Author Archives: Obie Holmen

We get letters, we get stacks and stacks of letters

Is it a mixed metaphor to apply Perry Como’s jingle from the fifties to emails? Who is Perry Como you ask? Whatever.

My novel, A Wretched Man, has been out for four months, and I’m beginning to accumulate reader’s comments. One reader even called my cell phone one morning to suggest he had just finished the book at his lake cabin, and he wanted me to know how much he enjoyed it.

Here’s a sampling of email comments:

Anna said,

I am truly enjoying the novel! I think you did an outstanding job telling an interesting story. I am not done, but will keep you posted.

Bob said,

If this story is close to true, Paul surely was a crazy man! You did an excellent job of introducing the characters slowly, and repeated their relationships. I am a history/geography minor so appreciate the references to place names and historical characters. The maps are OK but a scale would have been helpful, especially to novice types. I am enjoying the plot development very much. Thank you for using Aramaic and Greek names interchangeably. It is helpful to me to solidify them in my wee brain.

Mary said,

My husband read your book in three days–he just couldn’t put it down–and enjoyed every minute of it … [a few weeks later she added] At this rate, I don’t know if I am ever going to get to finish reading your book. My husband was talking to his brother last week about the book and his brother said he would like to read it. So this past weekend he gave it to him to read… so now I am either going to have to buy my own copy or wait until my husband gets it back from his brother.

Donna said,

I have just finished the book and found it fascinating. Like many of your other readers, I have decided I need to get back to Paul’s writings in the New Testament. Your book has given me a deeper understanding of how the early Christian church grew – Paul’s role in it and the fierce conflict between Jew and Gentile during this time.
I will recommend this to friends. Thank you, I love historical novels and this was one worth reading.

Mike said,

I can only imagine the amount of time you had to have spent to gather the data not only on the historical, anthropological and archeological levels but on the climate and seasons and the types of farming, food, plants, insects, butterflies and birds at the various locations. Maybe being a farm boy, and more attuned to the weather, drew me into the realness of the story line and paralleling Acts which I have always felt is one of the more compelling books of the new testament made the story of Paul more honest at least to me. I had always thought of Paul as different from the norms of society and if Paul was gay or not doesn’t really change the bible and the good news from my point of view anyway. I found a great peace settle on me as I read and concluded the reading of this novel.

Nancy said,

I’ve finished reading your book and really enjoyed it! I’m going to suggest our weekly Pauline Epistles Bible study read this during the rest of the summer. It provides an interesting “review” of events, particularly the founding of the early churches, plus fills in the blanks with interesting possibilities! I really got a much deeper and clearer sense of the actual tensions within the early Church between Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians.

Sylvia said,

I started reading the novel and love the short chapters. It reads so well. I put this book on our church book club for next year.

Yvonne said,

The premise that Paul was gay was extremely interesting, especially with what the church has been dealing in recent time. The story was extraordinarily well written and entertaining. Your development of the characters was remarkable. I loved your book. Thanks for writing it. I’m anxious to pass your book on to friends and get their opinions.

Add your comments here or send me an email obie (dot) holmen (at) gmail (dot) com.

What is “progressive Christianity”?

A lengthy essay by Brad R Braxton (Baptist minister and seminary professor) appearing in the Huffington Post seeks to answer this question. Since this blog purports to be about “progressive, religious themes”, we’ll pick up this thread. Braxton writes:

According to some accounts, the term “progressive Christian” surfaced in the 1990s and began replacing the more traditional term “liberal Christian.” During this period, some Christian leaders wanted to increasingly identify an approach to Christianity that was socially inclusive, conversant with science and culture, and not dogmatically adherent to theological litmus tests such as a belief in the Bible’s inerrancy. The emergence of contemporary Christian progressivism was a refusal to make the false choice of “redeeming souls or redeeming the social order.”

Progressive Christians believe that sacred truth is not frozen in the ancient past. While respecting the wisdom of the past, progressive Christians are open to the ways truth is moving forward in the present and future for the betterment of the world. Progressive Christianity recognizes that our sacred texts and authoritative traditions must be critically engaged and continually reinterpreted in light of contemporary circumstances to prevent religion from becoming a relic.

