• Embed Doc
  • Copy Link
  • Readcast
  • Collections
  • CommentGo Back
Download
 
Introduction
"GAYTHEOLOGY!! "WHATWILLTHEYWANTNEXT?" THEEDITORTRIESTOEXPLAINWHATHETHINKS WE'REUPTO--- Noneofthewritersinthisissueisa professionalacademictheologian,although thereare'theologianswhoaregayandwhose workreflectsthealienationtheyhave experienced.,Whenitcomestoexplicitself- identificationthough,thesepeopleare stillsilent.Whichleavesthefield--and itsresponsibilities--tous.Forwhilewe areno~tenuredacademics,thewritershere sharetheattitudethatbeingwhoweare hascontributedtoourviewsofconventional religion,andhassometimesmadeinsights availabletousthatwemightnototherwise haveknown.(Forinstance,thephrase "despisedandrejectedofmen"strikesus inawaythatitmightnotmanyChristians.) Allofushavereadtheologyandworkedat itfromtimetotime.Sonowweare attemptingtodosomeourselvestoadvance theself-understandingofourcommunity.
---
ThisissueofTheGayChristianrep- resentsourfirstsuchundertaking,andit ispredictablydiffuse.Butintimewe shouldbeabletofocusinonafewofthe moreproductiveissuesfordiscussion.We thinkthetheologicalenterpriseisonethat isopentoallintelligentChristians.And wethinkthatclassroomdialoguerepresents onlyonephaseofthedevelopmentof Christianthought.Forwehavealsogained ourinsightsonthestreet--inthebars-- inthelonelyhourswhenonegayperson shareshisfeelingsandexperienceswith another.Wehavelearnedalotfromthe peoplewhocametouslookingforadvice. Aneditorisapttohaveagreementsand disagreementswithhiswriters.Sincethe essenceoftheologyisdialogue,Ihavetaken thelibertyofrespondingtothevarious articlesinapieceofmyownattheend, aswellasgivingmyownideas'aboutwhere thisdiscussionshouldgo.Wedon'tplan tohaveeveryissueofTheGayChristian be"heavy"theology,butfromtimetotime wehopetotakeupthismoreabstractkind ofdiscussion.Wehopethereissome substancehereaswellasrhetoric. --r.b.
OpenTheology
by
EllenBarrett
Ifi'vesatthroughonediscussionaboutPetrifiedtheologyisadefensivefortress thehomosexualandtheChurch,I'vesatthroughwhosekeepcanonlyhousethegreat,gray ahundred.Mydeskiscrammedwithnotesandmassof"average"people.TheChurchhasa lettersandsermons,
-m
i
rie
andotherpeople's,badhabitofburningsaintsforreasonsof thatallseemtobepartofthispeculiarpoliticalexpediencyandonlyreluctantly somethingwe'vetakentocallinga"Gayrehabilitatingthemlater,whenthepolitical Theology".Somethingaboutallthiswritingclimateallowsthehumanbeingtobetrans- andtalkingdepressesmethough.Icomeoutformedanddistortedintolegend.Wehave ofmeetingaftermeeting,frustratedandnotreallycomeveryfarfromthedayswhen unhappy,anditdoesn't.matterwhethertheJesuswasframedbymenafraidfortheir participantsareclergyorlaity,straightorreligiousandpoliticalfuture.Itisstill gay.I'veheardalotofgoodideas,butexpedientthatoneman--oroneminority-- theyneverseemtocometogetherintoanydieforthepeople.. sortofwhole.~. Throughout'hlstorytherehavebeenpeople I'mbeginningtobelievethatthecrucialwhoha~e.triedto~t~ndagainstthedeadhand factorinmyfrustrationhasnothingtodowith OfrellglousandclvlIauthorlty.Mosthave the"gay"partoftheissue,butwiththeeitherbeeneradicated
07"
co-optedinoneway theologizers''peculiarideasofwhattheology~ranothe~.blTh~onhlY
t.h
i
nqthaftmakesourown issupposedtobeandhowitissupposedtoayrem~r~.e.lSt.enumber
0
people~who function.Theologyisdefinedasthestudyofarecomlnglntothelrself-awarenessvlrtually GodandGod'srelationshiptotheuniverse.slmultaneously,and.thepowerthatmodernmedia S'impleenough,certainly,.andpresumablyandtechnology.puta
rrt
othehandsofthe broadenoughto.allowforallkindsofgrowthmodernrevolutlonary:NowonderAuthority andexplorationbutthemoreIheartheologytremblesat.the.
rnen
t
i
ono~the"Mov~ment.:' talkedabout.,themoreitseemstohavebeenForallofat.s~nternalrl.f~sandd.isensLons, redefinedintosomethinghardandinorganicthere~ssomethlnga~esomeInthe:thoughtof thatdoesnotgrowperceptiblywellandmovessomanypeoplerefuslng~ocontributet~eir onlywithincredibleeffort.Atworstitbloo~andb?netoth~malntenanceofthls doesnotmoveatallbutmustbeblow~uprottlngsocle~y'swhltedsepulchre.They orlaboriouslyrazed'everytimeanewproblemdemandattentlonfromallwhoclaimtocare needstobedealtwith.abouthumanneeds,andnottheleastfrom.. thosewhoprofessandcallthemselvesChrlstlans. Theseattitudesarepartofthereason whyanyminoritygroup,racial,sexual,or whatever,makeschurchmenfeelsothreatened. Ihavebeenasguiltyasanyoneelseof playingtheexpediencygame,swayingwiththe windinallthesediscussions.Ihavefallen
2
I
 
