
Continue reading Happy anniversary, Mary.
I was thinking today about our tendency to help when it's convenient.
When we have a few extra dollars, we contribute to charity.
When we have extra food, we give some to the food bank (some of us offer the dented cans or things we don't want to eat).
Yet need does not wax and wane with availability. Homeless people don't disappear when there's a shortage of beds in shelters. People don't magically have enough winter clothing when there are no coats available. People aren't magically filled when there is no food available. And the needs of people for community don't disappear when churches decide they have no room for "people like that".
When we have a few extra dollars, we contribute to charity.
When we have extra food, we give some to the food bank (some of us offer the dented cans or things we don't want to eat).
Yet need does not wax and wane with availability. Homeless people don't disappear when there's a shortage of beds in shelters. People don't magically have enough winter clothing when there are no coats available. People aren't magically filled when there is no food available. And the needs of people for community don't disappear when churches decide they have no room for "people like that".
Continue reading When is it convenient?.
Here in Joliet, IL, USA, North America, Earth, Earth Hour has arrived and our home has powered down for an hour. See you on the flip side (maybe sooner if the battery backups actually hold the network together - we'll see!)
This is a scheduled post, so it should get posted no matter what.
Earth Hour: http://www.earthhour.org/home/
This is a scheduled post, so it should get posted no matter what.
Earth Hour: http://www.earthhour.org/home/
At 8:30PM local time tonight, people all over the world are turning off their lights for an hour to support work to reduce global warming.
See http://www.earthhour.org/home/
I'm planning on opening the main breaker on the house. We'll see whether the battery-backed-up sump pump will keep up (we're getting rain and snow tonight).
See http://www.earthhour.org/home/
I'm planning on opening the main breaker on the house. We'll see whether the battery-backed-up sump pump will keep up (we're getting rain and snow tonight).