During the recent biennial convention of Lutherans Concerned North America, I attended a breakout session for “progressive clergy” (I was a usurper since I’m not clergy), and the threshold question was raised, “what does it mean to be a religious progressive?” Since time was limited, we didn’t explore all nuances of the question, but we quickly focused on the prophetic. Braxton also stresses the the prophetic nature of religious progressivism.

Prophetic religion involves a willingness to interrupt an unjust status quo so that more people might experience peace and prosperity … Prophetic evangelicalism insists that Jesus came to save us not only from our personal sins but also from the systematic sins that oppress neighborhoods and nations. Jesus presented his central theme in social and political terms. He preached and taught consistently about the “kingdom of God” — God’s beloved community where social differences no longer divide and access to God’s abundance is equal.

Braxton quotes Biblical scholar Obery Hendricks:

In our time, when many seem to think that Christianity goes hand in hand with right-wing visions of the world, it is important to remember that there has never been a conservative prophet. Prophets have never been called to conserve social orders that have stratified inequities of power and privilege and wealth; prophets have always been called to change them so all can have access to the fullest fruits of life.

In response to Fox News resident idiot Glen Beck, who foolishly suggested that social justice is not in the Bible, the President of Union Theological Seminary, the Rev Dr. Serene Jones, penned a tongue in cheek response (quoted here from Telling Secrets blog):

Dear Mr. Beck,

I write with exciting news. Bibles are en route to you, even as we speak!

Kindly let me explain. On your show, you said that social justice is not in the Bible, anywhere. Oh my, Mr. Beck. At first we were so confused. We couldn’t figure out how you could possibly miss this important theme. And then it hit us: maybe you don’t have a Bible to read. Let me assure you, this is nothing to be ashamed of. Many people live Bible-less lives. But we want to help out. And so, as I write this, our students are collecting Bibles from across the nation, packing them in boxes, and sending them to your offices. Grandmothers, uncles, children, co-workers — indeed, Bible-readers from all walks of life have eagerly contributed. They should be arriving early next week, hopefully just in time for your next show. Read them with zeal!

Oh, I almost forgot: we’ve marked a few of the social justice passages, just in case you can’t find them.

What does this mean in actual practice? How do progressive Christians live out the prophetic call to “do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” Of course, one could cite the progressive march toward full inclusion of the LGBTQ community that is occurring in our mainline Protestant churches. For instance, seven LGBT pastors who were previously ordained by Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries but not by the ELCA will be received as ELCA rostered pastors through a “Rite of Reception” this coming Sunday, July 25.

Here’s another example gleaned from today’s blogosphere. Blog friend Susan Hogan reports that “Pastors for peace head to Cuba” (ELCA critic and WordAlone President Jaynan Clark will likely flip out again in response to this report).

A caravan carrying 100 tons of “humanitarian” aid is scheduled to cross into Cuba today, leaders of Pastors for Peace said Tuesday at a news conference at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in McAllen, Texas.

The [group] has broken the U.S. embargo against Cuba 20 times previously. The embargo includes travel and trade restrictions.

Pastors for Peace is an outreach of the New York-based Interreligious Foundation for Community, which delivers aid to Latin America and the Caribbean.

And another from fellow blogger Terence Weldon on Open Tabernacle in an article entitled “Authentic Catholicism”. While discussing the water relief efforts of an African Catholic diocese, Weldon offers the following indictment of the patriarchal, clerical, hierarchal structures of the Vatican:

To judge from either the most outspoken voices of the Catholic right, or from the anti-Catholic opposition, you could easily think that Catholicism’s most distinctive features are an insistence on blind obedience to the Pope and Catechism, and puritanical sexual ethics. The empirical evidence from actual research, shows a very different picture … [Weldon cites two reports which gauge parishoner’s own sense of what it means to be Catholic] Once again, I do not see in there any reference to automatic obedience, still less to compliance with “official” sexual ethics. But in both these characterizations of Catholic “identity”, a sense of social responsibility and concern for the poor ranked high (emphasis added)- which is what the Ghana contribution to clean water is all about.

