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Wormwood and Gall a Midwest Book Award Finalist

The Midwest Independent Publishers Association (MIPA) recently named Wormwood and Gall as one of three finalists for a Midwest Book Award in the Religion/Philosophy category. The awards program, which is organized by MIPA, recognizes quality in independent publishing in the Midwest.

The 30th annual Midwest Book Awards was open to books published and copyrighted in 2019 in MiPA’s 12-state Midwestern region: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin.This year’s competition garnered 221 entries in 31 categories, which were judged by a panel of 99 librarians and booksellers from every state in MiPA’s 12-state Midwestern region.

Typically an awards gala is held every year in Minneapolis to announce the winners, but this year, due to travel and shelter-in-place restrictions from Covid-19, winners will be announced during a free, online watch party on Facebook set for June 27 at 7pm CDT, with book prizes for attendees and a special segment by independent booksellers throughout the Midwest on how to support them at this time.

“Although we were disappointed to cancel our gala this year, we are excited for the potential to attract a larger audience who can help make this a truly regional event that celebrates Midwestern publishing,” said Jennifer Baum, chair of the Midwest Book Awards.

The Midwest Book Awards, which began in 1989, is organized by the Midwest Independent Publishers Association (MiPA). Founded in 1984, MiPA exists today as a vibrant professional nonprofit association that serves the Midwest independent publishing community through education, networking, and peer recognition.

Holmen’s earlier work, Queer Clergy; A History of Gay and Lesbian Ministry in American Protestantism was previously a finalist for a Minnesota Book Award in the non-fiction category.

Where were you when …

Most of us remember where we were when the Twin Towers were attacked on 9-11. For folks my age or older, we remember the Kennedy assassination.

Fifty years ago, Apollo 11 roared into history as I arrived in Vietnam. I wrote about those days in my embellished autobiographical novella entitled “Gonna Stick My Sword in the Golden Sand.” Here’s a snippet. Pardon the vulgarity and self pity.

There were no Charlies [enemy soldiers] in Cam Ranh Bay after all, but plenty of sorry asses like me, spending the first day of three hundred sixty five: July 17, 1969. Mounds of white sand dunes surrounded low-lying gray buildings with tin roofs held down with sand bags. And potable water and non-potable water, but I could never remember which one was for drinking. Back in Fort Lewis near Seattle, the army spent a couple of days processing me into Vietnam, and now that I was here, the army spent a few more days of processing, but that was fine with me. Standing in line was better than getting shot at.

A new patch on my fatigues said I was a PFC, private first class, just like all who had completed the Eleven Bravo infantry training at Fort Polk, but then I got promoted for a few hours by somebody who needed a drinking buddy. We had been standing in a line together. The silver bar on his collar said he was a first lieutenant, and he invited me to have a drink with him at the officer’s club; when he offered me his jacket with silver bars to cover up my PFC patch, I thought … what the hell? Turns out the officer’s club was air conditioned, and we spent the afternoon drinking scotch whiskey while a Filipino woman belted out sultry jazz. I drank mine straight because I was worried about potable or non-potable water.

After Cam Ranh Bay finished its processing, they decided to send me to the 4th Infantry Division up in the central highlands. Next stop, Camp Enari outside Pleiku. More processing. And rain. And mud. It was the midsummer monsoon of July 1969. In many places, plank boardwalks kept you out of the slimy red clay that caked your combat boots. When it stopped raining for a while, they loaded us into trucks called deuce-and-a-halfs and took us outside the perimeter for M-16 rifle training, part of the in-country welcoming festivities. There was a gully there, a drainage ditch or something, and I pictured a horde of Charlies lurking in the tall grass. I was an Eleven Bravo, and I already knew how to use an M-16, but the clerk-typists–Remington Raiders who were sent to shoot for the one and only time in their whole damned tour of duty–needed protection, I figured, so I kept a close eye out for Charlie, but the only real danger was if one of the desk jockeys shot himself in the foot, or worse.

More processing. My new buddies drank beer, we spent one day at the steam bath, and, of course, there was the PX with a TV and an ice milk dispenser, except it was never cold enough to cool the mixture beyond a runny, slurpy mess that spilled over the top of the soggy cones. There were great bargains on electronics, but what would I do with a goddamned reel-to-reel tape deck out in the boonies? We started planning for when we’d get our first combat pay, military payment script they called it. My buddies went to look some more at the stereos, and I went to get some soft, real soft, ice cream.

