Faiths’ beliefs on homosexuality vary

Faiths’ beliefs on homosexuality vary
Source: That Minority Thing

Author: admin

Date: 30 August, 2008

United Church of Christ: In the 1970s the UCC allowed the ordination of the first openly gay man and the first openly lesbian woman. Ordination of practicing homosexuals was officially accepted in 1980. But since the UCC believes in ...

Faiths' beliefs on homosexuality vary

Faiths' beliefs on homosexuality vary
Source: Houston Chronicle - United States

Author:

Date: 20 August, 2008

United Church of Christ: In the 1970s the UCC allowed the ordination of the first openly gay man and the first openly lesbian woman. ...

Different readings of scripture lead Christians to accept homosexuality

Different readings of scripture lead Christians to accept homosexuality

Source: Rockford Register Star - Rockford, IL, USA

Author: Bob Black

Date: 23 August, 2008

… We have a vibrant lesbian and gay membership in Spring Creek United Church of Christ, and we are members of a denomination that has had a place in American religious life since before the Revolutionary War. We have a special ministry called Maranatha, established to do ministry and outreach with the gay community. Our gay members pray for the sick, visit and take meals to the homebound, sing in the choir, teach Sunday school and serve in leadership roles. Like other Christians, they wrestle over the meaning of scripture and what it means to us in 21st-century America and the world, and struggle to discern God’s plan for them as Christians. In other words, they are pretty much what Paul called “saints of the Lord,” people walking the Way of Christ as they are able. …

History of the Episcopal Church Lesson 5

History of the Episcopal Church Lesson 5

Source: Christ Church Little Rock

Author: jbcross

Date: 21 August, 2008

The United Church of Christ was one of the first denominations to fully support gays. The Southern Baptist Church and others took the lead in Afamily values.@ The Episcopal Church was deeply divided but had reached its compromise....

8 finish 96-mile walk to promote equal rights

8 finish 96-mile walk to promote equal rights

Source: Arizona Republic - Phoenix, AZ, USA

Author: Amanda J. Crawford

Date: 17 August, 2008

Meg Sneed is a cancer survivor. She is also a lesbian.

After spending three days walking to benefit breast-cancer research, she had an idea. What about a walk to raise awareness about marriage inequality?

Last week, Sneed, 25, and seven other gay, lesbian and bisexual young people aged 19 to 28 walked through the metro area to the state Capitol to raise awareness about gay rights and the fall referendum that would add a gay-marriage ban to the state constitution…

Among their stops was the Church of the Beatitudes United Church of Christ in north-central Phoenix.

The Rev. Nancy Elsenheimer is one of the senior pastors at the church, which performs commitment ceremonies for same-sex couples. She called Sneed and the other walkers "courageous" not only for braving the Valley's heat but also for spreading their message through areas not always receptive to gay rights…

Religious Groups’ Official Positions On Same-Sex Marriage

Religious Groups’ Official Positions On Same-Sex Marriage

Source: Ye Are Gods

Author: God's Servan

Date: 3 August, 2008

In 2005, the General Synod of the United Church of Christ voted to legally recognize and advocate in favor of same-sex marriage.

Historic Chicago gay church closing, may be replaced

Historic Chicago gay church closing, may be replaced
The Chicago Defender: 02-23-2007

What is now Good Shepherd began as a small congregation meeting in a pastor's home in May 1970. It later become the first MCC in Chicago and one of the very first MCCs nationwide, and started holding evening services in other churches in Chicago. By the late 1970s, it had attracted more than 300 congregants to every service, overflowing the pews of Wellington Avenue United Church of Christ in Lakeview.

A circle of support in Montclair

A circle of support in Montclair
The Montclair Times: 02-21-2007

"She said the church, which is a member of the United Church of Christ denomination, “seems to be one of the most accepting” in welcoming gay and lesbian couples.

“'People in our denomination are very interested in social justice and diversity, and see it as an important practice of faith. It was really meaningful to me to know that the clergy is active on the issue of marriage equality,' said Fowler, who also leads the Christian Formation and Youth group at the church."

Acceptable Bigotries: Arizona State U. Perpetuates Negative Christian Stereotypes

Acceptable Bigotries: Arizona State U. Perpetuates Negative Christian Stereotypes
BlogCritics.org: 02-13-2007

“…there are somewhere in the neighborhood of 50,000 Christian denominations running the gamut from the United Church of Christ, to the Quakers, to Roman Catholics, to Mormons, to Southern Baptists. Some denominations have no problems with gays such as the Anglicans. Other denominations say that homosexual behavior is wrong but still try to reach out in human understanding, such as Roman Catholics. Others are outright judgmental, preaching homosexuals as the harbinger of death and destruction, such as Fred Phelps and his gang. The problem with stereotypes is that it takes one case and then shrinks all others and forces them into a box. As is usual, reality is much more complex.”

Freedom to Marry-Your Valentine

Freedom to Marry-Your Valentine
MamacitaOnline.com: 02-14-2007

“It's "Freedom to Marry Week" and I wanted to recognize the campaign for Valentine's Day. Freedom to Marry defines itself as a "gay and non-gay partnership working to win marriage equality nationwide." While I'm proud to be a resident of New Jersey, a state with a strong support for the right of same sex couples to marry (but has not legalized their right to marry yet) and a member of a church, the United Church of Christ, which performs these unions, civil unions are not the same as marriage.”

Anglican Primates Meet in Africa: Keep them in your hearts and prayers

Anglican Primates Meet in Africa: Keep them in your hearts and prayers
Gay Spirituality & Culture blog: 02-15-2007

"This week, the Primates of the Anglican Church are meeting in Tanzania. As we are all aware, the Anglican Church has been rocked by threats of schism over issues of gay and lesbian inclusion... Schism and division are all over media coverage of efforts for inclusion, even though schismatic elements in most denominations are very small minorities. On a now defunct blog, I remember railing against media coverage of the United Church of Christ’s (UCC) decision to support marriage equality."

UCC President to Speak at Gay Megachurch

UCC President to Speak at Gay Megachurch
Gay Religion: news of religion and GLBT folks: 2 February, 2007

The president of the largest Christian denomination to endorse gay marriage will officially welcome a Dallas gay megachurch as a member Sunday. The Rev. John H. Thomas of the United Church of Christ will be the first leader of a mainline denomination to address a predominantly lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender congregation when he preaches at the Cathedral of Hope, said The Rev. Jo Hudson, the cathedral's rector and senior pastor. The cathedral, which claims 4,300 members and will be the fourth-largest in the UCC, decided to join last year after the denomination endorsed gay marriage in 2005.

UCC president to speak at Cathedral of Hope

UCC president to speak at Cathedral of Hope
KTRE-TV: 01-31-2007

"United Church of Christ will officially welcome Dallas' Cathedral of Hope into its fold on Sunday.

"The Reverend John H. Thomas will do the honors. The U-C-C president will preach at both morning services at the gay Dallas megachurch. He'll also participate in an afternoon induction service at the 43-hundred member church.

"The cathedral becomes the denomination's fourth largest church. It decided to affiliate with the U-C-C last year after the denomination's decision in 2005 to endorse gay marriage. It's the largest Christian denomination to do so."