And then there is the silly charge by conservatives that progressives don’t uphold the moral standards of the Bible. Jesus called his followers to a higher morality that upheld the spirit of the law often in conflict with its letter, to uplift the alien and the outcast, and to love one’s neighbor. Braxton quotes author Amy-Jill Levine who imagines Jesus chiding a narrow minded, exclusivist Christian who wrongly believes his status is based on offering an appropriate creedal confession:

If you flip back to the Gospel of Matthew … you’ll notice in chapter 25, at the judgment of the sheep and the goats, that I am not interested in those who say ‘Lord, Lord,’ but in those who do their best to live a righteous life: feeding the hungry, visiting people in prison … [Jesus continues] I am saying that I am the way, not you, not your church, not your reading of John’s Gospel, and not the claim of any individual Christian or any particular congregation. I am making the determination, and it is by my grace that anyone gets in, including you. Do you want to argue?

Book Review: The Bible and Homosexual Practice by Robert Gagnon

Author Robert Gagnon has parlayed his best selling 2001 treatise into a role as theological spokesman par excellence on behalf of the conservative camps within the various mainline Christian denominations concerning LGBT issues. With bona fide scholarly credentials behind his conservative argumentation (B.A. degree from Dartmouth College, an M.T.S. from Harvard Divinity School, and a Ph.D. from Princeton Theological Seminary), he provides the intellectual cover for those who oppose gay clergy and gay marriage within Christian denominations. What is more, due to his popularity, he has become a virtual cottage industry, and his website promotes his videos, audio tapes, articles, books, upcoming speaking engagements and recommended talking points.

He provides the scholarly support for those promoting a sola scriptura, word alone, “Bible trumps science, reason, and experience”, attitude toward ethical discernment of sexuality issues. In this, there is extreme irony because his baseline argument is not biblical at all; instead, his views are based on natural law and science (anatomy)—we’ll consider this in detail below. That’s not to say he doesn’t discuss the oft-quoted biblical passages with great erudition. Indeed, even those who disagree with his conclusions can learn from his discussion of ancient same gender sexual practices and cultural attitudes.

Gagnon recognizes the difficulty in promoting the oft used and misused “clobber passages” as warrant for conservative Christian policies vis a vis committed same gender partners. Yet, he is not willing to let go of the traditional arguments either, often expressing a “yes, but” response to consensus scholarship that would dismiss or diminish the relevance of such clobber passages for the current debate over committed partners. Yes, the Sodom story of Genesis is about hospitality and not homosexuality Gagnon acknowledges, but

what makes this instance of inhospitality so dastardly, what make the name “Sodom” a byword for inhumanity to visiting outsiders in later Jewish and Christian circles, is the specific form in which the inhospitality manifests itself: homosexual rape. p 76

So, while acknowledging that the Sodom story “is not an ‘ideal’ text to guide contemporary sexual ethics” (p 71), Gagnon doesn’t quite surrender it either. In this manner, he doesn’t directly abandon current scholarship, yet he retains enough wriggle room for his conservative followers to continue to misuse the biblical “clobber passages.”

As mentioned above, Gagnon’s own thesis does not rely on the traditional clobber passages of the Sodom story, or on the Levitical holiness code, or on the Pauline writings of Romans 1 or the vice lists of 1 Cor 6 and 1 Timothy. Gagnon acknowledges the weaknesses of each of these with “yes, but” argumentation.

Instead, Gagnon proposes a theory of “complementarity”, which is little more than a warmed-over restatement of ancient procreation arguments. Hear Gagnon’s words, which he couches as the “contrary to nature” arguments of the ancients:

Procreation is God’s clue, given in nature, that the male penis and female vagina/womb are complementary organs. No other sexuality results in new life. Therefore the only acceptable form of sexual intercourse is between a man and a woman … sexual passion for its own sake [is] little more than unbridled lust void of societal responsibility. p 164

The second main reason why same-sex intercourse was rejected as “contrary to nature” extends from reproductive capability to the anatomical fittedness of the male penis and the female vagina. p 169

Listen now to Gagnon’s “yes, but” argument:

[Yes] Each of the two main arguments contains elements that contemporary assessments of sexuality would find unacceptable … [but] Nevertheless, the core of both arguments remain persuasive in a contemporary context, containing as they do a recognition of the fundamental biological complementarity of men and women, a divine and natural stamp of maleness and femaleness that is blurred by same-sex intercourse. Apart from Scripture [emphasis mine], the clearest indications of God’s design for human sexuality come from the anatomical fit and functional capacity of male and female sex organs.