I thought of the sky-blue waters of the ten thousand lakes of Minnesota, I wondered if Twins ballplayer Rod Carew swiped home that day, and I worried that my girl would have second thoughts if Jody was to come around (it was always Jody they warned you about—“Jody’s gonna get your girl,” the drill sergeants teased). A small crowd gathered around the TV that hung high on a wall, and I stood at the back and watched and listened while ice milk dribbled down my wrist.

“That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

What the fuck? The TV announcer said some swinging dick was walking on the moon, and the whole world was watching. Did I give a rat’s ass? What about me? Did anyone care what I was doing? Where I was? Somehow, I felt abandoned and much farther away than the man on the moon.

Ancient History Made Contemporary and Compelling

Colleen Kwong is a pastor and an artist (potter). We began bumping into each other and exchanging our work a few years ago at church conventions. My fingers trace her clay labyrinth that sits on my desk. I sent her a proof copy of Wormwood and Gall, and she soon replied that she “devoured” it and sent the following review.

Who would think that a book that begins with “On a late summer’s day in the reign of Emperor Vespasian…” would be a page-turner?! And yet, RW Holmen has taken a page from ancient history and made it feel utterly contemporary and compelling.

He describes the sensory atmosphere of first century Jerusalem and environs with such ferocity that one feels, smells, sees, hears, and tastes the desperation and the occasional delight of those present in that place.

As with other writings that engage historical settings, we know the ending before we begin, but Holmen is able to take us on the journey with the protagonist Markos (the reconstructed imagined writer of the gospel of Mark) with such clarity that we feel the urgency of the time.

For the knowledgeable historian, this book offers insights into the very human aspects and possible scenario for the writing of Mark’s gospel. For those with less historical knowledge, it provides enough factual information to make the story understandable in its historical context.

Holmen hints at the power of the person Jesus through his contacts with Jesus’ relatives and friends, but does not overpower us with the usual saccharine media portrayal of “knowing Jesus as Christ.” He manages to give glimpses into the hope and possibilities of following the Christ as shown in those who knew Jesus and attempt to follow the teachings and example of Godly living. All this in a time that was brutal, where loss is great, and hope is almost unimaginable. Personal decision making and community responsibility is lived out by the book’s characters in varying ways, each having to live with their decisions, and some questioning the meaning of it all.

It is in this world of destruction, tragedy, chaos and confusion that Markos and his circle struggle for a sense of humanity and meaning. And, lucky for us, Markos is able to record it for us, as he is a scribe.

Thanks to RW Holmen for also being a scribe, doing the hard work of researching, recording, imagining, and reconstructing a possible scenario of the writing of the Gospel of Mark. This book would be a wonderful addition to a Bible study, to give life to the characters that often seem distant, and to invite us into a world that, though distant in time and place, feels contemporary through Holmen’s writing.

More Reviews: Wormwood and Gall

A pair of new reviews have been posted on Amazon. I asked Pastor Phil Eaves and Susan Troselius to review advanced reader copies of Wormwood and Gall, knowing that they had earlier expressed appreciation for A Wretched Man. On one hand, it is fair to say that these are cherry-picked reviewers for that reason, but there was also a level of dread on my part that the latest novel might disappoint and fail to live up to the expectations raised by my first novel.

Phil Eaves is a retired pastor and former St. Olaf College trustee living in Northfield, and he arranged several appearances/book readings on my behalf in that college community when A Wretched Man was first released. His review of Wormwood and Gall “came pouring out after an engaging and delightful adventure in reading your remarkable new book. I have not written many reviews and it is not exactly my forte so I penned these comments as more of a personal response.” It’s pitch perfect.

The wonder of the Bible is just when you think you’ve got it all figured out, just when you are ready to write a rule or proclaim a doctrine, someone like R. W. Holmen comes along with a refreshingly unique perspective. Using his gifted imagination, astute scholarship and variety of real-life vocational adventures Holmen shows us something new while challenging us to grow from the experience. Don’t get bogged down in whether “Wormwood and Gall” could have actually happened … enter into it! Live the story first, study it later and enjoy the fullness of the journey.

