[MLPnews] MLPnews March 17, 2006

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MLP News

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....working for the full inclusion of LGBT people of faith
in the life, ministry, and witness of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

	

Volume 3
Issue 3
  Mar. 17, 2006



 

 

 


In this issue:

    - Lessons from "Brokeback Mountain" for the PCUSA
    - Marriage equality goes to court: a report from the Janie Spahr trial
    - Victory in Santa Rosa! Redwoods PJC rules 6-1 in favor of Rev.
    Janie Spahr
    - More Light Presbyterians statement on the Redwoods PJC decision
    - Another marriage case in the news: Rev. Janet Edwards in Pittsburgh
    - The Envelope Please... Winner announced in MLP's "Name the
    Pittsburgh Overture" contest
    - Our annual phone scam warning
    - Morelight Mailing Mania returns to First Palo Alto
    - Institute for Welcoming Resources joins with NGLTF
    - Rev. John Thomas on mainline church takeover attempts
    - Our 2006 membership cards have arrived - get yours today

***Lessons from "Brokeback Mountain" for the PCUSA*

Michael Adee, MLP field organizer
March 4, 2006

It is clearly becoming one of the most highly acclaimed and talked about 
films in history. "Brokeback Mountain" is based upon the award-winning 
short story by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Annie Proulx.  Her 
story appeared first in the New Yorker in 1997, telling of Ennis del Mar 
and Jack Twist, two ranch hands who meet in 1963 herding sheep on a 
mountain in Wyoming, fall in love and have a twenty year relationship 
against all odds. One film critic said that it is "a film in which love 
feels almost as if it were being invented."

What are some lessons from "Brokeback Mountain" for us as people of 
faith in the Presbyterian Church (USA)? I would like to suggest ten 
lessons.
*Read more... <http://www.mlp.org/article.php?story=20060305131903581>*
*

Marriage equality goes to court: a report from the Janie Spahr trial*

/MLP board member Heather Reichgott was present as an observer at the 
trial of Janie Spahr, and brings us this report./

The trial of minister and evangelist Janie Spahr began yesterday [March 
2, 2006] in the fellowship hall of the Presbyterian Church of the Roses 
in Santa Rosa. Spahr is charged with performing two same-sex weddings. 
Current church law permits ministers to officiate at same-sex union 
ceremonies, but they must clearly state that the ceremony is not a 
marriage.  When asked if her role in the wedding ceremonies included 
stating that the ceremonies were not marriages, Spahr testified, "No, it 
would have been embarrassing and shameful for me to do that." For Spahr, 
relegating same-sex marriages to "second-class status" would be a 
betrayal of her ordination vows as she ministers with a population that 
includes many same-sex couples.*
Read more... <http://www.mlp.org/article.php?story=20060303113507855> *


*Victory in Santa Rosa! Redwoods PJC rules 6-1 in favor of Rev. Janie Spahr*

In a bold statement in support of full human equality, the Permanent 
Judicial Commission (PJC) of the Presbytery of the Redwoods issued a 
ruling today [March 3, 2006] which finds Rev. Jane Adams "Janie" Spahr 
innocent of charges that she violated Presbyterian law by officiating at 
a same-gender marriage ceremony. Six of the seven PJC members affirmed 
the court's ruling, with one member filing a minority report which 
asserts that Rev. Spahr's actions violate the PCUSA's Constitution.

Key extracts from the PJC ruling (emphasis added):

"The subject of same sex marriage *has not been shown to be outside of, 
or contrary to, the essentials of the Reformed faith*... Conscience 
takes precedence over propriety. We find that Spahr was acting within 
her right of conscience in performing marriage ceremonies for same sex 
couples."

"We [the PJC] affirm that the fundamental message of the Scriptures and 
Confessions is the proclamation of the Good News of God's love for all 
people. It is a message of inclusiveness, reconciliation, and the 
breaking down of barriers that separate humans from each other, and that 
this proclamation has primacy in the conduct of the Church."*
Read more... <http://www.mlp.org/article.php?story=20060303210701886>*



*More Light Presbyterians statement on the Redwoods PJC decision*

March 4, 2006, Santa Fe, NM: More Light Presbyterians celebrates the 
decision of the Permanent Judicial Commission (PJC) of Redwoods 
Presbytery that vindicates the faithful pastoral conduct of the Rev. Dr. 
Jane Adams Spahr in her ministry within the Presbyterian Chruch 
(U.S.A.). Spahr was accused of violating her ordination vows in blessing 
the unions of same-sex couples in using the language of the couples' own 
choosing, including the language of marriage.

Noted MLP Co-Moderator Bear Ride, "the decision of this Permanent 
Judicial Commission gives hope to all of God's children who commit 
themselves, one to another, in covenantal bonds."
*Read more... <http://www.mlp.org/article.php?story=20060304021717449> *


*Another marriage case in the news: Rev. Janet Edwards in Pittsburgh*

Back in July 2005 we published an article 
<http://www.mlp.org/article.php?story=20050720111709968> about the 
judicial attack against Rev. Janet Edwards for conducting a marriage 
ceremony for two women earlier in 2005. The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review 
recently published a piece on the case.   Extracts appear below.