Because male genitalia “fits’ female genitalia, we can infer that this reflects God’s creative design. And since Genesis 1 & 2 are about creation, we can read this theory of complementarity into the text. Voila! A biblical argument against same gender sexual activity of any and all kinds! With a scholarly slight of hand, Gagnon has transformed anatomy into biblical doctrine. In the end, the erudite Biblical scholar and exegete is reduced to gussying up the simplistic anatomical notions of the ancients in modern garb and by a series of inferences passing them off as biblical truth.

Book Review: The Bible and Homosexual Practice by Robert Gagnon

I first read Gagnon’s treatise shortly after its 2001 release, and I read it again a few weeks ago in preparation for leading a workshop at the recent Lutherans Concerned Convention. He is an accomplished exegete, and his historical-critical Biblical research is solid; however, his conclusions are suspect. Even as he surrenders the gay-bashing “clobber passages” to contemporary scholarship, he employs a “yes, but” reasoning that reclaims them again. And, as the darling theologian of the sola scriptura, word alone, “the Bible trumps science, reason, and experience” crowd, there is great irony in that his own thesis is based on his view of natural law and questionable science.

Civil disobedience: effective LGBT strategy?

Last week at the PCUSA General Assembly in Minneapolis (GA219), a group of LGBT activists moved to the podium of the convention floor and refused to leave until the police ushered them out. The protest was organized by Soulforce and it’s executive director, Cindi Love. Here’s a link to the video from a local television station:

A few years ago at the 2005 ELCA Churchwide Assembly, a similar protest was mounted. Pastor Anita Hill of St Paul Reformation Church was one of the participants, and the following is from her sermon after returning:

I saw 100 people wearing rainbows (including 15 St. Paul-Ref members) walking to the front of the plenary hall as the business ground to a halt. As Margaret Schuster said: “There was disapproval raining down on our heads.” My heart beat fast and my hands shook. I heard the voice of our presiding bishop asking us to return to the visitor section. I heard the tension in the murmurs and groans of many voting members. It was hard to stand still. Bishop Mark Hanson was my bishop in St. Paul before his election to churchwide office. He has been my shepherd. I know his voice.

But we stood firm in our places.

We risked our reputations, risked losing the respect of the church we’ve been nurtured in along with our families for generations. We studied non-violence, sought to let our love be genuine, especially toward those we perceived to be against us; searched our hearts for ways to express God’s love as we brought our message to the church. Even without voice our message was delivered: no longer can you make decisions about us as though we are an “issue” to be handled by policy and procedure. We are human beings beloved of God, marked with the cross of Christ forever, just like you. As you make decisions, you’ll have to look into our eyes and faces, and see that we love God enough to suffer and to persevere in prayer and action.

But we stood firm in our places.

I’m convinced that whether the change we seek comes sooner or later, we must continue to be a congregation that embraces “justice rooted in gospel.” I’m ready for the day when I am a pastor known not only for being lesbian, but known for teaching, preaching, and leading in ways that move our community to care for those who are hungry, homeless, or sick, those in need of love and care, the “little ones” of the world. Let our community grow in global awareness and response even as we care for this particular metropolitan area. Let us live well and share well and witness well. Let us confound those who cannot fathom our faithful enterprise.

But we stood firm in our places.

An effective strategy or counterproductive? What say you?

Missouri Synod (LCMS) moves to the right: history repeats itself

In 1969, the incumbent president of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS) was voted out of office by a conservative faction that disdained the synod’s ecumenical relations with more moderate Lutheran bodies and the teaching of the historical-critical method of Biblical interpretation rather than a literalistic, infallibility doctrine. In response, many LCMS moderates started Seminex (seminary in exile) and eventually departed the LCMS altogether. The already conservative Lutheran church body effectively purged its moderates and liberals and moved further to the right.