Susan is a colleague at Central Lutheran in Minneapolis. When she heard of the pending publication of the novel, she asked, “Where can I get a copy?” My response was to offer a “proof copy” in exchange for her feedback. Her review follows under the Amazon heading, “A must-read…historical fiction at its finest”:

After many conversations with R.W. Holmen regarding my anticipation of his next novel, I was delighted to receive the advance reader copy of “Wormwood and Gall.” In this account of Mark, believed to be the author of the first of the four Gospels in the New Testament and, as with “A Wretched Man”, I needed to read slowly and thoughtfully, to savor Holmen’s rich character development and the historical, cultural and societal intricacies he brings to the telling. The gift that Holmen gave me in this book was painting a picture for me of what might have been and how it may, or may not, mesh with my own interpretation of history in this, or any other gospel account. As usual, I have more questions than answers; for now, I will relish the experience of Holmen’s rich and unique perspective of Mark’s journey and those with whom he journeyed.

I am flattered and immensely thankful for the kind words.

Early Amazon reviews for Wormwood and Gall

Folks who received advance reader copies of Wormwood and Gall have posted five-star reviews on Amazon.

Pastor Wesley White has penned his own book centered in Mark’s gospel, entitled, Slow Reading the Gospel of Mark, a reflective, meditative, and introspective invitation into the gospel narrative. Pastor White’s review of Wormwood and Gall lauds the historical integrity, the weaving of scriptural themes, and the theological consistency of the novel with the gospel:

Historical and archeological details scattered throughout the novel give a richness and grounding to the reading … Holmen knows his history and scripture and weaves them together in a way that surprises and delights … The question of, ‘Who am I’ (from the perspective of both Jesus and the reader), lies at the heart of Mark’s gospel and is raised in a variety of ways throughout this novel … an organizing principle.

Phil Soucy also commends the historical underpinnings of the novel:

Brilliance in historical fiction lies in stitching together the tumult of large events through the lives of fictional characters, their veracity resulting from meticulous and encyclopedic research into the events themselves, the cultures of the time, the societies that existed within those cultures, and an understanding of the impact on the future flowing out from this time.

Soucy adds that the novel speaks to the human condition through the experiences of the principal character:

Markos … seeking to extract meaning from the events of his life as they happen, is drawn along a path towards authenticity about who he is. We, you, will be pulled along with him.

My thanks to Wesley and Phil as they help to bring Wormwood and Gall to the attention of readers interested in Biblical history and the big questions in life.

Wormwood and Gall: an odd book title

The Hollywood screenwriter who hopes to bring A Wretched Man to a movie screen near you, once complimented me on my imaginative, and sometimes provocative, book titles: A Wretched Man, Gonna Stick my Sword in the Golden Sand, Queer Clergy. I could add my current work in progress, Lady Liberty is a Bitch. So, where does Wormwood and Gall come from? For starters, Wormwood is a medicinal herb, and gall is bitter bile.

Of course, Paul’s own self-designation provides the title for A Wretched Man. “Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?” Romans 7:24. Similarly, Wormwood and Gall derives from a Biblical reference: in this case, a lament for Jerusalem:

How lonely sits the city that once was full of people! How like a widow she has become, she that was great among the nations! She that was a princess among the provinces has become a vassal.

The thought of my affliction and my homelessness is wormwood and gall! My soul continually thinks of it and is bowed down within me. But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, and his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 1:1 & 3:19-22

This lament aptly suggests the novel’s theme. In the midst of despair as Roman legions besiege Jerusalem, and all seems lost, a narrator scribes ink strokes on a papyrus scroll to bolster courage and inspire hope in the beleaguered remnant of Jesus followers, four decades after his crucifixion. The novel characterizes Markos (Greek for “Mark”) as someone who wrestles with existential questions as to the meaning, or meaninglessness, of life.

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Is literary fiction a dinosaur?

