encewascomfortableorfun.Besidesthe
discomfortingchallengestoourpresentwaysofthinking,feelingandactinginvolvedinthepresentationsmentionedabove,therewerethosemomentsofdeeplypersonalstatement;ofangercryingouttobehearddeeplyandnotjustsuperficially;offrustratedhopehopingyetenoughtosetbeforeusagainavisionthatmaynot,afterail,bebeyondourgrasp.Icherishthosemomentstoo.Sometimesevenmorethanthehappytimes,theymeanhope.Hopehangsnearourpersonalfrontiers.Pushingthosefrontiersisrough,butoh,sorewarding.Chicagoanswhoparticipatedinthehope-fulhurtneededSusanSavell'swords,sungthefollowingSundayatGoodShepherdParishMCC:
Aletterfromtheeditor
TheissuesinvolvedinourChristo-logicalcrossroadsareinterrelated.ThewordofSobrinoinElSalvador,CardenalinNicaragua,andahostofotherLatinAmericans,mustaffectourChristology.Somustthevoicesofthird-worldpeopleamongus.LikeReneeMcCoy.Herpower-fulpiece,"RaceandtheLesbian/GayCommunity,"alsoappearsinthisissue.BothpaperswerepresentedattherecentConferenceontheFutureofFaithsponsoredbythisjournalatNorthwesternUniversity,Chicago.Bothwerefollowedbyanimatedanddeeplyreflectivediscus-sion.Allowusafewmorewordsaboutthatevent.FeministtheologianRosemaryRadfordRuetherofferedananalysisofentrenchedanddefensivepatriarchyex-pressedasmysogynyamongchurch-men,evengaychurchmen,particularlyin
thosehigh-churchtraditionsthatcontinuetorefuseordinationtowomen.Shecomparedthedynamicsofthatphenom-enontohomophobia,and,duringherengagingthreehourswithus,tracedamultitudeoftheimplicationsofpatriarchaldomination,respondingtoa.widerangeof
questionsasthoughthey'dbeenpresentedtoherinadvance.JoanClark,firedbytheUnitedMethodistWomen'sDivisionwhenshecameoutandnowDirectoroftheEcumenicalWomen'sCenter,Chicago,presentedanoutlineoftheNewRightinreligion.Workshopsfocussedonstructureandcommunity,sexuality,newformsofworship,strugglingwiththeBible,men'sandwomen'sissuesandmore.Participantssharedtimesofcentering,play,worshipandmusicthroughout.TheweatherandLakeMichiganwatertemperaturecouldn'thavebeenmoreagreeabletoourcon-cludingpicnic.Ifyoumissedtheevent,chancesarewe'lldoitagain!Notthateveryminuteoftheconfer-INHISIMPORTANTbookbythesame
title,JonSobrinoaddresseswhathecalls"ChristologyattheCrossroads."Apriest
inElSalvador,Sobrinohasinmindthehumanliberationissues,andtheirpoliticalconsequences,facingpeopleoffaithinLatinAmerica.Thefeminists'propheticcritiqueofourfaithtraditionbringsustoanothercrossroadsinChristology.Inthisissue,
KarenZiegleraddressesthedilemmain"JesusAccordingtoaLesbian."Heartsopenslowly,soslowlyUnfoldliketheflowerSingthesongsofthedove.Heartsopensurely,sosurely,MilkandhoneywillflowForthehungrytolove.
THEGAYCHRISTIANisatheo-
logicaljournaloftheUniversalFellowshipofMetropolitanCom-munityChurches.Itspurposeistobuildcommunityamongpeopleoffaithwhohappenalsotobegay,women,ormembersofothersexualminoritiesbyprovidingatheolog-
icalsoundingboardandrelevantecumenicalnews.TGCwriters
speakforthemselves;theirview-pointsdononecessarilyrepresentanyofficialpolicy,position,ordoctrineofUFMCC.
Sometimestheslowly-openingheartsareourown.Wehopeyou,too,valuetheconflict
occasionedbynewvisionsoflife-pos-
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requireusagaintorethink,tofeeland
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valueTGC,whynotdosorightnow?Nextissue,we'llreviewsomeimportant
newandnot-so-newliterature.Therewill
beareviewofJohnBoswell'slong-awaited
Christianity,SocialToleranceandHomo-sexuality.SteveCarsonwillreviewElainePagels'TheGnosticGospels.Andbyway
ofareviewofPaulSpike'sPhotographsofMyFather,we'lltrytotakeanotherlook
atthedisturbingmurderofRobertSpike--sevenyearsafterhisson'sengrossingbiography.
Materialinthismagazineisoriginalunlessotherwisenoted.Pleasecredit
THEGAYCHRISTIANwhenquoting
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