*Embattled cleric cites ancestor's example*
by Lara Brenckle and Rick Wills

Nearly 265 years after her legendary fire-and-brimstone forebear 
delivered his historic sermon warning of hell's horrors, a Squirrel Hill 
clergywoman is under church scrutiny for joining two women in marriage.  
The Rev. Janet Edwards, 55, likens performing the ceremony to her 
famously orthodox ancestor, Jonathan Edwards, preaching to the Mohicans 
in the 18th century, when racism made Native Americans the object of 
scorn and fear.  "I would say his acceptance of the Mohicans of the time 
is similar to my inclusion of gay-lesbian-bisexual-transgendered people 
now," Janet Edwards said...*
Read more... <http://www.mlp.org/article.php?story=2006030611422016>*

* <http://www.mlp.org/article.php?story=20060305131903581>*

*The Envelope Please... Winner announced in MLP's "Name the Pittsburgh 
Overture" contest*

Readers here will recall that -- immediately following the shocking 
action taken by Pittsburgh Presbytery to overture this year's General 
Assembly to amend the Constitution to declare 980 new "essential tenets" 
of our Reformed faith (see our earlier article 
<http://www.mlp.org/article.php?story=20060205160110780> from Feb. 5) -- 
we announced a "Name That Overture" contest.  In our movement we know 
that naming is everything. So imagine our delight when dozens of 
potential overture titles came streaming in to our editorial board.

After hours of agonized scrutiny for theological correctness -- based on 
the content of the overture rather than the content of our 
denomination's character -- our randomly selected judging panel is 
pleased to announce the winner of the competition:*
Read more... <http://www.mlp.org/article.php?story=20060310160234760> *


*Our annual phone scam warning*

It's almost spring, the time when flowers begin to bloom, snow begins to 
thaw, and the "phone scam" con artists apparently come out of 
hibernation. We recently received word of revived attempts to 
impersonate MLP members in an attempt to get people to wire funds. Here 
is our full "phone scam" warning 
<http://www.mlp.org/article.php?story=20050516120731658> from May 2005 - 
please take a look so that you don't fall prey to this recurring con 
attempt.*
Read more... <http://www.mlp.org/article.php?story=20060307095111604> *

*
Morelight Mailing Mania returns to First Palo Alto*

For the second year in a row, More Light supporters at First Palo Alto 
<http://www.fprespa.org> gathered after worship today [Sunday March 12] 
to stuff, seal, and stamp envelopes for a More Light Presbyterians 
mailing. The event was organized by the More Light team at First Palo 
Alto and brought in over 20 volunteers. The crew shown in our photo 
online 
<http://www.mlp.org/images/userphotos/mlp-1ppa-march2006-full.jpg> is 
the second-shift team who stayed on to complete the sealing and 
stamping. A picture of last year's event is also available in our 
article archives 
<http://www.mlp.org/article.php?story=20050320192124713>.  Many thanks 
to all of our supporters at <http://www.fprespa.org>First Palo Alto for 
their efforts in support of More Light Presbyterians and equality within 
the PCUSA..


*Institute for Welcoming Resources joins with NGLTF*

/The Institute for Welcoming Resources is an ecumenical pro-LGBT program 
founded by leaders from several Christian LGBT advocacy groups, 
including MLP's field organizer Michael Adee./

A historic moment in the LGBT equality movement in both civil society 
and faith communities is being announced today in a press conference in 
our nation's capital by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force 
<http://www.thetaskforce.org/> and the Institute for Welcoming Resources 
<http://www.welcomingresources.org/>.  Progressive pro-LGBT political 
activists and LGBT-affirming faith activists are joining forces to 
challenge discrimination against us in both society and church.  IWR is 
an ecumenical welcoming and affirming LGBT umbrella resource 
organization of which MLP is one of the founding sponsors. On behalf of 
MLP and the Welcoming "More Light" Movement in our Church, I have had 
the privilege of serving as the President of IWR's Board of Directors 
since its founding in 2002 and through this merger.*
Read more... <http://www.mlp.org/article.php?story=20060313190133556>*


*Rev. John Thomas on mainline church takeover attempts*

In a March 7 speech given at Gettysburg College 
<http://news.ucc.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=483&Itemid=56>, 
UCC General Minister and President Rev. John H. Thomas provides a timely 
reminder of ongoing efforts, funded to a large extent by donations from 
right-wing foundations 
<http://www.mediatransparency.org/recipientgrants.php?174>, to transform 
America's mainline denominations into institutions which conform to 
modern neo-conservative ideology. These efforts within the PCUSA were 
first documented in detail in A Moment To Decide: The Crisis in 
Mainstream Presbyterianism 
<http://search.barnesandnoble.com/BookSearch/isbnInquiry.asp?z=y&isbn=0967910609&itm=1> 
from the Institute for Democracy Studies 
<http://www.institutefordemocracy.org>.

Thomas notes that one of the umbrella organizations orchestrating this 
multi-denominational takeover movement is the Institute on Religion and 
Democracy (IRD), and he also comments on the use of tactics which will 
be quite familiar to longer-term supporters of the presbyterian LGBT 
equality movement: (emphasis added below)
*Read more... <http://www.mlp.org/article.php?story=2006031518482575>*


*Our 2006 membership cards have arrived - get yours today*

Continuing a tradition that we began in 2004, all donors to MLP receive 
a wallet-sized MLP membership card, signed by both co-moderators, 
enclosed with the letter of thanks that you receive in response to your 
first donation each calendar year. If you're on our mailing list, watch 
for your spring donation appeal letter in the mail soon. If you're not 
on our mailing list, you can join or contribute to MLP online 
<https://secure.groundspring.org/dn/index.php?aid=7550> and become a 
card-carrying member right now.
*Click here to see the 2006 membership card... 
<http://www.mlp.org/article.php?story=20060314000253337>*

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