First, a working definition of “literary fiction” from Wikipedia:

A concern with social commentary, political criticism, or reflection on the human condition.
A focus on “introspective, in-depth character studies” of “interesting, complex and developed” characters, whose “inner stories” drive the plot, with detailed motivations to elicit “emotional involvement” in the reader.
A slower pace than popular fiction, “literary fiction, by its nature, allows itself to dawdle, to linger on stray beauties even at the risk of losing its way”.
A concern with the style and complexity of the writing: “elegantly written, lyrical, and … layered”.
Unlike genre fiction, plot is not the central concern. The tone of literary fiction can be darker than genre fiction.

Literary fiction is often contrasted with genre fiction, commercial fiction, popular fiction, etc. Among other trends in the publishing industry, literary fiction is increasingly becoming a lost art, driven by cultural changes and market influences. Sadly, good books don’t sell. An overstatement, of course, and there are exceptions. Here in Minnesota, we have authors Louise Erdrich and Marlon James, winners of prestigious writing awards who also manage to sell a good number of books.

Publishing industry veteran Brooke Warner sums up the dilemma this way:

This week I had lunch with an agent friend who expressed her frustration that the best manuscripts she’s representing simply aren’t selling to traditional publishers … It used to be that traditional publishers were curators of what we read, and therefore, in a trickle-down way, of our cultural values. Literary books—which usually refers to books of substance, that are more intellectual, typically better written, and stylistically more sophisticated—were valued by mainstream culture. People actually strove to be well-read. There’s no question that our cultural values have shifted in the wake of twenty-four-hour news cycles, digital content, and the constancy of social media … While literary works win awards, and are the books that transcend time, they’re also becoming the least desirable projects for agents and editors.

Wormwood and Gall imagines the person, the community, and the circumstances behind “the Gospel according to Mark.” Although there are battle scenes, escapes, desert storms, love lost and regained, Wormwood aspires to be literary fiction. Whether it qualifies remains to be seen, but I hope it wrestles with big questions in a meaningful way.

I penned Wormwood a couple of years ago, and then I brought it to a Christian writer’s conference in Nashville where I met other writers who were churning out three and four Christian romance novels a year, and the publishers were lapping them up, so long as they followed a pat formula: a chaste woman meets a fallen man; she brings him to Christ; and they live happily ever after. But, I found no takers for Wormwood.

Now, I’m going to take Warner’s concluding advice, “Set measures of success that include but are not limited to sales, and seize your own publishing future by the reins.” Wormwood will soon be self-published as an eBook through Amazon and a paperback through Amazon’s Createspace, “print on demand” platform.

Support is appreciated. Buy it. Tell your friends about it and encourage them to buy their own copy. I always smile but wince inwardly when I hear, “I love your book. We’re passing it around at church.”

Gonna Stick My Sword in the Golden Sand

Sgt Holmen and Sgt Heald 1970

Forty-five years ago this month, I was in transition. I was leaving a line company of infantry in Vietnam where we slept under the stars in the mud and amongst the critters for the life of a LRRP (Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol) that would offer a barracks and hot meals but also hair-raising scouting missions into hostile territory. Even after this lengthy passage of time, I’m not sure of the wisdom of that decision, but it was what it was.

This spring, during a California book tour, I visited my best friend from those long-ago days, and we discovered that time has stood still for our relationship–we jumped straightaway into discussion of religion, politics, sex, and all the philosophical musings and questioning that we first experienced as young men on late nights in the barracks as the sun was setting on the tumultuous sixties.

G-pa Holmen and G-pa Heald 2014

A few years ago, I wrote several short stories based upon my army experience–some of you may have read the compilation entitled Prowl— and my recent visit with Gary inspired me to finish that project. Thus, I have edited and revised those stories, woven them together, and added some new material. All this is to say that I am pleased to announce that Gonna Stick My Sword in the Golden Sand: A Vietnam Soldier’s Story has just been released.

The title comes from a stanza of the gospel traditional, Down by the Riverside, with its refrain–“Ain’t gonna study war no more.” I would like to think that there are echoes of earlier classics of war fiction. Like The Red Badge of Courage, Golden Sand recreates the fear of the soldier facing battle; like All Quiet on the Western Front, Golden Sand confronts the banality of war for the weary soldier.