It appears the Missouri Synod needs a ritual cleansing every generation or so to ensure its ideological purity according to the news this week that the already conservative three term incumbent president has been ousted by an even more conservative faction. A blog that calls itself brothers of John the Steadfast trumpeted the uprising. Both the incumbent (Kieschnick)and the challenger (Harrison) appealed to the base by strident bashing of the recent gay-friendly policies of the ELCA, the great bogeyman for many in the LCMS. The delegates to the convention voted overwhelmingly for two resolutions critical of the ELCA, and each of the two candidates attempted to ride the anti-ELCA sentiment to victory. In the end, the delegates apparently believed the challenger hated the ELCA more than the incumbent.

Here is a sampling of blogosphere commentary.

Earlier, as the momentum toward an insurrection mounted, the online magazine named Christianity Today suggested “Tea Party Insurgence Ripples Through Missouri Synod Election.”

Magdalene’s Egg suggests:

First, let’s be clear that this election was a sweep of massive proportions. Earlier this month, candidates were nominated, and Harrison’s nominations were nearly double Kieschnick’s, 1332 to 755. At the actual assembly, Harrison won 54% of the vote, and more than that, he won on the first ballot. This signals a decisive rejection of Kieschnick.

Otagosh refers to a “fawning interview” with the newly elected president:

It is the oozing self-deprecating humility, however, that is the most notable feature of the first Harrison interview. Again, no tribute to his predecessor was offered; the Harrison lobby would probably sooner choke. (He did however manage a one sentence reference to Kieschnick in his address to conference following his election.)

Progressive Involvement says:

Harrison is a staunch conservative, of course, as is Kieschnick. As is ever the case, some grumbled that Kieschnick wasn’t quite conservative enough. Plus, while both of them bashed the ELCA, Harrison seemed to do so with particular vigor.

Lutherans Concerned North America (LCNA) convention concludes

On Saturday afternoon, a multitude of gays and their straight allies recessed the LCNA biennial convention on the campus of Augsburg college in Minneapolis to return to the venues that were so historic last summer at CWA09.

First, along with hundreds of others from around the twin cities and farther (I bumped into my Wisconsin Methodist friends from Kairos CoMotion), the convention goers temporarily adjourned for a stunning, high church gathering around the table of bread and wine. The Eucharistic celebration at Central Lutheran Church was reminiscent of the Goodsoil service at Central following the passage of the sexuality statement by the ELCA church wide assembly last August.

But there was a striking difference also. The presiding minister was the Rev Sherman Hicks, and the preaching minister was the Rev Stephen Bouman. Both men hold high office (Executive Directors of ELCA mission and ministries) within the ELCA churchwide leadership structure. That this was truly a Kairos moment, as LCNA executive director Emily Eastwood often stated, was symbolized by the presence of these two ELCA leaders. The symbolism was first evident an hour earlier at the press conference where the three speakers who sat together to answer questions were Eastwood, Ross Murray, LCNA deputy director, and Rev Bouman–the LCNA and the ELCA together at the same table.

Of course, Pastor Bouman’s ringing sermon offered words of celebration and even an apology for previously having been “part of the problem”, but Bouman also sounded a theme heard throughout the LCNA convention—now that the LGBT community has moved toward the inclusive center of the ELCA, their sense of justice and skills at advocacy ought to be used to promote the cause of those still on the margins, especially the stranger in a strange land.

With church bells pealing, the entire congregation marched across the street to the Minneapolis convention center and the now empty assembly hall where the historic votes had occurred nearly a year earlier. Here were veterans with familiar names, pioneers in the struggle of gay Lutherans for full inclusion, but the procession also swelled with many “first timers”. Much of the crowd remained in the Convention Hall for a reception and dinner dance well into the Saturday night.

Sunday morning was more subdued as the day began with the conclusion of the continuing business meeting. But then the closing worship rekindled the high spirits. The band from nearby Edina Community Lutheran Church had the worship hall at Augsburg swaying to bluesy renditions of traditional hymns and even the Kyrie Eleison was syncopated. By the time the final notes of “God be with you till we meet again” died out, there weren’t many dry eyes.

Note to my workshop attendees, click here for the powerpoint presentation in pdf format.