MembersoftheNewYorkandPhiladelphiachurchesraisethebannerinCentralParkfollowingthe1972ChristopherStreetParade. (TowerNewsService)
alternatelyforintricatetheologiesof liberationandfortheideathatChristianity hasroomforallkindsofpeople.Ifthereis nolongertobeanydiscriminationbetween JewandGreek,slave.andfree,whyshouldthere havetobeanyneedfor~llthiscontentionfrom women,fromblacks,fromhomosexuals,and others?.Thereistruthonbothsides.It isthecontextthatdistortsandfragments them,anduntilthecontextualproblemis resolved,oratleastrecognized,Icannot seehowwecangetveryfaratallinour searchforthiselusiveGayTheology.
i
ItistruethatGod'sloveencompasses allpeople.Christ(thoughevenatthe beginning,notallChristians)hasroomfor everybody.Thisrestatementoftheobvious wouldbeapowerfulargumentagainstany separatisttrendintheologywereitnot foroneequallyobviousfact.Welive neitherinthebestofallpossibleworlds norinahomogenousone.Intheformer, differencesofrace,ofsexuality,of heritageandlifestylewouldbeasgreat acauseforrejoicingasthewonderful varietyofspringflowers,andaslittle controversial.Inthelatter,alldifferences woqldhavebeentrulypurgedaway,obviating thewholeproblem. Asitis,wearestuckwithanuneasily- ·balancedpeckingorderofprejudicesand fear,necessitatingsomekindoflinkbetween thecatholicityoftheGoodNewsandthe unhappyfragmentationoftheworldasitis. Nomonolithicandimmovabletheologycan embracethewholefamilyofGod'speople, hencethetheologiesofliberation. Therearedangersintheologiesof liberation,too.ThefactthattheSavior picturedinmymindwhenIpraylooksmore likeatwentiethcenturylesbianthana firstcenturymanmeansalottome,but thoughitdoesn'tchangethegistofHer/ ~isme~sage~tall,itcanmakeitnearly lmposslblewlthotherpeopleifImakean issueofthecorrectnessofmyvisionas opposedtotheirs.Idon'thavetogiveit up,justfindsomecommondenominatorto makediscussionapracticalpossibility. Iamnotfree,mybrothersandsisters arenotfree,untilweareallfree.Too exclusiveaconcernwithone'sownfreedom leadsinevitablytotheinfringementof someoneelse's.Ourfinitenaturemakesit mandatoryforanyoneinvolvedinthefight forliberationtoconcentrateonthearea ofhis/hergreatestoppression(andthere- foregreatestconcernandexpertise),but unlesswecanstandbackoccasionallyand trytogetamorecompleteviewofthewhole struggleforhumanliberation,wewill mistakethemeansfortheendandbedoomed tofutilityandfrustration. Theologyisnotdogma.Itcannotbe somesolid,immutablebodyofbeliefand betruetoitsdefinition.Certainlysuch avisionoftheologycannothopetofeed thehungersofanever-changingworld.The
3
of 00

Leave a Comment

You must be to leave a comment.
Submit
Characters: ...
You must be to leave a comment.
Submit
Characters: ...