Golden Sand is a bold, dark, and intense retelling of the Vietnam experience through the eyes of an army scout, the point man on a camouflaged and face-painted four-man LRRP team inserted by helicopter into remote and unfriendly territory to search for “Charlie,” the North Vietnamese soldiers who travelled the mountain gullies of the Ho Chi Minh trail. Golden Sand is less about patriotism and heroism than about the gut-wrenching reality for the Vietnam combat soldiers who are celebrated for simply doing their best to get by, not as superheroes, but as young men who often acted heroically but sometimes foolishly in circumstances not of their own choosing. One reviewer of an earlier short story commented, “The bond and the folly of immortal combat ring loud and clear from the page, and the story’s told with all the realism, language and pathos of experience.” The mood of Golden Sand is dark and somber rather than triumphalistic: a hauntingly honest and brutally true retelling rather than a glorification of the Vietnam experience.

Others commented after reading the short stories:

Gripping stories, unquestionably authentic, well written.

You read along on everyday books, then open one of these up and its like being smacked in the head. They just open up and tell it to you like it is. I love it.

The tension in the individual stories leaps off the page but the author manages an injection of black humour.

This story is a page-turner, the reader will not be left bored or yawning.

Characters and place come to life with the words, dialog is pitch perfect, and there are haunting comments I’ll remember long after the story’s done.

Click here if you’d like an autographed copy, or go to Amazon.com for either a print paperback or eBook. For $0.99, you can download an individual chapter on Amazon to check it out. Here’s the list of chapter titles:

Eleven Bravo

Humping

Here Comes Charlie

Cat Quiet

Whiskey in the Rain

Chasing After Wind

Elijah Fire

Donut Dollies

Down by the Riverside

Cast of characters: Guy Erwin

At the 2009 ELCA Church Wide Assembly, two notable measures passed. The first was a social statement on human sexuality, and the second was a revision in ministry policies that recognized and supported gay and lesbian relationships and welcomed such partners into the pulpit. The vote on the social statement came first, following a tornado in the vicinity of the Minneapolis Convention Center.

By late afternoon, the sun peeked out, and the voting members picked up their electronic voting devices, ready to vote. Professor Guy Erwin of California Lutheran University was a laity voting member from the Southwest California Synod. He was returning from a bathroom break when he heard the call to vote. He hustled back into the plenary hall and settled into his seat just as the presiding bishop said, “push one for yes, two for no.”

Out of 1,045 registered, 1,014 were present. To reach the constitutionally mandated 2/3 of voters present and voting, the social statement would need 676 affirmative votes. The vote totals appeared first on the monitor of the presiding bishop. With a quizzical look on his face, he turned to his parliamentarian for guidance, and then he announced, “the Social Statement is adopted,” as the totals flashed on the big screens. There were precisely 676 votes for the measure. Not a single vote to spare. Every single aye voter could legitimately claim to have cast the deciding vote; for Dr. Erwin and his sprint from the men’s room, that seemed especially true.

Guy Erwin was born in Oklahoma with roots in the Osage tribe of Native Americans. His life in the church would be that of a scholar and academic. While studying at Harvard, the history of Luther and the Reformation led him to the Lutheran Campus Ministry and the Lutheran Church. Later, while undertaking graduate studies at Yale, he considered ordination within the Lutheran Church of America shortly before its merger into the ELCA, but more studies intervened–at Tubingen and Leipzig in Germany. Upon his return from Europe, the ELCA had been formed, and the newly created Vision and Expectations stood as a barrier to his call to ordained ministry. In 1994, he met his life partner, Rob Flynn, and Dr. Erwin assumed that was the end of his prospects for ordination. Dr. Erwin continued his career as an academic, settling in at California Lutheran University (CLU) by 2000 where he has served as a faculty leader.

But, following the revision to ministry policies that the church wide assembly enacted later in the week, Dr. Erwin’s path to ordination opened up. On May 11, 2011, he was ordained by Bishop Dean W. Nelson of the Southwest California Synod, who said,

We are humbled and thankful to God for the privilege of receiving Dr. R. Guy Erwin onto the roster of ordained pastors of the Southwest California Synod. We have been blessed by Guy’s ministry for over a decade, for in addition to teaching at California Lutheran University, Guy has been the Bible study leader and/or presenter at our Bishop’s Colloquy for rostered leaders, at our Synod Assembly, and at our Synod’s Equipping Leaders for Mission School. During that same period, he has also been a preacher and teacher at several of our Synod’s congregations.