Lutherans Concerned Convention

The bienniel convention of Lutherans Concerned North America (LCNA)opened yesterday at Augsburg College in Minneapolis. LCNA is the principal LGBT advocacy group for Lutherans and several hundred gathered for the first time since the historic policy changes at the 2009 ELCA churchwide assembly. Not surprisingly, the mood was electric and celebratory.

The stirring opening worship was led by chaplains Lura Groen whose sermon offered many rivers of justice images, Jay Wiesner who presided during the eucharist, and Matt James who led in prayer–gay clergy all. David Lohman at the grand piano accompanied the rafter raising singing and also offered his own composition.

Following the worship, executive director Emily Eastwood and deputy director Ross Murray offered comments and updates to recurring standing ovations, especially when Emily read from her blackberry that the Presbyterians had passed a resolution for gay clergy and the US courts had struck down DOMA.

After breakout sessions and dinner, the highlight of the evening was the keynote session that began with the presentation of an award to retired ELCA presiding bishop Herb Chilstrom and pastor Corinne Chilstrom for their contibutions as straight allies. More standing ovations. Ethicist Miguel de la Torre was the keynote speaker, and he offered an impassioned call to justice, to read our Scriptures through the eyes of the oppressed, and to remind all that seekers of justice are called to advocacy for all the marginalized. More standing ovations.

The evening closed to the jazz and blues riffs of Rachel Kurtz. Off to bed. More tomorrow.

July figures of ELCA departing congregations

Here is an email I just received from the office of ELCA secretary, David Swartling.

As of June 30, the Office of the Secretary has been advised that 462 congregations have taken first votes to terminate their relationship with the ELCA (some congregations have taken more than one first vote). Of these 462 congregations that have taken first votes, 312 passed and 150 failed. Synods also have informed the Office of the Secretary that 196 congregations have taken a second vote, 185 of which passed and 11 failed. (The numbers previously reported on June 3 for second votes contained an error; the correct number of failed second votes as of June 3 should have been 10, not 21. Thus, the number of second votes that passed as of June 3 should have been 151, not 140.)

Here was the report from last month for comparison:

As of June 3, we have been advised that 419 congregations have taken first votes to terminate their relationship with the ELCA (some congregations have taken more than one first vote). Of these 419 congregations that have taken first votes, 283 passed and 136 failed. Synods also have informed the Office of the Secretary that 161 congregations have taken a second vote, 140 of which passed and 21 failed.

Monday afternoon at PCUSA GA219

I was scheduled to autograph copies of my novel, A Wretched Man, in the Cokesbury bookstore in mid afternoon. I arrived an hour early in order to set up and to visit at the booths of the 4-5 LGBT advocacy groups clustered together in a prominent location of the exhibit hall. I met some very nice folks and gladly accepted a rainbow prayer shawl from the More Light Presbyterians (MLP). A question I asked without receiving a clear answer was why these groups don’t pool their resources, but it seems to an outsider that the MLP organization is the largest.

I snapped a few photos which I post here. The mixed generations at “That all may freely serve” pseudo malt shop invited me to sit with them in order to be included in the photo, so that’s my smiling mug you see.

The biggest order of business accomplished by the assembled delegates thus far was the election of new moderator, Cynthia Bolbach, and her election was praised by the volunteers staffing the LGBT booths. Apparently, of the six candidates, she was the one who spoke mostly openly about her support for LGBT issues.

Much of the work of these first few days takes place in committee, and the Committee on Civil Union and Marriage Issues voted 47-8-2 Monday to approve a report that urges Presbyterians to further study the issues and stay in covenant with each other while they do so. The committee rejected a minority report submitted by three members of the special committee. The minority report, which stated that “only marriage between a man and a woman is ordained by God,” was defeated 40-15, with one abstention.

There were two other authors present for the book signing. Gustav Niebuhr of the famous Niebuhr family, who had earlier spoken to the Covenant Network, offered his book Beyond Tolerance, and I spent quite a bit of time speaking with Dr. Mark Braverman who offered his book Fatal Embrace, Christians, Jews and the search for peace in the Holy Land. I hope to report on our conversation and his book in a later blog post.