Two years later, on May 31, 2013, Rev. Dr. Erwin allowed his name to go forward during the Synod election of a new bishop to succeed Bishop Nelson. He made it past the first couple rounds in the ecclesiastical ballot process, and he was one of the seven remaining candidates called upon to address the plenary and then one of three to participate in a question and answer session. Emily Eastwood, the executive director of ReconcilingWorks, offered this eyewitness account:

A little nervous before he gave his opening speech, once at the microphone and speaking, he relaxed and told a bit of his story. He talked about Rob. The assembly listened silently in rapt attention, no chatting, no coughing or shuffling of papers. He did what he needed to do. He was completely authentic. From that point forward he was in his element, the teacher and pastor. He seemed to have fun with every question in the Q&A session, especially the one asking about how he would handle ministry to LGBT people. You should have seen his face. What a softball question. He responded with care for those who might be at different points in the conversation on LGBT inclusion. His answer was full of grace and the love of Christ. At that moment, he was the bishop, and most everyone knew it.

As the final vote tally was announced, Erwin sat with head bowed with partner Rob leaning in close. The weight of the moment was upon each of them. The call was clear and so was his commitment.

The crowd went wild. There was hardly a dry eye in the house. The assembly had elected the best candidate, he happened to be gay and Native American and a PhD., one of the world’s best known Luther scholars, and a very good pastor.

Emily Eastwood is a battle-scarred warrior. She has been active in LC/NA for over thirty years, the last decade as its leader. As the assembly applauded, she sobbed.

I cried. I cried as I had not in a long time, surprised by how much pent up hope there was in me for this historic moment. I know how to lose, but even now winning takes me by surprise.

Where to buy the book

Print copies are available from Amazon, the publisher, Barnes and Noble, Cokesbury, or an autographed copy straight from me. Amazon offers it in digital, eBook format for Kindle, and Barnes and Noble offers it for Nook. For iPad or other Apple users, you may order through the iTunes bookstore. Search on RW Holmen.

This is the last installment in the series Cast of characters countdown, which are biographical snippets and summaries of the stories of the iconic pilgrims and prophets on the road to full inclusion who are featured prominently in Queer Clergy. As with all these posts, this is merely a summary of the full story, which is woven into an overarching narrative in the book. Here’s the list of prior posts:

1968 Troy Perry (founder of the MCC)

1970 Robert Mary Clement (gay priest who marched in the first Gay Pride parade)

1972 William Johnson (first out gay man to be ordained by a traditional denomination)

1974 James Siefkes (Lutheran pastor behind the formation of Lutherans Concerned)

1974 David Bailey Sindt (founder of More Light Presbyterians)

1975 Steve Webster (organized the first gathering of gay Methodists)

1975 Dr. Louie Clay (founder of Episcopal Integrity)

1976 Chris Glaser (longtime Presbyterian activist)

1977 Ellen Marie Barrett (first out lesbian ordained to the Episcopal priesthood)

1978 Loey Powell (early UCC lesbian pastor and activist)

1980 Mark Bowman (founder and leader of RMN and editor of Open Hands Magazine)

1982 Melvin Wheatley (Methodist bishop and straight ally)

1987 Ann B. Day (Led the UCC ONA for twenty years)

1990 Jeff Johnson, Ruth Frost, Phyllis Zillhart (Extraordinarily ordained Lutherans)

1990 John Shelby Spong (leading straight ally in the Episcopal House of Bishops)

1992 Janie Spahr (Presbyterian leader of “That All May Freely Serve”)

1994 Ross Merkel (defrocked Lutheran allowed to remain on call with a “wink-and-a-nod” from his bishop)

1996 Walter Righter (Episcopal Bishop whose heresy trial opened the door for queer clergy)

2000 Jimmy Creech, Greg Dell, Joseph Sprague, and Jack Tuell (Methodist trials to punish clergy who performed covenant services for same-gender couples)

2001 Anita Hill (extraordinarily ordained Lutheran)

2003 Gene Robinson (gay bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire)

2004 Karen Dammann and Beth Stroud (Methodist clergy put on trial for being lesbians)

2007 Bradley Schmeling and Darin Easler (defrocked Lutheran clergy who were the first to be reinstated)

2011 Scott Anderson (first gay Presbyterian to be ordained following policy change)

2011 Amy DeLong (out, partnered Methodist minister on trial)

Cast of Characters: Amy DeLong

As I turned to my conversation partner he immediately said to me, “Amy, tell me about the most important thing in your life.” I wanted to tell him about Val, but I couldn’t. I wanted to tell him about her children whom we were raising together, but I couldn’t. So I talked about my cat. Now aside from looking profoundly superficial – the most pathetic part was that I didn’t have a cat at the time. My life and my loves had been reduced to telling make-believe stories about a cat I didn’t have.

So says Methodist clergywoman Amy DeLong who eloquently states the case for honesty in spite of potential consequences, and she now self-describes as an “out, partnered lesbian and United Methodist minister.” Her honesty resulted in an ecclesiastical trial in Wisconsin in 2011 that was the first in the current wave of Methodist clergy trials that may have brought the church to a tipping point in the Methodist journey toward full inclusion. In particular, Rev. Amy and her partner, Val Zellmer, were honest in registering under Wisconsin’s domestic partnership law, and Amy honestly noted that she officiated at a covenant ceremony of a lesbian couple when she filed an annual report of her clergy activity.

Reluctantly, Bishop Linda Lee pressed ecclesiastical charges. Several trial prosecutors were appointed and subsequently resigned, and the trial process barely moved forward until the seasoned inquisitor of the gatekeepers, Thomas Lambrecht, became trial prosecutor. With an angular face and a disarming cant of his head to the right, Lambrecht had become inquisitor general on behalf of Good News (an organization of conservative Methodists) years earlier, and his guiding hand remains behind many of the ongoing Methodist trials. Finally, in June, 2011, the trial convened in a small church in Kaukauna, halfway between Green Bay and Oshkosh in East-central Wisconsin. Despite the isolation, the national press followed the trial closely.

The clergy jury acquitted Rev. DeLong of the charge of being a “self-avowed, practicing homosexual” because prosecutor Lambrecht’s clumsy attempt to prove genital contact failed but convicted her of the second charge of officiating at the holy union ceremony of the lesbian couple. Indeed, the couple testified on Rev. DeLong’s behalf during the trial. Then, the jury did something radical in the imposition of a penalty. Rev. DeLong was merely to spend a purposeful twenty day suspension discerning whether or not she would develop recommendations for the church on how better to deal with clergy conflict.

She accepted the challenge of writing the recommendations.

The paper was a year in process and resulted from collaborative meetings (four of them) between Pastor DeLong, Bishop Lee, District Superintendent and complainant Rev. Jorge Luis Mayorga, Board of Ordained Ministry chair Rev. Richard Strait, and Pastor Wesley White, who served at Pastor DeLong’s request. It was presented to the Wisconsin Annual Conference in June, 2012. Her eleven page document is a tour de force for the cause of LGBT inclusion that indicts the church, its leaders, and its membership for a lack of courage. Her argumentation is summarized in the words of Dr. King, “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends,” and the concept of “weeping executioners” that “describe those who express concern for the oppressed, but will not leave their place in the hierarchy of oppression.

Earlier that spring, Rev. DeLong had become the de facto leader of the gays, lesbians, and allies that engaged in direct action ecclesiastical disobedience by moving to the center of the plenary floor at General Conference 2012 and refusing to leave. Rev. Amy negotiated an agreement that allowed a gay man to offer the opening prayer for the afternoon session, and the president of the Council of Bishops, Rosemarie Wenner, began the session with an acknowledgement that harm had been done to gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people during the Conference, which had once again failed to remove onerous LGBT policy provisions from the Book of Discipline. Rev. DeLong continues to advocate directly with Methodist leadership—the Council of Bishops last fall and soon with the Connectional Table, and her activities may be followed at Love Prevails website.

Rev. Amy has been an invaluable source and fact-checker for Queer Clergy, and she has offered this blurb for the book’s back cover.

Holmen has captured in detail our fervent belief in the grace of God and the gospelstrength of our cause. I am grateful that this narrative of our risk-taking saints and sages is preserved under one cover.